Is CAT Exam Tough? If yes, How tough it is? Answer to this can vary from individual to individual. But one thing that CAT aspirant can note is the increasing number of CAT aspirants, as last year CAT broke all earlier records with 2.55 lakh candidates applying for the exam. Which further enhanced its reputation as largest and most popular management entrance exam. Leading to Admissions in top B-schools.
The Common Admission Test, also known as CAT, is a national exam conducted every year by the Indian Institutes of Management on a rotational basis. CAT is an aptitude-based exam, it’s divided into three sections, namely Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Ability (QA). Each section has a time duration of 40 minutes, making the total exam duration to be 2 hours.
Also Read : How to Prepare for CAT Exam
After knowing enough about CAT as an Exam, let us now discuss section-wise toughness of CAT Exam.
Is CAT Exam Tough? (Section-wise Review)
Is CAT Quant-Section Tough? Earlier it was known to range between moderate to difficult. However the Quant Section from CAT 2023 was comparatively tougher than the past year’s papers, as found in the exam analysis. Another aspect that makes CAT difficult, is its unpredictability. One can observe that the syllabus of the Quant Section mostly includes subjects that we learned in our school days. But the way questions are framed, makes the difference. Questions here may not be direct, but instead a mix of 2-3 topics. The Quant section contains a total of 22 Questions, and experts suggest that 17-18 questions out of 24 are doable.
Is CAT LRDI-Section Tough?
One can consider LRDI to be the toughest section of CAT. Until a few years earlier, LR and DI sets came separately. But in recent years as reported by test takers, it’s getting difficult to differentiate between LR Sets and DI sets. Topics like Quant-based Puzzles and Caselets challenge test takers to raise their logical thinking capabilities. In order to crack this section one needs to be exposed to diverse practice sets.
Is CAT VARC-Section Tough?
The toughness of this section is not certainly predictable, but one can consider it to range between moderate to difficult. CAT’s VARC Section contains 24 Questions. 16 out of 24 Questions are based on Reading comprehension, hence your ability to comprehend plays a vital role in this section. Also one may not need an exceptional vocabulary but having a decent vocabulary is recommended.
How tough is it to Score in the CAT? (Score VS Percentile)
After discussing the is CAT exam tough along different sections, let us now have a look at the Overall and Sectionwise Score vs Percentile of CAT 2023.
It was noted that the Quant Section of CAT 2023 turned out to be more difficult than past few years. The rest of the sections noted the gradual increase in difficulty.
If we compare the score vs percentile of recent years, then also we can notice how in CAT 2023, one can achieve 99 percentile on the score of 76 marks, while in CAT 2022 one needed to score around 84 marks in order to achieve 99 percentile. In the following table, you can check the score vs percentile statistics of recent years.
| Percentile | CAT 2023 | CAT 2022 | CAT 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 99%le | 76 | 84 | 97 |
| 95%le | 54 | 60 | 72 |
| 90%le | 46 | 49 | 60 |
| 85%le | 38 | 42 | 51 |
| 80%le | 34 | 37 | 45 |
CAT Category-wise Cutoff Percentile Range?
To know is CAT exam tough or not, we need to know the cutoff percentiles for all top B-schools. CAT cut-offs for top IIMs usually range from 98 to 100 percentile for General category students. For NC-OBC And OBC category students the IIM cut-offs are slightly lower and can range between 95 to 98 percentile. CAT cut-offs for other Backward categories can range between 85 to 90 percentile.
The CAT cut-offs for admission to top MBA colleges such as FMS, MDI, and SPJIMR among others, range from 90 to 99 percentile for different categories.
| Category | Cutoff Percentile Range | Success Rate |
|---|---|---|
| General | 95-100 | Lower |
| Scheduled Castes (SC) | Lower than General | High |
| Scheduled Tribes (ST) | Lower than General | High |
| Other Backward Classes (OBC) | Lower than General | High |
| Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) | Lower than General | High |
CAT when compared to other Competitive exams:
CAT is an aptitude-based exam and it is often compared with multiple competitive exams. There is always a debate going on about the difficulty of the CAT Exam. Here we have compared CAT with few National level entrance exams.
