CAT is conducted in three sessions, and difficulty levels can differ across Slot 1, Slot 2, and Slot 3. An analysis of the 2020-2025 CAT papers shows differences in section-wise and overall difficulty.
Slot 2 was rated Moderate in five of the six years, while Slot 3 had a Moderate-Difficult or Difficult overall paper in four years.
Understanding the CAT slot-wise difficulty level helps candidates identify how the exam has varied across sessions.
This analysis covers VARC, DILR and QA difficulty, year-wise paper comparisons and examination timings for all three slots.
It also helps CAT 2026 candidates understand why they should follow their own examination strategy without making assumptions about their slot.
CAT Slot-Wise Difficulty Level: Overall Paper Analysis (2020-2025)
The overall difficulty ratings show that Slot 2 had the most consistent CAT Exam Pattern across the six years.
Slot 1 and Slot 3 experienced greater variation, with some years having comparatively difficult papers.
| CAT Year | Slot 1 | Slot 2 | Slot 3 |
| 2025 | Moderate-Difficult | Moderate | Moderate-Difficult |
| 2024 | Easy-Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| 2023 | Moderate-Difficult | Moderate | Difficult |
| 2022 | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate-Difficult |
| 2021 | Easy-Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| 2020 | Easy-Moderate | Difficult | Moderate-Difficult |
Key observations from the six-year comparison:
- Slot 1: The paper was Easy-Moderate in three years (2020, 2021 and 2024), Moderate in 2022 and Moderate-Difficult in 2023 and 2025.
- Slot 2: The paper was Moderate in five years. Only CAT 2020 Slot 2 was rated Difficult.
- Slot 3: The paper was Moderate-Difficult in three years (2020, 2022 and 2025), Moderate in 2021 and 2024, and Difficult in 2023.
- Slot 2 recorded the most consistent overall difficulty rating. Slot 3 had four years with a Moderate-Difficult or Difficult paper, while Slot 1 had two such years.
CAT Section-Wise Difficulty Level: VARC, DILR and QA
The overall paper rating does not show how individual sections performed.
A slot can have a Moderate overall paper but still contain a difficult DILR or QA section. The following comparison separates the three sections for each year.
CAT VARC Slot-Wise Difficulty Level (2020-2025)
The VARC section has shown different difficulty patterns across the three CAT sessions.
In 2025, Slots 1 and 2 were rated Moderate, while Slot 3 was Easy-Moderate. In 2020, both Slots 1 and 2 had Difficult VARC sections.
| CAT Year | Slot 1 | Slot 2 | Slot 3 |
| 2025 | Moderate | Moderate | Easy-Moderate |
| 2024 | Easy-Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| 2023 | Moderate | Easy-Moderate | Moderate |
| 2022 | Easy-Moderate | Easy-Moderate | Moderate |
| 2021 | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| 2020 | Difficult | Difficult | Moderate |
Key observations:
- VARC was rated Moderate in all three slots in 2021.
- Slot 1 and Slot 2 had Difficult VARC sections in 2020.
- Slot 3 received a Moderate rating in five of the six years.
- In 2025, Slot 3 had an Easy-Moderate VARC section.
CAT DILR Slot-Wise Difficulty Level (2020-2025)
DILR difficulty varied considerably across the six years. CAT 2022 had Difficult DILR sections in all three slots.
In 2025, both Slot 1 and Slot 2 were also rated Difficult, while Slot 3 was Moderate.
| CAT Year | Slot 1 | Slot 2 | Slot 3 |
| 2025 | Difficult | Difficult | Moderate |
| 2024 | Easy-Moderate | Easy-Moderate | Moderate-Difficult |
| 2023 | Moderate-Difficult | Moderate | Moderate-Difficult |
| 2022 | Difficult | Difficult | Difficult |
| 2021 | Easy | Moderate-Difficult | Moderate |
| 2020 | Easy | Difficult | Difficult |
Key observations:
- All three slots had Difficult DILR sections in 2022.
- Slot 1 had an Easy DILR section in both 2020 and 2021.
- Slot 2 was rated Difficult in 2020, 2022 and 2025.
- Slot 3 received a Moderate-Difficult rating in 2023 and 2024.
CAT QA Slot-Wise Difficulty Level (2020-2025)
The QA section also showed differences across examination sessions.
In 2023, Slots 1 and 3 had Difficult QA sections, while Slot 2 was rated Moderate-Difficult. In 2024, Slot 3 had an Easy QA section.
| CAT Year | Slot 1 | Slot 2 | Slot 3 |
| 2025 | Moderate | Moderate | Difficult |
| 2024 | Moderate | Moderate | Easy |
| 2023 | Difficult | Moderate-Difficult | Difficult |
| 2022 | Easy-Moderate | Moderate | Difficult |
| 2021 | Difficult | Easy-Moderate | Moderate-Difficult |
| 2020 | Easy | Moderate | Moderate |
Key observations:
- Slot 3 had Difficult QA in 2022, 2023 and 2025.
