An important graph for troubleshooting these issues.
There are 2 issues you can have with an EGR - doesn't hold vacuum, and dirty. I use a cheap hand vacuum pump to test that it holds vacuum. If it is dirty, take it off and spray it with carb cleaner.
For the cat, you are checking that the output temperature is hotter than the input, showing that it is burning off the HCs.
When taking your test, make sure your engine is HOT. Choke needs to be off, and the cats need to be hot enough to do their job.