CAT 2018 Question Paper Analysis & Tips for CAT 2021- Check Difficulty Level, Section-Wise Weightage

Yash Dhamija

Updated On: November 15, 2021 08:33 am IST

CAT 2018 was conducted on November 25, 2018. The paper analysis of CAT 2018 slot 1, as well as slot 2, are provided here. 

CAT 2018 Exam Analysis and Expert Opinions

CAT 2018 was conducted on November 25, 2018. The test was conducted at 370 exam centres in 147 cities across India. Around 2,09,405 candidates appeared for the exam. IIM Calcutta was the conducting body of CAT 2018. The exam pattern of CAT 2018 was similar to that of CAT 2017. The exam was divided into three sections namely Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning, Quantitative Aptitude and Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension. +3 marks were awarded for each correct answer while there was a negative marking of one mark in CAT 2018. The paper analysis of CAT 2018 is provided here. Candidates who have appeared for the examination can check the CAT 2018 paper analysis provided here to know the type of questions that were asked in the examination as well as the exam difficulty. 

Major Highlights of CAT 2018 Question Paper Analysis: Slot 1

  • Slot 1 of CAT 2018 was a mixed bag. There were quite a few doable questions across sections.

  • The Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning section was difficult than the rest of the sections.

  • A good number of attempts for CAT 2018 slot 1 was 65+. 

  • There were a total of 27 Non MCQ questions in slot 1 CAT 2018. The difficulty level of the Non MCQ questions was moderate. 

CAT 2018 Question Paper Analysis Highlights: Slot 1

Provided below are the major highlights of the CAT 2018 Question Paper Analysis.

Overall difficulty level of the question paper

Moderate- Difficult

Total number of questions in CAT 2018

100

Total number of questions in Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension

34

Total number of questions in Quantitative Ability

34

Total number of questions in Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning

32

Overall difficulty level of the Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension section

Moderate

Overall difficulty level of the Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning section

Difficult

Overall difficulty level of the Quantitative Ability section

Moderate

High weightage topics in the Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension section

Summary, Para-Formation

High weightage topics in the Quantitative Ability section

Ratio, Equations, Profit and Loss

High weightage topics in the Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning section

Pie-Chart, N*N Matrix

Good Attempts

65+

CAT Exam PatternCAT Syllabus

Section Wise Analysis of CAT 2018: Slot 1

Section

Analysis by CollegeDekho Experts

Expert Remarks to Score Good Marks

VARC

  • The RCs were lengthy and time-consuming. RCs were asked from general topics such as Biology, Environment, History, and Sociology.

  • VA questions were of easy to moderate difficulty. 

  • A good practice of the different types of RCs was needed to crack this section. 

DILR

  • The difficulty level of the DILR section in CAT 2018 was low compared to CAT 2017 and CAT 2016. 

  • Some of the questions in DI sets were not difficult in terms of interpretation. 

  • Candidates who have solved mock test papers of CAT were familiar with the type of DI questions.   

QA

  • More than 50% of the questions in this section were from Arithmetic, Geometry & Mensuration.

  • There were 3-4 questions on ratios which were very calculative. 

  • Speed and formulas were the key factors to score a good percentile in this section. 

Major Highlights of CAT 2018 Question Paper Analysis: Slot 2

  • The second slot of the CAT 2018 was difficult than the slot of CAT 2018.

  • The Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension section was of the same difficulty as that of slot 1 but the quant questions were tough in comparison to slot 1.

  • There was a marginal increase in the level of difficulty of the RC section in slot 2.

  • A good number of attempts to get a 90+ percentile in CAT 2018 slot 2 was 60+. 

CAT Previous Year Question PaperBest Books for CAT

CAT 2018 Question Paper Analysis Highlights: Slot 2

Provided below are the major highlights of the CAT 2018 Question Paper Analysis.

