CAT Previous Year Papers (2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017): Download PDFs

MBA aspirants can download PDFs of CAT previous year papers  2023, 2022, 2021, 2022 2019, 2018, 2017 here to practice and get familiar with the pattern, difficulty levels, etc. 

CAT previous year papers are the best source of study material for exam preparation. Previous year CAT question papers not only help aspirants in understanding the latest exam pattern and marking scheme but also give an overview of the difficulty level, topic wise distribution of questions and types of questions over the last few years. The CAT exam question paper of each slot is slightly different from each other however the difficulty level of the questions is nearly the same. Candidates preparing for CAT 2024 must make sure they practice CAT previous year question papers of last five years before the exam day. 

CAT exam 2024 will be held on November 24, 2024 so this is the right time to start solving the previous years' papers is October onwards. Shiksha has collated CAT previous year papers for aspirants to practice them and prepare for the exam. You can download CAT previous year question papers of CAT 2023, CAT 2022, CAT 2021, CAT 2020, CAT 2019, CAT 2018 and CAT 2017 for free on this page further below. But before that, let's take a look at the CAT question paper pattern, structure and marking scheme, etc.

CAT Question Paper Pattern and Marking Scheme

To prepare for CAT exam 2024, candidates must first understand the previous year question paper pattern and marking scheme. Till 2019, CAT was an exam of 180 minutes and 300 marks. However, in 2020, the exam duration was reduced to 120 minutes and the total marks was reduced to 228 (76 questions). In 2021, the total marks was further reduced to 198 (66 questions) but the time duration remained 120 minutes. Since then, the CAT question paper has 66 questions. 

Let’s take a look at the latest CAT exam question paper pattern to understand the distribution of questions across the three sections of CAT exam - VARC, LRDI and QA and marks allotted to each. For each correct answer, three marks are allotted and for each wrong question, one mark is deducted. For unanswered questions and non-MCQs there is no negative marking.

Previous Years CAT Papers: Check Year Wise Highlights

CAT question paper is released online in the form of CAT answer key and response sheet. Take a look at the highlights of CAT exam previous year papers to understand the trend of types of questions asked.

CAT Previous Year Question Paper (2023)

CAT 2023 question paper was overall slightly more difficult than previous years. However, can't be termed as too difficult. The CAT VARC section had more questions on RC than Verbal Ability. The DI and LR questions were of medium difficulty level and there was no surprise element. The Quantitative Aptitude section of CAT 2023 was dominated by Arithmetic as usual. 

Read more: CAT 2023 question paper PDF with solutions

CAT Previous Year Question Paper (2022)

CAT 2022 question paper was moderately difficult. The CAT VARC section was easy to moderate. The Data Intepretation and Quantitative Aptitude sections were moderate to tough. Arithmetic, Algebra and Reading Comprehension dominated the CAT question paper 2022. There were a few parajumble questions and a few time and distance questions were there in CAT last year question paper.

Read more: CAT 2022 question paper PDF with solutions

CAT Previous Year Question Paper (2021)

The CAT question paper 2021 was of moderate to high difficulty level. The VARC and DILR sections had questions of moderate to high difficulty level with a good number of non-MCQs, where as Quantitative Aptitude section was easy in all the three slots.

Read More: CAT 2021 question paper PDF with solutions

CAT Previous Year Question Paper (2020)

CAT 2020 question paper was of moderate difficulty level. VARC section was dominated by RC questions. QA section had maximum questions from Algebra, Geometry, Mensuration and Modern Maths. DILR section had two DILR sets.

Read More: CAT 2020 question paper PDF with solutions

CAT Previous Year Question Paper (2019)

In CAT 2019, VARC was slightly trickier this year, with two passages on the difficult side. Both DILR and Quant were slightly easier than last year. The DILR section had easy sets. In Quant, There were a lot of questions from Arithmetic and none of them were tough. Overall, the paper was slightly less difficult, as compared to CAT 2018.

Read More: CAT 2019 question paper PDF with solutions

CAT Previous Year Question Paper (2018)

CAT 2018 question paper was of moderate difficult. The question paper of both the slots did not see any surprise question. The VARC section of CAT 2018 Slot I was easier than previous year. The DILR section was moderately difficult, while QA was difficult.

Read More: CAT 2018 question paper PDF with solutions

CAT Previous Year Question Paper (2017)

In CAT 2017, the first slot was towards higher difficulty level as compared to the second slot. DILR section was most difficult and time consuming. QA was of easy to moderate, while VARC was of easy to moderate difficulty level.

Read More: CAT 2017 question paper PDF with solutions

Download CAT Question Paper PDFs of Last Six Years

Candidates can download official CAT question paper PDFs of past five years. They can download and practice these CAT previous year papers free.

Importance of Practicing CAT Previous Year Paper

It is mandatory for every aspirant to solve CAT previous year question papers, sample papers and mock test series. CAT experts recommend solving at least 35-40 CAT mock tests. CAT preparation will be complete only after you’ve mastered all types of CAT previous year questions. Listed below are some of the benefits of solving previous year CAT question papers.

• By solving CAT exam previous year question paper, you can get a better understanding of CAT exam pattern and marking scheme
• CAT previous year papers practice will improve your speed and accuracy in solving questions
• Will boost your CAT 2024 preparation by improving your time management skills
• The previous years CAT papers will prepares you for all types of questions 
• You will be able to discover tricks and shortcuts of solving the CAT questions faster

CAT Questions for Practice with Solutions

Check out CAT questions for practice with solutions for VARC, DILR and Quantitative Aptitude.

When to Start Practicing Previous Year CAT Papers and Sample Papers?

The ideal time to start practicing previous year CAT question papers and mock tests is September onwards, as it will give you three full months of practicing these before the CAT exam. Many toppers have shared that they start solving sample questions from the early stages of CAT preparation as they want to assess their grip on Mathematics and DI topics. However, it is recommended not to start solving full length CAT mock tests and sample papers until one has completed the CAT syllabus. After that, they should dedicate the last month to solving previous years CAT papers to gauge the upcoming exam. 

CAT Mock Test for Practice

Shiksha has prepared free CAT mock tests for candidates to practice and prepare for the exam. These mock tests are free and based on actual previous year CAT question papers. 

Apart from referring above study material, candidates can check the following links for CAT questions for practice along with solution and process. Candidates will get CAT DILR questions, CAT VARC questions as well as logical reasoning questions for CAT. 

• CAT Preparation: Data Interpretation (DI) solved questions
• CAT Preparation: Data Interpretation (DI) solved questions - Part 2
• CAT Preparation: Logical Reasoning (LR) solved questions
• CAT Preparation: Quantitative Aptitude (QA) solved questions
• CAT Preparation: Verbal Abilty (VA) solved questions

For further CAT preparation, candidates can refer to the following articles: