CAT Exam Analysis is a process that reveals all the details about the exam considering sectional weightage, pattern, difficulty level and topics covered. Check CAT analysis is one of the most important strategies to ace start preparing for the exam in a planned way. By checking the CAT exam analysis, one can easily understand the exam better. Please refer BYJU’S CAT College Predictor tool.
The Common Admission Test (CAT full form) is taken by over a quarter of a million students and is conducted by the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) on a rotational basis. The exam is considered one of the most competitive exams. The CAT is a prerequisite for admission to the IIMs and several other top management colleges in India.
To ace such a competitive exam, it is important to know the exam better and analyse the previous years’ papers properly. To help the candidates, a detailed CAT exam analysis for 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017,2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 is given here.
What is CAT Exam Analysis?
The CAT Paper Analysis offers insights into the examination’s difficulty level, sectional weightings, and other key elements. Candidates who plan to take the forthcoming examinations may consult the CAT Exam Analysis to learn all the pertinent information and the most recent modifications.
To assist you in your preparation, our experts have given a detailed overview of the CAT Exam Analysis of the last years in this article. Read the article section below and get conceptual clarity about the exam well and then start your preparation.
CAT Exam Analysis of Previous Years – Last 9 Years Data
Note the table below to gey year-wise CAT analysis articles for the last 9 years. These articles will help you to get detailed information about previous years’ CAT Exam Analysis for 2021, 2025, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022.
CAT aspirants are always suggested to check the previous years’ CAT exam analysis while preparing for the CAT exam. A detailed analysis of the CAT previous years’ papers is given above. CAT 2023 is expected to be conducted in the last week of November 2023. Over the past few years, though the exam saw some changes in the pattern, the question types always remained the same. The changes over the past few years are given below.
CAT Analysis – Change in Question Paper Pattern
In the table below, we have shared brief information about year-wise changes in the CAT exam pattern.
| Year | Conducting Institute | Exam Duration | Sections | Exam Date(s) |
| CAT 2014 | IIM Indore | 170 Minutes | 2 Sections:
1. Quantitative Ability 2. Data Interpretation |
November 16 & November 22, 2014 |
| CAT 2015 | IIM Ahmedabad | 180 minutes | 3 Sections:
1. Quantitative Ability 2. Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning 3. Verbal and Reading Comprehension |
November 29, 2015 |
| CAT 2016 | IIM-Bangalore | 180 minutes | 3 Sections:
1. Quantitative Ability 2. Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning 3. Verbal and Reading Comprehension |
December 4, 2016 |
| CAT 2017 | IIM Ahmedabad | 180 minutes | 3 Sections:
1. Quantitative Ability 2. Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning 3. Verbal and Reading Comprehension |
November 26, 2017 |
| CAT 2018 | IIM Calcutta | 180 minutes | 3 Sections:
1. Quantitative Ability 2. Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning 3. Verbal and Reading Comprehension |
November 25, 2018 |
| CAT 2019 | IIM Kozhikode | 180 minutes | 3 Sections:
1. Quantitative Ability 2. Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning 3. Verbal and Reading Comprehension |
November 24, 2019 |
| CAT 2020 | IIM Indore | 120 minutes | 3 Sections:
1. Quantitative Ability 2. Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning 3. Verbal and Reading Comprehension |
November 29, 2020 |
| CAT 2021 | IIM Ahmedabad | 120 minutes | 3 Sections:
1. Quantitative Ability 2. Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning 3. Verbal and Reading Comprehension |
November 28, 2021 |
| CAT 2022 | IIM Bangalore | 120 minutes | 3 Sections:
1. Quantitative Ability 2. Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning 3. Verbal and Reading Comprehension |
November 27, 2022 |
CAT Exam Analysis (2015 to 2021)
Over the past few years, the CAT exam has undergone some changes with respect to the pattern and time duration. In CAT 2020, the QA sections included 26 questions, the DILR section included 24 questions and the VARC section included 26 questions. The question-type breakdown for CAT 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 & 2020 are mentioned below.
Advantages of Checking CAT Exam Analysis
There are various advantages of checking the analysis of the CAT previous year papers. Some of the advantages are given below:
- Helps to Understand the Pattern
By checking the previous years’ paper analysis, one gets to know the actual pattern of the exam and gets acquainted with the change in pattern over the years. This can help to devise test-taking strategies.
- Helps to Know the Difficulty Level
The CAT exam analysis describes the difficulty of the individual sections in a detailed way. By checking the CAT paper analysis, one gets to know from which sections and topics more difficult questions are asked.
- Helps to Identify the Important Topics
Checking the previous years’ CAT exam analysis helps you identify which topics held more weightage and which topics are least included in the paper. This way, understanding important topics becomes easy, and one can prepare accordingly.
Watch The Below Video on CAT Exam Analysis 2022
CAT aspirants can also check the previous year’s papers to practise and prepare more effectively for the exam.
For complete assistance on CAT preparation, stay tuned to BYJU’S. Comment on any CAT-related queries below to get quick assistance.
