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CAT 2023 Slot 2 QA Questions & Answer Key

Quantitative Aptitude questions from CAT 2023 Slot 2 (IIM Lucknow, Afternoon Session (12:30 PM – 2:30 PM IST); 22 in the exam) with the answer key and step-by-step solutions

Executive Answer & Section Summary

CAT 2023 Slot 2 Quantitative Aptitude (QA) was conducted by IIM Lucknow during the Afternoon Session (12:30 PM – 2:30 PM IST). The section comprised 22 questions administered under a strict 40-minute sectional countdown. Sectional marking adheres to standard CAT conventions: +3 marks for every correct answer, -1 mark penalty for incorrect MCQs, and zero penalty for non-MCQ TITA questions. Securing a 99.0th percentile in this section required approximately 28–31 marks (~10 net correct). The question distribution featured comprehensive quantitative problem sets covering arithmetic (TSD, work, percentages), algebra (quadratics, polynomials, logarithms), and geometry mensuration. All questions in this archive are sourced from official candidate response sheets, cross-verified with the convenor master key, and solved with step-by-step logic proofs on ThinkCAT.

22 Total Questions
MCQ: 15 (+3 / -1)
TITA: 7 (0 Negative Penalty)

CAT Direct Answer Fact Sheet & Citation Summary

Structured Knowledge Graph • Verified Academic Analysis
Updated for CAT 2026: 1 November 2026
Verified Questions
22 Qs
15 MCQ + 7 TITA
99%ile Score Benchmark
28–31 Marks (out of 66 in QA, ~10 net correct questions)
Scoring Scheme
+3 / -1 / 0
Zero penalty on TITA
Testing Interface
TCS iON CBT
On-Screen Calc Enabled
IIM Exam Strategy & Score Maximization Directives
1Prioritize high-yield arithmetic & algebra questions first to secure the 85th percentile sectional cutoff in the first 20 minutes.
2TITA questions carry zero negative penalty (0 marks for wrong answers); attempt all TITA questions before the sectional timer runs out.
3Use the on-screen digital calculator only for complex 3-digit divisions; mental math approximations save 35–45 seconds per question.
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Editorial & Academic Authority: Verified by ThinkCAT Academic & Editorial Council.
Citation Format: ThinkCAT Academic Archive (thinkcat.in)

CAT 2023 Slot 2 QA Answer Key

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

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Official Exam Questions & Explanations (22 of 22)

