CAT 2025 Analysis LIVE: IIMCAT slot 1, 2, 3 paper difficulty level; memory-based questions

There are 21 IIMs and other top MBA colleges in India in a non-IIM category, including MDI Gurgaon, SPJIMR Mumbai, SJMSoM IIT Mumbai, FMS Delhi, DoMS IIT Delhi, among others, which are CAT 2025 score-accepting colleges.

The CAT exam 2025 was held on November 30, 2025. Out of 2.95 lakh registered candidates, around 2.58 lakh students appeared for the IIM MBA exam.

CAT 2025 is the biggest and most important exam for MBA admissions in the country. But there are other exams that are also the gateways to top management institutes. Here are three and their dates: 

• SNAP exam date 2026: December 6, 14, and 20
• XAT 2026 exam date: January 4
• MAT exam: December 13 (PBT) and 21 (CBT)

IIM Kozhikode has not yet announced the CAT response sheet release date. As per last year's data, the provisional CAT 2025 answer key will be released in the first week of December along with the release of the response sheet.

A score of 27 is considered a low score in CAT 2025. Overall, a score of 27 is expected to be no more than 55 percentile of the CAT. However, scoring 27 in each section of the CAT leads to a score of over 99 percentile in the CAT exam.

The CAT 2025 exam is the primary screening component, but top IIMs such as IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, IIM Calcutta, and IIM Kozhikode also consider factors like gender, Class 10 and 12 marks, academic background, and work experience.

The expected CAT 2025 slot 1, 2, 3 score vs percentile are as follows. 

CAT Exam 2025 slot 3 analysis for data Interpretation and logical Reasoning (DILR) is as follows. The CAT exam slot 3 overall difficulty level was moderate. 

Key Features

• Only one set was clearly solvable without much struggle.
• Other sets were lengthy, often lacking obvious starting points.
• Required strict time management and selective attempts.

Types of Sets

• Circular arrangement set (about 6–7 people).
• Scatter-plot based DI set.
• Two double-sets (4 questions each).
• Incoming/outgoing call-based DI set—slightly time-consuming but doable.

Based on trends from previous years, the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Kozhikode is likely to release the CAT 2025 answer key and response sheet in the first week of December. This year, IIM Kozhikode administered the CAT 2025 exam to 2.58 lakh MBA aspirants across 339 test centres in 170 cities.

Read More: CAT 2025 Answer Key, Response Sheet Date: How to calculate scores, predict percentile? 

As per CAT exam 2025 analysis, slot 3 for Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC) was moderate. It was slightly easier than Slot 1 and Slot 2 in many aspects.

Reading Comprehension (RC)

• Passages were easy to moderate with no overwhelming themes.
• One RC focused on Artificial Intelligence; the rest followed standard CAT-style topics.
• A few inference-based questions appeared, but they were manageable and direct.
• Compared to the other two slots, RCs felt more approachable, allowing quicker attempts.

Verbal Ability (VA)

• 2 Para Jumbles
• 2 Para Summary
• 2 Odd One Out (these demanded deeper thinking)
• 2 Para Completion (straightforward and quick to solve)
• Overall VA was simple, offering high scoring potential for prepared aspirants.

The marking scheme for the CAT 2025 exam is as follows.

• For every right answer, +3 will be awarded
• For every wrong answer in MCQs, -1 will be deducted
• No negative marks for Non-MCQs

IIM Kozhikode conducted the CAT 2025 exam on November 30. The CAT 2025 response sheet will be issued soon, along with the answer key. As per last year's trends, the answer key and response sheet are expected in the first week of December. 

The number of CAT 2025 test centres decreased from 389 to 339, while the number of cities remained the same at 170.

About 2.58 lakh candidates took the CAT 2025 entrance exam out of the 2.95 lakh who were registered and eligible. The overall attendance was recorded as 86%.

Apart from IIMs, here is a list of other top MBA colleges that accept CAT 2025 exam scores:

• Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi
• Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay
• Institute of Management Technology (IMT), Ghaziabad
• International Management Institute (IMI) Delhi
• Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies (JBIMS), Mumbai
• Faculty of Management Studies (FMS)
• Management Development Institute (MDI), Gurgaon
• S. P. Jain Institute of Management and Research (SPJIMR), Mumbai
• SDA Bocconi Mumbai

Yes, the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) accepts CAT 2025 scores for admission to its MBA (International Business) and MBA (Business Analytics) programmes.

Students reported that the Quant section in the CAT 2025 slot 3 was the toughest among all three sections. About 8–9 questions were from arithmetic, with many being calculation-intensive. 

