Which previous years did IIM Lucknow conduct the CAT, and what should be the strategy to write the CAT when IIM Lucknow is conducting it?

IIM Lucknow and CAT conducting:

the CAT (Common Admission Test) is conducted by IIMs on a rotational basis. IIM Lucknow has conducted CAT in several past years. the conducting IIM doesn't fundamentally change the strategy — the exam format and difficulty are standardized regardless of which IIM conducts it.

CAT strategy regardless of conducting IIM:

• focus on all 3 sections: VARC (Verbal Ability + Reading Comprehension), DILR (Data Interpretation + Logical Reasoning), QA (Quantitative Ability)
• sectional time limits exist — practice time management per section
• VARC: read extensively, practice RC daily. VA (para jumbles, odd sentence) needs specific technique
• DILR: practice LR sets from previous years. speed + accuracy essential
• QA: NCERT ? Arun Sharma for concepts ? previous year CAT questions
• take full mocks every 2 weeks from July onwards, analyze each mock carefully

the conducting IIM adds their branding to the exam but doesn't change what you need to do. focus on your preparation, not on which IIM is running it that year.

The IIM Lucknow CAT hosting question + CAT strategy — let me tackle both parts.

IIM Lucknow's CAT hosting history: IIMs rotate CAT conducting responsibility. IIM Lucknow has conducted CAT in: 2010, 2019, 2023 (and other years as part of the rotation). The conducting body changes annually — check official CAT website (iimcat.ac.in) for the current year's conductor.

Does the conducting IIM affect your strategy? Mostly no — CAT format is standardized. However, there are subtle tendencies:

• When IIM Lucknow conducts (based on 2019, 2023 patterns): Moderate difficulty overall. VARC slightly more balanced. LRDI can be tricky but not extremely so.
• When IIM Bangalore conducts: Tends toward higher difficulty LRDI.
• When IIM Calcutta conducts: Quant-heavy patterns have emerged historically.

CAT strategy regardless of conductor:

• Accuracy over attempts: CAT's negative marking (-1/3) punishes rushed attempts. Target 70-75% accuracy rather than high attempt count.
• Section management: You have sectional time limits (40 min each). Don't spend 25 min on one question.
• LRDI: This separates 95 percentile from 99 percentile — practice set-based puzzles intensively.
• VARC: Reading Comprehension (RC) passages are 4 long RCs — practice active reading, not speed-reading.

For IIM Lucknow specifically: Targeting 97+ overall with VARC and Quant strong is the usual requirement for final calls.