Read More: CAT Exam Pattern 2024 | Quantitative Ability, Data Interpretation, & LR
Is CAT exam tough than JEE?
Basically, both of these Exams are national-level exams, conducted annually by respective authorities to shortlist candidates in different educational fields. So, if we consider the syllabus and topics covered in CAT and JEE, then we will see that JEE entrance exams are completely subject-specific. The questions are asked from classes 11 and 12 Maths, Physics, and Chemistry. But in the case of CAT, it is an aptitude test, by which the authority mainly judges the logical skills of the candidates to become future managers. In this viewpoint, the CAT exam is a little tougher side than JEE.
Apart from this, if we consider the competition, then also CAT is tougher than JEE, as students from any educational background can appear for this exam. But for the JEE exam, only the Science background student with PCM in combination with 10+2 can appear.
Is CAT exam tough than UPSC?
Both CAT and UPSC are considered to be tough in their respective domains, but UPSC is known to have a more difficult exam format. The CAT exam is a multiple-choice exam, while the UPSC exam includes a variety of question formats, such as essay questions, short answer questions, and long answer questions. When we talk of the syllabus width, UPSC has a wider but definite syllabus, while in the case of CAT, the syllabus is not officially disclosed but can be generalized through analysis of recent years.
Is CAT exam tough than NEET?
NEET is the Entrance exam for medical admissions and CAT is the entrance exam for admissions in management and business school. CAT has 3 sections, VARC(Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension), Quantitative Aptitude, And LRDI(Logical Reasoning And Data Interpretation). While NEET is based on the PCB(Physics, Chemistry, and Biology) of the standard 11th and 12th.
Is CAT exam tough than IPMAT?
In general, the CAT exam is more demanding than the IPMAT exam. The CAT Exam syllabus has a wider syllabus when compared to the IPMAT exam. Furthermore, the number of candidates taking the CAT is 2.55 lakh, whereas IPMAT is taken only by 18-20 thousand students.
The IPMAT is regarded to be of intermediate difficulty. It is designed for undergraduate students who have little experience with competitive exams. The questions are intended to measure candidates’ fundamental understanding of quantitative aptitude, verbal ability, and reasoning.
CAT, on the other hand, is regarded as one of India’s most difficult management entrance tests. It is a postgraduate-level test that needs much more preparation and practice. The questions are intended to measure the candidate’s analytical, logical, and problem-solving abilities.
Frequently Asked Questions:
CAT is a national-level aptitude exam, which serves as a gateway to top management institutions in India. It is considered to be one of the most challenging exams in India, as it tests a wide range of skills. It tests the comprehension, logical, and quantitative skills of the test-takers. It is not easy to score high percentile in CAT, but it can be achieved through dedicated and well-structured preparation.
Both are national-level Examinations, While IIT-JEE can be taken by science students of 12th standard only, CAT can be taken by graduates of any stream. When we talk of difficulty, JEE Mains is considered to have a similar level of difficulty as CAT, whereas JEE advance has a higher level of difficulty when compared to CAT.
The CAT exam can be challenging for average students, but with proper preparation and abundant practice, even an average student can score well in this exam. Average students can surely crack CAT, when provided proper guidance and a well-structured preparation strategy.
It is not very difficult when we talk about the syllabus of CAT. VARC requires you to have a decent reading habit and good comprehension skills; LRDI requires you to have nuanced logical thinking abilities; and likewise, Quants requires you to have clear concepts and familiarity with different patterns of questions. All the above-mentioned requirements can be developed through consistent practice and dedicated preparation.
These exams test different set of qualities, hence which exam is tough or easy is dependent on your strengths and interests. If you are more comfortable with subjects like accounts and law, CA may appear easy to you, While if you are interested in subjects like English, mathematics, or logical reasoning, CAT might appear easy to you.
CAT and XAT both are national-level management entrance exams that open the gates to top B-schools in India. Both exams are accepted by many colleges throughout the country. Both exams have a similar level of difficulty overall. Both have almost the same syllabus, but in XAT we have a few components extra, such as the decision-making section, the grammar section, and the essay writing. These components necessarily don’t make XAT a tougher exam than CAT, but it surely makes it more lengthy than CAT.
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