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CAT Exam Pattern 2024 - Exam Duration, Total Marks, QA, VARC, DILR
Common Admission Test (CAT)
Admit Card Date
5th Nov 2024
Avantika Bhardwaj
Updated on Aug 13, 2024 | 5 min read
New Update About CAT 2024
IIM Lucknow has revised CAT Admit Card 2023 release date. CAT Admit Card will now be released on 7 November 2023 @iimcat.ac.in. The release date of CAT Admit Card was previously set to be 25 October. Candidates will be able to download their respective CAT Admit Cards until the exam day by using their CAT login ID and password. The CAT 2023 Exam will be held on November 26 at approximately 400 test centres across 150 cities. The exam will be divided into three slots and will last two hours. Candidates will be able to take the test at the centre only if they bring a hard copy of their CAT 2023 Admit Card.
Table of Content
IIM Calcutta is going to release the CAT exam pattern along with its official notification. This year's CAT paper pattern is said to be similar to the previous year's paper. Taking reference from the previous year's CAT paper, the question paper consists of 66 multiple-choice questions. A total of 66 questions are required to be solved within a time duration of 120 minutes. The total marks of the CAT examination is 198.
Highlights of the CAT 2024 Exam Pattern
Candidates who want to prepare for the CAT examination must understand the CAT exam pattern. The CAT pattern and the test procedure will be declared, along with the CAT exam 2024 date and the notification. Aspirants who want to go for CAT 2024 must thoroughly go through the CAT entrance exam pattern along with the CAT syllabus 2024. For the past two years, the CAT exam pattern consists of 66 questions.
According to the previous year's CAT question paper pattern, the CAT examination consists of three slots. The slots are divided into morning, afternoon, and evening on the same day. The CAT examination is a computer-based test. The CAT exam pattern for the MBA is mentioned below:
CAT Paper Pattern and Syllabus
Important Pointers for CAT Paper Pattern
- Candidates are allowed to use an on-screen calculator while the CAT examination 2024
- With the help of an on-screen clock, candidates can check the time
- For rough work candidates will be provided with sheets, which a candidate needs to submit after the completion of the CAT examination.
- Candidates are not allowed to jump from one section to another while attempting questions in one section.
- The CAT official mock test has been declared on its official website, iimcat.ac.in. It generally discloses the overall and section-wise exam pattern of CAT.
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The timing for the CAT examination is mentioned below:
- Morning session (8:30 am-10:30 am)
- Afternoon session (12:30 pm-2:30 pm)
- Evening session (4:30 pm-6:30)
CAT Exam Pattern - Duration
The CAT 2024 exam will be conducted in three different shifts with a time limit of 120 minutes (2 hours) for each CLAT slot. The CAT 2024 entrance exam will be conducted on November 24. The CLAT exam will be conducted in three slots, morning, afternoon, and evening as per the guidelines.
Duration of CAT Exam 2024
Following the CAT paper patterns, applicants will be given 40 minutes to solve each section. Once the time duration is completed, no changes or corrections will be allowed to be made after that. The section-wise number of CAT questions and the time duration are mentioned below:
CAT Exam Pattern- Slot Timings
CAT Exam Pattern-Qualifying Marks
CAT 2024 qualifying marks will be revealed with the release of the CAT cutoff for the next academic session. The CAT qualifying marks will be announced by the (IIMs) and other top MBA colleges that accept CAT scores for MBA/PGDM admissions. For candidates who want to be selected for MBA admission the first criterion is to fulfil is the CAT qualifying marks criteria
CAT Exam Pattern 2024 -Marking Scheme
As per the CAT marking scheme, applicants must be familiar with the CAT exam total marks awarded for every correct answer and the total number of marks deducted, in case an applicant's answers are incorrect.
- For every correct answer, three marks will be awarded.
- CAT Negative Marking: For every wrong answer, one mark will be deducted
- For unattempted CAT questions, no marks will be deducted. Also for Non-MCQs, no marks will be deducted.
