This article is second in series of our analysis of the CAT exam paper section wise. Time is almost here and the CAT 2019 exam is going to be conducted in November 2019 in 2 slots. To see the overall analysis of the exam pattern refer here.
Let us go through the details of the Quantitative Ability (QA) section of the last 3 years to get a fair idea of what to expect out of CAT 2019 exam.'
QA Questions and Time Analysis
QA raw score is calculated out of 102 marks. For every correct answer students are awarded +3 marks and for every incorrect answer, -1 is deducted from the overall score. Starting 2015, online calculator is being provided on the screen. Thus students must make sure they utilize this facility judiciously to their advantage.
The overall questions and sectional time limit details for QA are:
The breakup of QA questions are:
QA Questions Analysis
Highlights of this section across 2015, 2016, and 2017 were:
- Questions were a mixed bag of MCQs and non-MCQs and there were questions from almost each and every topic.
- The questions were pretty expected in nature.
- Online Calculator was introduced starting 2015.
Detail breakup of this section is as below:
|
Details |
2017 |
2016 |
2015 |
|
Area wise Questions |
Alligations & Mixtures Area & Volume Average Co-ordinate Geometry Functions Inequalities Logarithms Partnerships Percentages Profit & Loss Progressions Time, Speed & Distance Time Work Triangles |
Alligations & Mixtures Area & Volume Averages & Partnership Circles Coordinate Geometry Linear Equations Numbers Inequalities Percentages Permutation & Combination Polygons Profit & Loss Quadratic Equations Surds & Indices Set Theory Time & Distance Time & Work Triangles |
Alligations & Mixtures Area & Volume Averages & Partnership Circles Coordinate Geometry Functions Inequalities Linear Equations Numbers Percentages Permutation & Combination Polygons Profit & Loss Quadratic Equations Surds & Indices Time, Speed & Distance Time & Work Triangles |
|
Question Breakup |
Tough: 7-8 Moderate: 7-8 Easy: 16-18 |
Tough: 10 Moderate: 11-12 Easy: 12-13 |
Tough: 5-6 Moderate: 8-10 Easy: 16-18 |
|
Overall Difficulty Level |
Easy to Moderate |
Moderate |
Moderate to Tough |
Time Spent on QA Section
Time is of essence when you solve any section in the CAT exam. For the QA section, based on the type of questions ranging from easy to tough, a candidate should ideally be spending an average time of:
-
1-1.5 minutes on Easy questions
-
2-2.5 minutes on Moderate questions
-
3-4 minutes Tough questions
Anytime you think a question is taking you more than 5 minutes, it is best to skip and move on to the next since you have sectional time limit as well. Although it is tough to spare, but try to spare 3-5 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 |
|
QA |
20 + |
25 + |
18-20 + |
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