Vipra
Vipra Shrivastava
Senior Manager - Content
Updated on Nov 28, 2021 16:55 IST
Read in-depth CAT 2021 exam analysis by IMS India for slot 1, slot 2 and slot 3. Also know the total number of good attempts, slot wise difficulty levels and expected cut offs in CAT analysis 2021.

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 analysis by IMS India

CAT 2021 exam was held on November 28 in three slot. Difficulty level was moderate to high

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.

Table of contents
  • 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

Also Read:

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:

Explore colleges based on CAT

Ahmedabad
#1 NIRF
₹27.50 L
Bangalore
#2 NIRF
₹26.00 L
Pune
₹13.39 L
Kozhikode
#3 NIRF
₹14.00 L

Want better recommendations?

There is a 90% more chance of getting best college recommendations by sharing preferences.
Delhi
#4 NIRF
₹12.00 L
Indore
₹12.50 L
Lucknow
#5 NIRF
₹12.60 L
Gurgaon
₹86.00 K
Mumbai
#6 NIRF
₹25.00 L
Kolkata
#7 NIRF
₹27.00 L
Confused about which college or exam to opt for?assitentRcpRhsImage
  • Chat with our counselor
  • Get your personalised list of colleges & exams matching your preferences
View allCollections

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.

Staying updated about the latest educational events is just a click away
Enter Mobile Number

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.

Explore more MBA exams with upcoming dates

ATMA 2026 admit card release (July)

8 Jul '26

Last date of SSU CET 2026 Admi...

30 Aug '26

IIHMR-U MAT Registration Deadline

1 Nov '25 - 31 Aug '26

MAT September 2026 Registration PBT

22 Jun '26 - 7 Sep '26

XAT 2027 mock test

29 Sep '26 - 30 Sep '26

GNDU GMET 2026 Application Form

8 May '26 - 11 Jul '26

MAH MBA CAP 2026 Registration

2 Jul '26 - 12 Jul '26

SRMHCAT 2026 registration

1 Mar '26 - 15 Jul '26

KMAT 2026 registrations

2 Apr '26 - 15 Jul '26

TG ICET Counselling 2026: Slot...

20 Aug '26

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 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

CAT Percentile predictor prepared by Shiksha.com helps students to get their predicted CAT 2021 percentile on the basis of their expected exam score. So, predict your CAT 2021 score by clicking the link below:

CAT Percentile Predictor

CAT College Predictor

Check CAT cut offs and predict calls from IIMs and Non-IIMs accepting CAT score for admission. Check Fees, Placement Reviews, Admission, Shortlist Criteria and Eligibility of all CAT participating colleges by clicking the link below:

Predict CAT Admission Calls
Videos you may like
About the Author
author-image
Vipra Shrivastava
Senior Manager - Content

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

Read Full Bio
Download Important Dates for MBA/PGDM Exams

News & Updates

Latest NewsPopular News

Explore Other Exams

Jul '26

XAT 2027 registration dates

Sep '26

XAT 2027 mock test

Aug '26

SNAP 2026 Registration Process

Nov '26

SNAP 2026 admit card session 1...

Aug '26

NMAT 2026 Registration Window

Aug '26

NMAT 2026 Scheduling Window

17 Oct '24 -

5 Dec '24

IIFT 2025 registration and app...

22 Jun '26 -

7 Sep '26

MAT September 2026 Registratio...

22 Jun '26 -

14 Sep '26

MAT September 2026 Registratio...

Dec '26

IBSAT 2026 Exam Date

18 Jun '26

IBSAT 2026 Registration Start

Oct '26

CMAT 2027 registration and app...

Jan '27

CMAT 2027 exam

2 Jul '26 -

12 Jul '26

MAH MBA CAP 2026 Registration

3 Jul '26 -

13 Jul '26

MAH MBA CAP 2026 Registration ...

15 Jul '26

TANCET Rank List 2026 Release ...

15 Jul '26

Release of TANCET rank list fo...

Mar '25

IRMASAT 2025 Final Result Anno...

Feb '25

IRMASAT Personal Interviews

The list of exams are recommended based on what other exams do the students in your area show interest in
qna

Student Forum

chatAnything you would want to ask experts?
Write here...

Answered 12 hours ago

No, CAT is not compulsory to get admission in TITE - Templecity Institute of Technology and Engineering. The college accepts entrance exams such as: OJEE/ATMA/CAT/MAT. Candidates wishing to get admission into this programme should have passed graduation with at least 50% marks. 

R

Raj Priya

Contributor-Level 10

Answered Yesterday

No, CAT is not compulsory to get admission in MBA at College of Engineering, Pune. The college consider svalid score of entrance exams such as: 

  • MAH-CET (The primary state-level exam considered for Maharashtra students)
  • CAT
  • CMAT
  • XAT 

R

Raj Priya

Contributor-Level 10

Answered Yesterday

Yes, personal interview round for MBA admission is mandatory for all candidates regardless of which exam they apply through. Candidates applying through CAT result for PP Savani University can only skip SLMET written test during MBA admission process.

Their final evaluation will be based on combined

...Read more

S

Saurabh Khanduri

Contributor-Level 10

Answered Yesterday

Xavier Institute of Management and Informatics does accepts CAT scores for admission in MBA programme. However, it is not compulsory. Aspirants can also get admission based on their qualifying exam scores and performance in the PI round.

N

Nishtha Shukla

Guide-Level 15

Answered 2 days ago

Candidates preparing for CAT may not need to prepare for KLMAT Management separately, as the syllabus is the same and the test structure is also similar. However, one should make sure they practice KLMAT sample papers from a month before the exam as the question type and difficulty level will be dif

...Read more

S

Sayeba Naushad

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 2 days ago

Candidates who want to apply for Sharda University, Greater Noida MBA course must secure a CAT/ XAT percentile of 65% to skip SUAT. For MAT applicants, this score stands at 75% for MBA admissions at Sharda, Greater Noida.

S

Saurabh Khanduri

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 3 days ago

Yes, you can get scholarship for MBA in Adamas University based on CAT score according to the following criteria:

CAT Score

Scholarship

80 percentile & above

50% of the 1st Semester Fee

70 percentile to 79.99 percentile

25% of the 1st Semester Fee

S

Saumya Gairola

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 3 days ago

No, CAT is not compulsory to get admission in MBA at IILM University Gurgaon. Candidates wishing to get admission in MBA should have passed Graduation with at least 50% marks. The university offer admission based on entrance exam score such as: 

  • CAT 
  • XAT 
  • MAT
  • NMAT
  • CMAT
  • GMAT 

R

Raj Priya

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 5 days ago

As per my knowledge, Yes If you've worked hard for your CAT score and you're now wondering whether DBS Global University will accept it For MBA admission at DBS Global University, a valid CAT score is accepted alongside MAT, CMAT, XAT, GMAT, and the DBS Global University Entrance Examination. Regist

...Read more

P

Pratiksha Mewar

Beginner-Level 4

Answered 6 days ago

The CAT 2026 cutoff has not been released yet. However, as per the 2025 cutoff, for admission to PGDM International Business at FORE School of Management, the last round cutoff percentile stood at 75 for the General AI category. 

Additionally, the XAT cutoff 2026 for the same course also stood at 75

...Read more

84134530
Tanu Rao

Contributor-Level 10