CAT 2019 HIGHLIGHTS: The entrance examination is being conducted on November 24
CAT 2019 Slot 1 and 2 Exam Analysis HIGHLIGHTS: The Common Admission Test (CAT 2019) of this year was concluded. The entrance examination for the admission in top B-schools is being conducted at 354 centres in 156 cities across the country.
Nearly 2.44 lakh candidates are expected to appear for CAT on November 24, 2019. The examination was for 180 minutes and the candidates were allotted 60 minutes for answering questions in each section.
READ | CAT 2019 paper analysisÂ
The test is divided in three sections, A. Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension, B. Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning, C. Quantitative Ability.
Last year, the cut-off for the CAT varied from 90 to 95, with candidates expressed difficulty level high in both the Quant and Mathematics sections. The result of the CAT was declared on January 5.
CAT 2019 HIGHLIGHTS: CAT 2019 score is valid only till December 31, 2020
The paper was divided into three sections— Verbal and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) and Quantitative Aptitude. Candidates were given an hour to solve each section.
- Paper analysis by Vijay Jha, Academic Head, Gradeup
The overall difficulty level of the exam of slot two was comparatively similar with the difficulty level of the exam held in slot one. Approximately 1.10 lakh candidates appeared in the second slot.
"In slot one, the level of VARC, DILR was tough; in slot two the level of VARC was also tough. DILR section was lengthy and tricky while the level of Quantitative Aptitude was moderate. Exam difficulty level for slot two was moderate to tough," Vijay Jha, Academic Head, Gradeup
Welcome to our CAT 2019 live blog again
A total of 2,09,926 candidates successfully appeared for CAT 2019 on Sunday, November 24, 2019. Yesterday, we provided section wise analysis of the CAT papers of both slot 1 and 2.
Today, we will give you the details of expected cut-off, normalisation process, admission process in the Indian Institute of Managements (IIMs), and other necessary updates
Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) announce a successful completion of CAT 2019 that was held on November 24, 2019 (Sunday) in two sessions.
CAT 2019 results will be tentatively announced in the second week of January, 2020
A total of 2,09,926 candidates successfully appeared for CAT 2019, which was conducted at 376 test centres spread across 156 cities in India
Prometric India Private Limited, the online testing partner, designed the software for the first CBT examination. The examination witnessed lots of technical glitches, which finally resulted in re-examination
2019- 2,44,169
2018- 2,40,338
2017- 2,31,000
2016- 2,32,434
2015- 2,18,664
2014- 1,96,988
2013- 1,94,516
2012- 2,14,000
2011- 2,05,000
2010- 2,04,000
2009- 2,41,000
2008- 2,90,000
2007- 2,50,000.
This year, over 2.44 lakh (2,44,169) candidates applied for the Common Admission Test (CAT 2019) examinations conducted by the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Kozhikode, a steep rise in number of candidates from 2018, which was 2,40,338.
From 2009 to 2013, the CAT was held in a period of 20 days and in 40 different slots.
In 2014, the CAT was conducted over a period of two days in four different slots. But, 2015 onwards, the B-school entrance examination was held in a single day in two different slots.
Step 1: Calculate the mean and the standard deviation (SD) of the raw scores in QA section for
all candidates appearing in the morning session.
Let Mean = M1 and SD = S1 and G1 = M1 + S1.
Step 2: Calculate the mean and the standard deviation (SD) of the raw scores in QA section for
all candidates appearing in the afternoon session.
Let Mean = M2 and SD = S2 and G2 = M2 + S2.
Step 3: Calculate the mean and the standard deviation (SD) of the raw scores in QA section for
all candidates appearing in CAT (i.e. including both morning and afternoon sessions).
Let Mean = M and SD = S and G = M + S.
Step 4: Calculate the mean raw score in QA section of the top 0.1% candidates in the morning
session and denote it by ????1
0.1.
Step 5: Calculate the mean raw score in QA of top 0.1% candidates in the afternoon session
and denote it by ????2
0.1.
