How many questions to attempt in CAT 2022 for a 99 percentile score?

Posted By : Wixnix , on 17 Sep, 2022


The Common Admission Test (CAT) is taken by more than 2 lakh prospective MBA students each year in order to gain entry into the Indian Institutes of Management (IIM) and other top MBA colleges in India.

This results in an increase in the difficulty level of the examination. As a result of the cutthroat nature of the competition, it is difficult for test takers to achieve very high scores on the CAT exam.

Even though the number of people who registered for the CAT was at its lowest point in the past five years, a candidate for the CAT 2021 nevertheless needed to be among the top 23,000 scorers in order to get a percentile of 99 or above.

Candidates always wonder how many questions they should try to answer on the CAT in order to achieve a score that is at or above the 99th percentile. Because the CAT test uses a negative marking system in which one point is deducted for each incorrect answer, using guesswork as a strategy to achieve a score of 99 percentile or higher or higher is not going to be effective.

Section No. of Questions Time
Old Pattern New Pattern Old Pattern New Pattern
Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension 34 24 60 minutes 40 minutes
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning 32 20 60 minutes 40 minutes
Quantitative Ability 34 22 60 minutes 40 minutes
TOTAL 100 66 180 minutes 120 minutes

Candidates for the CAT 2022 should keep in mind two incredibly important factors, namely the number of questions attempted with an accurate answer and their ability to manage their time effectively.

One of the most important things you can do to improve your chances of achieving a score in the 99th percentile on the CAT is to carefully plan and strategize your preparation in a manner that is centered on the goals you want to achieve.

In addition to covering other pertinent facts, this article will assist MBA candidates in gaining a better understanding of how many questions they should take on the CAT 2022 exam in order to achieve a score in the 99th percentile.

In order to achieve a 99th percentile score on the CAT in 2022, how many questions should you attempt?

If we assume that 115-120 marks are required for a 99 percentile in CAT, the following table depicts the appropriate number of attempts for that percentile.

Accuracy Attempts Required Correct Incorrect Raw Score
100% 42 40 0 (40x3) - 0 = 120
90% 45 40 5 (40x3) - 5 = 115
80% 53 42 11 (42x3) - 11 = 115
70% 65 45 20 (45x3) - 20 = 115

Clearly, then, the jump from perfect to 90% accuracy only takes 6-7 tries, whereas the jump from 80% accuracy to 70% accuracy takes an extra 13. So, if you want to earn a 99th percentile score on the CAT in 2022, you should aim for an accuracy rate of between 90% and 80%.

The CAT exam format was altered in 2021, and the test time was cut in half from 3 to 2 hours. The number of inquiries was cut down to a manageable 76. This factored into the candidates' mean score and, by extension, the CAT score needed to reach the 99th percentile. Check out the table below to see how the cutoffs for the 99th percentile in the old and new CAT 2022 exam patterns compare (last year).

As time would be restricted for every aspirant, this is a very simple projection, but it paints a rather accurate picture. Adding a safety margin, we can estimate that 115-120 marks will be necessary to get the 99th percentile in CAT 2022, with a lowered time limit. Regarding the number of attempts, the answer will depend on your accuracy.

Keep in mind the following:

Maintaining great precision will slow you down. There must be a balance between precision and time. If your accuracy is poor, you must raise your speed in order to complete more questions. While you should strive for 100 percent accuracy, you shouldn't waste time on it because it's usually impossible.

Section-Wise Attempts to Get the 99th Percentile on the CAT 2022

There are forty minutes allowed for each portion of the CAT 2022 exam, and each section comprises the same number of questions; however, the amount of time spent on each question changes. The difference in the difficulty level between both sections causes the average amount of time needed to attempt a VARC question to be significantly shorter than the average amount of time needed to attempt a question from the Quant portion. As a result, the number of needed attempts does not split evenly between the different categories. See the table down below for further information.

CAT Exam Sections Total Number of Questions Good Attempts
VARC 24 18
DILR 20 13
Quantitative Aptitude 22 16
Total 66 47

CAT 2022 Exam Pattern & Marking Scheme

The CAT 2021 exam changed a lot because both the number of questions and the length of the test were cut. There used to be a total of 100 questions on the CAT test paper, which were split into three parts. This number was cut down to 66, and the length of the exam was cut from 3 hours to 2 hours. So far, the people in charge of the CAT haven't said that the test will be different in 2022, so it's likely that it will be the same as it was last year. Each part of the CAT has a different amount of weight. From the start of studying for the CAT 2022 exam, candidates must come up with a plan to get a certain score. So, it's very important to learn how the CAT 2022 is graded. Each section of the CAT 2022 will have both MCQs and other types of questions.

Start your CAT preparation with Rabbit. Wish you luck in your studies!



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