CAT 2021 Slot 1 Analysis: Exam Over without any major technical glitches; 69,500 Candidates took the test in 159 Cities

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MBAUniverse.com News Desk
Amit Agnihotri
Columnist & Author, MBAUniverse.com
Updated on November 28, 2021
MBAUniverse.com, India’s No.1 MBA portal is the first to release its indepth CAT 2021 slot 1 exam analysis, immediately after the CAT exam first slot on November 28 was over. As per the information shared by candidates who took the exam in Delhi NCR, this year’s CAT question paper duration was 2 hours like last year, but had fewer questions as against 76 last year. This provided some relief to the test takers who could take exam with ease and maximize their score
CAT 2021 Slot 1 Exam Analysis

CAT 2021 Slot-1 greeted the test takers with many changes in CAT pattern. The Slot-1 of CAT 2021 exam was conducted from 8.30AM to 10.30 AM on November 28, 2021 in 159 cities at more than 400 test venues. CAT Exam Slot-1 Analysis 2021 by MBAUniverse.com is the first indepth CAT analysis released on November 28, 2021 immediately after the CAT exam has got over at 10.30 AM.

IIM Ahmedabad is conducting CAT 2021 exam in three slots of 2 hours each. More than 2.31 lakh candidates have applied for CAT this year and out of them 1.95 lakh are expected to appear in CAT through the 3 slots. In slot-1 around 69,500 candidates appeared in the exam.  

MBAUniverse.com CAT Exam Slot 1 Analysis reflects upon the key changes in overall & sectional CAT exam pattern, difficulty level, predictions on CAT cut offs among others to help the test takers to gauge their performance in CAT 2021 and their admission chances in top B-schools. To offer a wider perspective, MBAUniverse.com also shares CAT 2021 Exam Analysis by experts of leading institutions and top CAT coaching institutes like Arun Sharma, IMS, CL, T.I.M.E. among others.

CAT 2021 Slot-1: Testing Schedule & Exam Analysis Release on Nov 28, 2021

  • Reporting Time at Test Centre: 7.00 AM
  • Test Centre Gate Closure Time: 8.15 AM
  • CAT 2021 Slot-1 Exam Starts: 8.30 AM
  • Slot-1 Exam Over at: 10.30 AM
  • MBAUniverse.com CAT 2021 Slot-1 Analysis Released: 10.40 AM

CAT 2021 Slot 1 Exam: Key Highlights
1. CAT Slot 1 time duration was of two hours from 8.30AM to 10.30AM

2. CAT 2021 slot 1 paper had reduced number of Questions as compared to 76 in last year CAT exam

3. Exam was divided into three sections: VARC; DILR; Quant

4. Fixed order of sections to move beginning with VARC Section

5. 40 Minutes were allotted to attempt each section

6. Test taker was not allowed to move to other section till the time limit for one section was over.

7. Test paper was divided into MCQs and Non-MCQs

8. MCQs had negative marking for wrong answer and Non-MCQs did not carry negative marking

9. Questions with negative marking (MCQs) were 70% to 75% (Varied section wise)

10. 4 answer options for MCQ type questions

11. Questions without negative marking (Non-MCQs) were 25 to 30% (Varied section wise)

12. For Non-MCQs (TITA questions) Answers had to be typed in the given space on computer screen

MBAUniverse.com CAT 2021 Exam Analysis: Key Coverage Areas
MBAUniverse.com slot wise CAT 2021 Analysis for Slot 1 covers the following:

1. CAT Exam Pattern & key changes

2. Variation as compared to last year in Topics, Type of Questions for each section

3. Changes in questions split (MCQs and Non-MCQs) 

5. Any Surprise elements in CAT 2021 Exam paper

6. Exam Difficulty Level: Overall & Section wise Analysis by Experts

7. Required Good Attempts: Overall and Section wise

8. Sectional Cut off Predictions Slot wise for Slot-1, Slot-2 and Slot-3 as per the difficulty level

9. Overall CAT 2021 cut offs predictions by Experts for each of the three slots to help the aspirants to assess their performance and check their call chances by top B-schools

10. Percentile Predictions & Cut off CAT score range

Watch for detailed Overall & Sectional CAT 2021 Analysis by MBAUniverse.com 

CAT Exam Slot 1 Analysis by Top CAT Coaching Institutes & Experts
MBAUniverse.com will also separately publish the CAT Exam Slot 1 Analysis  from top CAT coaching institutes & CAT experts like TIME, IMS, CL, Arun Sharma with their take on exam difficulty level, sectional and overall changes and expected cut offs. The expected time schedule for release of CAT Test Slot 1 Analysis is as given below.

CAT 2021 Exam Slot-1: Nov 28, 2021
Slot 1 CAT 2021 Exam Analysis by IMS -Expected Time
Slot 1 CAT 2021 Exam Analysis by CL – Expected Time
Slot 1 CAT 2021 Exam Analysis by T.I.M.E. – Expected Time
CAT Exam Analysis 2021 Slot 1: 8.30 AM to 10.30 AM
12.30 PM
1.00 PM
1.30 PM

CAT 2021 Slot-1 Question Paper Analysis
Given the reputation of CAT exam over the years, the CAT 2021 Test paper has been changed again by IIM Ahmedabad. Although the actual CAT 2021 slot-1 question paper analysis by experts will be made after the exam is over, all the leading CAT prep institutes and CAT experts expect following changes in CAT exam and expect the following CAT pattern

CAT 2021 Slot-1 Question Paper: Expected Pattern
The CAT 2021 slot-1 question paper with key changes is likely to have the following pattern and sectional composition. CAT exam keeps on getting revamped at least to some extent after each CAT exam. IIM Ahmedabad which is conducting CAT 2021 will conduct the exam in 3 slots of 2 hours duration each.

