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CAT Exam 2025: A to Z of the Common Admission Test (CAT)

Essential aspects of the CAT Exam 2025, its Exam Pattern, Syllabus, Exam Centers and Top Colleges
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The Common Admission Test (CAT) is expected to be conducting on the last Sunday in November (November 30, 2025) in 170 test cities. IIM Calcutta will conduct the CAT in 2025. The expected registration period is from August to September. The two-hour test consists of approximately 68 multiple-choice (MCQ) and type-in-the-answer (TITA) questions. This article covers all aspects of CAT 2025.
Why prepare for an MBA?
Obtaining an MBA is essential for those who want to gain a comprehensive understanding of business management and the ability to make critical decisions. Candidates must pass the CAT exam in order to gain admission to top business schools such as the IIMs and others. MBA candidates develop interpersonal skills, leadership skills, communication skills, strategic thinking, decision-making, strategic problem-solving, creativity and innovation, corporate social responsibility (CSR), entrepreneurship, and financial skills.
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What is a CAT?
The CAT Exam is a national test conducted by the Indian Institutes of Management for admission to MBA programs. Many other top business schools, including MDI Gurgaon, FMS Delhi, SPJIMR Mumbai, IITs and IMI, accept CAT scores as part of their admissions process. CAT is a top exam in India. Every year, over 2-3 lakh students sit for this exam. MBAs have emerged as an important tool for those looking to advance their careers. This is demonstrated by the fact that the CAT 2024 registration has received the most applicants (nearly 3 lakh) since its inception.
CAT Exam Pattern: 2025
Candidates must devote a significant amount of time and effort to their CAT exam preparation. The CAT 2025 exam will provide candidates with 120 minutes to answer all 68 objective-type questions (MCQ and TITA). Each section has a time limit of 40 minutes. If they do not finish the section in 40 minutes, the next section will begin automatically, and candidates will be unable to answer questions from the previous section.
The CAT Exam Question Pattern consists of the following sections:
  • Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC)
  • Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR)
  • Quantitative Ability (QA)
Section
Marks
Time Limit
Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC)
24 questions x 3 Marks for right answer
40 minutes (fixed)
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR)
22 questions x 3 Marks for right answer
40 minutes (fixed)
Quantitative Ability (QA)
22 questions x 3 Marks for right answer
40 minutes (fixed)
Note: In case of any changes in the CAT exam pattern IIMs issue an official notification for candidates on their official website.
CAT 2025 Syllabus
The CAT exam consists of three sections each with its own weightage. The official CAT syllabus page is designed according to the format established by IIM Ahmedabad.
  • Reading comprehension, verbal reasoning, and grammar are components of VARC.
  • In the Quant section, topics such as Number System, Geometry, Mensuration, Algebra, and Arithmetic are covered.
  • The DILR section consists of sets based on Graphs, Number series, Data Sufficiency, and common reasoning concepts.
Detailed Section-wise Syllabus
The syllabus for CAT 2025 is illustrated in detail below:
VARC Section
VARC is an important section of CAT exam. It comprises two subsections: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension. Let us examine the key topics covered in this section:
VARC Syllabus
DILR Section
DILR Section The DILR section plays a very important role in CAT preparation. It is subdivided further into two sections: Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning.
Below are some of the most important DILR topics:
DILR Syllabus
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QA Section
The QA sections play a crucial role in CAT preparation. It comprises of Geometry, Trigonometry, Algebra and Arithmetic, etc. The detailed list is given below:
Check out these essential QA topics:
QA Syllabus
Important Dates: CAT 2025
CAT 2025 Important Dates & Timeline
Important dates (expected)
CAT 2025 Notification Date
Last week of July 2025
CAT Registration Start Date 2025
August 2025
CAT 2025 Last Date of Registration
September 2025
CAT 2025 Registration Fees
Rs.2500 (all categories)
Rs.1250 (SC, ST, PWD)
CAT 2025 Exam Date
November 30, 2025
CAT 2025 Result Date
2nd week of January 2026 (Tentative)

CAT Exam Centres 2025
CAT is held across various cities of India. So the candidates can conveniently choose a set of preferred cities from the given list. As per the last year, we are presenting here the complete table of CAT exam centers:
Exam Centres
Test Cities
Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Port Blair
Andhra Pradesh
Tirupathi, Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, Guntur, Kakinada, Kurnool, Nellore and Rajahmundry
Arunachal Pradesh
Itanagar
Assam
Dibrugarh, Guwahati and Silchar
Bihar
Aurangabad, Muzaffarpur, Patna and Purnea
Chandigarh
Chandigarh
Chhattisgarh
Bhilai and Raipur
Delhi-NCR
Panipat, Ghaziabad, Greater Noida, Delhi, New Delhi, Faridabad, Gurugram and Noida
Goa
Madgaon and Panaji
Gujarat
Ahmedabad, Anand, Gandhinagar, Rajkot, Surat and Vadodara
Haryana
Ambala, Bahadurgarh, Hisar, Palwal, Rohtak and Sonipat
Himachal Pradesh
Simla and Waknaghat
Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu, Samba and Kashmir
Jharkhand
Bokaro, Dhanbad, Jamshedpur and Ranchi
Karnataka
Banglore, Belagavi (Belgaum), Dharwad, Gulbarga, Hubli, Mangalore, Mysore and Udupi
Kerala
Ernakulam, Kasaragod, Kollam, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Thrissur and Trivandrum
Madhya Pradesh
Bhopal, Gwalior, Indore, Jabalpur and Sagar
Maharashtra
Navi Mumbai, Nagpur, Nanded, Nashik, Pune, Raigad, Satara, Solapur, Thane, Ulhasnagar, Ahmednagar, Amravati, Aurangabad, Jalgaon, Kolhapur and Mumbai
Meghalaya
Shillong
Manipur
Imphal
Odisha
Balasore, Berhampur, Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Sambalpur and Rourkela
Puducherry
Puducherry
Punjab
Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Mohali, Pathankot, Patiala, Ropar, Sangrur, Bhatinda, Chandigarh and Fatehgarh Sahib
Rajasthan
Ajmer, Alwar, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Kota, Sikar and Udaipur
Tamil Nadu
Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Namakkal, Thanjavur, Tiruchirappalli and Tirunelvelli
Telangana
Hyderabad, Karim Nagar, Warangal
Uttar Pradesh
Gorakhpur, Greater Noida, Kanpur, Lucknow, Mathura, Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, Noida, Varanasi, Agra, Allahabad, Barabanki, Bareilly and Ghaziabad
Uttarakhand
Dehradun, Roorkee
West Bengal
Hooghly, Howrah, Kalyani, Kolkata, Siliguri, Asansol, Bankura, Burdwan and Durgapur
Dadra
Kohima
Ladakh
Leh
Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu
Silvassa
Tripura
Agartala
Mizoram
Aizawl
Top Colleges Accepting CAT Score 2025
A total of 115+ reputed B-schools in India accept CAT scores and a few foreign institutes also consider CAT. Apart from 21 IIMs, CAT participating Institutes include other public and private institutes. Some of the top B-schools accepting CAT scores are:
  • Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad
  • Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Bangalore
  • Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Calcutta
  • Indian Institute Of Management(IIM), Lucknow
  • S. P. Jain Institute of Management & Research (SPJIMR), Mumbai
  • Management Development Institute (MDI), Gurgaon
  • Indian Institute Of Management (IIM), Kozhikode
  • Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Indore
  • International Management Institute (IMI), New Delhi
  • Faculty of management studies (FMS), New Delhi
  • Institute Of Management Technology (IMT), Ghaziabad
  • National Institute of Industrial Engineering (NITIE), Mumbai
  • Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Trichy
  • Rajiv Gandhi Indian Institute of Management (IIM),Shillong
  • Xavier Institute of Management (XIM), Bhubaneswar
  • Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Kashipur
  • Department of management studies (IIT Delhi), New Delhi
  • Sydenham Institute of management studies and research and entrepreneurship education (SIMSREE), Mumbai
  • BITSoM, BITS School of Management, Mumbai
  • Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of management studies (JBIMS), Mumbai
  • Shailesh J Mehta School of Management (IIT Bombay), Mumbai
  • Vinod Gupta school of management (VGSOM), IIT Kharagpur
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CAT Sample Papers
CAT sample papers help candidates prepare for the CAT exam 2025. CAT sample papers are the best way to analyse how the pattern of previous year's CAT exam was set up. From the CAT sample papers 2025 candidates can practice multiple types of questions. By solving the questions from the CAT sample papers candidates gain a comprehensive understanding of the CAT exam 2025. The CAT sample paper also assists candidates in identifying their areas of weakness and areas of strength.
CAT Sample Papers Download Link
CAT Sample Paper
 
Previous Year CAT Papers
CAT previous year papers are very important for candidates preparing for the CAT exam 2025. These papers are from past CAT exams and help students understand what types of questions they can face in the CAT exam 2025. By practising with previous years papers students can see which areas they are good at and which ones they need to work on. This helps them focus their study time better.
Paper
Description
Take Actual Test
CAT 2024
CAT 2024 Question Paper Slot I
CAT 2024 Question Paper Slot II
CAT 2024 Question Paper Slot III
CAT 2023
CAT 2023 Question Paper Slot I
CAT 2023 Question Paper Slot II
CAT 2023 Question Paper Slot III
CAT 2022
CAT 2022 Question Paper Slot I
CAT 2022 Question Paper Slot II
CAT 2022 Question Paper Slot III
CAT 2021
CAT 2021 Question Paper Slot I
CAT 2021 Question Paper Slot II
CAT 2021 Question Paper Slot III
CAT 2020
CAT 2020 Question Paper Slot I
CAT 2020 Question Paper Slot II
CAT 2020 Question Paper Slot III
CAT 2019
CAT 2019 Question Paper Slot I
 
CAT 2019 Question Paper Slot II
 
CAT 2024 Exam Analysis
The exam analysis that was done by the Hitbullseye experts team should also be reviewed by candidates. The analysis of the CAT 2024 exam helps candidates figure out how the CAT 2024 exam will be set up. Candidates can refer to the CAT 2024 exam analysis to get a comprehensive overview of the CAT 2024 exam.
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FAQs Regarding CAT 2025
  • Q: Who conducts CAT exam every year?
    • A: One of the older IIMs annually conducts the exam.
  • Q: Who can take the CAT exam?
    • A: Anyone with a bachelor's degree can apply. No upper age limit!
  • Q: What's the format of CAT 2025?
    • A: It's a computer-based test with three sections(VARC, QA and DILR)
  • Q: Do TITA questions have negative markings?
    • A: No negative marking is for the TITA questions.
  • Q: How can I register for the CAT exam 2025?
    • A: Registration for CAT exam 2025 begins from 1st August & the last date to register is 13 September . Watch the official website for details.
  • Q: Which one is the newest IIM
    • A: IIM Mumbai is the new IIM
  • Q: Does XLRI Accept CAT scores?
    • A: No the XLRI conducts its own exam which is XAT exam for MBA admission
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