The Common Admission Test (CAT) is renowned for giving surprise elements in the paper. Moreover, its difficulty level also keeps evolving every year. Every year, the CAT aspirants try to anticipate and prepare for what the challenging surprise element can bring. For those who will be appearing for CAT 2024, especially as a CAT repeater, the main question arises ‘Was CAT 2023 tougher than CAT 2022?’
This blog exactly dives into a detailed CAT 2023 vs CAT 2022 comparison. We will also highlight the differences in the difficulty levels, section-wise performance, and overall trends.
Also Read, CAT Exam Analysis 2024, Section-wise Slot 1, 2, 3 Analysis
Both, CAT 2023 and CAT 2022 had the same structure:
Three Sections | Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Ability (QA) |
Total Duration | 2 hours (40 minutes per section) |
Total Questions | 66 (VARC:24, DILR: 20, QA:22) |
Having said that, there still were some subtle changes in the CAT difficulty level and question distribution that affected the performance of the candidates.
Year | Total Questions | Duration | Marking Scheme |
CAT 2023 | 66 | 2 hours | +3 for correct, -1 for wrong |
CAT 2022 | 66 | 2 hours | +3 for correct, -1 for wrong |
Also Read, CAT Answer Key 2024, Check Download Link, Release Date
Aspect | CAT 2023 | CAT 2022 |
Difficulty Level | Moderate | Moderate |
Passage Length | Lengthier passages with abstract themes | Balanced themes, easier comprehension |
Key Challenges | Tricky RC options, time-consuming questions | Straightforward RCs but challenging VA |
Overall, in CAT 2023, aspirants said that the RCs were tougher due to abstract topics and nuanced options. This furthermore also increased the time pressure.
Aspect | CAT 2023 | CAT 2022 |
Difficulty Level | Tough | Moderate to Tough |
Set Distribution | 4 sets (1 easy, 1 moderate, 2 tough) | 4 sets (2 moderate, 2 tough) |
Key Challenges | Time-consuming logical sets | Balanced sets with predictable difficulty |
CAT 2023 featured more difficult logic-based sets that tested the ability to prioritize time effectively.
Aspect | CAT 2023 | CAT 2022 |
Difficulty Level | Difficult | Moderate to Easy |
Focus Areas | Arithmetic-heavy with fewer Geometry questions | Arithmetic and Algebra with simple calculations |
Key Challenges | Tricky application of concepts | Conceptually straightforward |
CAT 2023 focused heavily on the Arithmetic part, overpowering the Geometry part. This made CAT 2023 more challenging especially for those candidates who rely on other topics.
Also Read,CAT Result 2024, Expected Release Date, Download Link
Let us analyze the difficulty level comparatively:
Section | CAT 2023 Difficulty | CAT 2022 Difficulty | Trend |
VARC | Moderate to Tough | Moderate | Tougher in 2023 |
DILR | Tough | Moderate to Tough | Slightly Tougher |
QA | Difficult | Moderate to Easy | Slightly Tougher |
Overall | Moderate to Tough | Moderate | More challenging |
CAT 2023 emerged as slightly tougher than CAT 2022, with DILR and VARC posing significant challenges.
Comparing CAT 2023 with previous years (2021, 2020), the exam maintained its standard format but varied in question difficulty. Here's a year-wise trend:
Year | Overall Difficulty | Key Highlights |
2023 | Moderate to Tough | Challenging DILR, abstract VARC themes |
2022 | Moderate | Balanced across sections |
2021 | Moderate to Easy | Easier QA and VARC |
2020 | Tough | Lengthy DILR, abstract RCs |
Percentile | 2023 | 2022 | ||
Marks | Correct Attempts | Marks | Correct Attempts | |
99 | 40 | 13-14 | 40 | 13-14 |
95 | 29 | 10 | 28 | 9 |
90 | 23 | 8 | 24 | 8 |
85 | 19 | 6-7 | 21 | 7 |
80 | 17 | 5-6 | 17 | 5-6 |
Percentile | 2023 | 2022 | ||
Marks | Correct Attempts | Marks | Correct Attempts | |
99 | 27 | 9-10 | 30 | 10 |
95 | 19 | 6–7 | 21 | 7-8 |
90 | 16 | 5-6 | 18 | 6-7 |
85 | 14 | 4-5 | 14 | 4-5 |
80 | 12 | 4 | 13 | 4 |
Percentile | 2023 | 2022 | ||
Marks | Correct Attempts | Marks | Correct Attempts | |
100 | 49 | 16-17 | 57 | 19 |
99.9 | 38 | 12-13 | 47 | 15-16 |
99 | 27 | 9-10 | 33 | 11 |
95 | 20 | 6-7 | 22 | 7-8 |
90 | 14 | 4-5 | 17 | 6 |
85 | 10 | 3-4 | 15 | 5 |
Also Read, CAT Response Sheet 2024
Analysis of the CAT 2023 vs CAT 2022 exam highlights some subtle yet impactful changes in difficulty levels. CAT 2023 was moderately tougher, with abstract RCs and a challenging lot of DILR sets drawing attention. Aspirants should focus on understanding sectional trends and rectifying time management skills to produce good performance in the forthcoming CAT exams.
Patience, along with proper analysis of patterns and strategic preparation, can help aspirants touch a high percentile irrespective of variance in difficulty levels.
A. Yes, CAT 2023 was considered as one of the most difficult CAT papers in the past many years.
A. The most difficult slot in CAT 2023 was slot 3. This is said considering the fact that the DILR and QA sections were the hardest in the Slot 3 CAT paper. Apart from that, Slot 1 had the most difficult VARC section in 2023.
A. The CAT 2023 and CAT 2021 (CAT 2023>CAT 2021) are considered as the most difficult CAT exams in the history of CAT. The Quantitative Aptitude section of the Slot 3 of CAT 2023 was especially the toughest. On the other hand, the VARC and DILR sections of CAT 2021 were the most difficult in particular.
A. The DILR sets in CAT 2023 ranged from a moderate to high difficulty level. The CAT 2023 slot 3 was the most difficult slot overall.
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