Bengaluru, DHNS: As many as 1.95 lakh candidates on Sunday took the Common Admission Test (CAT) in 138 cities across the country to gain entry into the prestigious Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and other top business schools.

Some candidates said the paper was tougher than previous year’s. Those who took the test in both the slots found the Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR) section more difficult than the other two sections — Quantitative Ability (QA) and Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC).

Candidates who took the test in the afternoon slot said they attempted fewer questions than those who appeared in the morning session.

Neha Sinha, who works for Infosys, took a month’s leave to prepare for the exam. She said the exam was quite easy but calculation was intensive.

The Triumphant Institute of Education Management (TIME), a coaching centre, analysed the test thus, “The slot-1 test takers were a relieved lot as the exam was on the expected lines with no major surprises. The IIMs have stuck to the same pattern as the one seen in 2015 both in terms of the number of questions in each section and in terms of the difficulty level of the sections.” The VARC section was difficult, DILR very difficult and QA moderate, while the overall exam was difficult, it added.

Some students and coaching classes claimed there were at least two errors in the questions attempted by candidates in the first slot. Prof Rajendra K Bandi, convener, CAT 2016, said 1.95 lakh candidates took the test. “While in 2015, 82% of the applicants took the test, this year the percentage swelled to 83.6,” he said, adding that the test was conducted smoothly in 138 cities. The results will be announced in the second week of January.

 As many as 1.95 lakh candidates on Sunday took the Common Admission Test (CAT) in 138 cities across the country to gain entry into the prestigious Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and other top business schools.

Some candidates said the paper was tougher than previous year’s. Those who took the test in both the slots found the Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR) section more difficult than the other two sections — Quantitative Ability (QA) and Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC).

Candidates who took the test in the afternoon slot said they attempted fewer questions than those who appeared in the morning session.

Neha Sinha, who works for Infosys, took a month’s leave to prepare for the exam. She said the exam was quite easy but calculation was intensive.

The Triumphant Institute of Education Management (TIME), a coaching centre, analysed the test thus, “The slot-1 test takers were a relieved lot as the exam was on the expected lines with no major surprises. The IIMs have stuck to the same pattern as the one seen in 2015 both in terms of the number of questions in each section and in terms of the difficulty level of the sections.” The VARC section was difficult, DILR very difficult and QA moderate, while the overall exam was difficult, it added.

Some students and coaching classes claimed there were at least two errors in the questions attempted by candidates in the first slot. Prof Rajendra K Bandi, convener, CAT 2016, said 1.95 lakh candidates took the test. “While in 2015, 82% of the applicants took the test, this year the percentage swelled to 83.6,” he said, adding that the test was conducted smoothly in 138 cities. The results will be announced in the second week of January.