CAT 2024 Exam Live: IIM CAT slot 1, 2, 3 paper analysis; cutoff, answer key, marks vs percentile updates

IIM Calcutta, the organiser of CAT 2024, has announced that the result is expected to be released in the second week of January. While previous results were typically declared in December, the record number of registrations for CAT 2024 has led to a larger pool of candidates, resulting in a delayed release this year.

The official answer keys for all slots of CAT 2024 will soon be released on the website. Meanwhile, unofficial answer keys prepared by CAT experts and coaching institutes are expected to be available earlier.

Candidates who appeared for the CAT 2024 exam can access the overall analysis for all three slots provided by ARKS Srinivas, an IIM CAT exam expert, through the video below.

As per the IIM CAT exam expert ARKS Srinivas, the CAT 2024 cut off for slot 3 will be higher than slot 1 and slot 2. According to him, candidates scoring 62 to 65 marks in CAT 2024 slot 3 can expect 93 percentile.

The cut-off for IIM Ahmedabad is given below.

IIM Ahmedabad cut-offs. (Image: Careers360)

As per the review on CAT 2024 slot 3 exam, the VARC section was considered tough, with 24 questions, including topics like AI, ChatGPT, forecasting, para jumbles, and fill-in-the-blanks. The QA section was challenging, with a higher number of TITA questions. Out of 22 questions, around five were easy, and ten were of moderate difficulty. The DILR section was deemed easier, consisting of 22 questions. The DI section included three sets: one set with five questions and two sets with three questions each.

As per the candidate's review, the CAT slot 3 exam was a balanced paper. Four RCs were asked in slot 3 including one on languages, the second on artificial intelligence, the third on government policies related to liquor, and the last on space exploration. Overall the paper was easy to moderate.

After the exam, coaching institutes may release their answer keys. The official answer key is expected to be made available in the first or second week of December 2024. Using the official key, students can calculate their probable scores. They should then compare their estimated marks to determine their percentile and match it with the cutoff marks to assess their chances of selection for the next round.

The CAT slot 3 exam concluded at 6:30 pm. Slot 1 and slot 2 exams had a moderate level of difficulty.  Slot 3 CAT 2024 analysis will be provided soon. Stay tuned here to get all updates on the CAT 2024 exam.

The last shift exam of CAT 2024 has been concluded at 6:30 pm. Today, all three slot exams were conducted smoothly.

The IIM Calcutta will issue the official answer key within two to three days after the CAT 2024 exam over.  Candidates will have to use their user ID and password to check their response sheet and download the answer key.

The CAT 2024 slot 3 exam will conclude at 6:30 pm. Students who appeared for the exam will soon share their experiences, and experts will provide the CAT paper analysis for slot 3. The analysis will be released after the conclusion of the CAT 2024 exam.

The CAT slot 3 exam is currently underway and will conclude at 6:30 pm. Candidates are expected to exit the exam centre in the next 15 minutes after the exam is over.

VARC: More challenging than the last two years, with longer reading comprehensions (RCs) and the absence of parajumbles.
DILR: More analytical, with two additional questions compared to previous years.
QA: Easier than expected, despite being set by IIM Calcutta.
Overall Question Count: Increased to 68, up from 66 in last year's CAT exam.

IIM Calcutta is expected to release CAT result 2024 by the second week of January 2025. The exact CAT result date will be announced soon. Students will be able to access CAT 2024 result online on iimcat.ac.in by entering user ID and password.

As per the CAT slot 1, 2 exam analysis, some questions were repeated in both slots just with data change, students claimed.

The Common Admission Test (CAT) is conducted for admission to postgraduate management programmes, such as Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM), offered by the Indian Institutes of Management (IIM) and various prestigious business schools.

As per students who appeared in the CAT 2024 slot 1 and slot 2 exams, 68 questions were asked in today's CAT exam, with 24 questions in VARC and 22 questions each in DILR and QA.

Change in CAT 2024 number of questions. (Image: Careers360)

As per the CAT 2024 exam review, there will be negative marking. For every wrong answer, one marks will be deducted. No mark is deducted or awarded for unattempted questions. Three marks are given for each correct answer.

The official CAT response sheet 2024 is expected to be released in the first or second week of December. Using the official key, students can calculate their probable scores. Candidates can also use Careers360's percentile predictor and college predictor to predict their expected percentile and college they can get as per their score.

The Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Calcutta has commenced the CAT exam 2024 slot 3 at 4:30 pm. CAT slot 3 exam timings are 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm. The CAT exam will be held for a duration of two hours.

As per the CAT slot 2 exam analysis, the verbal ability and reading comprehension (VARC) and data interpretation and logical reasoning (DILR) sections were of moderate difficulty, while quantitative aptitude (QA) was relatively more challenging. Overall, students found the VARC section to be lengthier.

