CAT 2023 Analysis & Answer Key by Hitbullseye (Out) - Check Detailed Section-Wise Analysis Here

CAT 2023 Analysis by Hitbullseye for all three slots is out now. Test takers can have a look at the sections-wise types of questions, difficulty level, and the number of good attempts in Slots 1, 2, and 3 of the CAT 2023 exam. The CAT 2023 exam pattern was similar to the last year. There were 22 questions in QA, 24 in VARC, and 20 in DILR. The overall difficulty level of Slot 1 was moderate to difficult, and those who attempted 32-38 questions can expect a good percentile. Slot 2 was also moderately difficult and a bit lengthy.

The CAT exam analysis by Hitbullseye will also help candidates understand the CAT attempts vs percentile estimate and give them a better understanding of their scores based on the number of questions they have attempted. Take a look at the detailed CAT 2023 exam analysis by Hitbullseye provided below.

CAT 2023 Exam Pattern (All 3 Slots)

There was no change in the paper pattern of the CAT exam. Here's the distribution of questions in all three slots provided in the table below:

As per the CAT 2023 marking scheme, candidates will be awarded +3 marks for every correct answer. For every incorrect MCQ, -1 will be deducted from the total score. There is no negative marking for TITA or non-MCQs.

CAT 2023 Exam Analysis by Hitbullseye

CAT 2023 exam analysis by Hitbullseye for each section of Slots 1, 2, and 3 has been updated below.

CAT 2023 Slot 1 Analysis by Hitbullseye

Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension

The VARC section was moderately difficult. There were four medium-length reading comprehension passages, each with four questions. The passages were taken from the fields of psychology, social studies, and economics, and were generally easy to read. However, some of the questions were tricky. The non-RC questions consisted of two Para jumbles, two Para Summaries, two Misfits, and two Odd One Outs. There were a total of four TITA questions, none of which were in the reading comprehension sections. To achieve a 99th percentile score, 15-19 questions with high accuracy can be a good attempt.

Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning

The DILR section was the most difficult. There were a total of 4 sets - 5 questions each. Students were generally able to attempt a maximum of 2 sets. The four sets were:

• Houses and connected roads

• Professors and voting

• Restaurant and waiters rating (Mean Median Mode) – relatively easy to do

• Visa application time slots

An attempt of 8-10 questions with good accuracy will fetch 99 percentile.

Quantitative Aptitude

Compared to last year, the Quant section was moderately to highly difficult. The last five questions of the section were all TITA. Although the overall number of attempts seems to have decreased, students with high accuracy are likely to benefit. Here are the types of questions asked:

• Number & System related: 4 Ques

• Algebra-Functions, Roots, Tangent, Mode: 8 Ques

• Arithmetic, Ratio, Allegation Profit/Loss etc: 5 Ques

• Logs & others: 3 Ques

• Geometry: 2 Ques

An attempt of 13-17 questions with a good accuracy level will fetch 99%ile.

CAT 2023 Slot 2 Analysis by Hitbullseye

Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension

In terms of difficulty level, the verbal section can said to be moderate. It was surprising to see a mandatory "Odd One Out" question in the section. There were four reading comprehension (RC) passages of medium length, ranging from 350 to 500 words, and each passage had four questions. The topics of the RC passages are-

• Liberalism – The author’s criticism of liberalism and then some support at the end

• Impact of Netflix on European culture

• History – facts may not always speak the truth and need more reference

• Environmental Science – Why buying new clothes is detrimental to the environment and why people should buy second-hand clothes instead.

The break-up of other questions was Para Summary – 2, Best fit -2 (TITA) and Para Jumbles – 4 (2 TITA). There were a total of 4 TITA questions. There were no TITA questions in RC. Overall an attempt of 16-20 with high accuracy will fetch 99%ile.

Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning

DILR was the most difficult. There were a total of 4 sets having 5 questions each. Students were generally able to do a maximum of 2 sets.

• Arrangement-based questions – 3 Friends, 4 rides, time limit and limited money for rides

• Arranging numbers and ranks

• Cos Fundraise and performance over the years

• Players, scores

An attempt of 9-12 questions with good accuracy will fetch 99%ile.

Quantitative Aptitude

The Quant section surprised many students with its difficulty level, resulting in a minor dip in sectional scores. The questions asked were:

• Number & System related: 4 Ques

• Algebra-Functions, Roots, Tangent, Mode: 4 Ques

• Arithmetic, Ratio, Allegation Profit/Loss etc: 9 Ques

• Others: 2 Ques

• Geometry: 2 Ques

An attempt of 13-17 questions with a good accuracy level will fetch 99%ile

CAT 2023 Slot 3 Analysis by Hitbullseye

Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension

In terms of the level of difficulty, the verbal section can again be labeled as moderate to slightly difficult. As usual, accuracy will be the key to a good score.  There were Four RC passages of medium length (350-500 words) of 4 questions each. The topics of RC passages were as advised below:

• Critical review of a book on rationality by Steven Pinker (moderate to difficult)

• Advantages of patrimony laws on saving artifacts (moderate)

• Critical analysis of Romanticism & aesthetics (difficult)

• Review of a book on nutmeg curse by Ghosh challenging prevailing notions on climate change (difficult)

The break-up of other questions was Summary – 2, Misfit 2 (TITA), Sentence Rearrangement – 2 (TITA), Best Fit – 2. There were a total of 4 TITA questions. There were no TITA questions in RC. Overall an attempt of 16-20 with high accuracy will fetch 99%ile

Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning

As with this section last year, the section was most difficult. There were a total of 4 sets - 5 questions each. Students were generally able to do max 2 sets.
The four sets were:

• Network-based on Police station

• 4 Dealers, 4 types of ACs

• Project, Test, Couple & Constraints

• Registrations offline/online over 5 months

An attempt of 10-13 questions with good accuracy will fetch 99%ile

Quantitative Aptitude

The Quant section continues to surprise students with difficulty. The predominance of Algebra questions at the beginning of the section led many students to spend too much time initially before finding doable questions. The types of questions are advised below:

• Number & System related: 3 Ques

• Algebra-Functions, Roots, Tangent, Mode: 6 Ques

• Arithmetic, Ratio, Allegation Profit/Loss etc: 8 Ques

• Others: 2 Ques

• Geometry: 3 Ques

An attempt of 12-16 questions with a good accuracy level will fetch 99%ile

CAT 2022 Slot 1 Exam Analysis by Hitbullseye

Here’s the section-wise exam analysis of CAT 2022 Slot 1 shared by Hitbullseye:

Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension

The level of difficulty of this section in Slot 1 was easy to moderate. 3 Questions from Para jumbles and Para Summary were asked and there was no odd-one-out question. Instead, a new category of questions was introduced wherein fill-in-the-blanks were given in the paragraph, and candidates had to select the best-fit sentence to fill them. There were no TITA questions in RC and the broad topics of RC passages were:

1. Philosophical: Critical Impact of Technology

2. History of Chinese copying technique

3. Stoicism in Roman Empire

4. Supernatural Phenomenon: Ghosts and Occult Science

Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning

This section was the most difficult. There were a total of 4 sets which had 5 questions each. Only a few students could attempt more than 2 sets. There were no pure DI Based sets. Blocks were AR based on scenarios like

• Hockey Games: Goals & Score

• Train: Schedule, Routes, Judges Interviews, Tokens

• Venn Diagram based: Get-together planning

Quantitative Aptitude

This section was moderately easier and quite doable but was time-consuming. The number of questions from Algebra and arithmetic was high. The majority of the typical topics like Profit & Loss, TSD, Time & Work, and Alligation were asked, and there was one question from Geometry based on trapezium. Around 4 questions were from the Permutation and combinations and Venn diagrams. Overall the quant section was doable.

Score and Expected Percentile

CAT 2022 Slot 2 Exam Analysis by Hitbullseye

Check the section-wise exam analysis of CAT 2022 Slot 2 provided by Hitbullseye below:

Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension

The difficulty level of Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension was moderate to difficult. There were 4 RC passages of medium length of 4 questions each. The break-up of other questions was Para Summary - 3, Para jumbles - 3 (TITA questions), and fill in the blanks - 2. There were no TITA questions in RC and the broad topics of RC passages were:

1. Emergence of Music

2. Engineering - Disconnection with society

3. Octopus - Colour Change

4. Philosophy - Social Institutions

Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning

This section was moderately easy. There were a total of 4 sets with 5 questions each. One was different ways to center which was a probability-based set based on warehouse operations and another set was profit and revenue which was Graph Set. The third set was about products divided into three categories, which was Venn diagram based and the last set was three students and their visit to customers which was Mathematics based. The previous two sets were easy as compared to the last two sets. 

Quantitative Aptitude

The Quant section of Slot 2 was difficult. The majority of the typical topics like Arithmetic, TSD, average, interest, percentage, and number system were asked. They were nearly 10 in number but tricky in nature. There were 2 Geometry questions from Triangles with a moderate level of difficulty. Algebra had 5 questions.

Score and Expected Percentile

CAT 2022 Slot 3 Exam Analysis by Hitbullseye

Here’s the section-wise exam analysis of CAT 2022 Slot 3 by Hitbullseye:

Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension

The Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension section of CAT 2022 Slot 3 can be labeled as moderate. There were 4 RC passages of medium length of 4 questions each. The break-up of other questions was Para jumbles - 3 (TITA questions), Para Summary - 3, and fill in the blanks - 2 (new question introduced). The RC section had no TITA questions and the broad topics of RC passages were

1. Indian Poetry and its effect on oriental scholars

2. Bio-intelligence in body

3. Machines and nature

4. American Socialism

Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning

As compared to the last year, this section was moderately easy. There were a total of 4 sets with 5 questions each. One set was based on DI: Bar diagrams on male and female population and death rates. It was easier as compared to the other 3 sets which were based on AR. One set was around the analysis of the Covid spread rate, one was based on electives selected by students and their grades, and the last was based on direct ratios. DI Set.

Quantitative Aptitude

The Quant section was difficult in Slot 3. The majority of questions from Algebra and Arithmetic were lengthy/tricky. The majority of the typical topics like TSD, Arithmetic, average, percentage, interest, and number system, were asked which were tricky in nature  There were 3 Geometry questions from Triangles & Circles with a moderate level of difficulty.

Score and Expected Percentile

Source: Hitbullseye

Also Read: CAT Score Vs Percentile Analysis

Expected CAT 2023 Cutoff for Top B-schools in India

CAT cutoff is a major factor considered by the B-Schools while selecting candidates for admission. Colleges also consider the academic performance of candidates and their work experience during the selection process. The table provided below will provide an idea about the CAT 2023 Cutoff of top B-Schools in India.

CAT 2023 Exam Analysis by Other Coaching Institutes

Candidates should check out the CAT 2023 percentile predictor for a better understanding of their performance. Also, candidates can check out the CAT 2023 college predictor to find out the colleges they should apply to for MBA admissions in 2023.

Candidates who want to know the cutoff of any top MBA/ PGDM colleges in India can ask questions on the Q&A zone. Apart from this, they can fill out our Common Application Form to get free admission counselling.

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