Vipra
Vipra Shrivastava
Senior Manager - Content
Updated on Nov 22, 2025 17:56 IST
In the last week before CAT 2025, practice DILR, VARC and Quants questions of previous years. Shiksha has shared in this article, sectional details of CAT 2021 question paper and downloadable PDFs of Slot 1, Slot 2 and Slot 3. Practice these CAT 2021 DILR, VARC & Quant Q

In the last week before CAT 2025, practice DILR, VARC and Quants questions of previous years. Get here CAT 2021 (Slot 1, 2, 3) DILR, VARC & Quant Questions PDF with Answers.

CAT 2021 question paper and answers PDF slot 1, 2, 3

CAT 2021 question paper and answers PDF slot 1, 2, 3

CAT 2021 question paper was moderately difficult and on the same lines as the exam usually is. The 66 questions were divided into VARC (24), DILR (20) and QA( 22). The question papers of all three slots had questions from same topics. Candidates, who will be appearing for CAT 2025 on November 30, should check out the CAT 2021 (Slot 1, 2, 3) DILR, VARC & Quant Questions as part of their exam strategy. Practicing old questions will help them strengthen grip over CAT topics and instill confidence.

Shiksha has shared in this article, sectional details of CAT 2021 question paper and downloadable PDFs of Slot 1, Slot 2 and Slot 3. Practice these CAT 2021 DILR, VARC & Quant Questions and know your strength and weakness.

Table of contents
  • CAT 2021 (Slot 1, 2, 3) Sectional Breakup
  • CAT 2021 (Slot 1, 2, 3) DILR Questions PDF with Answers
  • CAT 2021 (Slot 1, 2, 3) VARC Questions PDF with Answers
  • CAT 2021 VARC section Slot 1
  • CAT 2021 (Slot 1, 2, 3) Quants Questions PDF with Answers

CAT 2021 (Slot 1, 2, 3) Sectional Breakup

Check below sectional break up of the CAT 2021 question paper of slot 1, 2 and 3 combined:

CAT section

Number of questions

Important topics

Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension

24

Reading comprehension,  parajumbles parasummary, para completion

Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning

20

Reasoning based DI, Arrangement, Sets, Tables

Quantitative Aptitude

22

Remainder, Indices, Log, Equations, Functions, Maxima-Minima, Sequence & Series, Algebraic Expression, TSD-, T&W-, SI-CI, Percentage, PLD, Mixture, Averages, Ratios, P&C, Circle, Cuboid/Square, Coordinate Geometry

Q&A Icon
Commonly asked questions
Q:   Which CAT slot has the toughest question paper?
A: 
There is no pattern to which CAT question paper can be the toughest. The CAT question paper of every slot has unique questions. The examination body strives to maintain the same difficulty level of the paper across all slots but it may happen that a question can be more difficult from another. It is seen that, to keep the uniqueness of the question paper intact, the examination authority also changes the topic wise weightage a little bit across the exam slots. In most of the previous years, it is seen that the morning slot of the CAT exam is tougher than the rest two. However, candidates must not worry about the difficulty level of the slots as, the scores of all the candidates are normalised on a common scale to root out the possibility of advantage or disadvantage to any student due to difference in difficulty level. To know how the CAT scores are normalised, read this article: https://www.shiksha.com/mba/articles/understanding-cat-normalization-process-blogId-9386.
Q:   How many vocabulary questions are asked in CAT?
A: 

There are no straight forward vocabulary questions in CAT. Out of the total of 24 questions in VARC section, 12-14 questions are Reading Comprehension based and rest of them comprise parajumbles, para completion and odd sentence. CAT is the only MBA entrance exam, which does not have direct vocabulary and grammar questions. However, one needs to have strong vocabulary and grammar to be able to solve RC, parajumble, para completion and odd sentence questions.

Q:   From where can I download CAT question papers?
A: 

CAT question papers are released within a week of the exam in the form of a PDF as a response sheet and answer key. Candidates who have appeared for the test are able to access the CAT question paper and answer key. The question paper of every slot is released on the same day along with candidate response sheet and official answer to all question. If any candidate needs previous year CAT question papers for preparation purpose, then they can download them from Shiksha website. We have hosted last five years' CAT question papers for aspirants to download and practice. These official CAT question papers are available for download free. You can download the CAT question paper PDFs at this link: https://www.shiksha.com/mba/cat-exam-question-papers Candidates must check and practice the latest CAT question paper to know the latest exam pattern and difficulty level.

CAT 2021 (Slot 1, 2, 3) DILR Questions PDF with Answers

Check below slot wise DILR questions asked in CAT 2021 and get free PDF for practice with answers.

