CAT 2025 Analysis

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CAT 2025 analysis conducted by our experts will give insight into the candidates' performance and difficulty level in different sections. Conducted by IIM Kozhikode, CAT 2025 was held in 3 Slots. Our section-wise analysis will help the aspirants understand the types of questions, topics covered and more. Read this article thoroughly to get a clear overview of CAT 2025.

CAT 2025 Exam- Overall Analysis

The CAT 2025 exam so far is mostly on similar lines with slightly higher difficulty level in DILR. The total number of questions has been maintained at 68. Many students reported that the DILR section's difficulty level has been upped in sync with previous CAT exams. Student's attempt in this section saw a dip. The verbal section was on similar lines. The quant section also was more or less on a similar line as last year. The overall cut-offs will definitely see a downward shift this year.

CAT Analysis Slot 1
CAT Analysis Slot 2
CAT Analysis Slot 3

CAT 2025 Exam- Slot 1 Analysis

The sections contained the following segmentation for Slot 1:

	Section Name	Total No. of Ques.	No. of Multiple Choice Ques.	Number of Non-MCQs (TITA Ques.)
I	Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension	24	20	4
II	Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning	22	12	10
III	Quantitative Ability	22	16	6
	TOTAL	68	48	20

Analysis: CAT 2025 Slot 1 paper was exactly same pattern as last year with a total of 68 questions. The students found DILR and Quant to be comparatively tougher while Verbal was son similar lines. As usual, a quick scan of the paper would have thrown out easily doable questions with a high level of accuracy.

As per CAT 2025, an attempt at 45–50 may be necessary for the 99th percentile.

Section-wise Review: Slot-1

Verbal Ability Reading Comprehension (VARC): In terms of the level of difficulty, the verbal section can be labelled as moderate on similar lines as CAT 2024. The students will again find accuracy to be an important factor.

There were 4 RC passages of medium length of 4 questions each. RC passages were

Electronic Music
Economy-Inequality of growth
Pandemic, systemic complexity
Evolution of Psychology

Topic	No. of Questions (MCQ/non-MCQ)	Level of Difficulty
Reading Comprehension	16 (4+4+4+4)	Moderate
Para Summary	2	Easy-Moderate
Mis-fit	2	Moderate
Odd One Out	2	Moderate
Sentence Arrangement	2	Moderate

As per CAT 2025, an attempt of 14-18 with high accuracy will fetch 99%ile

Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR): This section was a negative surprise for students hoping a similar trend as CAT 2024. As per the feedback from the students, there were 4 sets from LR and only 1 set from DI with 3 sets of 4 questions each and 2 sets of 5 questions each. The surprise was a number of TITA questions which jumped to 10+. In fact one set was reported to be apparently only TITA. Students were generally able to do 2 sets.

Topic	No. of Questions (MCQ/non-MCQ)	Level of Difficulty
Arrangement of Circular chairs	5	Moderate to Tough
Radial chart-Export Import Tarrif related	4	Tough
Train stops, tickets, occupancy	5	Moderate to Tough
Two managers, 6 people, performance related transfers	4	Moderate
Quant based reasoning – Tap once for yes, twice for No and thrice for maybe	4	Tough

As per CAT 2025, an attempt of 9-12 questions with good accuracy will fetch 99%ile

Quantitative Aptitude (QA): In 2025 the Quant section was similar or on tougher side compared to last year, with emphasis on accuracy and question scouting. The overall attempt in the section is same as last year. For 2025 preparation, students with high accuracy get the chance to perform well on this exam.

Topic	No. of Questions (MCQ/non-MCQ)	Level of Difficulty
Algebra	9	Moderate
Geometry	3	Moderate
Arithmetic	9	Moderate
PNC	1	Difficult

As per CAT 2025, an attempt of 13-17 questions with a good accuracy level will fetch 99%ile

Overall Attempt	VA & RC Attempt	DI & LR Attempt	QA Attempt	Probable Score	Expected Percentile
45-50	17-21	11-14	16-20	95+	99.5
42-48	14-18	9-12	13-17	88+	99
32-38	12-16	7-10	10-14	65+	95
25-30	10-13	6-8	7-10	50+	90
20-27	7-10	4-6	5-9	40+	80

CAT 2025 Exam- Slot 2 Analysis

The sections contained the following segmentation for Slot 2:

	Section Name	Total No. of Ques.	No. of Multiple Choice Ques.	Number of Non-MCQs (TITA Ques.)
I	Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension	24	21	3
II	Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning	22	12	10
III	Quantitative Ability	22	16	6
	TOTAL	68	49	19

Analysis: CAT 2025 Slot 2 paper was exactly same pattern as last year with a total of 68 questions. The students found DILR to be slightly moderate compared to Slot 1 and Quant to be comparatively tougher while Verbal was on similar lines. As usual, a quick scan of the paper would have thrown out easily doable questions with a high level of accuracy.

A few students reported technical issues at the centre which led to disruptions.

As per CAT 2025, an attempt at 45–50 may be necessary for the 99th percentile.

Section-wise Review: Slot-2

Verbal Ability Reading Comprehension (VARC): In terms of the level of difficulty, the verbal section can be labelled as moderate on similar lines as Sot 1. The students reported that questions were indirect and hence required repeated reference to passages with some reporting language also a little more difficult then expectations.

There were 4 RC passages of medium length of 4 questions each. RC passages were around:

Science based - Cave Fish
How instruments helped develop science
AI/Chat GPT
Discoveries in Biology and Physics

Topic	No. of Questions (MCQ/non-MCQ)	Level of Difficulty
Reading Comprehension	16 (4+4+4+4)	Moderate
Para Summary	2	Moderate
Mis-fit	2	Moderate
Odd One Out	2	Moderate
Sentence Arrangement	2	Moderate

As per CAT 2025, an attempt of 14-18 with high accuracy will fetch 99%ile

Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR): The students reported this section to be of moderate to slightly tough level but relatively better compared to Slot 1. As per the feedback from the students, there were 3 sets from LR and 2 sets from DI with 3 sets of 4 questions each and 2 sets of 5 questions each. The number of TITA questions was again high around 10. Students were generally able to do 2 sets.

Topic	No. of Questions (MCQ/non-MCQ)	Level of Difficulty
Authors and Books – How many books each author wrote	4	Moderate to Tough
XY Co-ordinate Chart – Sustainability Index, Rankings	5	Easy to Moderate
Hoops and Basketballs – How to fit balls as per size of hoops	5	Moderate to Tough
Arrangement block – Gurus, students	4	Moderate
3 States and 9 cities, Index related	4	Tough

As per CAT 2025, an attempt of 10-14 questions with good accuracy will fetch 99%ile

Quantitative Aptitude (QA): In Slot 2 the Quant section was seemingly on tougher side compared to Slot 1 as it was reported to be calculation intensive. The overall attempt in the section may be similar or lower by 1 question compared to slot 1. For 2025 preparation, students with high accuracy get the chance to perform well on this exam.

Topic	No. of Questions (MCQ/non-MCQ)	Level of Difficulty
Algebra	8-9	Moderate to Difficult
Geometry	3-4	Moderate to Difficult
Arithmetic	8-9	Moderate to Difficult
PNC	1	Difficult

As per CAT 2025, an attempt of 11-15 questions with a good accuracy level will fetch 99%ile

Overall Attempt	VA & RC Attempt	DI & LR Attempt	QA Attempt	Probable Score	Expected Percentile
45-50	17-21	12-15	14-18	95+	99.5
42-48	14-18	10-14	11-15	88+	99
32-38	12-16	8-11	9-13	65+	95
25-30	10-13	6-8	7-10	50+	90
20-27	7-10	4-6	5-9	40+	80

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CAT 2025 Exam- Slot 3 Analysis

The sections contained the following segmentation for Slot 3:

	Section Name	Total No. of Ques.	No. of Multiple Choice Ques.	Number of Non-MCQs (TITA Ques.)
I	Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension	24	20	4
II	Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning	22	12	10
III	Quantitative Ability	22	16	6
	TOTAL	68	50	18

Analysis: CAT 2025 Slot 3 paper threw negative surprise with students finding Quant and DILR to be a lot more challenging as questions were time consuming and calculation intensive. So, accuracy would hold the key to a good score. We do expect a drop in score in this slot compared to first two.

A few students reported technical issues at the centre which led to disruptions.

As per CAT 2025, an attempt at 42-48 may be necessary for the 99th percentile.

Section-wise Review: Slot-3

Verbal Ability Reading Comprehension (VARC): In terms of the level of difficulty, the verbal section can be labelled as challenging which made it slightly more difficult than other slots. The passages were primarily around environmental science which may have made it a little difficult for students with limited reading habits.

There were 4 RC passages of medium length of 4 questions each. RC passages were around:

AI and Robots decision making power
Art & Tribalism
Forest Act and changes since Independence
Impact of Dams on Ecology

Reading Comprehension	16 (4+4+4+4)	Moderate
Para Summary	2	Moderate
Mis-fit	2	Moderate
Odd One Out	2	Moderate
Sentence Arrangement	2	Moderate

As per CAT 2025, an attempt of 14-18 with high accuracy will fetch 99%ile

Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR): The students reported this section to be slightly difficult and may be lengthy with lot of questions consuming more time then expected. As per the feedback from the students, there were 3 sets from LR and 2 sets from DI with 3 sets of 4 questions each and 2 sets of 5 questions each. The number of TITA questions was again high around 10. Students were generally able to do 2 sets.

Topic	No. of Questions (MCQ/non-MCQ)	Level of Difficulty
Graph based Quiz Competition	4	Moderate to Tough
Position of friends in circular arrangement	4	Moderate to Tough
Import & Export	4	Moderate to Tough
6 Friends-Phone-Two Operators	5	Moderate to Tough
4 Countries, Exchange rate	5	Moderate to Tough

As per CAT 2025, an attempt of 8-11 questions with good accuracy will fetch 99%ile

Quantitative Aptitude (QA): In Slot 3 the Quant section was seemingly on tougher side compared to other Slotsas it was reported to be calculation intensive. The overall attempt in the section may be similar or lower by 1 question compared to other slots. For 2025 preparation, students with high accuracy get the chance to perform well on this exam.

Topic	No. of Questions (MCQ/non-MCQ)	Level of Difficulty
Algebra	8-9	Moderate to Difficult
Geometry	3-4	Moderate to Difficult
Arithmetic	8-9	Moderate to Difficult
PNC	1	Difficult

As per CAT 2025, an attempt of 9-12 questions with a good accuracy level will fetch 99%ile

Overall Attempt	VA & RC Attempt	DI & LR Attempt	QA Attempt	Probable Score	Expected Percentile
45-50	17-21	11-14	16-20	88+	99.5
42-48	14-18	9-12	13-17	80+	99
32-38	12-16	7-10	10-14	58+	95
25-30	10-13	6-8	7-10	46+	90
20-27	7-10	4-6	5-9	36+	80

Conclusion

CAT 2025 threw a few surprises for students in terms of a much higher no of TITA questions giving students an opportunity for extra attempts. While VARC was on similar lines as last few years, DI and Quant seemed much more calculation intensive and hence led to reduction in number of attempts. We expect a drop in overall score compared to last year.

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