CAT 2021 Paper Analysis by Bfactory
Dear CAT 21 takers
Day image: RTC, Ranchi CAT Centre
Hope you enjoyed taking the exam đ The paper was pretty much as expected. Total number of questions went down from 76 in CAT 2020 to 66 this year. In this analysis article, I will talk about the following aspects of the exam:
- Sectional Overview (Question numbers and types)
- Overall Sentiment of test takers (Overview)
- Predictive Analysis (Based on paper reviews from Bfactory students and teachers)
- What next? (The next important 60-90 days after CAT)
Sectional Overview: (40 minutes each section)
| Section | Question Types | Level of Difficulty |
| Verbal Ability | 24 questions | Moderate |
| Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning | 20 questions | Moderate |
| Quantitative Ability | 22 questions | Moderate to Difficult |
| Overall | 66 questions | Moderate |
Non MCQ Questions: 5 to 8 questions in a section. Other questions: MCQ
Topic/Subject Wise Level of Difficulty
| SECTION | Module | DETAILS | Level of Difficulty |
| VA | RC | 4 RCs. Common topics were History, Environment etc. like one on âMayan Empireâ, âCuttlefish and humansâ, âNationalismâ, âReligionâ, âHuman Animal brain connectionâ etc. | Reading: Lengthy, complicated. Questions: Not very direct but easy to moderate. Slot 2 VRC was slightly more difficult than Slot 1. Slot 3 was not much different from the first 2 slots. |
| VR | 8 questions: Para Jumbles-3, Odd one Out-2, Para Summary-2. | Overall level: Moderate | |
| DILR | DILR | A good mix of DI and LR. 4 sets. 2 sets of 6 questions each. 2 sets of 4 questions each. Main topics: Bar graph, missing tabular 3*4 table, LR on Grouping and Arrangement, Logic Based DI, Games and Tournaments. | 1 set easy, 2 moderate, 1 difficult(lengthy). Slot 2 DILR was a touch easier than Slot 1. There was not much difference between the 3 slots. |
| QA | QA | Arithmetic and Algebra Dominated. Numbers, functions, log and Geometry based questions too. | Geometry easy. Arithmetic part easy to moderate. Rest a bit lengthy. Overall moderate. Still, doable. Slot 2 was a little more tricky than Slot 1 in the QA section. Slot 3 was also arithmetic dominated followed by Geometry. Responses suggest that Slot 1 was easier than the other 2 slots. |
Overall sentiment of test takers:
The paper did not have a lot of surprize in it. Many takers liked the fact that they had to chose from only 4 DILR sets. That made selection and attempting more comfortable. Some takers found VRC reading slightly complicated. Overall students found the paper very doable. Those students who could select and solve will score well.
Score Prediction (First cut | Exam day) | Score
| SECTION | 99 percentile + | 90 percentile + | 80 percentile + |
| VA | 37-40 | 24-27 | 18-20 |
| DILR | 29-34 | 21-24 | 14-18 |
| QA | 37-42 | 20-25 | 12-18 |
| Overall | 98-104 | 58-64 | 47-53 |
 *Based on first hand CAT experience of our faculty team, students and level of difficulty reviews taken in consideration, this is our prediction for CAT 2021. #PercentileVScore
What next?
Take a chill pill guys đ Relax a bit. May be take a couple of days off studies. Gear up for any upcoming exams then. GDPI is the next stage. Remember, the journey begins and not ends at CAT.
Wishing you all the best!
Rahul Sir
Trainer, Bfactory
Alumnus, 2009-11, IIM Ahmedabad