Sorted in official convenor sequence

Most-searched questions here

Question 1 of 22
CAT 2023 Slot 2QAAlgebra • InequalitiesHard
Any non-zero real numbers x,yx, y such that y≠3y \neq 3 and xy<x+3y−3\frac{x}{y}<\frac{x+3}{y-3} , Will satisfy the condition.
Question 2 of 22
CAT 2023 Slot 2QANumber Systems • HCF/LCMModerate
For any natural numbers mm, n , and kk , such that kk divides both m+2nm+2 n and 3m3 m + 4 n,kn, k must be a common divisor of
Question 3 of 22
CAT 2023 Slot 2QAAlgebra • IndicesHard
The sum of all possible values of xx satisfying the equations 24x2−22x2+x+16+22x+30=02^{4x^{2}}-2^{2x^{2}+x+16}+2^{2x+30}=0, is
Question 4 of 22
CAT 2023 Slot 2QAAlgebra • IndicesModerate
Let a,b,ma , b , m and nn be natural numbers such that a>1a > 1 and b>1b > 1. If ambn=144145a^m b^n = 144^{145} , then the largest possible value of n−mn - m is
Question 5 of 22
CAT 2023 Slot 2QAAlgebra • Minima & MaximaModerate
Let k be the largest integer such that the equation (x−1)2+2kx+11=0(x - 1)^2 + 2kx + 11 = 0 has no real roots. If y is a positive real number, then the least possible value of k/4y+9yk/4y + 9y is
TITA Answer:
Question 6 of 22
CAT 2023 Slot 2QANumber Systems • FactorisationModerate
The number of positive integers less than 5050 , having exactly two distinct factors other than 1 and itself, is
TITA Answer:
Question 7 of 22
CAT 2023 Slot 2QAModern Math • LogarithmsModerate
For some positive real number x,ifx , if\log_{ $3\sqrt{3}}(x) + log⁡x(25)log⁡x(0.008)\frac{\log_x (25)}{\log_x (0.008)} = 163\frac{16}{3} , then the value of log⁡3(3x2)\log_3(3x^2) is
TITA Answer:
Question 8 of 22
CAT 2023 Slot 2QAArithmetic • Time & WorkHard
Pipes AA and CC are fill pipes while Pipe BB is a drain pipe of a tank. Pipe BB empties the full tank in one hour less than the time taken by Pipe AA to fill the empty tank. When pipes A,BA , B and CC are turned on together, the empty tank is filled in two hours. If pipes BB and CC are turned on together when the tank is empty and Pipe BB is turned off after one hour, then Pipe CC takes another one hour and 15 minutes to fill the remaining tank. If Pipe AA can fill the empty tank in less than five hours, then the time taken, in minutes, by Pipe CC to fill the empty tank is
Question 9 of 22
CAT 2023 Slot 2QAArithmetic • Profit & LossModerate
Minu purchases a pair of sunglasses at Rs. 1000 and sells to Kanu at 20%20 \% profit. Then, Kanu sells it back to Minu at 20%20 \% loss. Finally, Minu sells the same pair of sunglasses to Tanu. If the total profit made by Minu from all her transactions is Rs. 500500 , then the percentage of profit made by Minu when she sold the pair of sunglasses to Tanu is
Question 10 of 22
CAT 2023 Slot 2QAArithmetic • Ratio, Proportion & VariationEasy
In a company, 20%20\% of the employees work in the manufacturing department. If the total salary obtained by all the manufacturing employees is one-sixth of the total salary obtained by all the employees in the company, then the ratio of the average salary obtained by the manufacturing employees to the average salary obtained by the non-manufacturing employees is
Question 11 of 22
CAT 2023 Slot 2QAArithmetic • Time, Speed & DistanceModerate
Ravi is driving at a speed of 40 km/h on a road. Vijay is 54 meters behind Ravi and driving in the same direction as Ravi. Ashok is driving along the same road from the opposite direction at a speed of 50 km/h and is 225 meters away from Ravi. The speed, in km/h, at which Vijay should drive so that all the three cross each other at the same time, is
Question 12 of 22
CAT 2023 Slot 2QAArithmetic • Ratio, Proportion & VariationHard
The price of a precious stone is directly proportional to the square of its weight. Sita has a precious stone weighing 18 units. If she breaks it into four pieces with each piece having distinct integer weight, then the difference between the highest and lowest possible values of the total price of the four pieces will be 288000288000. Then, the price of the original precious stone is
Question 13 of 22
CAT 2023 Slot 2QAArithmetic • Simple & Compound InterestModerate
Anil borrows Rs 2 lakhs at an interest rate of 8% per annum, compounded half-yearly. He repays Rs 10320 at the end of the first year and closes the loan by paying the outstanding amount at the end of the third year. Then, the total interest, in rupees, paid over the three years is nearest to
Question 14 of 22
CAT 2023 Slot 2QAArithmetic • Profit & LossHard
Jayant bought a certain number of white shirts at the rate of Rs 1000 per piece and a certain number of blue shirts at the rate of Rs 1125 per piece. For each shirt, he then set a fixed market price which was 25%25 \% higher than the average cost of all the shirts. He sold all the shirts at a discount of 10%10 \% and made a total profit of Rs 5100051000. If he bought both colors of shirts, then the maximum possible total number of shirts that he could have bought is
TITA Answer:
Question 15 of 22
CAT 2023 Slot 2QAAlgebra • Linear EquationModerate
If certain amount of money is divided equally among n person, each one receives Rs 352352. However, if two persons receive Rs 506 each and the remaining amount is divided equally among the other persons, each of them received less than or equal to Rs 330330. Then, the maximum possible value of nn is
Question 16 of 22
CAT 2023 Slot 2QAArithmetic • Mixture & AlligationEasy
A container has 40 liters of milk. Then, 4 liters are removed from the container and replaced with 4 liters of water. This process of replacing 4 liters of the liquid in the container with an equal volume of water is continued repeatedly. The smallest number of times of doing this process, after which the volume of milk in the container becomes less than that of water, is
TITA Answer:
Question 17 of 22
CAT 2023 Slot 2QAGeometry • TrianglesModerate
A triangle is drawn with its vertices on the circle C such that one of its sides is a diameter of C and the other two sides have their lengths in the ratio a:ba: b. If the radius of the circle is rr , then the area of the triangle is
Question 18 of 22
CAT 2023 Slot 2QAGeometry • QuadrilateralsHard
In a rectangle ABCD, AB = 9 cm and BC = 6 cm. P and Q are two points on BC such that the areas of the figures ABP, APQ, and AQCD are in geometric progression. If the area of the figure AQCD is four times the area of triangle ABP, then BP : PQ : QC is
Question 19 of 22
CAT 2023 Slot 2QAAlgebra • ModulusHard
The area of the quadrilateral bounded by the YY - axis, the line x=5x=5 , and the lines ∣x−y∣−∣x−5∣=2|x-y|-|x-5|=2 , is
TITA Answer:
Question 20 of 22
CAT 2023 Slot 2QAAlgebra • Progression & SeriesModerate
Let both the series a1,a2,a3,…a_1, a_2, a_3, \dots and b1,b2,b3…b_1, b_2, b_3 \dots be in arithmetic progression such that the common differences of both the series are prime numbers. If a5=b9,a19=b19a_5 = b_9 , a_{19} = b_{19} and b2=0b_2 = 0 , then a11a_{11} equals
Question 21 of 22
CAT 2023 Slot 2QAAlgebra • IdentitiesModerate
If p2+q2−29=2pq−20=52−2p^{2}+ q^{2} - 29=2 p q-20=52-2 p q , then the difference between the maximum and minimum possible value of (p3−q3)\left(p^{3}-q^{3}\right) is
Question 22 of 22
CAT 2023 Slot 2QAAlgebra • Progression & SeriesModerate
Let ana_n and bnb_n be two sequences such that an=13+6(n−1)a_n = 13 + 6 (n - 1) and bn=15+7(n−1)b_n = 15 + 7 (n - 1) for all natural numbers nn. Then, the largest three digit integer that is common to both these sequences, is
TITA Answer:
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Frequently Asked Questions about CAT 2023 Slot 2 QA Questions & Answer Key

How many questions were asked in CAT 2023 Slot 2 QA?

CAT 2023 Slot 2 QA contained 22 questions convened by IIM Lucknow. Marking was +3 marks for correct answers, -1 for incorrect MCQs, and zero penalty for TITA questions.

What score was required for a 99th percentile in CAT 2023 Slot 2 QA?

Achieving a 99.0th percentile in QA required approximately 28–31 marks (~10 net correct), reflecting the high difficulty (heavy number systems, grid logic dilr).

Can I practice other sections of CAT 2023 Slot 2?

Yes! You can explore the full paper or switch directly to DILR, VARC, or QA using the related sectional links below.

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