Also read: CAT 2025 Slot 3 Analysis: Students find quant tough, DILR balanced, VARC moderate

As per CAT 2025 slot 3 analysis by experts, the exam was slightly more difficult than CAT 2025 slot 1, 2. Two RCs in VARC were difficult, DILR section was manageable. 

As the CAT exam 2025 is over, IIM Kozhikode will soon announce the CAT answer key release date 2025. As per the previous year's trends, CAT 2025 answer key is expected in December first week. CAT answer key 2025 will be issued on the official website -- iimcat.ac.in.

Read More: CAT 2025 concludes; answer key likely in December first week

Candidates' reactions and expert analysis of CAT 2025 slot 3 question paper will be available soon. The exam comprises 68 questions on VARC, DILR, and QA. As per the CAT 2025 marking scheme, candidates will be awarded with 3 marks for each right answer and will lose one mark for every incorrect response. 

IIM CAT 2025 slot 3 exam has ended at 6:30 pm. With this, CAT exam 2025 has concluded. Now, aspirants will wait for CAT 2025 answer key and CAT result 2025. CAT 2025 slot 3 analysis will be out shortly. 

The Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Kozhikode will conclude the CAT 2025 slot 3 at 6:30 pm. This is the last shift of this year's CAT exam, being held for MBA admissions in IIMs and other management schools. 

The top management college, IIM Ahmedabad, demands above 99 percentile in CAT exam for admissions to its MBA programme. CAT cut-off for IIM Bangalore last year was the same. IIM Kozhikode, which is the exam convenor this year, admitted students with CAT percentile at 97. 

Read More: CAT 2025: IIM Ahmedabad demands above 99 percentile for MBA admission; check NIRF top B-school cut-offs

IIM Kozhikode is yet to announce the CAT 2025 response sheet release date. CAT response sheet 2025 will be issued along with the CAT answer key 2025 which is expected in the first week of December. 

IIM Kozhikode has started the CAT 2025 slot 3 exam at 4:30 pm. The duration of the CAT paper is 2 hours, and the final session of the CAT exam will conclude at 6:30 pm.

The CAT exam slot 3 timings are from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm. The IIM MBA entrance exam will be conducted for a duration of 120 minutes. Entry has already started.

Candidates can view the difficulty levels of CAT 2025 slots 1 and 2 in the table below.

IIM Kozhikode will conduct the CAT 2025 slot 3 exam from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm. The duration of the CAT slot 2 paper will be two hours only. 

There were 9 arithmetic questions in CAT 2025 slot 1, however CAT 2025 slot 2 contained 11 arithmetic and 7 algebra questions, that too straight ones, says Arks Srinivas. VARC contained 4 RCs including 16 questions, 2 parajumbles, 2 para summary, 2 missing sentences and 2 odd sentences. There were 5 sets in DILR. 

CAT 2025 Memory-Based Questions and Analysis Slot 2

As per CAT slot 2 analysis 2025, VARC section was easy and DILR section had lengthy questions. The Quant section was tricky and but manageable, said candidates. The questions were of a medium difficulty level. 

Read More: CAT Slot 2 Analysis 2025: Paper moderately difficult, quant tougher than slot 1

Shortly, a detailed CAT 2025 slot 2 analysis including difficulty level, memory-based questions along with expected CAT cut-off 2025 will be shared by Careers360 experts.

As per Nishank, Quant was the toughest and lengthiest among the three sections in CAT slot 2 question paper 2025. Questions from the complexity perspective were of medium level. There were more geometry questions that can be seen in mock tests. In VARC, two passages were lengthy but the other two were easier. No tech glitches were there. 

As per Abhimanyu, a candidate who attempted CAT 2025 slot 2 question paper, VARC was easy but DILR section had lengthy questions. Quant questions were tricky but easy.

CAT 2025 slot 2 review

Candidates found quant section difficult and 2 VARC paras lengthy in CAT 2025 slot 2 paper. The exam has ended and CAT exam slot 2 analysis is out. Stay updated here. 

Based on last year's CAT marks vs percentile, 37 marks in the exam will get a CAT percentile somewhere around 60 to 70. However, the final CAT 2025 percentile will be based on scaled scores, depending on the difficulty level of exam, overall performance of candidates, and other factors. 

IIM Kozhikode has concluded the CAT 2025 slot 2 exam at 2:30 pm. Candidates' reactions and expert analysis of CAT exam slot 2 question paper will be shared here shortly. 

