Read in-depth CAT 2021 exam analysis by IMS India. Also know the total number of good attempts, slot wise difficulty levels and expected cut offs in CAT analysis 2021.
CAT 2021 exam was held today in three slots at various exam centres. Shiksha brings to you in-depth CAT 2021 analysis by MBA experts and coaching institutes. In this blog, you will read detailed CAT 2021 analysis by IMS India. Read below in-depth CAT 2021 analysis, which includes section-wise distribution of topics, difficulty levels, number of good attempts, sectional cut off and expected scoring pattern.
- CAT 2021 Exam Analysis Highlights
- CAT 2021 Analysis: VARC
- CAT 2021 Analysis: DILR
- CAT 2021 Analysis: Quantitative Aptitude
- CAT 2021 Score vs Percentile
CAT 2021 Exam Analysis Highlights
According to CAT 2021 analysis by IMS India, the difficulty level of exam was moderate to high. Given below is the section-wise break up of the CAT 2021 question paper:
| Section Name |
Duration |
MCQs |
TITA |
Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VARC |
40 min |
19 |
5 |
24 |
| DILR |
40 min |
14 |
6 |
20 |
| Quantitative Aptitude |
40 min |
14 |
8 |
22 |
| Total |
120 min |
47 |
19 |
66 |
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CAT 2021 Analysis: VARC
The VARC section of CAT 2021 was toughest of the three. There were four Reading Comprehension passages with four questions each. The passages were inference based and of 470-500 words. The passage ‘The Thirst Empire – Chinese tea’ was easy but rest of them were moderate to tough. In VA, there were three Para Jumbles, two Odd Sentence Out and three Para Summary questions. VA was easier than RC as always. Check below, topic-wse distribution of questions in VARC section according to According to CAT 2021 analysis by IMS India:
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| VARC Topics |
No. of Questions |
Question Type |
Difficulty Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension |
16 |
MCQ |
Overall: Difficult |
| RC-1: On Utopia and Dystopia |
4 |
MCQ |
Difficult |
| RC-2: On Mayan Civilization – personhood |
4 |
MCQ |
Medium |
| RC-3: Marshmallow Theory |
4 |
MCQ |
Medium |
| RC-4: The Thirst Empire – Chinese Tea |
4 |
MCQ |
Easy |
| Verbal Ability |
08 |
MCQ & TITA |
Overall: Medium |
| Parajumbles (4 sentences) |
3 |
TITA |
Medium |
| Out of Context sentence |
2 |
TITA |
Easy |
| Summary |
3 |
MCQ |
Medium |
Also Read:
CAT 2021 Analysis: DILR
The DILR section of CAT 2021 had a total of 20 questions. There were four sets, out of which two sets of LR had six questions each and the other two sets of DI had four questions each. According to CAT 2021 analysis by IMS India, this section was easier compared to last year’s DILR section of Slot 1 and slightly tougher compared to Slot 2 and Slot 3. Overall, an attempt of 10 to 12 questions with high accuracy of 85-90 per cent can be considered a good performance.
| DILR Area |
Set Description |
No. of Questions |
Question Type |
Difficulty Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data Interpretation |
Bar graph (year wise) with different items grouped in furniture, tech and office stationery. |
4 |
3 MCQ, 1 TITA |
Easy |
| Logical Reasoning |
Friends, Acquaintances, Stranger among 7 friends |
6 |
4 MCQ, 2 TITA |
Medium-Difficult |
| Data Interpretation |
Cost price of various fruits getting mixed in various smoothies. |
4 |
3 MCQ, 1 TITA |
Medium |
| Logical Reasoning |
8 people, 3 countries, 4 issues and 18 papers |
6 |
4 MCQ, 2 TITA |
Easy-Medium |
CAT 2021 Analysis: Quantitative Aptitude
This section of CAT 2021 was of moderate difficulty level and was dominated by Arithmetic (10 questions), followed by Algebra (five questions). There were four questions on Modern Maths and three questions on Geometry. In Arithmetic, the questions were asked from topics such as Time-Speed-Distance, Time and Work, Averages and Mixtures & Alligations.
