Now that the CAT 2021 exam has concluded, experts from TIME, IMS and Career Launcher have come out with their exam analyses and score vs percentile predictions. Overall, the consensus is that the difficulty level of the CAT 2021 exam was similar to that of CAT 2020. Based on feedback from students, the VARC section emerged as the toughest of the lot, though the level of difficulty of all three sections varied slightly across slots. Here is a summary of the CAT 2021 slot 1 analysis released by TIME, IMS, and CL.
(Predictions and analyses in this article are subject to revision as and when IIM Ahmedabad releases the official response sheet and answer key for CAT 2021)
CAT 2021 Slot 1 Analysis | IMS Predicts 99%ile At Overall Score of 97 Marks
As per experts at IMS, the first slot of the exam was largely comparable to CAT 2020 in terms of difficulty. The VARC section had tough RCs but doable VA questions, the DILR section was easier as compared to last year, and the QA section (dominated by Arithmetic) was of medium difficulty level. The table below captures what IMS experts believe would be a good number of sectional attempts (with at least 85% accuracy) in the CAT 2021 exam.
|
VARC |
DILR |
QA |
| Slot 1 |
15-17 |
10-12 |
14 |
| Slot 2 |
15-16 |
10-12 |
13-14 |
| Slot 3 |
15-16 |
8-10 |
10-11 |
| Numbers represent good number of attempts per section. |
The table below captures a predicted score versus percentile analysis for Slot 1, released by IMS. For more details, please check IMS's CAT 2021 slot-wise analysis on the company's website.
Percentile
(Slot 1) |
Score VA-RC
(Slot 1) |
Score DI-LR
(Slot 1) |
Score QA
(Slot 1)
|
Overall Score
(Slot 1)
|
| 99.5%ile |
45 |
33 |
48 |
104 |
| 99.0%ile |
41 |
29 |
42 |
97 |
| 98.0%ile |
37 |
26 |
37 |
86 |
| 95.0%ile |
32 |
21 |
28 |
72 |
| 90.0%ile |
27 |
17 |
23 |
59 |
| 85.0%ile |
23 |
15 |
19 |
52 |
| 80.0%ile |
21 |
13 |
16 |
44 |
Read Next → B-Schools To Apply Based On Your CAT 2021 Expected Percentile
CAT 2021 Slot 1 Analysis | Morning Slot Tougher Than CAT 2020, As Per TIME
As per experts at TIME, the difficulty level for CAT 2021 in the morning slot was slightly on the higher side compared to that of CAT 2020 overall. In the VARC section, the RC passages were not easy to crack, though the VA section provided some relief to the students who were stumped by the RC passages. The DILR section of the morning slot was at least as difficult as that of the papers last year. In the QA section, many questions appeared very doable at the outset but demanded increased effort and conceptual clarity from the students for them to be able to eventually solve them successfully. Several question could have proven to be more time consuming than expected initially.
|
VARC |
DILR |
QA |
| Slot 1 |
21-23 |
16-18 |
21-23 |
| Slot 2 |
20-22 |
17-19 |
22-24 |
| Slot 3 |
23-25 |
17-19 |
19-21 |
| Numbers represent net score required to get 85 percentile |
The table above captures what TIME experts believe would be scores good enough for an 85 percentile (minimum cut-off for many top MBA colleges). Visit the company's official website for a more detailed break-down of the afternoon slot of CAT 2021.
CAT 2021 Slot 1 Analysis | 97-99 Marks Enough For 99%ile, As Per Career Launcher
As per experts at CL, the VARC section was moderate in level of difficulty, making it similar to that of CAT 2020. The DILR section was of moderate difficulty level, while the QA section of CAT 2021 was similar to that of CAT 2018 and CAT 2020, in terms of level of difficulty. Overall, CL predicts that a score of ~97-99 marks will be enough for a 99 percentile.
The table below captures what experts at CL believe would be scores good enough for a 99 percentile.
|
VARC |
DILR |
QA |
| Slot 1 |
37-39 |
27-30 |
40-42 |
| Slot 2 |
37-39 |
29-32 |
39-42 |
| Slot 3 |
36-39 |
30-33 |
34-36 |
| Numbers represent net score required to get 99 percentile |
(Predictions and analyses in this article are subject to revision as and when IIM Ahmedabad releases the official response sheet and answer key for CAT 2021)
Appeared For CAT 2021? Check Your Predicted CAT 2021 Percentile Here!