Changes in CAT Exam Pattern Over the Years

There is no change in the CAT 2026 exam pattern. The exam pattern was last revised in 2024 with minor increase of 2 questions from 66 to 68. Major change in the CAT exam happened back in 2020, followed by a change in 2021. Check the evolution of CAT exam pattern in the last 15 years.

CAT Exam Pattern Changes in Last 15 Years

CAT exam pattern was revised majorly in 2020. The total time duration of the exam was reduced from 180 to 120 minutes and the sectional time-limit was reduced from 60 to 40 minutes for each section. The number of exam slots was also increased from two to three. Along with the reduction in CAT exam duration, the total number of questions were also reduced. The CAT 2020 question paper had only 76 questions in total. However, structure of the exam remained the same with three sections - Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension, Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning and Quantitative Aptitude. In CAT 2021 the exam pattern was further modified with a reduction in the number of questions from 76 to 66. Later in 2024, CAT exam saw an increase of 2 questions. CAT exam pattern has been stabilized since last 2 years. 

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CAT Exam Pattern 2026

Given below is latest CAT exam pattern. Candidates who have appeared for the exam in last three years, feel that the number of questions per section and sectional time limit complemented each other. 

Evolution of CAT Exam Pattern

The CAT exam pattern broadly remained unchanged from 2014 to 2019. There was no major change in the exam pattern and test structure, apart from a few changes in the distribution of questions and types of questions. For example, in CAT 2018 the Type-In-The-Answer (TITA) were less in number than MCQs which required selection of an option. In CAT 2019, the number of TITA questions were less than in 2018. But the VARC section was tougher than rest of the two section in both slot 1 and slot 2.

However, due to COVID-19 pandemic, the examination body had to overhaul the CAT exam pattern to accommodate maximum candidates at the limited number of examination centres as per the social distancing guidelines. Let's take a look at changes in CAT exam pattern in the past few years. 

CAT Marking Scheme Over the Years

In the last six years, the marking scheme of CAT exam has also not changed.

• For every correct answer, 3 marks are awarded
• For every wrong answer -1 mark is deducted
• There is no deduction of marks for TITA questions and questions left unattempted

However, looking at the trends of the past 11 years of the CAT exam pattern one cannot fail but notice that the test structure of the CAT exam witnessed a huge change in 2013-2014 in terms of duration and number of questions. While in CAT 2013, the number of questions was 60 and the time duration was 140 minutes, in CAT 2014, the number of questions increased to 100 and the time duration was increased to 170 minutes.

On the other hand, the number of sections kept changing from three to two to three again between 2010 and 2015. Between 2011 to 2014, the number of sections were two. The DI section of CAT exam was clubbed with QA and LR section was clubbed with VARC. Given below is a table indicating changes in CAT exam pattern over the years.

Changes in CAT Exam Pattern in Past 15 Years

The CAT question paper and exam pattern has evolved a lot since it became an online exam in 2009. Check the table below to know the changes in number of questions, exam duration and sections of CAT exam:

Also Read: CAT Question Paper Analysis of Previous Years

If you are planning to appear for CAT 2026, study the CAT syllabus and solve previous years' CAT question papers for effective exam preparation. Also, practice a good number of CAT mock tests. Shiksha has created free CAT Mock Tests for practice. Check below: