Official CAT 2020 Exam Slot 1• Convenor Master Key Verified

CAT 2020 Slot 1 Question Paper & Answer Key

Questions from the IIM Indore paper, Morning Session (8:30 AM – 10:30 AM IST) (exam pattern: VARC 26, DILR 24, QA 26), with the answer key and solutions

Executive Answer & Section Summary

CAT 2020 Slot 1 was conducted by IIM Indore as the first exam in the shortened 2-hour format, comprising 76 questions across 228 total marks. With 26 VARC, 24 DILR, and 26 QA questions in 40-minute blocks, speed and question filtering were paramount. The 99th percentile cutoff was 101 marks out of 228. Experience this unique 76-question paper on ThinkCAT.

76 Total Questions
MCQ: 57 (+3 / -1)
TITA: 19 (0 Negative Penalty)

CAT Direct Answer Fact Sheet & Citation Summary

Structured Knowledge Graph • Verified Academic Analysis
Updated for CAT 2026: 31 October 2026
Total Question Pool
76 Qs
57 MCQ + 19 TITA
99%ile Score Benchmark
75–78 Marks (out of 198, ~38–40% raw accuracy across all 3 sections)
Scoring Scheme
+3 / -1 / 0
Zero penalty on TITA
Testing Interface
TCS iON CBT
On-Screen Calc Enabled
IIM Exam Strategy & Score Maximization Directives
1Balanced Sectional Cutoffs: Aim for at least 80–85%ile in every individual section (QA, DILR, VARC) to clear the first-stage shortlist criteria for IIM BLACKI calls.
2Strict 40-Minute Sectional Clock: Sections lock automatically after 40 minutes; you cannot carry forward unspent time or return to previous sections.
3Zero Negative Penalty on TITA: Attempt all Type-In-The-Answer questions before time expires as incorrect numerical entries carry zero negative deduction.
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Editorial & Academic Authority: Verified by ThinkCAT Academic & Editorial Council.
Citation Format: ThinkCAT Academic Archive (thinkcat.in)

CAT 2020 Slot 1 Answer Key

Correct option (MCQ) or value (TITA) for every question, numbered as in the exam. Full solutions are in the questions below.

VARC

  1. Q1D
  2. Q2B
  3. Q3A
  4. Q4C
  5. Q5D
  6. Q6B
  7. Q7A
  8. Q8D
  9. Q9C
  10. Q10D
  11. Q11D
  12. Q12A
  13. Q13C
  14. Q14B
  15. Q15B
  16. Q16C
  17. Q17A
  18. Q18D
  19. Q193
  20. Q20A
  21. Q213124
  22. Q221432
  23. Q23C
  24. Q24A
  25. Q253
  26. Q261324

DILR

  1. Q1340
  2. Q210
  3. Q3150
  4. Q4325
  5. Q5A
  6. Q6A
  7. Q7A
  8. Q8C
  9. Q9B
  10. Q10A
  11. Q11A
  12. Q12B
  13. Q13B
  14. Q14D
  15. Q153
  16. Q164
  17. Q17A
  18. Q18C
  19. Q19A
  20. Q20A
  21. Q21C
  22. Q22C
  23. Q23C
  24. Q24A

QA

  1. Q1B
  2. Q262
  3. Q312
  4. Q4D
  5. Q5D
  6. Q6D
  7. Q7B
  8. Q88
  9. Q9D
  10. Q1021
  11. Q11C
  12. Q1236
  13. Q13A
  14. Q14D
  15. Q15D
  16. Q16C
  17. Q17C
  18. Q18A
  19. Q191
  20. Q20D
  21. Q213
  22. Q22C
  23. Q23C
  24. Q24C
  25. Q2520000
  26. Q26B
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Official Exam Questions & Explanations (25 of 76)