The CAT marking scheme 2024 is mentioned below:
CAT Entrance Exam Patterns Changed over the Years
The CAT entrance exam pattern that changed over the years is mentioned below:
CAT Exam Pattern - Previous Years
Previous year's CAT Exam Patterns are mentioned below:
CAT Exam Pattern- Mock Test 2024
Candidates who want to test their practice can opt for the official CAT Mock Test. CAT conducting body will declare the official CAT 2024 mock test on iimcat.ac.in. The CAT mock test is a practice test that will help the candidates to experience real-life examinations without any fear and also help them to attend the questions within the time duration.
By taking the mock test, the candidates will get an idea about how to attend different sections. Before Opting for the CAT exam mock test, students must understand the CAT test pattern 2024 also for additional practice they must go through the CAT sample papers.
Evolution of CAT exam pattern over the years
Over the past years, the CAT question paper pattern has evolved many times. The CAT 2024 paper pattern evolved over the years is mentioned below:
The CAT paper pattern contains three sections,
- Verbal and Reading Comprehension (VARC)
- Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR)
- Quantitative Aptitude (QA)
Colleges Accepting CAT Score
4.5
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₹4.81L (2 Yrs)
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use calculator while taking CAT 2024 Exam??
Yes. But you can only use the onscreen calculator available on your desktop which will be able to perform only basic calculation. Candidates are not allowed to bring calculators of their own inside the examination hall.
What is the pattern and time per section for CAT 2024??
In CAT Exam, the question paper is divided in three sections namely, VARC (Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension), DILR (Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning), and QA (Quantitative Aptitude). The sectional time per section is 40 minutes.
What is the exam pattern of CAT??
As per the CAT Exam Pattern, there are three sections i.e. There are total 66 questions which need to be answered in 120 minutes. VARC, DILR, and QA in the CAT question paper. VARC section of CAT Exam consists of 24 questions, DIRL has 20 questions and QA section has 22 questions.
What is the maximum duration of the CAT exam??
The total duration of CAT Exam is 2 hours i.e. 120 minutes. However, candidates belonging to the PwD category will be given 2 hours and 40 minutes i.e. 160 minutes in total to complete the exam.
What should be the average time spent on a question in cat??
There are total 66 questions in the CAT Question Paper and the total duration to complete the exam is 2 hours i.e. 120 minutes. It means on an average, a student must not spend more than ~2 minutes on each question. But this won’t entirely work in this case since each section comes with a sectional time limit. Candidates will be required to attempt these questions in the given sectional time.
What is the Question pattern for the cat exam??
There are three sections in CAT Exam namely VARC, DILR, and QA and the number of questions in these section is 24, 20, and 22 respectively.
Which section of CAT is easiest??
The easiest section of CAT Exam varies as per the students’ level of preparation. In my opinion, I find VARC the easiest one as there is no calculation involved. You just need to read the questions and answer them.
What is the difference between the syllabus of CAT and XAT??
There are a few differences between XAT Exam and CAT Exam. CAT is conducted by IIMs for admission to IIMs and other MBA colleges while XAT is conducted by XLRI Jamshedpur for admission to XLRI, IMT, XIMB, MICA, RIMA and other MBA colleges. There are 3 sections in CAT Exam and 4 in XAT Exam. The total tie duration to complete the test for CAT Exam is 120 minutes and for XAT, it is 210 minutes.
Is CAT exam online or offline??
CAT Exam is an online i.e. computer based test conducted by one of the IIMs on a rotational basis.
Is CAT exam necessary for MBA??
No. CAT Exam is not the only option for admission to MBA. There are several other MBA Exams such as MAT, XAT, SNAP, NMAT, etc. Qualifying this exams can get you admission to MBA Institutes. But if you are seeking admission to the Indian Institutes of Management (IIM), or any top level management institutes across the country, then CAT Exam is the only option to get through.
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