CAT Exam Pattern 2024: Check Paper Pattern for QA, VARC and DILR Sections

Overview: The CAT exam 2024, scheduled for November 24, will be conducted in an online mode. The CAT paper pattern 2024 is expected to remain the same as last year, benefiting aspirants already preparing. Read on to know the exam structure.

• Registration for the CAT exam will soon end on 20th September 2024.
• It will consist of both MCQ-type questions and non-MCQ-type questions in all three sections: QA, DILR, and VARC.
• The total number of questions for the 2024 CAT exam will be 66.

Let's proceed further in this blog to gain a detailed understanding of the CAT exam pattern by learning the total number of questions in each section and the time duration and marking scheme.

Download FREE Study Material for CAT Exam 2024 by SuperGrads

Read More | Section Wise Detailed CAT Syllabus

What is the CAT Exam Pattern?

The CAT exam paper pattern is meticulously designed to evaluate candidates comprehensively, assessing their aptitude from all angles.

The format of the CAT paper pattern is a two-hour session that includes a mix of multiple-choice and non-multiple-choice questions, totalling 66 questions, mirroring the structure from the CAT entrance exam 2024.

This year's CAT is expected to maintain the same format despite historical changes. The CAT paper pattern is divided into three main sections:

• Quantitative Aptitude (QA)
• Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR)
• Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC)

Download QA Sample Questions for CAT Exam

CAT Exam Sections	Number of Questions	Weightage (Marks)
Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC)	24	72
Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR)	20	60
Quantitative Aptitude (QA)	22	66

Overview of Expected CAT Exam Pattern 2024

The highlights of the CAT paper pattern are as follows:

CAT Paper Pattern 2024
Mode of CAT exam	Computer Based Test
Duration of exam	120 minutes (40 minutes per section)
Number of questions	66
Total marks	198
Medium of question paper	English
Number of Sections	3
Number of answer choices	4
Marking Scheme	+ 3 for every correct answer -1 for every wrong answer 0 for unattempted question
Sections	VARC DILR QA
Question Type	MCQ and non-MCQ

Download CAT QA Section Daily Study Plan

Note* The CAT exam pattern pdf is not available officially; you can analyze the CAT entrance exam pattern and syllabus from the CAT previous year's papers.

Check Here: Direct Link to Download CAT 2024 Admit Card

CAT Exam Pattern: Section-Wise Marks Distribution for 2024

The Common Admission Test (CAT) is a competitive exam conducted by the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) for admission into their MBA programs. Expected Section-wise CAT paper pattern 2024 details are tabulated below:

CAT Exam Sections	Total No. of Questions	MCQs	Marks	Duration
Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC)	24	21	72	40 min
Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DI & LR)	20	14	60	40 min
Quantitative Ability (QA)	22	14	66	40 min
Total	66	49	198	120 (2 hours)

Last year, in 2023, the CAT Exam slot timing was divided into three slots of two hours each.

• Morning (8:30 – 10:30 am)
• Afternoon (12:30 – 2:30 pm)
• Evening (4:30 – 6:30 pm). 

The exam is highly difficult and requires a good knowledge of the CAT exam syllabus and the ability to solve complex problems.

Checkout | How Many Times CAT Exam is Conducted in a Year

CAT Exam Pattern 2024- Marking Scheme

Before taking the test, it's critical to understand the CAT marking scheme to decide which questions to answer and which to skip. In the CAT paper pattern details, the marking scheme incorporates negative marking specifically for the multiple-choice questions (MCQs) and not for TITA questions.

Below are the essential details about the CAT 2024 exam pattern and marks:

• Total Marks for CAT 2024: 198 marks 
• Marks for Correct Answer: + 3 marks.
• Negative Marking in CAT Exam: -1 mark will be deducted for every wrong MCQ answer.
• Unanswered Questions: No marks will be deducted for skipped questions.

Note* Non-MCQ questions will not be subject to negative marking.

Read More | CAT Exam Analysis for 2023

CAT Exam Pattern PDF

You must know that none of the IIMs or any recognized body releases the official CAT 2024 exam pattern PDF on their websites. Below is the detailed CAT 2024 exam pattern PDF explained to you with the CAT exam syllabus:

Download Detailed CAT Exam Pattern PDF with Syllabus 

CAT Exam Pattern for Quantitative Aptitude 

Here is the CAT Paper Pattern for Quantitative Aptitude:

The CAT Quantitative Aptitude exam includes only numerical-based questions from various Mathematical concepts.

