CAT 2023: Result (Out), Cut Off, Slot-wise Paper Analysis

CAT 2023: CAT result 2023 has been released on Dec 21, 2023. The CAT 2023 exam was conducted in 3 slots on Nov 26, 2023, by IIM Lucknow. 

Common Admission Test CAT is a national-level entrance examination conducted by the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) for admission to 20 IIMs and over 1,000+ MBA colleges in India.

It is also the largest entrance exam for MBA admission in 20 IIMs and over 1,000 other top MBA colleges in India. IIM Calcutta unveils admission policy with a 30% weightage for the CAT exam.

CAT 2023 Result

The CAT 2023 result has been released on Dec 21, 2023. Candidates who attempted the CAT 2023 exam should use their user ID and Password to check the result. More details about the CAT 2023 results are as follows:

• The validity of the CAT 2023 result is one year from the date of its release
• If the candidate does not take admission to the 2024-26 batch based on the CAT 2023 result, then he/she will have to take the CAT exam again in 2024
• The CAT scorecard can be downloaded on the official website till 31st December 2024
• The CAT 2023 result cum scorecard will include details of the overall and sectional scores & percentile of the candidate.

How to Check CAT 2023 Result?

Listed below are the steps to be followed to check the CAT 2023 results:

• Visit the official website of CAT 2023.
• Click on the link for CAT 2023 Score Card Download
• Log in using your CAT 2023 user id and password
• Download the CAT scorecard from the redirected page
• Save the PDF of the CAT 2023 result for all future reference.

CAT 2023 Exam Highlights

More than 2 lakh candidates register and apply for CAT every year. Shown below are the key highlights of the IIM CAT 2023 exam:

CAT 2023 Registration and Application Process

CAT 2023 registration should be done online on the official website. Shown below are the steps to be followed as a part of the CAT 2023 registration and application process:

• Candidates need to get themselves registered by entering their required details such as name, date of birth, email address, country, and mobile number.
• A unique user ID and password will be sent to the candidate’s registered email address and mobile number post verification.
• After registration, candidates have to complete the application form and fill in other details such as name, address, education qualification, etc.
• Personal, academic, and work experience details such as father’s name, mother’s name, date of birth, gender, nationality, category, address, graduation percentage, class 10th & 12th marks, and full-time work experience should also be entered.
• Aspirants have the option to choose the IIMs as per their preference and also the course that they want to pursue.
• Up to 6 cities can be selected as preferred CAT examination centres.
• All required documents asked during the registration procedure such as photo, signature, NC-OBC/SC/ST Certificate, PwD/DA Certificate, etc, should be uploaded.
• The CAT application fee specific to the candidates’ category should be paid via online mode only.
• All the details filled in the application form should be rechecked after uploading all the documents and before submitting the form.
• A printout of the application form should be kept for future reference.

Documents Required for CAT 2023

The following documents are required to be uploaded during the CAT 2023 registration process:

• Scanned copy of Caste Certificate
• Bachelor's degree marks certificates and provisional certificates
• Scanned photographs and signature images
• Class 10th and 12th passing certificate/ mark sheet

Application Fee for CAT 2023

CAT aspirants can submit the application fee by online payment mode only. Fee payment can be made using a Credit card/ Debit card/ Net Banking and UPI payment gateways.

Find below the CAT 2023 application fee for various categories:

CAT 2023 Eligibility Criteria

Aspirants need to check if they fulfil all the CAT eligibility requirements before applying for the exam. More details on the CAT 2023 eligibility criteria are given below:

• Graduation: CAT applicants must have a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent degree from a recognized college/ university or institute
• Minimum Marks: A minimum of 50% marks is required in case of general category candidates (45% marks for SC/ ST/ PWD candidates) in the qualifying exam
• Age: There is no age or attempt limit to apply for CAT 2023
• Final Year Students: Students in the final year of their bachelor’s degree are also eligible to apply. Candidates having professional degrees like CA/ CS/ ICWA can also apply.

CAT 2023 Exam Dates

Candidates must complete the registration and application process within the timeline. The dates for CAT 2023 exam and other related events are tabulated below:

Also Check: CAT Exam Day Guidelines 2023

CAT 2023 Exam Pattern

CAT 2023 is conducted online through a computer-based test in three slots. A total of 66 questions need to be attempted for a duration of 120 minutes.

More details on the CAT 2023 exam pattern are shown below:

• Exam Mode: CAT 2023 examination is conducted through online mode via a computer-based test
• Type of Questions: There will be two types of questions in the CAT exam – objective and subjective questions (MCQs and TITA-type questions). 75% of the questions will be MCQ-type questions and 25% will be TITA questions
• Time Duration: A total of 2 hours will be given to solve the CAT 2023 question paper. Each sectional duration will be 40 minutes
• Total Questions and Marks: A total of 66 questions should be attempted for a total mark of 198 
• Marking Scheme: 3 marks will be awarded for each correct answer
• Negative Marking Scheme: 1 mark will be deducted for each wrong answer or each question attempted in the objective type section. However, there is no negative marking done in the subjective section.

