We analysed all 23 modern CAT papers — question by question — to map exactly how the exam has shifted: section weights, the quiet rise of negative marking, and the topic-by-topic weightage of QA, DILR & VARC. Then we turned it into a plan to maximise your percentile.
CAT went from a 100-question, 3-hour marathon to a tight 66-question, 2-hour sprint with 40-minute sectional locks. In 2024 it also quietly swapped the weights of its two hardest sections.
Each bar = one era's paper. Notice DILR (gold) grow past QA (green) from 2024.
| Era | Years | Questions | Time | Sectional lock | V / DILR / QA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Classic | 2017–2019 | 100 | 180 min | 60 min | 34 / 32 / 34 |
| Covid | 2020 | 76 | 120 min | 40 min | 26 / 24 / 26 |
| Current‑A | 2021–2023 | 66 | 120 min | 40 min | 24 / 20 / 22 |
| Current‑B | 2024–2025 | 66 | 120 min | 40 min | 24 / 22 / 20 |
Overall ~27–33% of questions stay TITA (type-in-the-answer, no negative marking). But which section those safe questions sit in has flipped — and it changes your entire attempt strategy.
Taller = more no-negative-marking questions. VARC (blue) fell to almost nothing; DILR (gold) doubled.
For five straight years, VARC has been the same shape: 4 reading passages × 4 questions (16) + 8 Verbal Ability questions. Predictability is an edge — you always know exactly what's coming.
RC passages are abstract prose — economics, sociology, philosophy, science, history, arts — never current affairs. The skill is dense inference, not knowledge.
VA turned more MCQ in 2024–25 (TITA fell to 2–4), so guesswork now costs you here too.
DILR grew (20→22), gained a set (4→5), and became ~50% penalty-free. It is the most volatile section — which means it's also the biggest opportunity to leap from a 90 to a 98+ percentile.
| Years | Sets | Questions | TITA |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 4 | 20 | ~5 |
| 2022 | 4 | 20 | ~6 |
| 2023 | 4 | 20 | ~8 |
| 2024 | 5 | 22 | ~10 |
| 2025 | 5 | 22 | ~11 |
Across every year, Arithmetic is ~40% of QA — more than Algebra and Geometry combined. It's also the fastest to solve. A student strong in Arithmetic clears the QA cut-off almost on that alone.
Approximate — from our classification of solved 2021–25 papers. The ranking is stable every year.
Share = approximate % of the QA section. Priority tiers tell you where to spend your prep hours.
| Topic | Share of QA | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| ARITHMETIC · ~40% | ||
| Percentages | ~8% | Tier 1 |
| Profit, Loss & Discount | ~7% | Tier 1 |
| Time, Speed & Distance | ~6% | Tier 1 |
| Averages & Mixtures | ~7% | Tier 1 |
| Ratio & Proportion | ~4% | Tier 1 |
| Time & Work | ~4% | Tier 1 |
| Simple & Compound Interest | ~3% | Tier 1 |
| ALGEBRA · ~20% | ||
| Linear & Quadratic Equations | ~8% | Tier 1 |
| Inequalities & Maxima–Minima | ~5% | Tier 2 |
| Logarithms | ~4% | Tier 2 |
| Functions | ~3% | Tier 2 |
| GEOMETRY & MENSURATION · ~14% | ||
| Triangles | ~6% | Tier 2 |
| Mensuration (area/volume) | ~5% | Tier 2 |
| Circles | ~2% | Tier 2 |
| Coordinate Geometry | ~1% | Tier 3 |
| NUMBER SYSTEM · ~14% | ||
| Factors, HCF & LCM | ~5% | Tier 2 |
| Digits & Integer properties | ~5% | Tier 2 |
| Remainders & Divisibility | ~4% | Tier 2 |
| MODERN MATH · ~10% | ||
| Progressions & Series | ~5% | Tier 2 |
| Permutation & Combination | ~3% | Tier 3 |
| Probability & Set Theory | ~2% | Tier 3 |
| Section | Attempt target | Accuracy | The one move that matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| VARC (24) | 18–20 | 85%+ | All 4 RCs first; skip — never guess — hard MCQs |
| DILR (22) | 14–16 | high on TITA | Rank all 5 sets, commit to 3, farm the ~11 penalty-free TITA |
| QA (20) | 13–15 | ~90% | Arithmetic → Equations first; don't blind-guess MCQs |
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Try a full mock — free →We processed all 23 modern CAT papers (2017–2025, all slots). Structural figures — section splits, RC/DILR set counts, and MCQ vs TITA counts — are extracted directly from every paper and are exact. Topic weightage is our own classification of the solved papers; family-level shares (Arithmetic, Algebra, etc.) are reliable, while individual topic percentages are close approximations (±1–2%) and can vary a little slot to slot. Use them for priority, not to the decimal. This is analysis and guidance, not an official document; CAT is conducted by the IIMs.