Analysis of DILR in CAT past 3 years

This article is last in the series of our analysis of the CAT exam of the past 3 years. Here we focus on the Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR) section. You can check the analysis for VARC and QA section also.

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Let us take you through some important aspects related to the Types of DILR questions in CAT.

DILR Questions and Time Analysis

One of the most challenging sections of any MBA entrance exam, and especially the CAT exam is the DILR section. The raw score for this section is calculated out of 94 marks. As a standard, you get +3 for correct answer and negative marking of -1 mark for every wrong answer. Starting 2015, you are provided with an on-screen calculator. 

The overall questions and sectional time limits (starting CAT 2015) are given below:

The DILR question sets are a mix of MCQs and Non-MCQs. The breakup of DILR sets over the last 3 years is as follows:

DI Question Analysis

The overall comparison of the DI question sets is given below:

Details	2017	2016	2015
Overall Description	If we see overall, the DILR section has always been the decider section and toughness level has been increasing incrementally every year. The type of charts may be same but the topics in both slots are completely different.
Set Type	The topics of the sets were across both the slots were: Asset Management Chess Dorms Elective Flight Operation Happiness Index Matrix Arrangement Routes Calculation	The topics of the sets were across both the slots were: Loans Movies Product Rating Salary Students Pass Percentage Restaurant Rating Trains Veg/Non Veg Water Supply Problem	The topics of the sets were across both the slots were: Assets Assets Cartridges Drugs People's Names Plant Industry Quarters Set Theory Work & Time
Format & Number of Questions	4 Sets with 4 questions each	5 sets with 4 questions each	4 Sets with 4 questions each
Set Difficulty Break up	Tough: 3 Moderate : 5	Tough: 5 Moderate: 2 Easy: 1	Tough: 2 Moderate: 2 Easy: 4
Overall Difficulty	Tough	Tough	Moderately Tough

 The question break up for the DI question sets was as below:

LR Question Analysis

The overall comparison of the LR question sets is given below:

Details	2017	2016		2015
Overall Description	If we see overall, the DILR section has always been the decider section and toughness level has been increasing incrementally every year.
Set Type	The topics of the sets were across both the slots were: Airplane Burgers/Fries Biometric Children Survey Elective PCM Projects Tea	The topics of the sets were across both the slots were: Code-Decode Folders Lectures Marks Set Theory T-Shirts Tablet/Smartphone/Laptop	The topics of the sets were across both the slots were: Assets Arrangement of 9 children Arrangement of 5 children and 10 tests Auction Cubes Exam Scores Project Management Sudoku Set Scheduling of Professors and Courses
Format & Number of Questions	4 Sets with 4 questions each	3 sets with 4 questions each	4 Sets with 4 questions each
Set Difficulty Break up	Tough : 3 Moderate : 5	Tough: 1 Moderate: 1 Easy: 5	Tough: 3 Moderate: 2 Easy: 3
Overall Difficulty	Tough	Moderate	Moderately Tough

The question break up for the LR question sets was as below:

Time Spent on DILR Section
 

From the past year trends, it has been observed that at least 1 set in each DI and LR will be easily solvable and one will be extremely tough. We would not give a number to tell you how much time you should ideally be spending on each DILR set. That would be misleading. However if you are able to solve at least 4-5 sets with 85-90% accuracy you stand a fair chance for a 90+ percentile. 

A few important tips related to time management that can help you attempt the DILR section better:

1. When you start with a section, you get the option of “View Question Paper”. It is advisable to click on that link and spend no more than 1-2 minutes in scanning the questions.
2. This will help you get an idea on what is to come and if there is a particular set you can pick first from the section.
3. Also it will give you an idea if there is a particular set which you should completely avoid based on how lengthy or difficult it is. It is better to solve 2 sets in 15 minutes rather than 1 in 10-12 minutes.
4. Some questions will be non MCQ type. Try to attempt those for sure. 

Overall Percentile

In order to get a good 97-98 percentile a candidate must make sure he/she has a minimum number of attempts such as:
 

Good Number of Attempts	2017	2016	2015
DILR	12-16	18-21	16-20

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