How was CAT 2024 Slot 2? This is what the students who wrote it thought.

A candidate who is going to appear in the CAT 2024 Slot 3 exam said, "I have some insights from the first two slots. In the DILR section, there were a few extra questions that were considered difficult. Based on that, I believe my performance in Slot 3 will be okay. I expect the paper to be a bit easier compared to the previous year, but we’ll have to wait and see. The cutoff will likely be higher." She is hoping to score above 95 percentile.

CAT Slot 1 was seen as easy to moderately difficult with a "tricky" Quant section. There were also changes in the CAT question paper pattern.  However, Slot 2 was judged to be more difficult.

The difficulty level of CAT 2024 slot 1 can vary from candidate to candidate. However, initial reviews from candidates indicate that CAT 2024 slot 1 was moderate. Some candidates found certain sections, such as VARC easier compared to previous years, others felt that DILR were moderately challenging. QA had a mix of difficulties. Overall CAT 2024 slot 1 exam was moderate.

Tushar, writing the CAT 2024 Slot 3 paper, said: "I have been studying for the last 6-8 months and am well prepared for the exam. I am confident across all the sections, but hope I get through DILR easily. Like every other candidate I am also aiming for the top IIMs."

CAT Slot 3 Paper: Tushar has been preparing for 6-8 months (Image: Careers360)

CAT 2024 is a computer-based online test. On the CAT 2024 test screen, each colour indicates the status of a question. Students can refer to the meaning of each colour indication:

• Red: The question has not been answered and has not been marked for review.
• Green: The question has been answered but not marked for review.
• Grey: The question has not been viewed or visited.
• Violet: The question has been marked for review but not answered.
• Violet with green tick: The question has been marked for review and answered.

Students can carry any of the following documents as ID proof to the CAT 2024 exam centre:

• PAN Card
• Voter ID
• Passport
• Aadhar Card
• UID
• Employer ID
• Driving License
• College ID

CAT 2023 was held on November 26 and the CAT 2023 result date was December 21. For this year, CAT 2024 result is expected in the middle of January.

Even in 2023, candidates had found the CAT 2023 Slot 3 quant questions lengthy. This time, experts say that the CAT Slot 2 paper was tougher than the first one, based on the fact that more candidates seem to have dropped more questions in the Quant and DILR sections. In CAT exam Slot 1, Quant was 'tricky'.

IIM Calcutta will release the official answer key within two to three days after the CAT 2024 exam in the form of an individual response sheet. Candidates can review the responses they submitted during the exam and challenge them within the specified timeframe. The CAT 2024 answer key will be made available to all candidates who appeared in the three slots. It can be accessed online at iimcat.ac.in. Students can download the answer key by logging in with their user ID and password.

The official CAT Slot 2 answer key will come later and from IIM Calcutta. However, unofficial versions will be available soon. These are based on what students recall of the questions.

Jatin from Shahdara, who is taking the CAT exam in the third shift, said: "I am aiming for a percentile above 93 and want to get into any of the top IIMs. My only strategy was to study hard." For a CAT percentile of 93, Jatin needs to score around 50-55% marks.

CAT Slot 3: Jatin aims for a CAT percentile over 93 (Image: Careers360)

In his CAT Slot 2 review, IIM CAT exam expert ARKS Srinivas said that the CAT 2024 Slot 2 question paper was tougher than the first slot. Here's how he expects CAT score vs percentile translations to work in the case of the first two slots

Marks vs percentile in CAT 2024 Slot 1 and Slot 2 (Source: ARKS Srinivas for Careers360)

CAT exam expert says that both the DILR and Quant sections in the CAT 2024 Slot 2 question paper were tougher than in Slot 1. "When we talk to the students and look at the number of questions people have attempted, there is a clear drop of 3-4 questions in Slot 2 versus Slot 1 in the DILR section and Quant section put together. Which clearly shows that this section was tougher," he said.

Candidates have started entering the exam centres for CAT 2024 Slot 3. The slot 3 exam is scheduled to be held from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm.

CAT 2024 slot 3 entry begins. (Image: Careers360)

Apurva said: "It was an easy to moderate exam. I had expected tougher DILR questions, but they were comparatively easy. English being my strength was also pretty easy." She is aiming for a percentile around 90 and wants to take up a specialisation in finance.

CAT 2024 Slot 2 review. (Image: Careers360)

Here's a expert's CAT Slot 2 review and what to expect in the last of the CAT 2024 exams. CAT Slot 3 timing is from 4:30 pm. "Where the pattern is concerned there is no change," said ARKS Srinivas

According to candidate reviews, a total of 22 questions were asked in the quant section of CAT 2024 slot 2. The overall difficulty level was moderate, with 14 to 15 questions being considered doable.

Manav, who came from Faridabad, wrote the CAT Exam 2024 Slot 2. He said: "The English section was tough but Quant was easy. VARC was moderately difficult. I could have done it in a better way if I had the time." He is aiming for the IIMs or any of the top private institutions.

