The Common Admission Test (CAT) 2024, organized by IIM Calcutta, kicked off today, November 24, 2024. Slot 1, conducted from 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM, introduced aspirants to a slightly tweaked paper structure and notable variations in difficulty compared to CAT 2023. This blog provides a detailed breakdown of the CAT 2024 Slot 1 exam analysis, covering the pattern, difficulty level, section-wise analysis, good attempts, and expected scores to help you evaluate your performance effectively.

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CAT 2024 Slot 1 Exam Analysis: Overview 

The CAT 2024 Slot 1 exam followed the familiar sectional structure but included 68 questions, a slight increase from previous years. Each section had a fixed time limit of 40 minutes, totaling 120 minutes for the entire test.

Key Highlights:

• Sections:
  • Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC): 24 questions
  • Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR): 22 questions
  • Quantitative Ability (QA): 22 questions
• Marking Scheme:
  • +3 for each correct answer.
  • -1 for incorrect answers (MCQs only).
  • No negative marking for TITA (Type In The Answer) questions.

CAT 2024 Slot 1 Section-Wise Analysis 

1. Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC) The VARC section was easier than CAT 2023, with 16 RC questions and 8 Verbal Ability questions. A significant change was the absence of para jumbles, which were replaced by paragraph completion and summary questions.

Key Features:

• Reading Comprehension (RC):
  • 4 passages (400–450 words each).
  • Topics ranged from human economics to craftsmanship and entertainment platforms.
  • Difficulty: Easy to Moderate.
• Verbal Ability (VA):
  • 3 Paragraph Completion, 3 Summary questions, and 2 Odd Sentence (TITA).
  • Difficulty: Easy to Moderate.

Ideal Attempts:

• 14–16 questions with 70–80% accuracy could secure a 95+ percentile.

2. Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) This year, the DILR section introduced five sets instead of four. This included two sets with five questions each and three sets with four questions each, a structure change that made the section feel more manageable.

Key Features:

• Topics:
  • Candlestick Chart (Shares): Easy (4 questions).
  • Games & Tournaments: Easy to Moderate (5 questions).
  • Bar Graph (Blogger Analysis): Moderate (4 questions).
  • Set Theory (Bar Graph): Moderate (4 questions).
  • Caselet (Percentage-Based): Moderate (5 questions).
• Question Types:
  • MCQs: 12
  • TITA: 10

Ideal Attempts:

• 10–11 questions with 75–80% accuracy could fetch a 90+ percentile.

3. Quantitative Ability (QA) The QA section was moderately challenging but slightly easier than CAT 2023. The focus remained on Arithmetic, with many questions from Algebra and Geometry.

Key Features:

• Topics:
  • Arithmetic: 8 questions (Time-Speed-Distance, Ratios, Mixtures).
  • Algebra: 7 questions (Quadratic Equations, Functions).
  • Geometry: 3 questions (Coordinate Geometry, Circles).
  • Modern Math: 3 questions (Logarithms, Permutations).
  • Number System: 1 question (Remainders).
• Question Types:
  • MCQs: 14
  • TITA: 8

Ideal Attempts:

• 9–10 questions with 80–85% accuracy could secure a 95+ percentile.

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CAT 2024 Slot 1: Overall Analysis: Difficulty Comparison

• Overall Difficulty: Moderate
• Easier compared to CAT 2023.
• QA and DILR sections presented more manageable challenges.

Section	Number of Questions	MCQs	TITA	Difficulty	Ideal Attempts
VARC	24	22	2	Easy	14-16
DILR	22	12	10	Easy-Moderate	10-11
QA	22	14	8	Moderate	9-10

CAT 2024 Slot 1: Expected Percentile vs Score

Here’s a breakdown of expected scores for different percentiles:

Percentile	VARC Score	DILR Score	QA Score	Overall Score
99.9	48	49	48	120–124
99.5	40	43	43	106–110
99	36	40	35	95–98
95	20	29	18	59–61
90	17	23	14	50–51

Comparison With CAT 2023

Section	No. of Questions (2024)	Difficulty Level (2024)	Difficulty Level (2023)
VARC	24	Easy	Moderate
DILR	22	Easy to Moderate	Moderate to Difficult
QA	22	Moderate	Difficult

Conclusion: CAT 2024 Slot 1 at a Glance

The first slot of CAT 2024 set a relatively easier tone than previous years. While VARC and DILR were approachable, QA required careful question selection for optimal performance. Aspirants who attempted strategically and accurately could achieve competitive percentiles. As the day unfolds, stay tuned for analyses of Slot 2 and Slot 3 and insights into the overall CAT 2024 exam performance.