CAT 2021 Analysis by T.I.M.E.: Check Difficulty Levels of VARC, DILR and Quantitative Ability

According to CAT 2021 exam analysis by T.I.M.E. the exam was of moderate difficulty level. Check out more details on CAT exam analysis and question paper review.

CAT 2021 exam held today was on the same lines as last year with the only difference being reduction in the total number of questions. This year, there were only 66 questions in total to solve in 120 minutes. Here's an in-depth CAT 2021 analysis by T.I.M.E. 

The overall question paper was moderately difficult. According to CAT 2021 analysis by T.I.M.E., the Reading Comprehension passages were not easy to crack. Out of the four passages only one was easy thus candidates faced a tough time viz. choosing which passages to attempt. In the DILR section, there were four sections and again it was difficult to choose as only one set was easy. In fact, the set on bar-graphs was the easiest across the CAT DILR over the past few years. The Quantitative Aptitude section on the other hand was a complete surprise with easy and straightforward questions. 

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CAT 2021 Exam Analysis Highlights

Given below is the section-wise difficulty level of CAT 2021 exam:

CAT 2021 Sections	Questions	Difficulty Level
Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC)	24	Moderate To Tough
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning &  (DILR)	20	Moderate
Quantitative Aptitude (QA)	22	Easy
Total/Overall	66	Moderate

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CAT 2021 Analysis: VARC

VARC section of CAT 2021 was dominated by RC, as usual. According to CAT 2021 analysis by T.I.M.E. , all the four passages challenged the students as only one of them was easy. The readability of the passages was not easy either. All of the passages were inference-based. Many of the questions required candidates to choose the options "except". The options were close and many of them were difficult to relate directly to the question. 

The VA part of this section was easier but had only eight questions. There were three Parajumble questions which were moderately difficult, two Odd One Out questions which were difficult and three parasummary questions were moderately difficult.

Difficulty levels of RC passages in slot 1 of CAT 2021:

Passage	Number of Questions	Readability	Overall Difficulty Level
Mayan Civilisation	4	Difficult	Difficult
Utopia and Dystopia	4	Difficult	Very Difficult
Marshmallow experiment	4	Moderate	Difficult
Evolution of Tea as a drink	4	Moderate	Moderate

A score of 21-23 can fetch 85 percentile (sectional cut-off) in this section of CAT 2021.

Difficulty levels of RC passages in slot 2 of CAT 2021:

Passage	Number of Questions	Readability	Overall Difficulty Level
Language/ Indigenous people	4	Difficult	Difficult
Why Fiction Trumps Truth	4	Moderate	Moderate
Colonialism/Nationalism	4	Difficult	Difficult
Knowledge and problems of knowledge is a scandal to philosophy	4	Very Difficult	Very Difficult

A score of 20-22 can fetch 85 percentile (sectional cut-off) in this section of CAT 2021.

Difficulty levels of RC passages in slot 3 of CAT 2021:

Passage	Number of Questions	Readability	Overall Difficulty Level
Nanotechnology	4	Moderate	Moderate
Language Instinct	4	Moderate	Moderate
Time Accuracy Entropy	4	Moderate	Difficult
Unconscious and Psychoanalysis	4	Difficult	Very Difficult

A score of 23-25 can fetch 85 percentile (sectional cut-off) in this section of CAT 2021.

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CAT 2021 Analysis: DILR

According to CAT 2021 analysis by T.I.M.E., the DILR section was as difficult as that of last year. There were only 20 questions divided into four Sets. Two Sets had six questions each and the other two has four questions each. The reduction Sets from five last year to four this year may have posed a challenge in choice of sets available to the students. Moreover, only one set was easy.

Difficulty levels of DILR Sets slot 1 of CAT 2021:

DILR	Set Type	No. of Questions	Difficulty Level
Bar graph on sales	DI	4	Moderate
Friends & Acquaintances	LR	6	Difficult
Smoothies	DI	4	Difficult
Journals	LR	6	Very Difficult

If a student can score 16-18 in this section, they would be able to get 85 percentile (sectional cut-off).

Difficulty levels of DILR Sets in slot 2 of CAT 2021:

DILR	Set Type	No. of Questions	Difficulty level
Bar graph on Delivery times	DI	4	Easy-Moderate
Games & Tournaments/Distribution	LR	4	Moderate-Difficult
Pizza delivery ratings	LR	6	Difficult
Objects, Bundles & Values	DI	6	Very Difficult

 A net score of 17-19 would fetch 85 percentile (sectional cut-off).

Difficulty levels of DILR Sets in slot 3 of CAT 2021:

DILR	Set Type	No. of Questions	Difficulty level
Bar graph on Employee Schedules	DI	4	Easy-Moderate
Purity of Solutions	LR	4	Moderate
Javelin Throw	LR	6	Very Difficult
Question Evaluation	DI	6	Moderate-Difficult

A score of 17-19 can fetch 85 percentile (sectional cut-off) in this section of CAT 2021.

CAT 2021 Analysis: Quantitative Aptitude

In the CAT 2021 exam, the Quantitative Aptitude section surprised students with a lesser number of questions than VARC section. In the last few years, the number of QA section has been same as VARC.

Out of 22 questions, 11 were from Arithmetic, According to CAT 2021 analysis by T.I.M.E., many questions seemed doable but demanded conceptual clarity for solving them. The questions were cleverly framed to test candidate’s conceptual clarity and approach. A few questions also allowed substitution from the options to help students save time.

Difficulty levels of Quantitative Aptitude questions in slot 1 of CAT 2021:

Topic	No. of Questions	Difficulty Level
ERPV	3	Moderate
Percentages, Profit & Loss	2	Moderate
SI-CI	1	Easy
Time & Distance	1	Easy
Time & Work	2	Moderate
Numbers	1	Moderate
Geometry	3	Easy - Moderate
Progressions	2	Difficult
Logarithms and Indices	1	Moderate
Functions & Graphs	1	Moderate
Quadratic Equations	2	Moderate - Difficult
Inequalities & Modulus	1	Moderate
AMA	2	Moderate

A score of about 21-23 would fetch the test taker 85 percentile (sectional cut-off) in this section.

Difficulty levels of Quantitative Aptitude questions in slot 2 of CAT 2021:

Topic	No. of Questions	Difficulty Level
Time & Work	2	Easy-Moderate
Time & Distance	1	Moderate
Logarithms	1	Easy
Progressions	2	Moderate-Difficult
Mensuration	3	Moderate
Quadratic Equations	1	Moderate
Functions & Graphs	1	Moderate
Inequalities & Modulus	1	Moderate
Percentages, Profit & Loss	3	Moderate
Indices	1	Difficult
Miscellaneous	1	Difficult
AMA	3	Easy-Moderate
P&C	1	Difficult
Special Equations	1	Difficult

A score of 22-24 can fetch 85 percentile (sectional cut-off) in this section of CAT exam.

Difficulty levels of Quantitative Aptitude questions in slot 3 of CAT 2021:

Topic	No. of Questions	Difficulty Level
AMA	1	Moderate
Averages	1	Moderate
ERPV	4	Moderate - Difficult
Function	1	Moderate
Geometry & Mensuration	4	Moderate-Difficult
Indices & Logs	2	Difficult
Inequalities	1	Difficult
Special Equations	1	Difficult
Percentages	2	Moderate
sequence	1	Difficult
SI CI	1	Difficult
Time & Work	2	Moderate
Time & Distance	1	Moderate

A core of 19-21 can fetch 85 percentile (sectional cut-off) in this section of CAT 2021.

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