CAT Slot 2 Review: Quant was easy, said Manav (Image: Careers360)

• VARC: Moderate in difficulty. The section included questions on geographical facts, colonisation, spices, states of India, scientists, and physicists. There were also fill-in-the-blank questions. The section was time-consuming.

• DILR: Moderate in difficulty. There were four sets, each containing four questions.

• QA: Moderately difficult. The section covered topics such as number systems, profit and loss, ratios, mixtures, time and work, speed, distance and time, logarithms, and geometric questions.

CAT 2024 Slot 2 review from student. (Image: Careers360)

Riju, from Delhi, wrote the CAT Slot 2, found the CAT 2024 Slot 2 question paper easy but lengthy.  "This year, the CAT Exam was lengthy in general. Logical reasoning, Quant and DILR were all lengthy but English was easy. My strategy was to stick to the basics. Overall, it was a good paper." He said he is aiming for a CAT percentile of 80-85 percentile.

CAT Slot 2 Review: Riju found the second slot lengthy (Image: careers360)

As per the candidate's review, the CAT 2024 slot 2 exam was lengthy.

Varc 24 - moderate

Dilr 22 - moderate

Qa 22 - Moderate to difficult

CAT 2024 Slot 2 exam review. (Image: Careers360)

IIM CAT 2024 is being conducted in three shifts. The CAT exam time slots are as follows:

• Morning: 8:30 am to 10:30 am
• Afternoon: 12:30 pm to 2:30 pm
• Evening: 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm

Candidates have started coming out of the IIM CAT 2024 exam centres. The review of CAT 2024 slot 2 will be shared soon by experts and candidates. Slot 3 is scheduled to begin at 4:30 pm.

CAT 2024 Slot 2 Review: Candidates started exiting from the exam centre (Image: Careers360)

The CAT 2024 slot 2 exam has concluded. Slot 3 is scheduled to begin at 4:30 pm and will be conducted for a duration of two hours, ending at 6:30 pm.

CAT 2024 slot 2 over. (Image: Careers360)

The IIM CAT 2024 Slot 2 exam is over and students have started exiting the centre. Analysis of CAT Slot 2 paper soon.

CAT 2024 Slot 2 ends; students exit centre (Image: Careers360)

Here is the section-wise analysis for the previous year's CAT slot 2 exams:

• VARC: Easier than last year and similar to slot 1.
• LRDI: Difficult, comparable to both last year.
• QA: More difficult overall compared to slot 1.

This year's batch of admissions show that older IIMs, including IIM Ahmedabad, are drawing more students with work experience and fewer engineers.

Read More | CAT 2024 : Older IIMs attract more students with work experience; engineers’ count falls

CAT Exam 2024: IIM Ahmedabad is India's top B-school (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

The second slot of the CAT 2024 exam is over. The slot 2 exam was conducted from 12:30 pm to 2:30 pm for a duration of 2 hours or 120 minutes. Each of the three sections of a CAT exam question paper gets 40 minutes. The CAT 2024 slot 3 exam will be held from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm.

Faculty of Management Studies, Delhi University, or FMS Delhi, admits through the IIM CAT exam but has made "adjustments" in its admission policy to correct gender and other skews.

Interview | CAT 2024: ‘Exam brought diversity hurdles to FMS but tweaks in MBA admissions helped balance engineering bias’

• DILR- Moderate
• Quant- Easy
• Verbal- Toughest of the three sections

After the exam, coaching institutes may release their answer keys. The official answer key is expected to be released in the first or second week of December 2024. Using the official key, students can calculate their probable scores. They should compare their estimated marks to determine their percentile and match it with the cutoff marks to assess their chances of selection for the next round.

The second slot of the CAT 2024 exam is currently underway and will conclude at 2:30 pm. The third slot is scheduled to be held from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm.

IIM Calcutta will issue the official answer key within 2-3 days after the exam, in the format of an individual CAT response sheet. Candidates will be able to view the responses they submitted in CAT 2024 and will have an opportunity to challenge them within the specified time frame. The CAT answer key 2024 will be provided to all candidates who appeared in the three different slots. It will be available online on iimcat.ac.in. Students can download the CAT 2024 answer key through the login window by entering their user ID and password.

IIM Calcutta has said the the CAT 2024 results can be expected in mid-January, 2025. The CAT 2024 answer keys will come before.

• IIM Ahmedabad
• IIM Bangalore
• IIM Kozhikode
• IIM Calcutta
• IIT Delhi
• IIM Lucknow
• IIM Mumbai
• IIM Indore
• XLRI Jamshedpur

Here's the top Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) accepting high CAT score.

Join a live discussion and review of the CAT 2024 Slot 2 question paper with ARKS Srinivas. He is holding three sessions of CAT 2024 review, one for each slot of the IIM CAT exam 2024.

