CAT 2023 Analysis by IMS India: Check Slot 1, 2 and 3 Paper Analysis
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Read in-depth CAT 2023 exam analysis by IMS India for slot 1, 2 and 3. Also know the total number of good attempts, slot wise difficulty levels and expected cut offs in CAT analysis 2023.
CAT 2023 exam analysis
CAT 2023 exam was conducted by IIM Lucknow today at various exam centres across India. The exam was held in three slots. The overall difficulty level of CAT 2023 paper was moderate with VARC and DILR being easy and Quantitative Aptitude being tough. The detailed CAT 2023 question paper analysis for slot 1, 2 and 3 have been shared here.
Shiksha will bring to you in-depth CAT exam analysis by MBA experts. In this blog, you will read detailed CAT 2023 analysis by IMS India. Read below for section-wise distribution of topics, difficulty levels, number of good attempts, sectional cut off and expected scoring pattern.
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Check out: CAT 2023 live updates for key insights of exam day, question paper review, answer keys and cut offs
- CAT 2023 Exam Analysis Highlights
- CAT 2023 Analysis, Slot 1: VARC
- CAT 2023 Analysis Slot 1: DILR
- CAT 2023 Analysis Slot 1: Quantitative Aptitude
- CAT 2023 Analysis Slot 2 VARC
- CAT 2023 Analysis Slot 2 DILR
- CAT 2023 Slot 3 Analysis, VARC
- CAT 2023 Slot 3 Analysis, DILR
- CAT 2023 Slot 3 Analysis, Quantitative Ability
- CAT 2023 Score vs Percentile Slot 1
- CAT 2023 Score vs Percentile Slot 2
- CAT 2023 Score vs Percentile Slot 3
CAT 2023 Exam Analysis Highlights
Given below is the section-wise break up of the CAT question paper:
| Section Name |
Duration |
MCQs |
TITA |
Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VARC |
40 mins |
20 | 4 | 24 |
| DILR |
40 mins |
14 | 6 | 20 |
| Quantitative Aptitude |
40 mins |
14 | 8 | 22 |
| Total |
120 mins |
48 | 18 | 66 |
CAT 2023 Analysis, Slot 1: VARC
The VARC section of CAT exam was as usual the toughest of the three. There were four Reading Comprehension passages with four questions each. The VA questions were based on parajumbles and odd sentence. Verbal Ability questions were easier than Reading Comprehension questions, as always. Check below, topic-wise distribution of questions in VARC section:
Commonly asked questions
In CAT 2025, the following changes were seen:
- The fee amount increased from INR 2,500 to INR 2,600 for General category candidates and from INR 1,250 to INR 1300 for Reserved category candidates.
- In DILR section, number of questions increased from 20 to 22.
- Total marks of CAT DILR section increased from 60 to 66.
- Total marks of CAT exam increased from 198 to 204.
- Candidates can select five cities instead of six.
In CAT exam, each candidate gets 120 minutes to solve the paper. There are three sections in CAT Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension, Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning and Quantitative Aptitude. For each section 40 minutes are allotted as sectional time limit. For PwD candidates, the sectional time limit is 53.20 minutes per section. Candidates have to complete each section within the given time limit. Since the CAT is an online mode exam, the test screen will move from first section to the next section automatically as soon as the time limit gets over. Thus candidates have to be mindful of the on-screen timer and pre-decide the number of questions to solve in each section. The Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension section of CAT has 24 questions, Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning section has 22 questions and Quantitative Aptitude section has 22 questions. It is not mandatory to solve all the questions in CAT so candidates can devise a strategy to use 40 minutes per section as per their strength and weakness.
CAT has 68 questions. Each question carries three marks. There is negative marking of minus one for incorrect attempts. There is no deduction of marks for unanswered questions. Total marks in 204.
In CAT exam, there are 20 questions in the Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning section and the total sectional marks is 60 out of 198. In CAT 2020, there were 24 question on DILR and the sectional marks were 72. In CAT 2021 and CAT 2022, there were 20 questions and the sectional marks were 60. The 20 questions are equally divided into both Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning. That means, Both Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning have 10 questions each. The questions are mostly in sets. There’s rarely any standalone question in DILR.
Some of the top MBA entrance exams carrying a high weightage of Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning questions are MAH CET, ATMA, CAT, CMAT, XAT IIFT, to name a few.
| VARC Topics |
No. of Questions |
Difficulty Level |
|---|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension |
16 |
Overall: Difficult |
| Passage 1: Return of wolves’ predation in a French region |
4 |
Easy |
| Passage 2: Current economies of North and South Korea |
4 |
Easy |
| Passage 3: Indian Ocean Literature |
4 |
Moderate |
| Passage 4:Modern materialism versus ancient societies |
t4 |
Difficulr |
| Verbal Ability |
08 |
Overall: Difficulty |
| Para jumble |
2 |
Easy to moderate |
| Para completion |
2 |
Easy |
| Para summary |
2 |
tEasy to moderate |
| Odd sentence out |
2 |
Easy to moderate |
Also Read:
CAT 2023 Analysis Slot 1: DILR
The DILR section of CAT 2023 will have a total of 20 questions. There will be four sets, out of which two sets of LR with six questions each and the other two sets of DI with four questions each.
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| DILR Area |
Set Description |
No. of Questions |
Question Type |
Difficulty Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data Interpretation |
(Reasoning based DI) |
5 |
5 (1 MCQ, 4 TITA) |
Moderate to Difficult |
| Logical Reasoning |
(Arrangements) Professors in departments |
5 |
5 MCQ |
Easy to Moderate |
| Data Interpretation |
Visa Office Special Equation handling |
5 |
5 (3 MCQ, 2 TITA) |
Moderate to Difficult |
| Logical Reasoning |
Houses on sale |
5 |
5 (3 MCQ, 2 TITA) |
Moderate to Difficult |
Also Read:
- CAT 2023 slot 1 answer key and question paper analysis
- CAT 2023 slot 2 answer key and question paper analysis
- CAT 2023 Slot 3 Answer Key and question paper analysis
- CAT 2023 question paper PDF slot 1, 2, 3
- CAT 2023 student reactions and reviews
CAT 2023 Analysis Slot 1: Quantitative Aptitude
This section of CAT 2023 can be of moderate difficulty level and be dominated by Arithmetic. Check topic wise break up of CAT Quantitative Aptitude section below:
| QA Topics |
No. of Questions |
|---|---|
| Arithmetic |
7 |
| Algebra |
8 |
| Geometry |
4 |
| Modern Maths |
2 |
| Numbers |
1 |
CAT 2023 Analysis Slot 2 VARC
The CAT VARC section consisted of 16 Reading Comprehension questions and 8 Verbal Ability questions. About 12 RC questions were doable. One question in the Verbal Ability section was Mandatory. Overall the section was easy and an attempt of 17 to 19 questions with 70% accuracy will be considered good attempt.
| Area / Questions |
No. of Questions |
Type of questions |
Difficulty Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension |
16 |
MCQ |
Overall: Easy to Moderste |
| RC-1: Second-hand Shopping and Fast Fashion |
4 |
MCQ |
Easy |
| RC-2: Translated Streaming on Netflix in Europe |
4 |
MCQ |
Easy |
| RC-3: Why Liberalism Failed (Book Review) |
4 |
MCQ |
Moderate |
| RC-4: What is Historical Fact |
4 |
MCQ |
Difficult |
| Verbal Ability |
08 |
MCQ & TITA |
Overall: Easy |
| Para jumbles (4 sentences) |
2 |
TITA |
1 Easy, 1 Moderate |
| Para-completion |
2 |
MCQ |
2 Easy |
| Summary |
2 |
MCQ |
1 Easy, 1 Moderate |
| Odd Sentence Questions |
2 |
TITA |
1 Easy, 1 Moderate |
CAT 2023 Analysis Slot 2 DILR
The structure of DILR section of CAT 2023 slot 2 was same as slot 1 and the questions were moderate in terms of difficulty level. An attempt of10 to 12 questions with 75-80 % accuracy will be considered good performance.
