Changes In CAT Syllabus In The Past 5 Years

CAT 2015

The national-level Computer-Based Admission Test (CAT) is a prerequisite for admission to graduate management programs. The Common Admission Test (CAT) is one of the premier and most sought-after MBA entrance exams, as it grants candidates admission to IIM and other renowned management institutions. As far as the number of questions and test duration are concerned, the test structure of the CAT exam changed substantially during 2013-2014. Since 2010, the CAT exam pattern has changed three times.

There were significant differences between the structure of CAT-2015 and the structure of CAT-2014. IIM-Ahmedabad conducted CAT 2015. For the first time in the evolution of CAT, on-screen calculators with limited functionalities were introduced.  TITA (type in the answer) question types were also introduced in 2015. In every section, there were TITA questions that increased the candidate’s chances of getting a decent score. In 2015, the Common Admission Test was held for 180 minutes, with three sections having 20 questions each. Part I and Part II were further divided into subsections. The below table will help you get an idea of the Structural changes in CAT 2015.

Year	Time Duration	Sections	Number of questions in each section	Total number of questions
2015	180 minutes	Verbal Ability and Reading comprehension Data Interpretation and Logical reasoning Quantitative Aptitude	34     24      10 32    34	100

CAT 2016-2019

IIM Bangalore convened CAT 2016 and CAT2018. They followed the existing pattern of exams, and the number of questions remained the same. In CAT 2017, the questions followed the same pattern as in CAT 2016. The sections were not subdivided into subsections. Verbal ability and reading comprehension questions were distributed throughout the section, and they were not grouped as subsections like in CAT 2015.

Similarly, the data interpretation and logical reasoning sections were not subdivided. It was noticeable in CAT 2017 that specific questions were more complex, and the number of TITA questions increased. The remaining factors, such as the total number of questions and time duration, remained the same. When concerned with CAT-2018, a significant number of questions contained arithmetic calculations, which required time and effort to solve. IIM-Kozhikode conducted the Common Admission Test for 2019, and it did not present any unfamiliar question types or surprises. The table below will give a clear idea of the CAT trends from 2016-2019.

Year	Time Duration	Sections	Number of questions in each section	Total number of questions
2016-2019	180 minutes	Verbal Ability and Reading comprehension Data Interpretation and Logical reasoning Quantitative Aptitude	34                   24        10 32   34	100

CAT 2020

Taking COVID precautions into consideration, IIM Indore conducted the CAT Exam in two hours. Forty minutes were allotted for each section. Regarding the changes in the paper structure of CAT 2020, no added information was provided to the candidates. When compared to CAT 2019, CAT 2020 was more challenging, like CAT 2018. The total number of questions was reduced from 100 to 76. But, throughout the verbal ability section, the questions followed a similar pattern as in the previous exams. In CAT-2020, the data interpretation part consisted of three sets, and logical reasoning consisted of two sets. The overall section was revised to include five sets of questions, of which two sets had six questions each, and the other three had four questions apiece. The difficulty level of quantitative aptitude was considered moderate, with arithmetic questions dominating the section. The table below shows the exam duration, the number of questions in each section, and the total number of questions in CAT 2021.

Year	Time Duration	Sections	Number of questions in each section	Total number of questions
2020	120 minutes	Verbal Ability and Reading comprehension Data Interpretation and Logical reasoning Quantitative Aptitude	26   24   26	76