CAT 2016: Experts predict 165 score needed for 99%, 132 for 95%; Check your percentile now

CAT 2016 test paper was more or less on similar pattern as that of last year CAT with the exception that the exam had few different type of questions and had created some confusion on marking pattern which still continues as no clarity has been made by IIM Banaglore in this regard.

With a moderate to difficult CAT 2016 exam, now the candidates should analyse whether they would get sufficient score to get shortlisted by IIMs and other top B-schools which they have applied to.
Expect higher percentile with less attempts

According to Prof Arks Srinivas CEO VistaMind Education If one were to compare the difficulty level of CAT 2016 over the last years paper, then CAT 2016 would be a shade more difficult (especially the VARC and the Quant section) than the difficulty level of the CAT 2015 paper!

With the increased LoD it is expected that the number of attempts would go down for almost all the test takers. Unlike last year where students have attempted upwards of 80 questions in the exam put together, this year, anyone attempting more than 65-70 Questions with high accuracy level would score pretty well.

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Ideal no of attempts for scoring 99 Percentile in CAT 2016
The number of questions you needed to attempt in each section to score 99 percentile differs in accordance with the level of difficulty in each section of CAT 2016 exam. According to the experts your attempts clubbed with accuracy will lead to the magic figure of 99 percentile in CAT 2016.

Section
Level of Difficulty
Ideal no. of Attempts

Verbal & RC
Easy to Moderate
28+

DI & LR
Moderate to Difficult
16+

QA
Moderate to Difficult
18+

Overall
Moderate
65+

Source: VistaMind Analysis
What Scores you need for high percentile in CAT 2016
The calculation of percentile in CAT 2016 depends upon your sectional performance, scaling of score and normalization process adopted by IIMs in accordance with their admission policy. On the basis of accurate attempts in each section, you are expected to get the overall percentile scores as detailed below-

Percentile Scores
99% 165
95% 132
90% 115
85% 109
80% 96

Source: VistaMind Analysis
CAT 2016: Test Pattern

Total questions; 100
Number of sections: 3
Answer Choice per question: 4
Negative marking per wrong answer (MCQs): -1/3 (One third or the maximum marks for right answer.

Sectional Analysis
VARC: 1st section

Total questions: 34
MCQs: 24
Non-MCQs: 10
RC passages: 5
RC Based questions (All MCQs): 24
VA questions (All non-MCQs): 10
Lod: VA difficult, RC moderate

Section Highlights:

No critical reasoning type question based on RC passage
Purpose of the passage- question reintroduced in CAT 2016
Verbal Ability questions remain confined to 3 topics only Jumbled paragraph; Para summary; picking the odd sentence out of the jumbled sentences

DILR: 2nd section

Total questions: 32
MCQs: 24
Non-MCQs: 8
LoD: Moderate
Section Highlights:

All questions in set of 4
No Bar diagram, graph based questions in DI part
Section not as difficult as last year

Quant: 3rd section

Total questions: 34
MCQs: 27
Non-MCQs: 7
LoD: Moderate to difficult
Section Highlights:

Share of Non-MCQs reduced from 10 to 7
More questions on Arithmetic Percentage, Profit & Loss, Time & speed, Work/days, Compound interest
Initial part more difficult, latter part moderate

To know the percentile on the basis of your performance in CAT 2016 visit Indias most accurate CAT 2016 Percentile Predictor is live now. Check your CAT 2016 percentile now.