- Slot 1 received a Difficult rating in 2021 and 2023.
- Slot 2 had a Moderate QA section in 2020, 2022, 2024 and 2025.
- CAT 2024 Slot 3 had the easiest QA section among the three sessions.
What Does the Section-Wise Comparison Reveal?
1. VARC difficulty across slots
VARC difficulty varied across all three sessions. In 2025, Slots 1 and 2 were Moderate, while Slot 3 was Easy-Moderate. In 2023, Slot 2 had an Easy-Moderate VARC section, compared with Moderate ratings in Slots 1 and 3.
CAT 2020 had a different pattern, with Difficult VARC in Slots 1 and 2 and Moderate VARC in Slot 3. These variations show that candidates should prepare for different levels of reading and verbal question difficulty.
2. DILR difficulty across slots
DILR showed considerable variation in the six-year comparison. In CAT 2025, DILR was Difficult in both Slots 1 and 2, while Slot 3 was Moderate. In 2022, all three slots had Difficult DILR sections.
CAT 2024 had a relatively different distribution. Slot 1 was Easy-Moderate, Slot 2 was Easy-Moderate and Slot 3 was Moderate-Difficult.
3. QA difficulty across slots
QA also had different difficulty levels across sessions. In 2023, Slots 1 and 3 were Difficult, while Slot 2 was Moderate-Difficult.
In 2024, Slot 3 had an Easy QA section, whereas Slots 1 and 2 were Moderate. CAT 2025 had Moderate QA in Slots 1 and 2, while Slot 3 was Difficult.
Does a Difficult CAT Slot Affect Your Score or Percentile?
A difficult slot does not automatically mean that candidates appearing in that session will receive lower percentiles. CAT uses a normalisation process to account for differences in the difficulty levels of question papers across sessions.
The historical comparison also shows why candidates should not assume that a particular slot will always be easy or difficult.
For example, Slot 2 was Moderate in five of the six years, but it was Difficult in 2020. Similarly, Slot 3 was Moderate in 2021 and 2024 but Difficult in 2023.
Your preparation should cover all three sections and different question difficulty levels. Do not select a slot-based preparation strategy based on previous-year ratings.
How Should CAT 2026 Candidates Prepare for Different Slot Difficulties?
Review the latest CAT syllabus and follow the following preparation approach irrespective of your examination session:
- For VARC: Practise different Reading Comprehension passages and Verbal Ability questions. Focus on comprehension and option elimination.
- For DILR: Solve different arrangements, tables, charts, games and hybrid sets. Practise identifying manageable sets within limited time.
- For QA: Strengthen Arithmetic and Algebra while revising Geometry, Number System and Modern Maths.
- For mock tests: Attempt full-length mocks and analyse your accuracy, question selection and time management.
- For exam day: Follow the reporting schedule mentioned on your admit card and avoid discussing earlier slot experiences immediately before your examination.
Conclusion
The 2020-2025 comparison shows that CAT slot-wise difficulty changes every year. Slot 2 had a Moderate overall rating in five years, while Slot 1 and Slot 3 showed greater variation. Section-wise ratings also differed, particularly in DILR and QA.
If you are preparing for CAT 2027, the MBA Karo CAT 2027 Course can help you build a structured preparation plan for VARC, DILR and QA.
Focused concept learning and regular mock tests can help you prepare for different question difficulty levels across all three sections.
FAQs on CAT Slot-Wise Difficulty Level
Q1. Which CAT slot was the easiest from 2020 to 2025?
Slot 2 had a Moderate overall difficulty rating in five of the six years. However, CAT 2020 Slot 2 was rated Difficult. Therefore, no slot has a fixed difficulty level.
Q2. Which CAT slot was the most difficult in 2023?
CAT 2023 Slot 3 was rated Difficult overall. Its VARC and QA sections were also rated Difficult, while DILR was Moderate-Difficult.
Q3. Does CAT Slot 3 have a more difficult paper than Slot 1 and Slot 2?
Not necessarily. Slot 3 was Moderate in 2021 and 2024, Moderate-Difficult in 2020, 2022 and 2025, and Difficult in 2023. Its difficulty has varied across years.
Q4. Is CAT percentile calculated separately for each slot?
CAT uses a normalisation process to account for differences in paper difficulty across sessions. The final percentile is not determined by comparing raw scores without considering these differences.