Step 6: Calculate the mean raw score in QA of top 0.1% candidates appearing in CAT (i.e.
considering both morning and afternoon session) and denote it by ????0.1.
The cutoff for QA is expected to increase by about 5-7 marks from last year, which is about 1-2 questions extra from CAT 2018.
Quantitative Ability was also slightly easier than last year. You could have found more sitters this time round than in CAT 2018. The paper had a good number of questions on Arithmetic from topics like Percentages, TSD, Time and Work, etc. Among Algebra, Geometry, and Numbers, the paper had more questions on Algebra and Geometry than on Numbers.
The cut-off for DILR is expected to increase by about 7-9 marks from last year, which is about 2-3 questions extra from CAT 2018.
In this set, different Vendors were ranked on features like Customer Service, Cost, Reliability, etc. This straightforward set required you to solve questions as simple as finding the best vendor on the basis of the average of scores on each of the features.
Exprert's take on DILR section
Another set, which was a horizontal bar chart on the different types of crimes in different states, was also easy; and would not have taken more than 5-10 minutes to solve.
It was good to see a new chart type, i.e. the radar graph, making its way to the CAT 2019 slot 1 paper (the image here shows what a radar chart looks like).
- Paper analysis by Gautam Bawa, Vice-President, Career Launcher
DILR was easier, as compared to last year. About 3 sets, more specifically the ones abou different types of gifts in 100 boxes, the 12 different junctions, and summation of two 6-digi numbers, were easy; and should have surely been attempted.
Contrary to popular speculation, the paper structure was a replica of that of last year. An attempt of 23 - 25 would be considered good in this section for a 95 percentile. However, accuracy level will be an issue.
The RC passages were undoubtedly trickier than that of last year’s CAT paper due to:
1. Trickier question types: One would encounter questions like “Which of the following if TRUE, will strengthen the argument of the author the least” and “Which of the following will not cause the inversion referred to in the ‘flipping the script’”. The students would have spent quite some time trying to understand what they are required to think about. 2. Close options: RC passages, like the one on the origins of the Aladdin story and on ‘folk culture’ had options which were extremely close to each other. This would have definitely reduced the speed of the student.
Expect the cutoff of VARC to drop by about 8-10 marks, which is about 2-3 questions lesser than last year.
2015: MCQ questions withdrawn
The exam pattern was again changed in 2015. The IIM-Ahmadabad conducted Common Admission Test (CAT) in 2015 of 100 questions (34 in two sections, and 32 in other).
The CAT examination was held over a period of 180 minutes. For the first time, the paper was of objective type, without multiple choice questions (MCQs), and the IIM allowed on-screen calculators in the entrance examinations
READ full story here
The 10 TITA questions were also of slightly higher difficulty level than last year. The para jumble questions were of moderate difficulty level, with some challenges regarding the sequencing of the opening lines. The summary questions were relatively easier; and focused on academics and marketing/advertising. However, the options were not really difficult, and one could eliminate 1-2 options easily. The questions on odd-one-out were relatively easy.
The VARC section was of moderate difficulty level. However, the pattern was the same as that of the previous year. There were 34 questions, with 10 Non-MCQ questions. There were 5 passages. One had 4 questions (the passage on Emperor Penguins) while the rest had 5 questions each. The topics of the remaining RC passages were from varied areas. While some were easy to read, there were few that were tedious and had confusing answer options. There were quite a few inference-based questions; and most of these had tricky answer options. However, a student should have followed the POE (process of elimination) to be able to achieve a decent accuracy rate, as the options were not straightforward.
- Paper analysis by Gautam Bawa, Vice-President, Career Launcher
An overall raw score of around 157-160 should fetch a 99 percentile in CAT 2019.
CAT 2019 did not throw any surprises in paper format. In terms of level of difficulty VARC was slightly trickier this year, with 2 passages on the difficult side. Expect th cutoff in VARC to decrease by about 6 - 8 marks. Both DILR and Quant were slightl easier than last year. Overall, the paper was slightly less difficult, as compared to CAT 2018.