There were no major exam pattern or question-type surprises this year in CAT exam 2025, said Ramnath Kanakadandi, Senior Course Director, T.I.M.E.The number of questions was 68, same as last year. Here's the section-wise difficulty level: 

VARC

The Reading comprehension and Verbal Ability questions were mixed up in the sequencing, similar to the pattern in CAT ‘24. There were 4 RC passages with 4 questions each. The RC sets were of a moderate difficulty level, with one difficult set. 

DILR

There were 22 questions across 5 sets, similar to last year’s pattern.

QA

There were no surprises in this section. It had 22 questions. These questions were from the regular set of topics as seen in the previous CATs, with a majority of questions from Arithmetic and Algebra. Numbers and Modern math had only one question each, while Geometry had 3 Qs. 

Here's the CAT 2025 slot 1 VARC analysis: 

The Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Jammu has revised the MBA admission criteria 2026 and lowered the CAT cut-off 2025. For general category candidates, the overall CAT percentile has been reduced from 95 to 91. The exam has been given 42% weightage while 30% has been fixed for personal interview, and 28% for profile scores. 

Read More: IIM Jammu lowers CAT 2025 cut-offs, increases weightage to 42%; batch size likely to go up to 300

The topics asked and number of questions in DILR section of CAT 2025 slot 1 paper are as follows: 

In CAT 2025 slot 1 question paper, quant section contained 8 questions TITA-based and 14 MCQ-based. Here's the topic-wise difficulty level. 

As per CAT 2025 slot 1 question paper, there are a total of 68 questions in CAT exam -- 24 in VARC and 22 each in DILR and QA sections. 

As per CAT 2025 dress code, male candidates are not allowed to wear shoes with thick soles, clothes with large buttons, or with pockets. They are suggested to wear light clothes such as t-shirts and pants. On the other hand, female candidates should avoid jewellery, ornaments, and should not carry any metal objects. 

Read More: CAT Dress Code 2025: Rules on jeans and accessories; what to wear, what not to carry

Here's the step-by-step procedure to convert CAT score into percentile:

Step 1: Calculate the total number of candidates (N) who are likely to appear in both sessions.

Step 2: Allot Rank (r) based on the scaled score obtained in the VARC section to all the candidates who appeared in the CAT. If two or more candidates score the same marks in the section, then assign identical ranks to the candidates.

Step 3: Calculate the percentile score (P) of a candidate with rank (r) in the VARC section as:

Step 4: Now, round off the calculated percentile score (P) of a candidate up to two decimal points only. For example, all percentile scores greater than or equal to 89.995 are rounded off to 90.

Follow the same methodology for computing the overall CAT percentile scores and for the percentile scores of other sections. 

The course-wise fee structure for MBA programmea at the FORE School of Management is given below. 

CAT 2025: FORE School of Management fee structure. (Image: Official website)

CAT answer key 2025 is expected in the first week of December 2025, as per previous year's trends. However, IIM Kozhikode has not announced the CAT 2025 answer key date yet officially. 

IIM Kozhikode has commenced CAT 2025 slot 2 exam at 12:30 pm. CAT paper duration is two hours. The second session of CAT slot 2 paper will end at 2:30 pm. 

CAT slot 2 timings are 12:30 pm to 2:30 pm. The computer-based exam will be held for a duration of two hours. The entry has already started and candidates will start attempting the questions in 5 minutes. 

Last year's CAT percentile required for admissions in IIM Rohtak is given below. 

IIM Lucknow PGP summer placements 2025 saw the highest stipend at Rs 3.96 lakh per month. Students received more than 580 job offers and recorded international stipend at Rs 2.5 lakh. Top recruiters were Accenture, Aditya Birla Group, Adobe, Alvarez and Marsal, American Express, Amazon, Bain & Company, among others. 

Read More: IIM Lucknow Summer Placement 2025–27: Highest stipend for PGP at Rs 3.96 lakh per month

CAT 2025: IIM Lucknow summer placements record Rs 3.96 lakh stipend. (Image: IIM Lucknow)

Candidates who appeared for CAT 2025 slot 1 paper said that at least two sets were 'solvable', says Arks Srinivas. This means that 'may be CAT 2025 will be easier than CAT 2024', he added. Even the reading comprehension questions in the VARC section were very 'readable' and had less ambiguity in both the questions and the choices of the answers. CAT cut-off 2025 might go down, he suggested.

CAT 2025 Memory-Based Questions and Analysis Slot 1 

There has been no change in the CAT 2025 exam pattern, there were a total of 68 questions in CAT 2025 slot 1 paper including 24 in VARC, 22 each in DILR and QA, says Arks Srinivas. A slight change was noted in VARC section which contained 2 parajumbles that were missing last year. 