CAT Analysis: CAT Slot 2 answer key, questions, cut-offs

Based on the changes noted in the CAT 2024 Slot 1 question paper, ARKS Srinivas believes that the para jumbles could remain missing from the CAT 2024 Slot 2 paper as well.

Bhushan Bapat, Head of Academics, CAT Division at Supergrads, Toprankers said: "Slot 1 of the CAT 2024 exam was easier than last year. The VARC section was moderate, DILR was manageable, and QA was also moderate. Students reacted positively, noting a little surprise in the exam. Overall, the difficulty was moderate, and higher cutoffs are to be expected this year." The number of good attempts for each section is given below.

"Slot 2 and Slot 3 will also likely have 68 questions," said ARKS Srinivas, an IIM CAT exam expert. "So, overall score for Slots 2 and 3 could be higher or the paper could be slightly more difficult than Slot 1. This is so normalisation takes place effectively."

Overall, the CAT slot 1 exam was moderate in difficulty-level. Here's the section-wise expected cut-offs, according to Bhushan Bapat, head of academics, CAT Division at Supergrads by Toprankers.

The CAT question paper 2024 for slot 1 had a total of 68 questions. Usually, CAT exam consists of 66 questions in VARC, QA, DILR sections.

• VARC - 24 questions
• DILR  -22 questions
• QA - 22 questions

The CAT slot 2 exam 2024 is underway. After the exam concludes at 2.30 pm, candidates will be able to check memory-based questions, section-wise analysis, overall difficulty level, and number of good attempts here.

• MBA in Marketing Management
• MBA in Information Technology
• MBA in Banking and Finance
• MBA in Healthcare Management
• MBA in Communication and Media Management
• MBA in General Management
• MBA in International Business
• MBA in Agriculture Business Management
• MBA in Finance
• MBA in Business Analytics.

CAT 2024 exam results will be declared by the second week of January 2025. Candidates will have to enter the application number as given in the CAT admit card and password generated during the registration to check their CAT score.

Some students found the CAT quantitative ability section of slot 1 exam easy and some found it to be tricky. As per the overall exam analysis, good number of attempts for slot 1 to be 14-15 questions.

There were 10 direct formula-based questions and TSD profit loss roots ratios. Overall, there were 9-11 arithmetic questions and topics such as algebra, geometry, and 2 modern maths — sequence and series were also asked.

Here is the CAT exam 2024 slot-1 review by Sumit Singh Gandhi, CEO of Founder CATKing. Overall, the CAT slot 1 exam was easy in difficulty-level.

Overall, CAT 2024 slot 1 exam was easier than last CAT 2023 and CAT 22 years. The verbal ability was moderate to tough in difficulty level. The reading comprehension was lengthier in nature.

Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR) had two tricky questions. It tested students’ analytical skills as well. Students found Quantitative Aptitude (QA) comparatively easier despite being a paper set by IIM Calcutta and increasing the total questions to 68.

Major change in CAT exam 2024 was that there were no parajumble questions in the verbal ability section. The analysis also predicts CAT cut-offs 2024 to go high for IIMS, Cut off may go high For IIMs.

The IIM Calcutta will upload the CAT slot 1, 2, 3 answer key on the official website, iimcat.ac.in, before declaring the results. As per the schedule, the CAT results 2024 will be announced by the second week of January 2025. Meanwhile, coaching centres are expected to issue the unofficial CAT slot 1 answer key and memory-based questions.

Here’s the section-wise overall CAT score vs percentile of the last two years.

The CAT exam admit card is available at iimcat.ac.in and is essential to carry to the exam centre. Some centres might have shops or other facilities for printing the document.

CAT exam admit card being checked at the centre before CAT 2024 Slot 2 (Image: Careers360)

As per the students' reactions, CAT slot 1 exam 2024 was easy in difficulty level, however, some students found Quantitative Aptitude (QA) to be tricky.

As per the NIRF rankings 2024 for MBA, IIM Calcutta and IIM Lucknow rankings slipped, however, new IIM Mumbai jumped a spot and bagged the sixth position. With IIT Delhi and IIT Bombay performing better than most of the IIMs, the management schools like IIM Calcutta, IIM Delhi, IIM Kozhikode and IIM Mumbai are ramping up research funding and foreign collaborations.

IIM Calcutta was at the fifth position in the NIRF MBA rankings 2024. (Image: Official)

Most colleges set both overall and sectional cut-offs in CAT for admission or, at least, for participation in subsequent rounds of the process. These vary by institution and category of student. In the case of IIM Lucknow, the minimum overall and sectional cutoff in CAT 2024 for general category is as follows:

The CAT cut-off, minimum score to qualify for subsequent rounds of the admission process at IIMs, changes very slowly. IIM Ahmedabad's CAT 2021 cutoff was a minimum of 80 overall score and 70 minimum in each section. The minimum cut-offs for general candidates remain unchanged.

