Contents
CAT 2023 Slot 1 Analysis
The CAT 2023 Slot-1 Exam took place in the morning session on November 26, 2023, administered by IIM-Lucknow. Like the previous year, this year’s exam showcased some unexpected elements, yet the overall pattern closely resembled that of last year. Notably, all three slots exhibited comparable levels of difficulty. In my blog, I’ll delve deeper into the nuances of the exam and its surprises, providing insights for a clear understanding of the test’s structure and challenges.
CAT 2023 Slot-1 Question-wise Breakup
| Section | Number of Questions | Duration | MCQs | TITA |
| VARC | 24 | 40 min | 21 | 3 |
| DILR | 20 | 40 min | 14 | 6 |
| QA | 22 | 40 min | 14 | 8 |
| Total | 66 | 120 min | 49 | 17 |
Enroll to XAT 2024 One-Month Crash Course
CAT 2023 Slot-1 VARC Analysis
- The VARC section in Slot 1 of CAT 2023 presented a consistent level of difficulty across its question sets, ranging from Easy to Moderate-Easy. Comprising four passages with four questions each, this section showcased a shift from inference-based queries to more fact-oriented ones, rendering it more accessible compared to the previous year. Each reading comprehension (RC) passage averaged around 400 words.
- Notably, the Verbal Ability (VA) section featured a significant change this year with the reintroduction of Odd Man Out questions, which were absent last year. It comprised 2 Para Jumble, 2 Para Summary, 2 Para Insertion, and 2 Odd-one Out questions. A recommended target for this section was attempting around 17-19 questions to achieve a decent score.
 Reading Comprehension Analysis – Difficulty, Topic Distribution
| Areas of Questions | Number of questions | Overall Difficulty level |
| Work Culture | 4 | Difficult |
| Indian Ocean Novels | 4 | Moderate Difficulty |
| Wolf | 4 | Easy |
| Human Behaviour | 4 | Easy |
Verbal Ability Analysis – Difficulty, Topic Distribution
| Para Summary | 2 | 1 Easy 1 Moderate |
| Para Jumbles | 2 | 1 Easy 1 Moderate |
| Para Insertions | 2 | 1 Easy 1 Moderate |
| Odd-one Outs | 2 | 1 Easy 1 Moderate |
| Overall | 24 | Easy |
CAT 2023 Slot-1 DILR Analysis
- The DILR section in Slot 1 of CAT 2023 closely resembled the difficulty level of CAT 2022. It comprised 20 questions organized into 4 sets, each containing five questions. Overall, the section was considered decent.
- An advisable target for a good attempt ranged from 11 to 13 questions. Notably, it was observed that some sets had more solvable questions than others, emphasizing the importance of selecting the right set to focus on during the exam. Flexibility and the ability to switch sets when necessary emerged as crucial strategies.
- One particular set, the Restaurant set, stood out as a key choice due to the manageable nature of all five questions within it. Success in this section largely hinged on choosing this set and aiming to solve at least two questions from the other available sets.
 DILR Analysis – Difficulty, Topic Distribution
| Set Type | Topic | No. of questions | Overall Difficulty |
| Mean, Median, Mode | Restaurant | 5 | All Doable |
| Quant Based | Professors | 5 | 3 Doable – 2 Tough |
| Miscellaneous | Houses | 5 | 3 Doable – 2 Tough |
| Logical Reasoning | Visa | 5 | 3 Doable – 2 Tough |
| Overall | 20 | Moderate Difficulty | |
Enrol to SNAP 15 days Crash Course
CAT 2023 Slot-1 QA Analysis
- In Slot 1 of CAT 2024, the Quantitative Ability (QA) section posed the highest level of difficulty among all sections. With a total of 22 questions, the focus predominantly revolved around Arithmetic and Algebra topics. This year’s QA section notably witnessed a significant surge in difficulty compared to the Quant section of 2022.
- An interesting observation was that while the topics remained the same between the 2023 and 2024 papers, there was a substantial shift in the level of difficulty. This unexpected change, unanticipated by IIM Lucknow, posed a challenge to candidates. A recommended attempt for this challenging section fell between 8 to 9 questions.
- Despite the similar topic coverage, the striking alteration in difficulty levels demands a closer examination.
QA Analysis – Difficulty, Topic Distribution
| Topic | No of questions | Difficulty |
| Arithmetic | 8 | Moderate-Difficult, Difficult |
| Algebra | 8 | Moderate-Difficult, Difficult |
| Geometry & Mensuration | 3 | Moderate-Difficult, Difficult |
| Modern Math | 1 | Moderate-Difficult |
| Number System | 2 | Moderate-Difficult |
| Overall | 22 | Most Difficult |
CAT 2023 Expected Score vs Percentile
Based on the feedback received from Cracku students and our team, the estimated marks vs percentile for individual sections and overall is as follows:
| Percentile | VARC | DILR | QA | Total |
| 99 | 38-40 | 23-25 | 25-27 | 78 |
| 95 | 30-32 | 17-19 | 19-21 | 56 |
| 90 | 24-26 | 14-16 | 16-18 | 48 |
| 85 | 20-21 | 12-13 | 11-13 | 40 |
| 80 | 18-19 | 10-11 | 9-11 | 35 |
Note: These are only expected percentiles as per our deep understanding, and actual percentiles may vary from these.
CAT 2023 Expected Result Date, Results, Short-lists, GD-PI, Merit-list, Joining & Classes
The following details are based on the past contexts and experiences. The schedule would be more or less similar, and hence candidates are requested to also periodically check with the official notification.
| Events | Dates |
| Exam | 26th November, 2023 |
| Results | 2nd week of January |
| Shortlists | Last week of January / First week of February |
| GD-PI | Last week of February / First Week of March |
| Final Merit-list | April |
| Joining & Classes | June |
Also Read:
