Registration - To be notified
Know what CAT 2021 test takers have to say about difficulty level of the question paper. Check out CAT 2021 student reactions and review.
Know the observation of CAT 2021 candidates about the question paper
CAT 2021 exam was conducted today in three slots at over 400 test centres across India. The first slot was conducted from 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM, the second slot was conducted from 12:30 PM to 2:30 PM and the third slot was conducted from 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM. Shiksha team visited a CAT exam centre in Delhi to know from the candidates about the exam and question paper.
Like last year, the CAT 2021 exam was conducted with COVID-19 guidelines. All the candidates were given different reporting time to avoid overcrowding at the centre. Physical distancing and other safety measures were followed at the time of entry and during the exam. Irregularity in following physical distancing was reported from a few CAT exam centres but over all the COVID-19 protocol was followed.
Explore colleges based on CAT
Want better recommendations?
There is a 90% more chance of getting best college recommendations by sharing preferences.
- Chat with our counselor
- Get your personalised list of colleges & exams matching your preferences
The CAT 2021 question paper was of moderate difficulty level and in all the three slots, VARC section was tough and lengthy. There were 66 questions in total (VARC-24, DLIR-20 and QA-22). Read below CAT 2021 student reactions and reviews from a examination centre in Delhi.
Also Read:
CAT 2021 Student Reactions and Reviews
Anika Jain
"I found the VARC section a bit tougher like last year, but the DILR and Quant sections were much easier. So, all in all I would say that the paper was on the easier side."
Explore more MBA exams with upcoming dates
12 Jan '26 - 31 Mar '26
5 Apr '26
31 Oct '25 - 12 Apr '26
24 Mar '26 - 30 Mar '26
1 Feb '26 - 31 Mar '26
31 Mar '26
31 Mar '26
31 Mar '26
30 Mar '26 - 1 Apr '26
11 Apr '26
Anand Malhotra
"The exam was not tough it was quite moderate but the Quant part was time consuming. Reasoning part was average and Verbal was also average."
Tanmay
"This was my second CAT attempt. Quant was easy. I attempted most of the questions. Some questions were a little bit lengthy and DILR was smooth. If someone had prepared will they could easily attempt three sets. VARC is my weak area so I comment on that but I guess it was also decent. One could attempt more than 15 questions."
Arpan Tripathi
"The exam was good, not that much difficult. Last year, it was more difficult but this year it was good. Verbal part was a little bit difficult but overall it was easy."
Akash
"According to me, the verbal section relatively easier than last year. The LRDI section was pretty tricky and lengthy but once you got the concept it became easy and for Quants, I would say concept wise the questions were easy but calculations were tricky and lengthy."
Piyush
"The Quant section was straightforward according to me and English section was quite lengthy but DILR section was really tough in comparison to last three years. The English passages were quite long."
Watch Video:
CAT 2021 Analysis
| CAT Experts |
CAT 2021 Analysis Page Links |
|---|---|
| CAT 2021 analysis by CATKing |
|
| CAT 2021 analysis by Career Launcher |
Available Now |
| CAT 2021 analysis by IMS |
Available Now |
| CAT 2021 analysis by T.I.M.E. |
Available Now |
| CAT 2021 analysis by Endeavor Careers |
Available soon |
IIM Ahmedabad will release the preliminary CAT 2021 answer key within a week following which most of the CAT test takers will be able to analyse their performance better. The CAT 2021 result will be announced by first or second week of January 2022.
Read More:
- CAT score vs percentile: What is the difference
- CAT cut offs: Expected and Previous
- CAT 2021- How Scaled CAT Score will be Calculated for Three Slots?
- Understanding CAT normalization process
- What after CAT result 2021?
- MBA colleges accepting CAT in range of 60-70 percentile
- MBA colleges accepting CAT in range of 70-80 percentile
- MBA colleges accepting CAT in range of 80-90 percentile
- IIM admission criteria and selection process 2022-2024
News & Updates
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 |
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 |
May '26 | TANCET admit card download |
Mar '25 | IRMASAT 2025 Final Result Anno... |
Feb '25 | IRMASAT Personal Interviews |
Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered Yesterday
The minimum marks or CAT cut off to appear for IIM selection round is different for every institute. Tier 1 colleges select candidates with CAT score above 95 percentile, Tier 2 colleges select candidates with score between 80-90 percentile and Tier 2 colleges select candidates with score lower than
P
Contributor-Level 7
Answered Yesterday
There is no CAT PI shortlist for IIMs. Candidates have to simply login with their CAT credentials and fill the PI shortlist form.
S
Contributor-Level 7
Answered Yesterday
There is no minimum qualifying marks for CAT. Anybody scoring above 0 in the exam is eligible for admission, however the B-Schools select candidates on the basis of cut offs which are 60 and above percentile.
N
Contributor-Level 7
Answered Yesterday
The final CAT cutoff are not released publically. However, candidates can check qualifying cut offs in the admission criteria document released by IIMs and other institute before the exam.
A
Contributor-Level 7
Answered Yesterday
CAT cut off is prepared by all accepting colleges individually. There is no one authorized body to do so. Even the IIMs determine their admission cut offs separately.
J
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 2 days ago
If we're talking about GIBS Business School Bangalore, they don't have some super high CAT cutoff. In simple words, you don't need to be in the 99+ percentile to get considered.
- They look for a decent CAT score, usually around 70–80 percentile as a safe benchmark
- Scores are important, but they also ca
P
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 3 days ago
Not CAT necessarily, but still, you need to take a national-level entrance exam required for MBA admissions.
J
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 days ago
Most IIMs require a CAT percentile of 90 to 99 for MBA in Business Analytics. Private colleges like Great Lakes and NMIMS accept scores between the 70th and 85th percentile.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 6 days ago
Yes, it is possible to get admissions at some of the top private MBA colleges in India with a low CAT score, between the 80th and 85th percentiles. These are some.
| Top Private MBA Colleges in India | CAT percentile |
|---|---|
| TAPMI CAT Cutoffs | 85 |
| GIM Goa CAT Cutoff | 85 to 88 |
| FORE School of Management CAT Cutoff | 75 to 85 |
Note: All info. is from official sites and can change.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 6 days ago
Yes, students can get admission in Sandip University, Nashik without CAT. The university also accepts other national/ state CETs. These are MAT/ XAT/ State CETs. Students can also appear for the Sandip University Management Aptitude Test - SUMAT.
P
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
Read Full Bio