CAT 2021 is going to be held in November 2021 in 2 slots. It is time to gear up and start preparing for the exam. We bring to you the detailed analysis of the CAT exam section wise held in the last 3 years so that it helps you understand what to expect and what not to.CAT is famous for giving surprise. In this article, we discuss the Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension Section (VARC).
Exam Details Analysis
CAT 2015 was the first time when the CAT exam was held in 1 day over 2 slots ever since it became an online test in 2009. Also, it was the first year when Non-MCQs and sectional time limit were introduced.
|
CAT Details |
CAT 2015 |
CAT 2016 |
CAT 2017 |
|
Exam Date |
29th November 2015 |
4th December 2016 |
26th November 2017 |
|
Exam Duration |
180 minutes |
180 minutes |
180 minutes |
|
Total Questions |
100 |
100 |
100 |
|
Conducting Authority |
IIM-A |
IIM-B |
IIM-L |
|
Exam Mode |
CBT |
CBT |
CBT |
|
Marking Scheme |
Correct : +3 Incorrect: -1 |
Correct : +3* Incorrect: -1* |
Correct : +3 Incorrect: -1 |
|
Total Marks |
300 |
300 |
300 |
*There was a technical glitch w.r.t marking scheme for CAT 2016 as exam showed +1 and -.33. Students are advised to only keep in mind that 1/3rd marks will be deducted for incorrect answer from the overall credit score.
VARC Questions and Time Analysis
VARC raw score is calculated out of 102 marks. The overall questions and sectional time limit details for VARC are:
The breakup of VARC questions are:
Note: There were no MCQs 2015 and 2016.
RC Questions Analysis
- Similarities observed in 2015, 2016, and 2017 were:
- There 5 RC passages.
- 2 RCs has 3 questions each. The word limit was 300+ words
- 3 RCs has 6 questions each. The word limit was 500-650+ words
- Differences observed in 2015, 2016, and 2017 were:
|
Details |
2017 |
2016 |
2015 |
|
Overall |
Easier than 2016 with common topics ranging from Economy, Culture, Technology, Business, Finance |
Easy vocabulary but lengthy passages with few tricky questions. Topics were mostly Economics, Environment and Linguistic Studies |
Simple Content with Tough and Tricky Questions and Options. It was a surprise since it did not have Grammar and Vocabulary questions |
|
Word Limit |
300 - 650 |
300 - 650 |
600 - 800 |
|
Question Break up |
Moderate : 8 |
Tough: 2-3 |
|
|
Overall Difficulty |
Moderate |
Moderate |
Moderate |
VA Questions Analysis
The overall questions were divided into 3 areas only:
|
Details |
2017 |
2016 |
2015 |
|
Para-Jumbles |
Tricky and Time Consuming |
1 - Easy ; 3 Tough |
Tough |
|
Summary |
Tough |
2 - Easy; 1 - Tough |
Moderate |
|
Out of Context |
Easy |
Easy |
Moderate |
|
Overall |
Tough |
Easy - Moderate |
Tough- Moderate |
If we see the breakup of type of questions, 2017 was different since it had a mix of MCQs and Non-MCQs, unlike 2015 and 2016.
Time Spent on VARC Section
To do well in this section a candidate should ideally spend
- 35-40 minutes on RC
- 10-12 minutes on VA
Always make sure you have at least 5 minutes for revision.
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 |
|
VA |
18-21 |
17-18 |
20-22 |
|
RC |
8-9 |
5-6 |
7-8 |
|
Overall |
27-29 |
22-24 |
27-30 |
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