Out of 22 questions, six were TITA and 14 were MCQ-type. According to CAT 2021 analysis by IMS India, students should have been able to attempt about 14 questions in the given time with 85-90 per cent accuracy.
| QA Topics |
No. of Questions |
Difficulty Level |
|---|---|---|
| Arithmetic |
10 |
Moderate |
| Algebra |
5 |
Moderate |
| Geometry |
3 |
Moderate |
| Modern Maths |
4 |
Moderate |
Also Read:
- CAT score vs percentile and marks vs percentile
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- CAT 2021 - How Scaled CAT Score will be Calculated for Three Slots?
- Colleges Accepting CAT percentile above 90
- Colleges Accepting CAT percentile from 80-90 percentile
- Colleges Accepting CAT percentile from 70-80
- Colleges Accepting CAT percentile from 60-70
CAT 2021 Score vs Percentile
Check below, CAT 2021 scores and percentiles as estimated by IMS India experts
| CAT Percentile |
VARC Score |
DILR Score |
QA Score |
Overall Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 99.5 %ile |
45 |
33 |
48 |
104 |
| 99 %ile |
41 |
29 |
42 |
97 |
| 98 %ile |
37 |
26 |
37 |
86 |
| 95%ile |
32 |
21 |
28 |
72 |
| 90%ile |
27 |
17 |
23 |
59 |
| 85%ile |
23 |
15 |
19 |
52 |
| 80%ile |
21 |
13 |
16 |
44 |
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Student Forum
Answered 3 days ago
Yes, CAT is a compulsory entrance exam for all candidates who are a resident of India to qualify for PGPM admissions at IIM Shillong. For NRI candidates, the GMAT is the mandatory entrance exam to qualify for IIM Shillong PGPM admissions. Candidates also need to fulfill the eligibilty criteria for P
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 3 days ago
The CAT cutoff for IIM Shillong PGPM admissions 2026 ranges from 50 - 75%. The general and EWS category candidates are required to score at least 75% in CAT exam to qualify for the PI round for IIM Shillong admissions.
The SC category is required to score 60% while the remaining categories are only r
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 3 days ago
Yes, students can get into IIM Ahmedabad without appearing for CAT. However, this is applicable for courses other than flagship PGP/ MBA programme. Students seeking to join programmes, such as the BPGP or executive programmes. For those courses, students need valid scores of other accepted exams.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 3 days ago
LIBA Chennai does accept CAT scores for admission to PGDM courses. However, it is not compulsory. Aspirants can also apply for PGDM with XAT scores. Candidates applying for PGDM (Gulf/ FN/ OCI) programme can also appear for LIBA Admission Test. Selected candidates also need to pass WAT followed by G
N
Guide-Level 15
Answered 3 days ago
N.L. Dalmia offers scholarships based on entrance exam scores of the candidates. Below is the criteria for scholarship based on CAT scores:
| Category | Scholarship |
|---|---|
| >90 percentile | INR 6.50 lakh |
| 85 to 89.99 percentile | INR 4.06 lakh |
| 80 to 84.99 percentile | INR 3.25 lakh |
N
Guide-Level 15
Answered 2 weeks ago
CAT is one of the accepting exams for admission to MBA at ISMR Pune. However, it is not compulsory. Aspirants with a score in CMAT, MAT, XAT, MAH MBA CET, etc. can also get admission. Candidates selected based on their entrance exam scores also need to pass the personal interview round for admission
N
Guide-Level 15
Answered 2 weeks ago
No, CAT scores are not compulsory for admissions into MBA course at Chhatrapati Shahu Institute of Business Education and Research. The institute accepts other national/ state level management entrance exams too. The names of the accepted entrance examinations are: XAT/ MAT/ ATMA/ MAH MBA CET.
A
Contributor-Level 9
Answered 2 weeks ago
No, CAT scores are not compulsory for admissions into MBA course at GLA University, Mathura. The university also considers scores from other management entrance exam and one university level entrance exam too. The names of the other accepted entrance exams are: MAT/ XAT/ UPSEE.
C
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 weeks ago
No, CAT scores are not important for enrollment into Masters of Business Administration course at Chitkara University. Because CAT is not the only scores which are considered by the university, it also accepts the scores of MAT/ XAT/ NMAT/ CMAT.
K
Contributor-Level 10
Vipra Shrivastava is MA in English Literature from Delhi University with extensive experience in content writing of over 14 years. She has been handling content for Management, Accounting and Commerce streams for 8
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