According to the NIRF management rankings 2024 , the top 10 MBA colleges and their score is given below.

The Common Admission Test (CAT 2024) slot 2 exams will begin from 12.30 pm and continue till 2.30 pm.

"I am well prepared. Logical reasoning and data interpretation are my strengths. Quant is fine but I am a bit weak in VARC," said Shubham Adhikary, who wants to take up marketing and sales as his specialisation. He is aiming for IIM Bangalore.

IIM CAT 2024 Slot 2 starts soon; Shubham Adhikary aims for IIM Bangalore (Image: Careers360)

Careers360 has a CAT percentile calculator or predictor as well. It predicts scores based on past data, such as 2021 cat score vs percentile or cat 2022 score vs percentile conversions.

Use This | CAT 2024 percentile predictor

A CAT percentile calculator or predictor uses scores and corresponding percentiles from previous years' exams to predict candidates' percentile based on what they think they will score. The CAT conducting body itself uses the formula given below to calculate the CAT percentile from the CAT marks or score.

Marks vs percentile in CAT (Source: IIM CAT)

The official answer keys for all IIM CAT 2024 slots will be available together on the website soon. However, unofficial versions of the CAT Slot 1 answer key by CAT exam experts and coaching institutes will come sooner.

While IIM Calcutta, the organising body for IIM CAT 2024, has said when to expect the CAT result 2024 - the second week of January - it has given a fixed CAT answer key release date. IIM C will first release a provisional answer key and then a final one, both at iimcat.ac.in, before the result.

There are typically 66 questions in a CAT exam. However, there may be variations within the sections.

The CAT Slot 1 answer key will come soon but there are caveats. The first lot will be based on what the candidates recall from each exam paper - the "memory-based questions" - and answer keys will be generated based on those. The official CAT Slot 1 answer key will arrive some days later.

IIM CAT 2024 candidate Kunal, who is appearing for the exam in Slot 2, said: "I am looking to score somewhere between 80-90 percentile. Verbal and logical reasoning sections are my strong points and Quant is a bit weak. But I have prepared for all of them." He said he would like to get into IIM Kozhikode if he scores well.

IIM CAT Exam 2024 Slot 2: Kunal is writing the exam in the second shift. (Image: Careers360)

A sizeable section of candidates found CAT 2024 Slot 1 easy to moderate but for the Quant section which many said was "tricky". Post exam, many were looking for 'CAT 2022 score vs percentile", "CAT 2021 marks vs percentile" and "score vs percentile 2023". According to experts, a CAT score of about 50% is sufficient for IIM admissions and marks in the range of 100-102 will often translate into a 100 percentile in CAT result.

Rea d More | CAT 2024 slot 1 easy to moderate, quant tricky; section-wise exam analysis, candidate reactions

According to experts and past exams, scoring about 50-55% marks in absolute numbers in the CAT  fetches a high enough percentile for admission to IIMs. As per previous year's CAT data, a score of 74 to 86 can translate into a 99 percentile or more in CAT.

The CAT score VS percentile estimations are based on previous years, CAT 2022 score vs percentile and CAT 2023 score vs percentile.

Two CAT exam candidates however said that the VARC section of the CAT Slot 1 paper was difficult this time compared to the previous years. "Other than that, the exam went well. DLR and Quant were easier this year. Number of Quant questions are also 22 this year," they said.

CAT Slot 1 Analysis: VARC more difficult, fewer Quant questions (Image: Careers350)

Hemank came from Rohtak to write the IIM CAT 2024 in Delhi. He found the CAT exam's Quant section "tricky". He also pointed out that the VARC section did not have a "para jumble" question.  "The Quant section was a bit difficult. But apart from that the exam went pretty well. VARC didn't have para jumbles this year." When asked about his expectations, Hemank, who is also taking the NMAT exam, said he is hoping for the best.

CAT 2024 Slot 1 Analysis: Himank's VARC and DILR sections went 'very well' (Image: Careers360)

For Aman Chugh, also writing the CAT 2024 Slot 1 exam, the "paper was good". "I have already appeared for the CAT exam in 2022 and this year I feel I have done better. Questions were not very difficult except the Quant section, which according to me was a bit tricky. VARC and data interpretation were easier." Aman said he is expecting something between a 70 to 80 percentile in the CAT 2024 result.

CAT Slot 1 Analysis: The CAT 2024 Slot 1 paper went well for Aman Chugh (Image: Careers360)

Khushi, from Delhi, who wrote the CAT 2024 Slot 1 on Sunday found the exam "difficult". "Quant questions were the most difficult. VARC questions were fine, normal," she said.