Overall difficulty level of the question paper

Moderate- Difficult

Total number of questions in CAT 2018

100

Total number of questions in Quantitative Ability

34

Total number of questions in Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension

34

Total number of questions in Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning

32

Overall difficulty level of the Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension section

Moderate

Overall difficulty level of the Quantitative Ability section

Moderate- Difficult

Overall difficulty level of the Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning section

Moderate- Difficult

High weightage topics in the Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning section

Venn Diagrams, DI Sets

High weightage topics in the Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension section

Odd one out, Para-jumble

High weightage topics in the Quantitative Ability section

Equations, Inequalities,Functions

Good Attempts

60+

Section Wise Analysis of CAT 2018: Slot 2

Section

Analysis by CollegeDekho Experts

Expert Remarks to Score Good Marks

VARC

  • The VARC section was of moderate difficulty.

  • There were 4 RC passages with 5 questions each & 1 passage with 4 questions.

  • There were 4 sentences in jumbled paragraph questions instead of 5. 

  • TITA questions were from sentence completion. 

  • Candidates needed to answer all the Non MCQ questions since there was no negative marking for these types of questions. 

DILR

  • There were 4 sets from Data Interpretation and 4 sets from Logical Reasoning. 

  • There was no set based on TITA questions completely. TITA questions were distributed between different sets.

  • Selection of the right sets to answer was the key to score a good percentile in this section.

QA

  • There were 12 TITA questions in slot 2. 

  • Most of the questions were from Mixtures & Alligations, Logarithms, Modern Maths and Geometry. 

  • Speed and time management were the key to crack the QA section of CAT 2018 slot 2. 

CAT Preparation StrategyBest Books for CAT

CAT 2018 Section Wise Distribution of Questions

Around 34 questions were asked in QA and VARC each while 32 questions were asked in DILR. The table provided below contains the section-wise distribution of questions in CAT 2018.

Section

Number of Questions

Marks Per Question

Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning

32

+3

Quantitative Ability

34

Verbal Ability and Reading comprehension

34

Total

100

CAT 2018 Question Paper - Download PDF

The PDF of the CAT 2018 question paper for both slot 1 and slot 2 are provided here. Candidates can click on the question paper of respective slots to download the PDF.

CAT 2018 Slot 1 Question Paper PDFCAT 2018 Slot 2 Question Paper PDF

CAT Question Paper Analysis of Other Years

Candidates can find the links to the year-wise paper analysis of the CAT exam in the following table.

YearAnalysis Link
CAT 2019CAT 2019 Question Paper Analysis & Tips for CAT 2021: Check Section-Wise Weightage, Difficulty Level
CAT 2017CAT 2017 Question Paper Analysis & Tips for CAT 2021- Check Difficulty Level, Section-Wise Weightage
CAT 2016CAT 2016 Question Paper Analysis & Tips for CAT 2021- Check Difficulty Level, Section-Wise Weightage
CAT 2015CAT 2015 Question Paper Analysis & Tips for CAT 2021: Check Section-Wise Weightage, Difficulty Level
CAT 2014CAT 2014 Question Paper Analysis & Tips for CAT 2021: Check Section-Wise Weightage, Difficulty Level
CAT 2013CAT 2013 Question Paper Analysis & Tips for CAT 2021: Check Section-Wise Weightage, Difficulty Level
CAT 2012CAT 2012 Question Paper Analysis - Check Difficulty Level, Section-Wise Weightage
CAT 2011CAT 2011 Question Paper Analysis - Check Difficulty Level, Section-Wise Weightage

Related Links

How to Crack CAT 2021 in 2 Months: Useful Section-wise Tips for AspirantsSection-wise Time Management Tips for CAT 2021
CAT 2021 Preparation Tips for BeginnersCAT 2021 Cut Offs Of Top B-Schools in Indi

For all the latest updates regarding the CAT exam, stay tuned to CollegeDekho!

Are you feeling lost and unsure about what career path to take after completing 12th standard?

Say goodbye to confusion and hello to a bright future!

news_cta
/news/cat-2018-question-paper-analysis-22746/

Do you have a question? Ask us.

  • Typical response between 24-48 hours

  • Get personalized response

  • Free of Cost

  • Access to community

Subscribe to CollegeDekho News

By proceeding ahead you expressly agree to the CollegeDekho terms of use and privacy policy
Top
Planning to take admission in 2024? Connect with our college expert NOW!