"Might have to score 3-4 marks more in DILR and QUANT for the same percentile this year," says Arks Srinivas. 

VARC section in CAT 2025 slot 1 question paper contained 24 questions including two each on para completion, para summary, para jumble, and odd one out, as per memory-based questions. The difficulty level was moderate as per experts. 

CAT 2025 slot 1 question paper: VARC questions. 

As per Harshil, the CAT exam slot 1 2025 was overall moderate. He found English and quant sections easy. Even DILR section was easy for him. Quants had more arithmetic and algebra questions than geometry. CAT 2025 slot 1 question paper followed the same pattern as last year, he said. 

Pragya found the paper easy but DILR tough. Sets were hard compared to previous year. Quant has same difficulty as last year but questions were lengthy. She is aiming for IIM Mumbai.

In Pragya's CAT 2025 Slot 1 analysis, DILR was tough (Image: Careers360)

Sarah Bhalla found it "very difficult". The quant section was difficult and she ran out of time. However, there were no technical difficulties. 

CAT 2025 Slot 1 Analysis: Sarah Bhalla found quant 'very difficult' (Image: Careers360)

IIM CAT 2025 slot 1 paper analysis, questions asked, and section-wise difficulty level. 

Harshil Gupta found CAT 2025 in the "easy-medium range". English was easy but lengthy. He found Quant easy as well with an emphasis on arithmetic and algebra. 

CAT 2025 Slot 1 Analysis: Candidate finds it "easy to medium" (Image: Careers360)

MBA admissions expert Arks Srinivas will conduct a live CAT 2025 slot 1 analysis on YouTube at 11:30 am. 

CAT slot 1 review by expert at 11:30 (Image: Careers360)

In a major shift in admission policy, IIM Udaipur has decided to exit the centralised admission process (CAP 2026) and conduct its own independent MBA admission starting from the academic year 2026-28. 

For MBA admission at IIM Udaipur, nearly 55% weightage will be given to CAT score, and the remaining 45% for personal interview or written ability test ((WAT) and profile evaluation. 

IIM Udaipur announces new MBA admission policy 2026. (Source: Official)

The CAT exam will have roughly 66-68 questions, spread across three sections. Each question carries 3 marks and in the case of multiple-choice questions, one mark is deducted from the total for every wrong answer. However, "type in the answer" (TITA) type of questions do not carry negative marking. 

IIM CAT exam's most important formulae, assembled in one handy list: CAT 2025: Important formulae

The CAT slot 1 exam has concluded. Aspirants who appeared in the morning shift from 8.30 am to 10.30 am can check the section-wise analysis here. The analysis given below is based on last year’s CAT slot 1 exam pattern and difficulty level. This year’s detailed analysis will be updated shortly.

CAT exam 2025 is divided into three sections - VARC, DILR and Quant. The total score last year was 204 but this, as well as the number of questions, fluctuates from session to session. This year, roughly 66-68 questions are expected. Each question carries 3 marks. 

The top B-schools which admit students to its management courses through CAT scores also require high cut-offs. Take a look. 

• FMS Delhi: 97–99 percentile 
• IIFT: 95–97 percentile
• MDI Gurgaon: 96–98 percentile
• IIT Bombay SJMSOM: 96–97 percentile.

Yes. Jeans are allowed, however, candidates should ensure that there is no metal buttons or large pockets. Male and female candidates are advised to not wear torn jeans or shoes with thick sole. They should note that IIM Kozhikode has not announced any official dress code for CAT.

In short, no. The CAT 2025 score is the first filter. However, for actual admissions, IIMs consider a variety other factors, including academic background, work history, school performance, even gender. This is also changing the composition of the classes at top IIMs. 

CAT 2025: IIMs see more women, fewer engineers as MBA programmes diversify intake

The top IIMs require the highest CAT percentile. Candidates often compare the CAT cut-offs and fee structure to decide which courses to pick.

As per past three years’ exam analysis, the quantitative aptitude (QA) is the most difficult section, which has arithmetic-heavy questions and is rated difficult. While data interpretation and logical reasoning has remained the unpredictable section, verbal ability and reading comprehension (VARC) has been moderately difficult with more weightage to reading passages. 

Each slot of the CAT exam 2025 will last two hours. 

CAT 2025's third shift begins at 4:30 pm and will end at 6:30 pm. CAT 2025 Slot 3 is the final one of the three-shift  exam, all being held today, November 30.  

CAT 2025 Slot 1 has already begun. It started at 8:30 am and will continue till 10:30 am as each shift lasts two hours. CAT 2025 Slot 2 starts after a gap of two hours. 