CAT Exam Slot 1 Analysis: Khushi found CAT Quant most difficult (Image: Careers360)

CAT slot 1 question paper will be released soon by experts. Students are coming out of the examination hall with some happy faces and others in discussion. CAT 2024 question paper comprised three sections and a total of 66 questions.

CAT question paper 2024 soon. (Image: Careers360)

Candidates have now emerged from the IIM CAT 2024 exam centre. CAT Slot 1 review soon, by both experts and candidates. CAT 2024 Slot 2 at 12:30 pm.

CAT 2024 Slot 1 Review: Candidates emerge from the exam centre (Image: Careers360)

CAT slot 1 review will be available soon. In last year's CAT exam, candidates found slot 1 as 'doable' and not very difficult. VARC was more inference-based but had reading comprehension passages from all predicted topics. DILR section was moderate in difficulty level and examinees found it time-consuming and lengthy.

Each CAT exam duration is 2 hours or 120 minutes. Each of the three sections of a CAT exam question paper gets 40 minutes.

CAT 2024 Slot 2 starts at 12:30 pm.

The Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Calcutta has concluded the Common Admission Test (CAT) 2024 slot 1 at 10:30 am today. CAT slot 1 exam analysis 2024 and CAT slot 1 answer key 2024 will be made available soon.

IIM CAT 2024 is being conducted in three shifts. These are the CAT exam time slots:

• Morning: 8:30 am to 10:30 am
• Afternoon: 12:30 pm to 2:30 pm
• Evening: 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm

The CAT first slot time is about to run out. The CAT 2024 Slot 1 ends at 10:30 am. For those writing the exam in the Slot 2 and Slot 3, there is a set of key formulas to know to ace the dreaded Quant section of the CAT.

Read More | CAT 2024: Quant Formulas

CAT slot 1 answer key 2024 will be made available after the conclusion of exam. A normalisation process will be used in order to eliminate the difference in the difficulty level of the exam. Thus, the raw scores of candidates in CAT exam 2024 will be converted into scaled scores. The scaled score of a candidate in a section will be calculated as follows:

CAT 2024: Calculation of scaled score. (Image: Screenshot/official website)

An IIM CAT exam expert explains which concepts of geometry you must know to do well in CAT 2024.

Mastering algebra for the IIM CAT exam involves have a grasp of 30 key concepts and associated formulas, says IIM CAT expert.

CAT Important Formulas: Here's how to approach Arithmetic for the IIM CAT Exam 2024. There are 31 key concepts to grasp, says CAT exam expert, ARKS Srinivas.

CAT shift timings for each exam slot - slot 1, slot 2, and slot 3 - are as follows:

The CAT exam time duration for each slot is 2 hours or 120 minutes. The candidate gets 40 minutes for each of the three sections - DILR, VARC and Quant - in the CAT exam question paper.

The Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) will admit students to their Post Graduate Programme in Management (PGP) courses through the Common Admission Test (CAT) 2024 for the academic session 2025-26. The top IIMs as per the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) 2024 are given below.

CAT 2024: IIM Kozhikode among top IIMs. (Image: IIM Kozhikode)

The CAT exam is being held in three slots or shifts. The CAT shift timings are 8:30 am to 10:30 am; 12:30 pm to 2:30 pm for the afternoon shift and 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm for evening shift.

The CAT exam typically includes 66 questions with each one carrying three marks.

An IIM CAT expert suggests attempting the CAT 2024 question paper's Quant section in two rounds - first 26 minutes spent on attempting the easiest questions you're sure of and marking the ones that are 'solvable'. In round-2, get the ones marked in the first round. Leave the rest. There will be live CAT 2024 Slot 1 analysis soon.

The CAT Quant formula for time management (Careers360)

CAT exam 2024 is being held for admission to the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and participating B-schools such as IMT Ghaziabad, FMS Delhi, SPJIMR, Delhi University, and some Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).

A list of participating IITs is given below.

• IIT Delhi
• IIT Bombay
• IIT Madras
• IIT Roorkee
• IIT Kharagpur
• IIT Kanpur

The CAT exam last 120 minutes. CAT 2024 Slot 1 has already started; it began at 8:30 am and will end at 10:30 am.

Common Admission Test (CAT) 2024 slot 1 answer key 2024 (unofficial) will be available after the conclusion of CAT slot 1 at 10:30 am. Various coaching institutes will release the CAT exam analysis 2024 and CAT answer key 2024 based on their knowledge.

CAT slot 1 answer key 2024 soon; keep following this blog. (Image: Careers360)

The Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad, which will admit students to its management programmes through CAT exam, recently held summer placements for this session. Mahindra and Amazon were the top recruiters with seven offers each. Aditya Birla Group and Airtel also participated in the placement drive. Among the new recruiters, Bharti Enterprises and Trampoline Store hired students for major roles.

