CAT 2021 CATKing Slot 1, 2 and 3 (OUT) - Check Overall & Sectional Review, Expected Cutoff
CAT 2021 Examinations have successfully been concluded. The examinations were conducted in three shifts. Students who appeared for the third and final slot of the CAT 2021 exams can check below the expert opinions and detailed analysis of each section for a detailed understanding of the exam. Students can also read through the Slot 1 and 2 analysis of CATKing to get an indepth review of the exams and what they can expect in therm of cutoffs and percentile.
CAT 2021 Slot 3 Analysis
Slot 3 of the CAT 2021 examinations were concluded at 6:30 PM. Students who attempted the CAT 2021 slot 3 examinations have stated that the VARC and DILR sections in Slot 3 were pretty doable. QA however has been termed as tougher as compared to Slot 1 and 2 of the exams conducted in the morning and afternoon sessions.
CAT 2021 Slot 3 Exam Pattern
| Section |
No of Questions |
| VARC |
24 Questions |
| DILR |
20 Questions |
| QA |
22 Questions |
| Total |
66 Questions |
According to experts at CATKing, the over exam was doable and not very tough as compared to CAT 2020. The VARC section was more inference based while the Reading Comprehension passages were all from the predicted topics. The DILR section was moderate with respect to difficulty level but was time-consuming. The QA section was tougher as compared to the previous two slots.
Sectional Analysis
VARC 24 Questions:
Reading comprehension was dominated in the verbal section. There were 4 passages with 4 Questions each. More inference-based questions and not factual, there were close options too so it needed little focus while solving.
Verbal Ability:
4 Questions Para jumbles Moderate, Easy
2 Questions Para summary - Easy
2 Questions Odd one Out Moderate
Reading Comprehension 16 Questions
The Reading comprehension was based on the following themes:
Passage 1: Science-Based
Passage 2: X Men Comic Book
Passage 3: Time Management
Passage 4: Languages - Linguistic
Ideal attempts in VARC Section: 18 Questions
DILR 24 Questions
Not very difficult, easy to moderate with respect to comprehension of the questions, one set of games and tournament was time-consuming which had been left in option by most students.
Summary of Questions
DILR Sets with 6 Questions: 2 Sets = 12 Questions (LR Sets)
DILR Sets with 4 Questions: 2 Sets=8 Questions (DI Sets)
Set 1: Horizontal Stacked Column Graph (4 People, 5 Projects, 9 months duration work (Work allocation %) (4 Questions)
Set 2: Mathematical Reasoning (4 Questions ) — Trickiest
Pure liquid, impurities, machine testing
Set 3: Games and Tournament (6 Questions)
Javelin Throw
Too much information - could be left in option
Set 4 Condition Based Puzzle (6 Questions) Tricky but doable if table made right
3 People, Creating 30 questions and Check (how many reviews, outsource or internal creation)
According to experts an ideal attempt in DILR Section: 13-14 Questions
Quants 22 Questions: (TITA 8)
Quants focused on the conceptual clarity and the application of the concepts, some may take time to solve but easy to score and attempt 16-18 Questions
Arithmetic -10 to 11 Questions
Simple Compound Interest, Time and Work, Profit & Loss, Time Speed Distance, Averages, Percentages
Logs 2 Questions
Functions 2 Questions
Series Based Questions 1
Geometry 2- 3 Questions
Numbers 2 Questions
Experts suggest an ideal Attempt of 43+ should be good for targeting 99%ile
CAT 2021 Slot 2 Analysis
According to experts, the CAT 2021 Slot 2 has been termed as Easier compared to CAT 2020 Paper. Experts' initial review suggests that the IIMs have done good justice to the Time Management and Attempts with the 66 Questions. Selection of questions will be important just like CAT 2021 Slot 1.