Commonly asked questions
| Area |
Set Description |
No. of Questions |
Question Type |
Difficulty Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DI |
5 firms – Funds raised in consecutive years |
5 |
4 MCQ, 1 TITA |
Easy to Medium |
| DI |
Draw competition |
5 |
3 MCQ, 2 TITA |
Medium to Difficult |
| LR |
3 friends visited a park. |
5 |
3 MCQ, 2 TITA |
Medium to Difficult |
| DI |
Nine Boxes – sudoku type puzzle |
5 |
2 MCQ, 3 TITA |
Medium to Difficult |
CAT 2023 Slot 2 Analysis, Quantitative Ability
CAT 2023 slot 2 Quantitative Aptitude questions were slightly tougher in terms of level of difficulty compared to CAT 2023 Slot 1. There were 8 questions in TITA format in this section. Overall, an attempt of 9 to 11 questions with accuracy of approximately 75-80% will be a good performance.
| Area/Q Type |
No. of Questions |
|---|---|
| Arithmetic |
7 |
| Algebra |
8 |
| Modern Math |
2 |
| Geometry |
3 |
Also Read:
- CAT score vs percentile and marks vs percentile
- Understanding CAT normalization process
- How Scaled CAT Score will be Calculated for Three Slots?
- Colleges Accepting CAT percentile above 90
- Colleges Accepting CAT percentile from 80-90
- Colleges Accepting CAT percentile from 70-80
- Colleges Accepting CAT percentile from 60-70
- Colleges Accepting CAT percentile from 50-60
CAT 2023 Slot 3 Analysis, VARC
In the CAT 2023 slot 3, VARC section consisted of 16 Reading Comprehension questions and 8 Verbal Ability questions. Overall, the section was Medium. An attempt of 16 to 18 questions with70 % accuracy will be considered a good performance in VARC section of CAT 2023 slot 3.
| Area / Questions |
No. of Questions |
Question Type |
Difficulty Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension |
16 |
MCQ |
Overall: Moderate |
| RC-1: Colonialism and Global Warming (The Nutmeg’s Curse) |
4 |
MCQ |
Easy |
| RC-2: Understanding Romantic Aesthetics |
4 |
MCQ |
Easy |
| RC-3: Cultural Patrimony Laws |
4 |
MCQ |
Easy-Moderate |
| RC-4: Rationality by Steven Pinker |
4 |
MCQ |
Difficult |
| Verbal Ability |
08 |
MCQ & TITA |
Overall: Easy |
| Para jumbles (4 sentences) |
2 |
TITA |
1 Easy, 1 Moderate |
| Para-completion |
2 |
MCQ |
1 Easy, 1 Moderate |
| Summary |
2 |
MCQ |
1 Easy, 1 Moderate |
| Odd Sentence Questions |
2 |
TITA |
1 Easy, 1 Moderate |
CAT 2023 Slot 3 Analysis, DILR
This section of CAT 2023 slot 3 had moderate to high difficulty level questions. Like slot 1 and slot 2, slot 3 also had four DILR sets having five questions each. An attempt of 9 to 11 questions with 75-80% accuracy will be considered a good performance.
| Area |
Set Description |
No. of Questions |
Question Type |
Difficulty Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DI |
Number of enrollments in offline and online courses |
5 |
3 MCQ, 2 TITA |
Easy to Medium |
| LR |
Six police stations with maps (route based set) |
5 |
3 MCQ, |
Medium |
| DI |
Project and test scores of 3 boys and 3 girls |
5 |
3 MCQ, 2 TITA |
Medium to Difficult |
| DI |
AC company – 4 dealers |
5 |
3 MCQ, 2 TITA |
Medium to Difficult |
CAT 2023 Slot 3 Analysis, Quantitative Ability
The Quantitative Aptitude section of CAT 2023 slot 3 was slightly tougher in terms of level of difficulty compared to slot 1 and slot 2 and was dominated by Arithmetic. There were 8 TITA questions in this section. Overall, an attempt of 9 to 11 questions with 75-80% accuracy of can be considered a good performance.
