CAT Exam Analysis 2023 Slot 1: IIM Lucknow has concluded the first slot of CAT 2023 exams successfully. The exams began at 8:30 am and concluded at 10:30 am today, November 26, 2023. Students who have appeared for the first slot of the exams and those aspirants appearing in the second and third slot at 12:30 pm and 4:30 pm can check the detailed slot analysis, difficulty level of the exams, types of questions asked and the initial response of the students who attempted the exam in slot 1.
As per the schedule released, the CAT 2023 exam is being conducted in three slots. The first slot of the exam concluded at 10:30 am. Slot 2 of the exam will be conducted from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. and the third slot will be conducted from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm. Students are to answer questions from The sections in the CAT 2023 exam are Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Quantitative Aptitude (QA), and Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR). The exam is being conducted for a duration of 120 minutes.
Following the conclusion of the CAT 2023 first slot exams, the CAT Exam Analysis 2023 Slot 1 will be made available. Experts from the field will provide the complete analysis of the exam, the types of questions, difficulty level, and based on the analysis and the response of the students the expected cutoff to clear the CAT exam.
CAT 2023 Slot 1 Analysis
CAT 2023 Slot 1 Analysis provided below by Time Institute
Students who appeared for the CAT 2023 slot 1 exam stated that the paper while being tougher than last year, did retain the overall structure of the exam as was seen in the last couple of years. No noticeable surprises were seen as far as the pattern goes in this slot.
The following was the pattern of examination in the first slot:
Section | Number of Questions | MCQs | Non MCQs | Sectional time limit |
---|---|---|---|---|
Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension | 24 | 20 | 4 | 40 Minutes |
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning | 20 | 14 | 6 | 40 Minutes |
Quantitative Ability | 22 | 16 | 7 | 40 Minutes |
Total | 66 | 48 | 17 | 120 Minutes |
The evaluation scheme was the same as that of the earlier years – Three marks for a correct answer and a penalty of a mark for a wrongly marked MCQ. Non-MCQs had no negative marks.
The difficulty, overall, for CAT 2023 in the morning slot was slightly on the higher side compared to that of all of the slots of the two previous CATs.
Section-wise analysis
Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension:
The VARC section had 24 questions in the morning slot, 16 from Reading Comprehension and 8 from Verbal Ability. There was no major change in the pattern or number of questions from the previous year.
The RC passages were four in number, with four questions per passage. There were a good number of questions based on strengthening/weakening of arguments. Just like last year, the 1st slot paper this year also had a good number of questions of the nature of “Which of the following are true EXCEPT”?
The passage on Postcolonial and “Indian Ocean” Novels, was a moderately difficult read. There was one question in this passage, in which the student was expected to identify the odd pair from the set of keywords from the passage.
The passage on Return of Wolves was deceptively easy to read, but the options in a couple of questions were quite close and difficult to eliminate. Students who attempted this passage first may have ended up losing time on these questions.
The RC passage on Geographical vs Cultural influences on human history was analytical and not so tough to read. However, the questions were on the difficult side, with multiple negations and exclusions (“all…EXCEPT”) in some of them. An ideal approach would have been to omit this passage, which would have been difficult given the attractive readability of the passage.
The RC Passage on the book “Affluent Society”, was a moderate-difficult read. The questions for this passage were moderate-difficult with some typical question types usually encountered in CAT. This too was an analytical passage and most students would have been able to attempt at least 2 questions correctly.
Passage | Number of Questions | Readability | Overall Difficulty Level |
---|---|---|---|
Postcolonial and “Indian Ocean” Novels | 4 | Difficult | Difficult |
Return of wolves | 4 | Easy | Difficult |
Geographical vs Cultural Influences on Human History | 4 | Moderate | Difficult |
The book “Affluent Society” | 4 | Moderate-Difficult | Moderate-Difficult |
In the Verbal Ability section this year, there were two questions each on Para Formation, Para Odd Man Out, Para Summary, and Sentence Placement. Overall, the VA part was of moderate difficulty level, with a few easy questions. All the Para Formation and Para Odd Man Out questions were non-MCQs.
CAT 2023 Slot 1 Analysis – Initial Response
Students who attempted the CAT 2023 slot 1 exam have mentioned that the DILR section was a little difficult. The overall exam was good and the difficulty level was easier as compared to the previous year exams, a few students commented.
CAT 2023 Exam Pattern for Slot 1
Section | Total | MCQ | TITA |
VARC | 24 | 20 | 4 |
DILR | 20 | 12 | 8 |
QA | 22 | 15 | 7 |
Total | 66 | 47 | 19 |
CAT Slot 1 Analysis- VARC section
The CAT 2023 exams have a total of three sections. According to the initial response given by students who attempted the first slot of the exam, the overall difficulty level for the VARC section is moderate which is similar to last year. Aspirants claimed that the VARC section was doable and questions were asked from Para Jumbles, Sentence filling, summary, etc. A complete analysis of the first slot is expected soon.