This year, it is expected that there will be a total of 26 questions in this section divided in the following format:

Section	Total No. of Questions	MCQs	Marks	Duration
Quantitative Ability (QA)	22	14	66	40 min

The quantitative aptitude section's detailed pattern is provided below: The five primary topics that make up the entire quantitative aptitude section CAT exam pattern:

• Basic Arithmetic
• Algebra
• Number System
• Geometry & Mensuration
• Modern Maths

The table below gives the number of Quantitative Ability questions asked per slot based on the four broadly classified areas of QA: Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, Modern Math, and Number Theory. 

CAT Exam Paper Pattern 2024 - Slot/Topic	Arithmetic	Algebra	Geometry	Modern Math and Number Theory
Slot 1	9	7	3	3
Slot 2	8	7	3	4
Slot 3	11	6	3	2

Check: CAT Exam Preparation Books 2024

CAT Exam Pattern for Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension

The CAT VARC section tests your English language skills and ability to interpret paragraphs and understand the core ideas. This tells us that you must focus on improving VARC section because of the standard questions it consists.

This year's CAT exam will include 26 questions from the VA-RC section divided into the following format:

Sections	Total No. of Questions	MCQs	Marks	Duration
Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC)	24	21	72	40 min

The following are the major topics from which Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension questions are asked:

• Para Jumbles
• Sentence Correction and Completion
• Summary Based

Download CAT Exam VARC Section Daily Study Plan

The reading comprehension passages and the verbal ability section each have their own questions. In CAT exam 2024, there will be around four passages in the reading comprehension segment, with four questions each to answer, for a total of 16 questions.

There will be around 8 verbal ability questions from para jumbles, paragraph completions, summaries, and odd sentences. The first and fourth topics were Type in the Answer or TITA, and the second and third were MCQs.

Learn More | How to improve reading comprehension for CAT Exam 2024?

Download Free VARC Sample Questions for CAT Exam

CAT Exam Pattern for Logical Reasoning & Data Interpretation 

The logical reasoning and data interpretation component gauges how well you analyze data and comprehend logical premises. There will be 22–24 questions in this section altogether asked in this section divided in the following format:

Sections	Total No. of Questions	MCQs	Marks	Duration
Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DI & LR)	20	14	60	40 min

CAT paper Pattern 2024 for Logical Reasoning & Data Interpretation Pattern will include questions based on the following major topics: 

• 4- 5 sets of questions, each with 5 questions.
• 7-8 TITA-type questions from median values.
• 15- 17 LR-based questions on inequalities, direction sense, symbol operations, etc. 

**Note: The detailed CAT Exam Pattern PDF has been uploaded to this blog. You can download and save it easily.

Slots/Sets	Set 1	Set 2	Set 3	Set 4
Slot 1	Routes & Networks	Venn Diagram	Mathematical Reasoning	Games & Tournaments
Slot 2	Routes & Networks	Venn Diagram	Tables & Graphs	Selection & Distribution
Slot 3	Tables & Graphs	Arrangements	Tables & Graphs	Rank & Ordering

Learn More | What are the Benefits of CAT Exam for MBA

CAT Exam Pattern and Details: Changes Over the Years

There have been a lot of changes in the CAT exam paper pattern process in the past years. From 2014 to 2019, the total number of CAT questions was 100, and the total marks for the CAT 2024 exam pattern were 300. Later, it changed to 76 questions in 2020 and 66 from 2021 till now. Here is the CAT exam paper pattern and details over the years:

CAT Exam Year	Number of Questions in CAT Exam over the Years	CAT Exam Time Duration Over the Years	CAT Sections Over the Years
2023	66	120 minutes	QA, DILR, VARC
2022	66	120 minutes	QA, DILR, VARC
2021	66	120 minutes	QA, DILR, VARC
2020	76	120 minutes	QA, DILR, VARC
2019	100	180 minutes	QA, DILR, VARC
2018	100	180 minutes	QA, DILR, VARC
2017	100	180 minutes	QA, DILR, VARC

The CAT Exam Pattern is Summarized in the Table Below

CAT 2024 Exam Pattern - Sections	Number of Questions	Marks Per Question	CAT Exam Paper Pattern Negative Marking (Only MCQ)
VARC	24	3	-1
DILR	20	3	-1
Quantitative Aptitude	22	3	-1
Total	66	198

**Note: The detailed CAT 2024 Exam Pattern PDF has been uploaded to this blog. You can download and save it easily.

Download DILR Sample Questions for CAT Exam

Conclusion

The CAT exam pattern 2024 is a comprehensive test that requires considerable preparation and practice. To score well, you must understand the exam format and the nature of the questions. 

Familiarize yourself with the CAT paper pattern and syllabus to maximize your chances of scoring high. 

With the right preparation and practice, you can ace the CAT exam and achieve your desired score. Again, the PDF of the CAT exam paper pattern has not been released from any official source.

Explore More | About CAT Exam Courses