CAT 2024: IIM Ahmedabad placements see Mahindra, Amazon. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

The CAT 2024 Slot 2 timings are from 12:30 pm to 2:30 pm. Candidates are already gathering outside the CAT exam centre in Delhi to get their admit cards printed.

CAT exam centre admit card printing; CAT 2024 slot 2 at 12:30 pm (Image: Careers360)

The CAT exam pattern includes three sections - VARC, DILR and QA or Quant. Each section must be completed within 40 minutes. IIM CAT exam expert, ARKS Srinivas pointed out that candidates must answer only about 50-55% of the questions for a CAT score good enough for the IIMs. For that, they need to strategise, know which CAT questions to attempt, which ones to leave and how to manage time for the three sections of the IIM CAT exam question paper .

The CAT 2024 exam is being held in three shifts – first shift will be from 8:30 am to 10:30 am, second shift from 12:30 pm to 2:30 pm and third shift from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm. As per the CAT exam pattern 2024, the test will be held in online mode. CAT 2024 question paper will comprise three sections - verbal ability and reading comprehension (VARC), data interpretation and logical reasoning (DILR), and quantitative aptitude (QA). There will be a total of 66 questions in CAT exam question paper. The duration of CAT exam is two hours. Candidates will be allotted 40 minutes to attempt each section.

The Common Admission Test (CAT) 2024 is being held today in three sessions. CAT slot 1 has started at 8:30 am and will conclude at 10:30 am. CAT slot 2 timings are 12:30 pm to 2:30 pm. The entry gate for CAT 2024 shift 2 will open at 11 am and examinees will be allowed to enter the exam hall till 12:15 pm.

CAT slot 1 timing: CAT exam 2024 shift 1 will conclude at 10:30 am. (Image: Careers360)

Through CAT 2024, the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Bangalore will be admitting students to its PGP programmes. The institute has announced MBA admission criteria for the academic session 2025-26. As per IIM Bangalore selection criteria , the CAT exam has been given 25% weightage in the final stage of selection. IIMB has adopted a two-stage admission policy.

CAT 2024: IIM Bangalore selection criteria out. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

Trisha, a CAT candidate from TIME Institute, Delhi, said: "I have been preparing for the CAT exam since January but am not stressing too much because I am already working. Will try again next year if I fail to crack it this time." Trisha, who wants to take up finance as specialisation, however, cautioned that anyone who wants to take the exam must start her preparations from March or April, unlike her who started in the beginning of the year, so that one doesn't get saturated.

CAT 2024 Slot 1 candidate, Trisha, from Delhi (Image: Careers360)

A total of 3.29 lakh candidates registered for the Common Admission Test (CAT) 2024 exam as per the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Calcutta which is conducting the MBA entrance test this year. The number of CAT 2024 applications has increased as compared to last year's 3.28 lakh.

CAT 2024 slot 1 will continue till 10:30 am. Candidates will be able to check slot 1 exam analysis on this page. As per the CAT 2024 marking scheme, examinees will be awarded three marks for each correct answer. There will be negative marking in the objective-type questions in CAT exam.

Each CAT exam lasts exactly 2 hours or 120 minutes, allowing for 40 minutes per section of the paper. CAT 2024 Slot 1 began at 8:30 am and will continue till 10:30 am.

The Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Calcutta has commenced the CAT exam 2024 slot 1 at 8:30 am. CAT slot 1 exam timings are 8:30 am to 10:30 am. The CAT exam will be held for a duration of two hours.

Advin Varghese, from Delhi, aims to study in marketing in the IIMs. "I'm slightly nervous because there's a new set in DILR. I wrote as many mock tests as I could and strategised on how many questions to prepare. I will basically have to avoid extra questions and a negative marking. I'm aiming for IIMs and in specialisation, hoping for marketing. I am aiming for 90 percentile and above," he said.

The CAT 2024 examination centres have closed entry to the exam hall for CAT slot 1 2024. The first shift will commence from 8:30 am and continue till 10:30 am.

Some CAT Exam 2024 exam centres also have the facility to print IIM CAT admit cards. At the centre below, candidates take last-minute prints. The CAT exam time for Slot 1 is 8:30 am to 10:30 am.

CAT 2024 Slot 1: Last-minute printing of admit cards at the CAT exam centre (Image: Careers360)

Talking to Careers360, a candidate expressed nervousness for CAT exam 2024 over addition of a new set of question. "The CAT exam pattern has slightly changed from last year, so I'm a bit nervous about how it might be as it will be first set of question (newly added)," he told Careers360. The student mainly studied from CAT 2024 mock tests and plans to avoid negative marking and extra questions in the exam. He is aiming for the IIMs and to achieve more than 90 percentile in the CAT exam 2024.