- Paper analysis by Gautam Bawa, Vice-President, Career Launcher
CAT 2019 appears a little easier than CAT 2018, with two sections (DILR and QA) being on the easier side than those of CAT 2018, and one section (VARC) being tougher.
The QA section didn’t spring any surprises either, with 34 questions from expected topics like Arithmetic (Time, Work and Distance, P&L, Ratios, Equations, AMA and SI-CI), Geometry and Mensuration, Numbers, Algebra, Trigonometry and Permutations & Combinations. The difficulty level, one could say, was slightly lower than that of CAT 2018, but this section was by no means as easy as the QA section of CAT 2017. Further, the students who identified the easy questions and attempted those would have gained a significant advantage. A good number of questions also demanded the use of the on-screen calculator. It could be said that the section was, on the whole, of moderate difficulty level.
The DILR section, contrary to all expectations, was lower in difficulty level compared to what test-takers have been used to facing in previous years. While this doesn’t, by any stretch of the imagination, mean that the section was easy, it wasn’t as challenging as it was in the last three years. While a couple of sets were relatively straight-forward, there were some sets which required a good deal of application. Identifying the easier, straight-forward sets in the paper would play a key role in boosting the score in this section.
The pattern of VARC section was along expected lines. There were no changes in the pattern compared to the previous year – four 5-Q passages and one 4-Q passage with 10 VA questions split between 4 Para Formation Questions, 3 Odd One Out and 3 Para Summaries.
However, the VARC section tightened the screws a little bit, after three years of easy VARC sections. While the broader pattern remained the same – 24 RC questions and 10 VA questions – the difficulty level of the RC questions was a major digression from previous years’ difficulty levels. One can say it was not a breeze even for those well-versed with the language.
- Paper analysis by Ankur Jain, chief knowledge Expert, T.I.M.E. Delhi
The exam pattern was again changed in 2015. The IIM-Ahmadabad conducted Common Admission Test (CAT) in 2015 of 100 questions (34 in two sections, and 32 in other).
The paper pattern was changed again in 2014. IIM-Indore conducted CAT 2014 in a completely new pattern. The new paper consisted of two sections with 50 questions each, whereas CAT 2013 comprised 60 questions, with 30 in each section.
2011: Sections reduced from 3 to 2
For the first time in 2011, CAT conducted by IIM Calcutta witnessed major changes in the paper pattern. The paper was reduced to two sections from three, namely Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning and Verbal Ability. The total number of questions remained the same as 60 (30 in each section).
The application fees for the candidates belong to general category is Rs 1900, while for the reserved category- SC, ST and PwD is Rs 950.
The Common Admission Test 2019 (CAT 2019) is conducted by the IIMs to fill seats in their PGP programmes. The entrance exam’s scores are accepted by many B-schools including JNU.
Port Blair, Ahmednagar, Rohtak, Simla, Nashik, Nellore, Sonipat, Kolhapur, Kurnool, Tirupati, Jammu, Solapur, Vijaywada, Dhanbad, Amravati, Visakhapatnam, Jamshedpur, Aurangabad, Chittoor, Ranchi, Jalgaon, Itanagar, Bangalore, Kolhapur, Dibrugarh, Belgaum, Mumbai, Guwahati, Bidar, Nagpur, Silchar, Chikballapur, Nanded, Aurangabad, Davanagere, Nashik, Gaya, Hassan, Pune, Muzaffarpur, Kolar, Ratnagiri, Patna, Mandya, Satara, Chandigarh, Mangalore, Solapur, Bhilai, Mysore, Shillong, Raipur, Ramnagara, Balasore, New Delhi, Shimoga, Berhampur, Madgaon, Tumkur, Bhubaneswar, Verna, Udupi, Cuttack, Ahmedabad, Kochi, Sambalpur, Anand, Kasargod, Rourkela, Gandhinagar, Puducherry, Kollam, Rajkot, Kozhikode, Fatehgarh Sahib, Surat, Malappuram, Jalandhar, Vadodara, Thrissur, Khanna, Ambala, Trivandrum, Ludhiana, Bahadurgarh, Bhopal, Mohali, Faridabad, Gwalior, Pathankot, Gurugram, Indore, Patiala, Palwal, Jabalpur, Phagwara, Panipat, Sagar, Ropar, Sangrur, Madurai, Bareilly, Ajmer, Namakkal, Ghaziabad, Alwar, Thanjavur, Gorakhpur, Jaipur, Tiruchirappalli, Greater Noida, Jodhpur, Tirunelvelli, Kanpur, Kota, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Sikar, Karim Nagar, Mathura, Udaipur, Khammam, Meerut, Chennai, Agra, Noida, Coimbatore, Allahabad, Varanasi, Dehradun, Burdwan, Durgapur, Roorkee, Hooghly, Kalyani, Asansol, Howrah, Kolkata, Siliguri
Following steps are followed to calculate the scaled score of a candidate in each of the three sections, i.e. VARC, DILR and QA in CAT 2019. The overall scaled score is obtained by adding scaled scores of these three sections. While illustrating the scaling process, QA section is chosen as an example. Similar process is valid for the other two sections, i.e. DILR and VARC
Geometry, HCF and LCM, Trigonometry, Algebra, Averages, Partnership (Accounts), Profit & Loss, Time Speed and Distance, Mensuration, Surds and Indices, Quadratic and linear equations, Ratios and Proportion, Percentages, Surds and Indices, Geometric Progression, Inequalities, Number system, Work and time, Logarithms.
Tables, Casslets, Data Sufficiency, Line Graphs, Pie Charts, Bars
The slot 2 of the Common Admission Test (CAT 2019) will be concluded at 5:30 pm. Check paper analysis of slot 1 and 2.
As per the candidates, the cut-off will hover between 85 to 90. Last year, the highest cut-off for the CAT examination was 95 percentile
The exam had two types of questions: a) MCQ (Multiple Choice Questions b) Non-MCQs.
Negative marking was assigned only to MCQs. The marking scheme is as follow: three marks for every correct answer and negative marking of one mark for every incorrect answer.
The overall difficulty level of the exam was moderate to tough. Out of the three sections, Verbal Ability Reading Comprehension was the toughest while Quantitative Aptitude and DILR were both equally intimidating.
Students who are planning to appear for the exam next year should focus on achieving a raw score of 150 for 99 percentile. One must aim to attempt 60 questions with more than 90% accuracy to crack the exam, said Vijay Jha
According to the official CAT 2019 notification, the result of this exam is expected to be out in the second week of January 2020.
In the Quantitaive Aptitude section, the majority of the questions were from arithmetic and geometry.
DILR was a tad easier as compared to last year's paper. There were 8 sets of 4 questions each. There were 8 TITA (Type in The Answer) questions out of the 32 questions asked in this section. An important attribute of this section was the fact that the DI sets did not entail a lot of calculations.
- Paper analysis by Vijay Jha , Academic Head, Gradeup
Nearly 2.44 lakh candidates are expected to appear for CAT on November 24, 2019. CAT (Common Admission Test), which is a national level MBA entrance exam, was successfully conducted by IIM Kozhikode at 354 centres in 156 cities across the country. The exam was held in an online mode
The level of Reading Comprehension was the toughest in the last 5 years.
Level of Data Interpretation Logical Reasoning was also tough.
Quantitative Aptitude section was the easiest.
Total MCQ Questions were 75 and Non MCQ were 25.
"The overall difficulty level of the exam was moderate to tough. Out of the three sections, Verbal Ability Reading Comprehension was the toughest while Quantitative Aptitude and DILR were both equally intimidating," Vijay Jha , Academic Head, Gradeup said.