Sectional Break up
VARC ( 24 Qs )
DI LR ( 20)
QA(22)
CAT 2021 Slot 2 Sectional Review: VARC
VARC was more inference based with Reading comprehension topics coming from the always recommended reads from Aeon, CATKing e-Books "Philosophy - Truth and Power" , "History- British Colonies and how India reacted", "Languages, Linguistic", " Knowledge how you perceive it"
CAT 2021 Slot 2 Sectional Review: DILR
DILR was easier than CAT 2020, last year we saw DILR increasing with every next slot, no such surprise this year. Selection played a key role in cracking this section, Games, and Tournament and the graph-based questions were very easy to tackle, the third one based on online food delivery ratings was moderate.
CAT 2021 Slot 2 Sectional Review QA
According to experts, the slot 2 Quantitative Analysis section was focused more on Arithmetic, Geometry, and Algebra while modern math was missing.
Overall Analysis
Overall it had 66 Questions and it was on lines this was on the lines of Real CAT Mocks and students gave 6 practice mocks of the total of 66 questions in the last 2 months, RC 31, 28 seemed well connected to the students for VARC, DILR.
CAT 2021 Slot 1 Analysis
Candidates who have appeared for the CAT 2021 first slot examinations are awaiting an initial response and analysis of the examinations, Jagran Josh brings to you the expert analysis from CATKing on the first slot of examinations conducted. The analysis is being provided by Sumit Singh Gandhi (Rahul), CEO, Director CATKing
According to the analysis provided, the number of questions asked in the first slot has been reduced from 76 to 66. Students can check the sectional division of questions below.
| Section |
No of Questions |
| VARC |
24 Questions |
| DILR |
20 Questions |
| QA |
22 Questions |
| Total |
66 Questions |
According to experts, the exams were doable and not very tough as compared to 2020. As per the students, the DILR section was a little Time consuming and lengthy while VARC was more inference-based.
Experts are of the opinion that CAT 2021 tested students on Speed, Logic, and Analytical skills, and a sincere student with well-rounded preparation of concepts and good practice of mocks would make their way to the IIMs. CAT also tested students on their actual knowledge instead of mere guesswork. The reduction in questions from CAT 2020 helped students have a better time allocation and not have a crisis.
Experts of CATKing suggest that the exam was not very difficult and was manageable provided that the concepts were clear.
CAT 2021 Slot 1 Sectional Analysis:
Overall Difficulty: Moderate to Difficult
VARC 24 Questions: Reading comprehension was dominated in the verbal section. There were 4 passages with 4 Questions each. More inference-based questions and not factual, there were close options too so it needed little focus while solving.
TITA Verbal ability was overall easy.
3 questions on Para jumbles, 3 Questions on Para summary, 2 Questions on Odd one Out. the odd one out was tougher than always
Summary of Questions
Reading Comprehension 16 Questions
Verbal Ability 8 Questions (TITA)
The Reading comprehension was based on the following themes:
Passage 1: Cattle Fish Self control of food
Passage 2: History-based Tea history
Passage 3: Maya personality
Passage 4: Eutopia
Ideal attempts in VARC Section: 18 Questions
DILR 24 Questions
LR/DI has been termed as Tough, lengthy, and time-consuming with a variation with 2 Sets coming with 6 questions each and 2 sets with 4 Questions each. Here the success mantra was the set selection as 1 4 Questions set & 1 6 Questions set were the toughest and time-consuming, so the students should first wrap up the easy ones and grab a good base and then move to the trickier ones.
Summary of Questions
DILR Sets with 6 Questions: 2 Sets = 12 Questions (LR Sets)
DILR Sets with 4 Questions: 2 Sets=8 Questions (DI Sets)
Ideal attempts in DILR Section: 13 Questions
QA 22 Questions: (TITA 8)
Quants was the easiest out of the three sections with direct formula application and concept-based questions dominated by arithmetic and little Geometry and algebra. There was no need for having a lot of shortcuts and tricks, your solving speed and your temperament to understand what the question is asking was the main focus. The Questions based on the Venn diagram were tough. Arithmetic dominated the paper then algebra and numbers, geometry saw lesser visibility with just 3-4 questions, and modern maths was negligent in the paper.
Use CAT Percentile Predictor 2021 to know your estimated CAT cut-offs and predict calls from IIMs and Non-IIMs accepting CAT scores for admission.