| Area/Q Type |
No. of Questions |
|---|---|
| Arithmetic |
8 |
| Algebra |
4 |
| Modern Math |
4 |
| Geometry |
3 |
| Numbers |
3 |
CAT 2023 Score vs Percentile Slot 1
Check below, CAT 2023 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 2023 Score vs Percentile Slot 2
| Percentile |
Score VARC Score |
Score DILR Score |
QA Score |
Overall Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 99.9 %ile |
50 |
38 |
46 |
108 |
| 99.5 %ile |
46 |
34 |
30 |
91 |
| 99 %ile |
42 |
30 |
26 |
81 |
| 98 %ile |
38 |
26 |
23 |
73 |
| 95%ile |
32 |
20 |
18 |
59 |
| 90%ile |
26 |
17 |
14 |
50 |
| 85%ile |
22 |
13 |
12 |
41 |
| 80%ile |
20 |
11 |
10 |
36 |
| 75%ile |
18 |
10 |
9 |
32 |
| 70%ile |
16 |
9 |
8 |
30 |
CAT 2023 Score vs Percentile Slot 3
| Percentile |
Score VARC Score |
Score DILR Score |
QA Score |
Overall Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 99.9 %ile |
46 |
36 |
46 |
104 |
| 99.5 %ile |
42 |
32 |
30 |
87 |
| 99 %ile |
38 |
28 |
26 |
77 |
| 98 %ile |
34 |
25 |
23 |
70 |
| 95%ile |
28 |
19 |
18 |
56 |
| 90%ile |
23 |
16 |
14 |
48 |
| 85%ile |
20 |
13 |
12 |
39 |
| 80%ile |
18 |
11 |
10 |
35 |
| 75%ile |
16 |
10 |
9 |
30 |
| 70%ile |
14 |
9 |
8 |
28 |
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered Yesterday
Yes, students can get admission in Shri Vaishnav Institute of Management & Science MBA without CAT. That is because the institute accepts CMAT scores instead. Admissions to the programme are through CMAT + counselling basis. CAT is not required.
U
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 days ago
No, CAT exam is not strictly required to take admission in MBA at Babu Banarsi Das Institute of Technology. Candidates may submit scores from CAT, MAT, XAT, CMAT, or GMAT for MBA admissions.
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Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 days ago
Yes, according to the GITAM School of Management MBA cutoff 2025 via the CAT entrance examination, you could get into this institute if you belong to the General AI category.
The aforementioned category had an estimated qualifying percentile of 70 in 2025. Admission for this category candidates may
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Contributor-Level 10
Answered 3 days ago
The Global Institute of Business Studies delivers consistent training for aspiring business professionals to prepare them for interviews and the workplace via a number of organized programs and other forms of practical experience.
A CPMP (Finishing School) prepares students with the following:
- Resum
M
Beginner-Level 4
Answered 3 days ago
Yes, admissions in MBA at AIM-Assam are possible without CAT. The institute accepts other exams like CMAT/MAT/XAT and ATMA. Students can appear for entrance and fill the application form on official website. The university selects students on the basis of merit. Selected students have to appear for
B
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 5 days ago
Business schools with campus in Bangalore GIBS Bangalore accepts a wide range of entrance exams for its AICTE-approved PGDM programme (MBA equivalent), prioritizing accessibility for diverse candidates over elite CAT toppers alone. This flexible policy suits your MAT 522 score, enabling shortlisting
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Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
KMAT, and Karnataka PGCET are the accepted entrance examinations at Jyoti Nivas College. Students who wish to get admissions must clear all the entrance examinations for admissions.
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Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
The Global Institute of Business Studies has set a moderate cut-off for its CAT exam, far lower than those of the premier IIMs.
Expected CAT Cutoffs
- Minimum Requirement - Approximately 60 Percentile
- Safe Range - Approximately 60 to 65 Percentiles
- Good Chance of Admission - Approximately 65 to 70 or grea
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Beginner-Level 4
Answered a week ago
GIBS Business School situated in Bangalore acknowledges CAT, MAT, and XAT as authorized admission tests for both undergraduate and postgraduate programs.
Approved Admission Exams
- CAT (Common Admission Test)
- MAT (Management Aptitude Test)
- XAT (Xavier Aptitude Test)
Additionally to these Three Tests, GI
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Beginner-Level 4
Answered a week ago
Jaipuria Institute of Management can get admission in PGDM programme without CAT scores. CAT is one of the accepting exams for admission. However, aspirants with MAT, XAT or CMAT scores can also get admission in PGDM provided they also meet the eligibility criteria.
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