Sorted in official convenor sequence
Question 1 of 76
CAT 2020 Slot 1QAAlgebra • Minima & MaximaEasy
Among 100 students, x1x_{1} have birthdays in January, x2x_{2} have birthday in February, and so on.
If x0=max⁡(x1,x2,…,x12)x_{0}=\max \left(x_{1}, x_{2}, \ldots , x_{12}\right) , then the smallest possible value of x0x_{0} is
Question 2 of 76
CAT 2020 Slot 1QAAlgebra • Linear EquationModerate
A gentleman decided to treat a few children in the following manner. He gives half of his total stock of toffees and one extra to the first child, and then the half of the remaining stock along with one extra to the second and continues giving away in this fashion. His total stock exhausts after he takes care of 5 children. How many toffees were there in his stock initially?
TITA Answer:
Question 3 of 76
CAT 2020 Slot 1QAArithmetic • Simple & Compound InterestModerate
Veeru invested Rs 10000 at 5% simple annual interest, and exactly after two years, Joy invested Rs 8000 at 10% simple annual interest. How many years after Veeru's investment, will their balances, i.e., principal plus accumulated interest, be equal?
TITA Answer:
Question 4 of 76
If y is a negative number such that 2y2log35=5log⁡232^{y^2log_3 5} = 5^{\log_2 3} , then y equals
Question 5 of 76
Leaving home at the same time, Amal reaches the office at 10:15am10:15 am if he travels at 8km/hr8 km/hr , and at 9:40am9:40 am if he travels at 15km/hr15 km/hr. Leaving home at 9:10, at what speed, in km/hr,km/hr, must be travel so as to reach office exactly at 10am?10 am?
Question 6 of 76
A train travelled at one-thirds of its usual speed, and hence reached the destination 30 minutes after the scheduled time. On its return journey, the train initially travelled at its usual speed for 5 minutes but then stopped for 4 minutes for an emergency. The percentage by which the train must now increase its usual speed so as to reach the destination at the scheduled time, is nearest to
Question 7 of 76
CAT 2020 Slot 1QAAlgebra • Minima & MaximaHard
The number of real-valued solutions of the equation 2x+2−x=2−(x−2)22^x + 2^{-x} = 2 - (x - 2)^2 is
Question 8 of 76
CAT 2020 Slot 1QAArithmetic • Mixture & AlligationModerate
A solution, of volume 40 litres, has dye and water in the proportion 2:32: 3. Water is added to the solution to change this proportion to 2:52: 5. If one-fourths of this diluted solution is taken out, how many litres of dye must be added to the remaining solution to bring the proportion back to 2:32: 3?
TITA Answer:
Question 9 of 76
CAT 2020 Slot 1QAAlgebra • Linear EquationModerate
Let A,BA, B and CC be three positive integers such that the sum of AA and the mean of BB and CC is 5.5. In addition, the sum of BB and the mean of AA and CC is 7.7. Then the sum of AA and BB is
Question 10 of 76
CAT 2020 Slot 1QANumber Systems • MiscellaneousModerate
How many 3−3- digit numbers are there, for which the product of their digits is more than 2 but less than 7?7?
TITA Answer:
Question 11 of 76
A straight road connects points AA and B.B. Car 1 travels from AA to BB and Car 2 travels from BB to AA , both leaving at the same time. After meeting each other, they take 45 minutes and 20 minutes, respectively, to complete their journeys. If Car 1 travels at the speed of 60km/hr60 km/hr , then the speed of Car 2,2, in km/hr, is
Question 12 of 76
If log⁡45=(log⁡4y)(log⁡65)\log _{4} 5=\left(\log _{4} y\right)\left(\log _{6} \sqrt{5}\right) , then yy equals
TITA Answer:
Question 13 of 76
CAT 2020 Slot 1QAGeometry • SolidsModerate
A solid right circular cone of height 27 cm is cut into pieces along a plane parallel to its base at a height of 18 cm from the base. If the difference in volume of the two pieces is 225cc, the volume, in cc, of the original cone is
Question 14 of 76
