Every year, the Common Admission Test (CAT) is administered by the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Indore to determine applicants’ eligibility for admission to India’s top IIMs, MBA courses , and other business schools. Candidates should concentrate on the CAT Previous Year Papers in addition to reading books and taking notes if they want to pass the CAT Test. They can improve their speed, accuracy, problem-solving rate, and other skills by using the CAT Previous Year Papers. Additionally, candidates will be able to comprehend the types of questions the Commission has been posing over the years by solving previous year papers.
From the table provided below in this article, you may download the PDF of the CAT Past Year Papers with Solutions.
CAT Exam Pattern 2023 – Overview
Before moving further, know the major changes made in the exam pattern last year (Year 2022)
- The exam was conducted in three slots: Morning 8.30 AM to 10.30 AM, Afternoon 12.30 PM to 2.30 PM, and Evening 4.30 PM to 6.30 PM.
- The time Duration was reduced to 120 minutes (2 hours) earlier it was 180 minutes (3 hours).
- The sectional timing was reduced to 40 minutes from 60 minutes.
Read the table below to get the anticipated Test Pattern 2023 and start studying.
| S. No | Particulars | Details |
| 1. | Duration of the exam | 2 hours |
| 2. | Sectional time duration | 40 minutes |
| 3. | Time allotted for candidates of the PwD category | 60 minutes (tentative) |
| 4. | Total number of questions | 66 |
| 5. | Total marks | 198 |
| 6. | Number of Choices | 4 (TITA) |
| 7. | Mode Exam | Computer Based Test |
| 8. | Marking scheme | 3 marks for each correct answer1 mark deducted for every incorrect answer |
CAT Exam Pattern 2023 (Expected)
The table below shows the total number of questions asked in each section including the MCQ and questions, time duration, and marking scheme.
| S.NO. | Sections | Total No. of Questions | Time Duration |
| 1. | Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension | 22 | 40 minutes |
| 2. | Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning | 20 | 40 minutes |
| 3. | Quantitative Ability | 24 | 40 minutes |
| Total | 66 | 120 minutes (2 hours) |
- The total number of marks for CAT 2023 will be 198
- Each question carries 3 marks
- For every incorrect answer, there is a penalty of -1 marks
- No deduction of marks for unattempted questions
- Some questions are not multiple-choice type, thus candidates have to type the answer.
- Candidates of the PWD category will be allotted 60 minutes as a sectional time limit.
CAT Exam Pattern – Important Points
Have a look at the important points regarding the exam pattern.
- Candidates can use an on-screen calculator
- An on-screen clock to keep a check on the time
- A rough paper will be provided which has to be submitted after the exam gets over
- Candidates cannot start solving the question paper on time.
- All the computer screens will be turned on at the same time
- Candidates must sit in their allocated area.
CAT Exam Previous Year Papers- Free PDF Download
The CAT previous year question papers will help the candidates in many scenarios for example increasing their confidence level, revising the whole syllabus, practicing previous questions, getting an overview of the exam and many more. Candidates who attempt the previous year paper will definitely feel more confident about their preparation. Sometimes the questions they attempted from previous year papers help a lot in attempting the main exam paper.
Solving the Previous year exam question papers is the best way to analyze candidates’ preparation level. Candidates can download the exam previous year papers by clicking on the links provided below.
CAT Previous Year Papers – Slot 1, Slot 2 And Slot 3
The following table includes CAT exam past years’ papers, organized by slot, from 2017 to 2022. Candidates can get the papers by clicking on the links provided below. The candidates can practice the questions from last year as many as they like using these papers.
| CAT Previous Year Papers | |||
| Sr. No | Slot 1 | Slot 2 | Slot 3 |
| 1 | 2021 Slot 1 | 2021 Slot 2 | 2021 Slot 3 |
| 2 | 2020 Slot 1 | 2020 Slot 2 | 2020 Slot 3 |
| 3 | 2019 Slot 1 | 2019 Slot 2 | – |
| 4 | 2018 Slot 1 | 2018 Slot 2 | – |
| 5 | 2017 Slot 1 | 2017 Slot 2 |
Importance of preparing with Previous Year Papers
The greatest study materials for preparing for competitive exams are the IIM CAT Previous Year Papers, according to experts. It provides the following advantages to applicants who are taking the examination:
- The Previous year question papers will help you to revise the entire Syllabus.
- To check your preparation level, you can solve these IIM Previous Year Paper.
- Solving the Previous year question papers can help you identify your areas so that you can study them better and get all the concepts clear to avoid any further mistakes.
- Regularly practicing the previous year question paper gives you good timekeeping practice that helps you to complete your paper in time.
- Your question-solving speed and accuracy for the exam also improve with the help of the previous year question papers.
- You will know the question level of difficulty that is asked in the exam which will give you a good idea about the exam’s difficulty level by going through the previous year question paper thoroughly.
How to effectively use CAT Previous year papers?
Aspirants may not understand how to properly evaluate the Previous Year Question Papers in order to learn from them. We have provided some information regarding analyze the exam past year papers below for the applicants’ convenience:
- Take a printout of the exam Previous Year Paper you want to analyze.
- First, give a brief reading of the paper and try to understand the questions.
- In the second reading, mark the questions you know or have an idea about.
- Then start solving the question paper, and set a timer for yourself as per the stipulated time of the question paper.
- If you don’t know the answer to any question, mark those questions and keep solving the rest.
- Once done, review your answers and resolve the mistakes. For the questions left unanswered, find out their answers from the books and study materials and prepare them.
- After evaluating your performance, make another attempt. Remember practice makes us perfect and as a CAT candidate, you should be ready to face failures before you taste success.
We trust that you now realise how crucial it is to complete the CAT Previous Year Papers. By completing these papers, you can step up your preparation for the common entrance test and increase your confidence in your ability to answer questions correctly when the exam comes around. The candidates can now start developing their preparation approach since all the information surrounding the previous year’s paper is now clear.
Candidates meeting the 2022 Cut-Off criterion ca submit their applications for CAP 2023 on the official CAP 2023 website between 12th to 19th January 2023. The selection option for IIM Jammu’s MBA Program for working professionals is active now. The Scorecard was released for the exam conducted on 27th November 2022 on 21st December 2022. Candidates can log in to the official website to check the CAT Answer Key.
The exam was conducted for 198 marks in online mode. The notification was released on 31st July 2022. The candidates applied from 3rd August to 21st September 2022. The CAT exam is an entry ticket to get into one of India’s top MBA institutes, IIMs, and other premier business schools. The candidates who will qualify for the exam are eligible to participate in the admissions of MBA institutes.
FAQs
What are the benefits of solving these CAT previous year papers?
You will get familiar with different formats of questions of the CAT and also get ample practice on exam-level questions. Your exam-taking skills such as accuracy, speed of solving questions and much more increase.
How should I approach solving previous year papers?
After completing the syllabus candidates must solve the CAT Previous Year Papers.
Are the previous year question papers authentic and set according to the exam format of the Examination?
Yes, the CAT previous year papers are authentic and set according to the exam format of the Examination.
How many questions will be asked in CAT 2023?
It is expected that a total of 66 questions will be asked in the CAT 2023 exam.
What is the sectional time limit in the CAT exam?
It is expected that the sectional timing for general category candidates is 40 minutes and for the PWD category candidate 60 minutes.