CAT exam 2024 today; candidate aims for 90+ percentile. (Image: Careers360)

CAT exam question paper will consist of three sections - VARC, DILR, and Quant. Experts have released books on CAT exam containing ways to study, concept-building, step-by-step approach to the sections. Some of the best books for CAT 2024 preparation are as follows:

QA

• How to Prepare for Quantitative Aptitude for the CAT by Arun Sharma
• Quantitative Aptitude Quantum CAT by Sarvesh Sharma

VARC

• How to prepare for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for the CAT by Arun Sharma and Meenakshi Upadhyay
• PSC for VA for CAT by Nishit Sinha

DILR

• Logical reasoning and date interpretation for the CAT by Nishit K Sinha
• How to prepare for data interpretation for the CAT by Arun Sharma

The CAT 2024 Slot 1 starts at 8:30 am and ends at 10:30 am. Entry has begun and closes at 8:15 am.

CAT Exam 2024 Slot 1: Candidates line up to deposit their belongings (Image: Careers360)

Candidates can download CAT admit card 2024 using the steps given below.

• Go to the official website, iimcat.ac.in
• Click on the link 'Registered candidate login'
• Login with your user ID and password
• Navigate to the link to download CAT admit card 2024
• A document will be displayed on the screen
• Download the CAT 2024 admit card and take a print out

Mobiles, watches, scarves, metro cards, metal objects - none of these are allowed inside the IIM CAT 2024 exam centre. CAT Slot 1 timing is 8:30 am.

IIM CAT Exam 2024: Exam centre with a check-in and storage counter for belongings (Image: Careers360)

As per CAT previous year's question paper , the exam was easy to moderate in difficulty and there were no changes in the CAT exam pattern. The slot-wise analysis is given below.

• Slot 1: Moderate in difficulty, VARC challenging
• Slot 2: DILR most difficult, QA time-consuming
• Slot 3: Easy VARC, tough DILR, QA of mixed difficulty-level

The Common Admission Test (CAT) slot 1 timing 2024 is 7 am to 8:15 am. Candidates appearing in the first shift of CAT exam 2024 will not be given entry after 8:15 am. Students are currently checking-in their belongings at the things-collector room.

CAT slot 1 2024 entry closes at 8:15 am. (Image: Careers360)

CAT 2024 question paper will contain three sections -- Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Ability (QA). The section-wise weightage in CAT exam 2024 is as follows:

• VARC - Around 34%
• DILR - About 32%
• QA - Approximately 34%

According to the Common Admission Test (CAT) 2024 exam pattern trends, the question paper will consist of a total of 66 questions which are divided across three sections.

Candidates leave their belongings outside the IIM CAT exam centre. They have already arrived for the IIM CAT 2024 Slot 1 exam for which, as per the CAT exam instructions, the reporting time is 8:15 am,

CAT Exam 2024 Slot 1: Candidates arrive and check in belongings (Image: Careers360)

Candidates appearing for CAT exam 2024 today can download the CAT admit card 2024 from the official website, iimcat.ac.in using their login credentials. No examinee will be given entry to the examination hall without CAT 2024 admit card .

CAT 2024 aspirants can check the dress code for CAT exam below.

CAT 2024 dress code for male candidates

• Can wear thick soles footwear.
• Garments with large buttons are not allowed inside the CAT exam hall.
• Clothes with pockets are not allowed.
• Can wear any type of dress that has no pockets attached.
• Can wear any type of shirt, t-shirt, trousers.

CAT dress code 2024 for female

• Avoid wearing any jewellery, ornaments or carrying any metal.
• Avoid wearing earrings, nose pins, necklaces, anklets, bangles or any other metallic ornaments.
• Mehendi, tattoos on the body, and unnatural marks will lead to disqualification.
• Avoid wearing heavy makeup and keep a simple hairstyle without any ornaments

CAT 2024 exam will be held in three different slots. Shift 1 will be conducted from 8:30 am to 10:30 am, shift 2 from 12:30 pm to 2:30 pm, and shift 3 from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm.

According to CAT dress code 2024 for male and female candidates appearing for the CAT exam 2024 today, examinees can wear any kind of trousers they're comfortable in. They are advised to wear clothes without pocket.

The entry timings for CAT 2024 slot 1 are 7 am to 8:15 am. Students have started reaching the examination centre. CAT exam 2024 is being conducted today in three shifts.

CAT 2024 slot 1 entry begins. (Image: Careers360)

CAT 2024 aspirants will be required to carry CAT admit card 2024 and a valid photo ID proof to the examination centre. Those with medical conditions will be required to carry a medical certificate too.

The Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Calcutta is conducting this year's Common Admission Test (CAT) for MBA admissions. One of the oldest IIMs, the institute was established in 1961. IIMC ranked 5th in the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) 2024 in management category.

Common Admission Test (CAT) 2024 will be conducted in three shifts today, November 24.

The Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Calcutta will conduct the Common Admission Test (CAT) 2024 today for 3.29 registered candidates in 175 examination cities across India for admission to MBA programmes offered by IIMs and participating B-schools.