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 3 analysis released by TIME, IMS, and CL.
CAT 2021 Slot 3 Analysis | IMS Predicts 99%ile At Overall Score of 86 Marks
As per experts at IMS, the VARC section of the third slot had difficult RCs and was largely of the same difficulty level as in the previous slots. The DILR section was relatively easier as compared to last year, and the QA section was of medium difficulty level and was dominated by Arithmetic questions. 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 3, released by IMS. For more details, please check IMS's CAT 2021 slot-wise analysis on the company's website.
| Percentile (Slot 3) |
Score VA-RC (Slot 3) |
Score DI-LR (Slot 3) |
Score QA (Slot 3) |
Overall Score (Slot 3) |
| 99.5%ile | 42 | 30 | 41 | 94 |
| 99.0%ile | 38 | 25 | 35 | 86 |
| 98.0%ile | 34 | 22 | 31 | 75 |
| 95.0%ile | 29 | 18 | 22 | 63 |
| 90.0%ile | 24 | 14 | 19 | 52 |
| 85.0%ile | 22 | 12 | 16 | 45 |
| 80.0%ile | 20 | 10 | 13 | 39 |
Read Next → B-Schools To Apply Based On Your CAT 2021 Expected Percentile
CAT 2021 Slot 3 Analysis | Tougher Quant Section In Evening Slot, As Per TIME
As per TIME, the tougher Quant section compensated for the relatively easier section in this slot, keeping the overall difficulty of the section at the same general level of the other two slots, while the sectional difficulty levels have fluctuated a fair bit in this slot.
| 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 85th 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 3 Analysis | 92-95 Marks Enough For 99%ile, As Per Career Launcher
As per experts at Career Launcher, Slot 3 DILR was slightly easier than what was seen in DILR of Slot 2 and similar to DILR of Slot 1, in terms of level of difficulty. The QA section was lengthy and calculation intensive, which increased the difficulty level of the section.
| 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!