CAT 2021 DILR questions Slot 1

Here’s a brief overview of CAT 2021 DILR section Slot 1:

DILR

Set Type

No. of Questions

Difficulty Level

Bar graph on sales

DI

4

Moderate

Friends & Acquaintances

LR

6

Difficult

Smoothies

DI

4

Difficult

Journals

LR

6

Very Difficult

CAT 2021 DILR questions slot 2

Here’s a brief overview of CAT 2021 DILR section Slot 2

DILR

Set Type

No. of Questions

Difficulty level

Bar graph on Delivery times

DI

4

Easy-Moderate

Games & Tournaments/Distribution

LR

4

Moderate-Difficult

Pizza delivery ratings

LR

6

Difficult

Objects, Bundles & Values

DI

6

Very Difficult

CAT 2021 DILR questions Slot 3

Here’s a brief overview of CAT 2021 DILR section Slot 3

DILR

Set Type

No. of Questions

Difficulty level

Bar graph on Employee Schedules

DI

4

Easy-Moderate

Purity of Solutions

LR

4

Moderate

Javelin Throw

LR

6

Very Difficult

Question Evaluation

DI

6

Moderate-Difficult

You can download CAT 2021 DILR questions PDF with answers below.

CAT 2021 Question Paper DILR Questions PDF with Answers

Also Read:

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

CAT 2021 (Slot 1, 2, 3) VARC Questions PDF with Answers

Check below slot wise VARC questions asked in CAT 2021 and get free PDF for practice with answers.

CAT 2021 VARC section Slot 1

Here’s a brief overview of CAT 2021 VARC section Slot 1:

Passage

Number of Questions

Readability

Overall Difficulty Level

Mayan Civilisation

4

Difficult

Difficult

Utopia and Dystopia

4

Difficult

Very Difficult

Marshmallow experiment

4

Moderate

Difficult

Evolution of Tea as a drink

4

Moderate

Moderate

Q&A Icon
Commonly asked questions
Q:   How many DI questions are asked in CAT?
A: 

Data Interpretation or DI is a sub part of CAT's second section DILR. This section has 20 -22 questions (until 2023, the totla number of DILR questions was 20, and in 2024 the number of questions was 22). Both Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning questions have equal number of questions. Candidates must make sure that they prepare for both topics well as the weightage is equal and if they are ill prepared for either of the two, their score will get affected. 

Q:   Is it mandatory to attempt all the questions in CAT?
A: 

No, it is not mandatory to attempt all the questions in CAT. Candidates can choose to attempt questions as per their preparation. It is not possible also to attempt all the questions due to time limitation and difficulty level. Reading dense RC passages often take up a lot of time. In DILR and QA too, some questions are time taking and calculation intensive due to which not much time is left in hand to attempt all questions. The aim of every test taker should be to attempt about 2/3rd of the total questions in all the sections of CAT. 

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
₹14.00 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

CAT 2021 VARC section Slot 1

Here’s a brief overview of CAT 2021 VARC section Slot 2:

Passage

Number of Questions

Readability

Overall Difficulty Level

Language/ Indigenous people

4

Difficult

Difficult

Why Fiction Trumps Truth

4

Moderate

Moderate

Colonialism/Nationalism

4

Difficult

Difficult

Knowledge and problems of knowledge is a scandal to philosophy

4

Very Difficult

Very Difficult

CAT 2021 VARC section Slot 3

Here’s a brief overview of CAT 2021 VARC section Slot 3:

Passage

Number of Questions

Readability

Overall Difficulty Level

Nanotechnology

4

Moderate

Moderate

Language Instinct

4

Moderate

Moderate

Time Accuracy Entropy

4

Moderate

Difficult

Unconscious and Psychoanalysis

4

Difficult

Very Difficult

You can download CAT 2021 VARC questions PDF with answers below.

CAT 2021 Question Paper VARC Questions PDFs with Answers

Explore more MBA exams with upcoming dates

Last date for JAGMAT registration

16 Mar '26

GE & PI

10 Mar '26 - 28 Mar '26

MU BAAT 2026 Early Evaluation ...

12 Jan '26 - 31 Mar '26

SRCC GBO 2026 result announcement

5 Apr '26

VITBEE Application Form 2026

31 Oct '25 - 12 Apr '26

TSICET

LIVE
TGICET R...

12 Feb '26 - 16 Mar '26

Check live updates

APICET

LIVE
APICET 2...

5 Feb '26 - 17 Mar '26

Check live updates

OJEE 2026: Last date of fee payment

22 Mar '26

SMAT 2026 Phase 3 Registration...

23 Mar '26

TANCET

LIVE
TANCET r...

16 Mar '26 - 10 Apr '26

Check live updates

CAT 2021 (Slot 1, 2, 3) Quants Questions PDF with Answers

Check below slot wise Quantitative Aptitude questions asked in CAT 2021 and get free PDF for practice with answers.

CAT 2021 Quants questions Slot 1

Here’s a brief overview of CAT 2021 Quants section Slot 1:

Topic

No. of Questions

Difficulty Level

ERPV

3

Moderate

Percentages, Profit & Loss

2

Moderate

SI-CI

1

Easy

Time & Distance

1

Easy

Time & Work

2

Moderate

Numbers

1

Moderate

Geometry

3

Easy - Moderate

Progressions

2

Difficult

Logarithms and Indices

1

Moderate

Functions & Graphs

1

Moderate

Quadratic Equations

2

Moderate - Difficult

Inequalities & Modulus

1

Moderate

AMA

2

Moderate

Also Read:

CAT 2021 Quants questions Slot 2

Here’s a brief overview of CAT 2021 Quants section Slot 2:

Topic

No. of Questions

Difficulty Level

Time & Work

2

Easy-Moderate

Time & Distance

1

Moderate

Logarithms

1

Easy

Progressions

2

Moderate-Difficult

Mensuration

3

Moderate

Quadratic Equations

1

Moderate

Functions & Graphs

1

Moderate

Inequalities & Modulus

1

Moderate

Percentages, Profit & Loss

3

Moderate

Indices

1

Difficult

Miscellaneous

1

Difficult

AMA

3

Easy-Moderate

P&C

1

Difficult

Special Equations

1

Difficult

CAT 2021 Quants questions Slot 3

Here’s a brief overview of CAT 2021 Quants section Slot 3:

Topic

No. of Questions

Difficulty Level

AMA

1

Moderate

Averages

1

Moderate

ERPV

4

Moderate - Difficult

Function

1

Moderate

Geometry & Mensuration

4

Moderate-Difficult

Indices & Logs

2

Difficult

Inequalities

1

Difficult

Special Equations

1

Difficult

Percentages

2

Moderate

sequence

1

Difficult

SI CI

1

Difficult

Time & Work

2

Moderate

Time & Distance

1

Moderate

You can download CAT 2021 Quants questions PDF with answers below.

CAT 2021 Question Paper QA Questions PDF with Answers

Read More:

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

9 Jan '26

SNAP 2025 result announcement

20 Dec '25

SNAP 2025 session 3

Aug '26

NMAT 2026 Registration Window

Aug '26

NMAT 2026 Scheduling Window

17 Oct '24 -

5 Dec '24

IIFT 2025 registration and app...

8 Mar '26

MAT Feb 2026 CBT

5 Mar '26

MAT Feb 2026 CBT admit card

Jul '26

IBSAT 2026 Registration

27 Dec '26 -

28 Dec '26

IBSAT 2026 Exam Date

17 Feb '26

CMAT 2026 result

31 Jan '26 -

2 Feb '26

CMAT 2026 exam answer key obje...

7 Apr '26 -

8 Apr '26

MAH MBA CET 2026 exam

9 May '26

MAH MBA CET 2026 exam 2

16 Mar '26 -

10 Apr '26

TANCET registration window

Apr '26

Release of TANCET provisional ...

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 Yesterday

Yes, CAT/MAT/XAT/CMAT/GMAT scores are valid for KIITEE MBA. Candidates applying online will be required to submit copies of their mark sheets and other supporting documents.

S

Sayeba Naushad

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 3 days ago

CAT is a national-level exam that is conducted for MBA admission at PG level in colleges. CAT is a computer-based-test. The test duration is 120 minutes. It consists of 68 questions that are divided in the following 3 sections:

  1. VARC (Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension)
  2. DILR (Data Interpretation

...Read more

S

Saumya Gairola

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 3 days ago

To get admission in IIM Kashipur MBA, students have to clear the CAT cutoff. The cutoff for the general category AI quota was 95. For NC-OBC candidates, it is 81 percentile, for SC candidates it is 66 percentile whereas for SC and PwD candidates, it is 40 percentile. Students can check the official

...Read more

A

Anangsha Aggarwal

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 4 days ago

No, the application fee for Amrita CAT can only be paid online. There is no provision of offline payment. 

R

Rashmi Chatterjee

Contributor-Level 6

Answered 5 days ago

CAT exam conducted only once a year in the month of November. It is conducted in three shifts on a single day.

M

Manisha Singh

Contributor-Level 7

Answered 5 days ago

CAT exam is conducted in computer based test mode. Candidates have to visit a designated test centre to give the exam on a computer system. They have to login their answers with the help of computer mouse.

78439174
Vipra Shrivastava

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 5 days ago

Maximum marks in CAT is 204. There are 68 questions each carrying 3 marks. VARC is of 72 marks and DILR and Quants are of 66 marks each.

P

Pallavi Gupta

Contributor-Level 7

Answered 5 days ago

CAT exam is of 120 minutes. Each section is of 40 minutes. PwD candidates get extra time of 53 minutes and 20 seconds per section.

N

Nitesh Vimal

Contributor-Level 7

Answered 5 days ago

Yes, CAT exam is MCQ type, meaning there are no subjective type questions wherein you have to write a lot. In CAT every question is to be answered in one word or option. However, all questions don't have MCQ options, some are Type In The Answer (TITA) questions.

J

Jasleen Dixit

Contributor-Level 7

Answered 5 days ago

Yes, students can prepare for the KMAT exam along with the CAT exam. However, CAT is comparatively a difficult MBA exam. The difficulty level of KMAT is easy to moderate, but CAT retains high difficulty levels. Students can use CAT books for KMAT preparation

A

Abhishek Kumar

Contributor-Level 6