CAT Exam Pattern 2024: A Detailed Overview Exam Pattern

The Common Admission Test is one of the best known and most respected management entrance tests in India. It serves as the passageway to the Indian Institutes of Management, not to mention other key business schools. It evaluates the candidate's potential to perform well on the parameters of quantitative aptitude, logical reasoning, and verbal ability. Thus, it could be called an all-rounded examination of critical skills that one must possess for an MBA. Most importantly, being aware of the pattern of the exam holds paramount importance for effective preparation. To provide you with a nuanced view of the pattern of the CAT exam in 2024, we have managed to divide it into the most crucial parts.

1. Pattern of CAT Exam Pattern 2024

CAT Exam Pattern has changed over the years, but essentially it tends to constitute three main sections that will check on different skills sets: VARC-Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension DILR-Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning QA-Quantitative Ability

Each of these sections is built to test different capabilities. The entire time duration taken for the test is 2 hours (120 minutes) with 40 minutes on each. Once a test-taker has done a section, they are not permitted to do anything on any of the previous ones. Hence, timing plays an essential role.

Important Points:

• No. of Sections: 3
• Total Time: 120 minutes
• Time per Section:40 minutes Absolutely sectional time bound
• Type of Questions: MCQs and Non-MCQs (TITA - Type In The Answer)
• Number of Questions: It may vary, but this year there are about 66-76 questions in total.
• In the past few years, it had around 66 questions, and maybe it would alter a bit by 2024

2. Section-Wise Distribution CAT 2024

2.1. VARC (Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension

This section is intended to assess if a candidate is well-equipped with the spoken language of English, reading comprehension along with verbal ability. It has two parts:

• Reading Comprehension (RC): It consists of passages and the related questions. The RC section generally has 4-5 passages each carrying 3-5 questions on topics such as science, history, philosophy, economics, and current events.
• Verbal Ability (VA): The module contains sentence completion, para-jumbles, paragraph summaries, and odd-sentence out

Focus Areas

• Reading Comprehension: Passage interpretative, argument piece deconstruction, inference building
• Verbal Ability: Grammar, vocabulary, logical presentation of sentences, summarizing ability
• Number of Questions Expected in VARC
• The VARC section generally contains 24-26 questions. Read comprehension forms most of the question and the rest is verbal ability.
• Preparation Strategy
• Different subjects should be read to improve speed as well as comprehension.
• Para-jumbles and summaries are also a frequent feature of the paper.

2.2. Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning

The section of Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning is one of the most unpredictable sections of the CAT exam. This section tests how skillfully the candidate can interpret data, apply logical senses, and solve problems in a very structured way.

This section comprises:

• Data Interpretation (DI): In this section, you would be presented with problems to be solved on the basis of data given in the forms of tables, graphs, charts, and caselets .
• Logical Reasoning (LR): In these problems, you would be presented with puzzles, arrangements, seating arrangements, Venn diagrams, and sequences that would ask for logical thinking.

Focus Areas:

Data Interpretation: Draw inferences from the given data, interpret its trends, and extract valuable insights from it.

• Logical Reasoning: Analytical reason, relationships between elements, and solving problems using deductions.
• Total Questions.
• The DILR section generally consists of 20-24 questions, spread over 4-6 sets of data or logic problems, each carrying 4-5 questions.
• Strategy for Preparation:
• Use different types of DI sets-charts, graphs, etc.; increase speed and accuracy.
• Solve various types of LR puzzles-seating arrangement, grid-based problems, etc. .

2.3. Quantitative Ability (QA)

The quantitative ability section of any entrance exam tests the mathematical skills of the candidate. This includes questions from the themes like arithmetic, algebra, geometry, number systems, and modern mathematics.

• Important Themes Covered:
• Arithmetic: Percentage, ratios, time and work, time and distance, and profit and loss.
• Algebra: Equations, inequalities, logarithms, and sequences.
• Geometry and Mensuration: Properties of triangles, circles, polygons, and areas.
• Number Systems: Divisibility, factors, LCM, and HCF.
• Modern Mathematics: Permutation and combination, probability, and set theory.
• Expected No. of Questions
• The QA section consists of 22-26 questions and is a mix of multiple-choice questions and the non-MCQ type. The candidate in this section has to write down the answer.
• Strategy for Preparation
• Basic Arithmetic and Algebra needs to be very strongly placed
• Questions need to be done quickly as this is known to be a time-consuming part in the QA section.
• Accuracy needs to be given as wrong answers will incur a penalty.

3. Categories of Questions in CAT 2024

CAT contains two types of questions:

• Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs): There are four options and the correct answer has to be selected. For all the wrong answers there is a negative marking of one (-1).
• Type In The Answer (TITA) Questions: In this type the candidates have to type the answer rather than choosing from options. There is no negative marking for TITA questions.
• On the other hand, in the case of MCQs, the participants have to be extremely cautious as it carries a negative marking and, thus TITA does not carry a fear of losing marks for the wrong answers.

4. Marking Scheme in CAT 2024

The marking scheme adopted in CAT exam is as under:

• 3 marks are awarded to each correct answer.
• 1 mark is deducted on every wrong MCQ (it carries negative marking).
• There is no negative marking in case of wrong answers in TITA questions.
• Unanswered questions do not affect the score.
• Accuracy must be managed simultaneously with speed to minimize negative marking and maximize the score.

5. Sectional Time Limit

The big feature of the CAT exam pattern 2024? is that the test has sectional time limits. A candidate will have 40 minutes per section, and he or she cannot move back to a particular section once that is over. So, each section has to be attempted in isolation requiring time management and careful allocation of time for each question.

Candidates from the reserved categories, that is PWD, will be awarded an extra 13 minutes per section; this will mean their total examination time will be 159 minutes.

6. Significance of Sectional Cutoffs

Clearing the sectional cutoff along with an overall cutoff is necessary in many of the top IIMs and B-schools. This means the candidates have to perform exceedingly well in all three sections so that they get shortlisted, leaving out any section can play an adverse role in the chances of admission irrespective of a high overall percentile.

Conclusion

The new CAT Exam pattern 2024 examination pattern aims to test the complete abilities of an individual over a couple of enormous domains, such as verbal reasoning, data interpretation, logical thinking, and quantitative aptitude. Understanding the pattern, marking scheme, and sectional timing will be the need of the day. So, aspirant students must work out their strategies in preparing for time management, avoiding negative marking, and maintaining accuracy. Through the above key areas, combined with rigorous practice through mocks, aspirants can do much better and get into their dreamed-up B-schools.