CAT 2021 Exam Components
CAT 2021 Pattern
Test duration
2 hrs (120 Minutes)
Test sessions/Slots
3 (Morning, Afternoon and Evening)
Total questions
64 to 68 (Expected)
Total score
192 to 204 (Expected)
Number of Sections in CAT question paper
3 (VARC; DILR; QA)
Time Allotted for Each Section in CAT exam
40 Minutes
Total questions in VARC Section
22-24 (Likely)
Total Questions in DILR section
20-22 (Likely)
Total Questions in QA section
22-24 (Likely)

CAT 2021 Exam Slot 1 Analysis: Expected Sectional Composition
CAT Exam 2021 Section Wise Analysis, immediately after the exam, is likely to be based on the following exam pattern. The table below shares the CAT exam 2021 section wise analysis with sectional order from Section-1 to Section-3, expected number and type of questions in each section, questions with and without negative marking and total maximum marks available for each section for the 2 hours CAT exam.

CAT 2021 exam components
Total questions
Total MCQs (With negative marking)
Total Non-MCQs (Without negative marking)
Highlights
Section-1: Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC)
22 to 24
14-16
8
4 RC Passages with MCQs; VA Non MCQs divided into Para jumbles, Para Summary, and Out of Context Sentences
Section-2: Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR)
20
14
6
LR – 10 Ques
DI – 10 Ques
All in Sets of 3 & 4 Qs
Section-3: Quantitative Ability (QA)
22 to 24
14-16
8
High on Arithmetic. Other on Log, Geometry, Roots, Algebra
Total
64 to 68
 42- 46
22 
 

Source: MBAUniverse.com analysis

CAT 2021 Exam Slot 1 Analysis: Actual To be Updated at 10.30 AM on Nov 28
Since IIM Ahmedabad has neither shared nor updated overall or sectional number of number of questions, the CAT Test Slot 1 Analysis will be released immediately after the slot-1 of CAT is over at 10.30 AM. The CAT 2021 Exam Slot 1 Analysis will share the actual number of section wise questions, split into MCQs and Non MCQs, respective sectional and overall difficulty level slot wise. The following CAT exam analysis tables will be updated on November 28.

CAT 2021 exam components
Expected Total questions
Actual Total Questions (To be Updated)
Expected Difficulty Level
Actual Difficulty Level (To be Updated)
Section-1: Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC)
22 to 24
(MCQs: 14; Non MCQs:8)
 
Moderate to High
 
Section-2: Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR)
20
(MCQs:14;
Non-MCQs: 6)
 
Moderate
 
Section-3: Quantitative Ability (QA)
22 to 24
(MCQs:14;
Non-MCQs:8)
 
Moderate to High
 
Overall
64 to 68
 
Moderate
 

Source: MBAUniverse.com analysis

CAT 2021 Slot 1 Exam Analysis: At 11 AM on November 28
This analysis will cover following

  1. Exam Pattern including Number of Questions by each Section
  2. Type of Questions for each section
  3. Changes in questions split (MCQs and Non-MCQs) and Type of Questions
  4. Any Surprise elements in CAT 2021 Exam paper
  5. Exam Difficulty Level: Overall & Section wise CAT Analysis
  6. Required Good Attempts: Overall and Section wise
  7. Overall and Section wise CAT 2021 Cut off Predictions in Slot-1
  8. IMS CAT 2021 Analysis Slot-1
  9. Career Launcher CAT 2021 Analysis Slot-1
  10. T.I.M.E. CAT 2021 Analysis Slot-1

Major Changes introduced in CAT 2021 Exam 
CAT 2021 Centre has introduced following key changes in CAT 2021 exam

  • Barcode Printed on the Admit Card will be scanned at the Scanning Desk
  • Location of CAT Exam Lab will be communicated after scanning the Barcode.
  • CAT 2021 Exam will have reduced number of Questions as compared to last year CAT exam
  • There will be fewer MCQs and Non-MCQ type questions as announced by IIM Ahmedabad
  • CAT 2021 Exam duration is of 2 hours
  • CAT exam 2021 will be conducted in three separate sessions on Nov 28
  • Exam is Divided into three sections: VARC; DILR; Quant
  • 40 Minutes will be allotted to attempt each section
  • You cannot move to other section till the time limit for the present section you are attempting is over.  
  • MCQs have negative marking for wrong answer and Non-MCQs do not carry penalty of negative marking
  • Questions with negative marking (MCQs) are 70 to 75%
  • 4 answer options for MCQ type questions, click on correct answer option
  • Questions without negative marking (Non-MCQs) are 25 to 30%
  • Answer must be typed in the given space on computer screen for Non-MCQ.
  • Score awarded for each correct answer: +3 marks
  • Negative marking (Applicable for  wrong answers in MCQs): -1 mark
  • Fixed order of sections to move beginning with VARC Section

Stay tuned to MBAUniverse.com for more updates CAT 2021