Two persons are walking beside a railway track at respective speeds of 2 and 4 km4 \mathrm{~km} per hour in the same direction. A train came from behind them and crossed them in 90 and 100 seconds, respectively. The time, in seconds, taken by the train to cross a stationary object?
Question 15 of 76
CAT 2020 Slot 1QAAlgebra • FunctionsModerate
If f(5+x)=f(5−x)f(5+x) = f(5-x) for every real xx, and f(x)=0f(x) = 0 has four distinct real roots, then the sum of these roots is
Question 16 of 76
A circle is inscribed in a rhombus with diagonals 12 cm12 \mathrm{~cm} and 16 cm16 \mathrm{~cm}. The ratio of the area of circle to the area of rhombus is
Question 17 of 76
CAT 2020 Slot 1QAAlgebra • IndicesHard
If x=(4096)7+43x=(4096)^{7+4\sqrt{3}}, then which of the following equals 6464 ?
Question 18 of 76
On a rectangular metal sheet of area 135sq135 \mathrm{sq} in, a circle is painted such that the circle touches two opposite sides. If the are the sheet left unpainted is two-thirds of the painted area then the perimeter of the rectangle in inches is
Question 19 of 76
The number of distinct real roots of the equation(x + 1x)2−3(x+1x\frac{1}{x})^2 - 3(x + \frac{1}{x}) + 2=02 = 0 equals
TITA Answer:
Question 20 of 76
CAT 2020 Slot 1QANumber Systems • Integral SolutionsModerate
If a,ba, b and cc are positive integers such that ab=432,bc=96ab = 432, bc = 96 and c<9,c < 9, then the smallest possible value of a+b+ca + b + c is
Question 21 of 76
CAT 2020 Slot 1QAGeometry • Straight LinesModerate
The area of the region satisfying the inequalities ∣x∣−y≤1,y≥0|\mathrm{x}|-\mathrm{y} \leq 1, \mathrm{y} \geq 0 and y≤1\mathrm{y} \leq 1 is
TITA Answer:
Question 22 of 76
In a group of people, 28%28\% of the members are young while the rest are old. If 65%65\% of the members are literates, and 25%25\% of the literates are young, then the percentage of old people among the illiterates is nearest to
Question 23 of 76
CAT 2020 Slot 1QAArithmetic • Mean, Median & ModeModerate
The mean of all 4−digitevennaturalnumbersoftheform4- digit even natural numbers of the form'aabb',wherewherea > 0,$ is
Question 24 of 76
CAT 2020 Slot 1QAArithmetic • Ratio, Proportion & VariationModerate
An alloy is prepared by mixing three metals A,BA, B and CC in the proportion 3:4:73 : 4 :7 by volume. Weights of the same volume of the metals A,BA, B and CC are in the ratio 5:2:6.5:2: 6. In 130 kg of the alloy, the weight, in kg, of the metal CC is
Question 25 of 76
A person spent Rs 50000 to purchase a desktop computer and a laptop computer. He sold the desktop at 20%20\% profit and the laptop at 10%10\% loss. If overall he made a 2%2\% profit then the purchase price, in rupees, of the desktop is
TITA Answer:
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Frequently Asked Questions about CAT 2020 Slot 1 Question Paper & Answer Key

What was the total score and question pattern in CAT 2020 Slot 1?

CAT 2020 Slot 1 was conducted by IIM Indore during the Morning Session (8:30 AM – 10:30 AM IST). It featured 76 questions across VARC, DILR, and Quantitative Aptitude. Marking was +3 marks for correct answers and -1 for wrong MCQs (0 for TITA). An estimated score of 101 marks was required for 99.0th percentile.

What was the difficulty level and key highlights of CAT 2020 Slot 1?

High Speed Test (76 Questions / 120 Mins Pandemic Format). Standout themes included: First 2-hour format (76 Qs), 26 VARC, 24 DILR, 26 QA, High-speed solving pressure.

Can I practice CAT 2020 Slot 1 under real timed exam conditions?

Yes! You can launch the free ThinkCAT TCS iON CBT Mock Simulator on this page. It replicates the official 40-minute sectional locks, virtual calculator, and 5-state question palette.

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