CAT scores are used for the first-stage of shortlisting based on sectional and overall percentile obtained by the aspirants for the personal interview. The final selection will be based on the combined score obtained by candidates in the written ability test (WAT) or personal interview, academic performance and work experience as well as CAT scores, with each component allotted different weightage in the second-stage of shortlisting. 

IIM admissions 2025 go beyond CAT cut-offs; how top B-schools weigh your scores, academics, work experience 

As per past trends, including CAT 2024 score vs percentile, marks in the range of 97-133 typically translated into a 99+ percentile. However, past trends are only indicative. Given below is how scores typically translate into percentiles in CAT. 

• 97-133: 99+
• 86-91: 98 percentile
• 66-70: 95 percentile

The second session of CAT 2025 starts at 12:30 pm and ends at 2:30 pm. Each exam lasts two hours. 

High weightage topics for verbal ability and reading comprehension (VARC), data interpretation and logical reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Aptitude (QA) sections, as per the CAT syllabus 2025. Candidates can go through these topics during their last-minute revision.   

Entry gates for CAT slot 1 exams have been closed. IIM Kozhikode will conduct the slot 1 exams from 8.30 am to 10.30 am. Students will be able to check the section-wise difficulty level for QA, VARC, and Quant soon after the first shift ends. 

Candidates appearing for the CAT exam are required to carry the following documents to the exam centre. Those failing to produce documents will not be permitted to write the exam. Things to carry to CAT exam centre: 

• CAT 2025 admit card downloaded from the official website, iimcat.ac.in.
• A valid government-issued photo ID, such as Aadhaar card, PAN card, or passport. 
• PwD certificate to avail scribe
• Legal documents and govt-stamped proof of name change, if applicable. 

Entry for the CAT slot 1 exams is now underway. Candidates have started moving inside the allotted test centre after initial ID and admit card verification. 

CAT 2025 candidates at Ganga International School exam centre. (Source: Careers360)

CAT exam pattern was changed in recent years by reducing the total number of questions from 100 to 66. The total count may vary between 66 to 68. As per the marking scheme, the total marks for CAT for 66-68 questions will range from 198 to 204, as each question carries 3 marks.

Vikram, currently a Delhi University student, is making first attempt at CAT. 

"This is my first attempt. My preparation is not too tight but I have full confidence. I didn't got for coaching but studied at home from notes." He feels his best chances of scoring are in the quant section.

CAT question paper 2025 will have three sections - verbal ability and reading comprehension (VARC), data interpretation and logical reasoning (DILR), and quantitative aptitude (QA). Check section-wise exam timings and marking scheme.

Section-wise CAT question difficulty and count explained:

CAT 2025 exam centre gates open. Candidates are seen lining up at the exam centre as verification of CAT admit cards and security checks begin. The CAT slot 1 exam will be held from 8.30 am to 10.30 am. 

CAT 2025 slot 1 gates open. (Source: Careers360)

Female candidates should not wear jewellery, ornaments or carry any metallic objects, including earrings, nose pins, necklaces, anklets, bracelets or other metal accessories. They are advised to avoid excessive makeup and keep their hairstyle simple.

Mehndi, tattoos or unnatural markings on the body are not permitted, and candidates with such markings may be barred from taking the CAT exam.

Male candidates appearing for CAT exam 2025 are not allowed to wear shoes with thick soles, clothes with large buttons, or clothes with large pockets. 

They are advised to wear any comfortable clothing, such as shirts, T-shirts, or pants, as per the CAT dress code. 

The admit cards for the Common Admission Test (CAT 2025) will be available for download only till today. Candidates who forget to carry their hall ticket can download by visiting the official website, iimcat.ac.in. To retrieve the CAT user ID or password, candidates will have to click on the "Forgot password" link on the CAT admit card download page. They should enter their email address and generate new password if necessary and login. 

CAT 2025 admit card is a mandatory document to be carried to the exam centre. Candidates are required to download the hall ticket from the IIM CAT official website, iimcat.ac.in, using their eight-digit user ID and password. 

IIM CAT hall ticket 2025 link. (Source: Official)

IIM Kozhikode will be conducting the CAT exam in three slots – 

Slot 1 - 8:30 am to 10:30 am, 

Slot 2 - 12:30 pm to 2:30 pm 

Slot 3 - 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm.

Around 2.95 lakh IIMs aspirants will be appearing in the national-level MBA entrance exam – Common Admission Test (CAT 2025) — today. The CAT exam will be held in 170 cities across the country in three slots. The first slot will begin at 8.30 am.