Section-wise Distribution of Questions in CAT 2023

Tabulated below is the section-wise distribution of CAT 2023 questions:

CAT 2023 Syllabus

The CAT 2023 syllabus compromise of all three sections namely Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning, Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension, and Quantitative Ability. It is very generalized and questions are mostly based on middle school Mathematics and English subjects or topics. More detail about the CAT 2023 syllabus is explained below:

CAT 2023 Preparation Tips

CAT is considered one of India's most challenging management entrance exams, but aspirants still have ample time to prepare for CAT 2023. Some of the CAT 2023 preparation tips mentioned below can help candidates in scoring well in the exam:

• Firstly, candidates have to understand the exam pattern and syllabus thoroughly.
• One needs to also identify the sections in which they are strong and weak.
• Aspirants should focus mainly on the weaker sections and continue practising the topics in which they are strong.
• CAT aspirants should go through some of the previous year’s question papers to be more familiar with the exam pattern and the difficulty of the questions
• One should always follow books from renowned writers as references.
• Several mock tests are also available online, which can help in the CAT exam preparation.
• Self-study is essential to be able to crack CAT 2023.

CAT 2023 Admit Card

The CAT 2023 admit card has been released on Nov 7, 2023, on the official website of CAT 2023. Registered candidates can download their CAT admit card by logging in with their registration ID and password.

The CAT admit card is an important document that contains the details of the test centre, the time & date of the exam, and all other instructions for exam day. It is mandatory for candidates to carry the CAT admit card to the allotted test centre on exam day. The CAT exam centre allotted in the admit card cannot be changed under any circumstances.

CAT 2023 Exam Centers

CAT 2023 exam will be held in computer-based testing mode in 400+ test centres located in 156 Indian cities. Candidates can choose up to 6 test centre preferences while filling out the CAT 2023 application form. The CAT 2023 exam centres are tabulated below:

CAT 2023 Exam Analysis

CAT 2023 was conducted on Nov 26, 2023, in 3 different slots, candidates can check the CAT 2023 paper analysis slot-wise below. CAT results are expected in Jan 2024. Candidates can analyse their performance based on student and expert-based paper analysis.

CAT 2023 Slot 1 Exam Analysis

CAT 2023 Slot 1 was conducted from 8.30 am to 10.30 am on Nov 26, 2023.CAT 2023 Slot 1 Exam Analysis and all valuable information about VARC, DILR, and QA Difficulty, Questions, and Subject-wise Weightage are given below

CAT 2023 Slot 1 Difficulty Level

Candidates can check the overall difficulty of CAT 2023 slot 1 conducted from 8.30 am to 10.30 am on Nov 26, 2023, in the table given below

CAT 2023 Slot 2 Paper Analysis

CAT 2023 Slot 2 was conducted from 12.30 pm to 2.30 pm on Nov 26, 2023. Out of 4 RC episodes, 2 were difficult and 2 were doable. Surprisingly, in VA Section 1, the question was mandatory. For DILR, the 2 sets of games and tournaments and the intermediate mode were tough.

CAT 2023 Slot 2 Difficulty Level

Candidates can check the overall difficulty of CAT 2023 slot 1 conducted from 12.30 pm to 2.30 pm on Nov 26, 2023, in the table given below

CAT 2023 Slot 3 Paper Analysis

CAT 2023 Slot 3 was conducted from 4.30 pm to 6.30 pm on Nov 26, 2023. Overall difficulty and subject-wise distribution of questions for VARC, DILR, and Quantitative Aptitude. Compared to Site 1 and Site 2, the DILR section of Site 3 was the most difficult.

CAT 2023 Slot 3 Difficulty Level

Candidates can check the overall difficulty of CAT 2023 slot 3 conducted from 4.30 pm to 6.30 pm on Nov 26, 2023, in the table given below

Read More: CAT Previous Year Paper Analysis

CAT 2023 Answer Key

The CAT 2023 answer key will be released by IIM which is expected to be released in the first week of December 2023. Additionally, the response sheet for the CAT 2023 exam will also be released along with the official answer sheet.  Candidates can check the CAT 2023 answer key slot-wise PDFs in the table given below

How to Check CAT 2023 Answer Key?

Listed below is the step-by-step procedure to check the CAT 2023 answer key:

• Login on the official CAT 2023 website using your user id and password
• Click on the link for CAT 2023 Answer Key to download the PDF
• Save the pdf of the CAT 2023 answer key for future reference

CAT 2023 Cut off

The qualifying CAT 2023 cut-off for admission to the 2024-26 MBA batch will be released by all IIMs. It is mandatory for candidates to qualify in both overall and sectional CAT cut-offs to be eligible for participating in GD-PI rounds. Shown below is the minimum qualifying cut-off for top IIMs based on previous year trends:

Overall CAT Cut-off

The overall CAT cut-off for various IIMs is as follows:

Sectional CAT Cut-off

The sectional CAT cut-off for various IIMS are as follows:

CAT Question Papers and Mock Test

It is extremely important for candidates to solve the CAT Previous Years Question Papers to get an idea of the exam pattern, important topics, and difficulty level, and to improve time management. CAT mock tests are another way in which candidates can prepare well for their CAT exams.

The CAT 2023 mock test will be released by IIM a week before the exam date. The official mock tests will be released on the official website and candidates can access the same using their application id and password. The mock test will be in line with the actual paper pattern and syllabus of CAT 2023.

Top Non-IIMs Accepting CAT Scores for MBA/ PGDM Admission

Several top non-IIMs accept CAT scores for admission to their MBA program. Given below is the list of non-IIM colleges accepting CAT scores and their expected cut-offs based on previous year trends: