Common Admission Test 2025 ( CAT )
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 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.
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 |
Check below slot wise DILR questions asked in CAT 2021 and get free PDF for practice with answers.
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 |
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 |
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:
Check below slot wise VARC questions asked in CAT 2021 and get free PDF for practice with answers.
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 |
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 |
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 |
Check below slot wise Quantitative Aptitude questions asked in CAT 2021 and get free PDF for practice with answers.
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:
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 |
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 |
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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.
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.
The CAT VARC section is dominated by RC questions. Out of 24 questions about 14-16 are based on Reading Comprehension passages and the rest of them are based on parajumbles, para completion, etc.
CAT has about 12-16 RC question. Since, it is not mandatory to solve all the questions, candidates can maximize their scores by leaving out the questions related to the passage they find the toughest. There is negative marking in CAT so candidates must ensure that they mark only the correct options or do not mark any option at all.
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.
The key change in CAT question paper 2024 was increase in number of questions in DLIR section. Till 2023, the DILR section used to have 20 questions. In 2024, it had 22 questions. The time limit for it was the same and no other section had less questions. Which means, in CAT 2024, candidates had to attempt 68 questions instead of 66 to solve in the same time (120 minutes). DILR sectional time limit was 40 minutes as in previous years. There was no other change in CAT 2024, the difficulty level was same as previous years.
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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Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 22 hours 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 22 hours 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 Yesterday
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 5 days 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
Answered 5 days ago
Minimum qualifying cut off for IIM Ahmedabad is 95 percentile whereas for IIM Bangalore and IIM Calcutta, it is 85. However final cut offs for these three top IIMs are between 99 to 100 percentile.
S
Contributor-Level 6
Answered a week ago
GIBS is pretty flexible when it comes to entrance exams. They accept almost all the common management tests — CAT, XAT, MAT, CMAT, ATMA, State CET, and even GMAT. In my batch itself, we had students who came through different exams, not just CAT.
Honestly, that's one thing I liked about GIBS — they d
M
Contributor-Level 7
Answered a week ago
Yes, you can join Adarsh Institute of Management and Information Technology without appearing for CAT. This is because, the institute also accepts other tests. The accepted exams include CAT/ XAT/ MAT/ CMAT/ KMAT/ PGCET/ GMAT. Hence, if you have appeared for any of these, you can still apply.
M
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
Yes, Myra School of Business does offer CAT scores based Scholarships upto INR 1.5 lakh. In recognition of outstanding performance in CAT, MSB awards special scholarships as follows:
h
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
LISAA School of Design, Bangalore BDes admission is done based on performance in the in-house entrance test. LISAA CAT is conducted at the LISAA centres. Candidates need to connect with the admission team to set up a time slot. Besides, it is important that the eligibility criteria is fulfilled.
M
Contributor-Level 9
Answered a week ago
Yes, you can absolutely get admission into the MBA programme without clearing CAT or MAT, because the university follows a flexible admission pathway that allows students to apply through its own entrance exam called CUCET. This exam acts as the primary route for MBA admissions, and it is designed t
s
Beginner-Level 3
