The CAT 2025 test concluded on 30 November 2025. It was conducted on a single day but in three sessions in several cities. Each session had a duration of two hours and was structured the same way. Most of the registered candidates appeared for it making it one of the most active exam cycles in recent times.  The attendance was around 86 percent which means most registered candidates attempted the exam.

The exam pattern remained the same. It kept three major sections Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension, Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning and Quantitative Ability. There were sixty eight questions spread across these sections.

Candidates got three marks for every right answer and lost one mark for every wrong answer. Non MCQ or TITA questions didn't have negative marking.

CAT 2025 Exam Structure - Slot Timings

Note - Every section had a fixed time of forty minutes and candidates could not switch between sections.

Overall Summary of CAT 2025 Exam

• Its pattern was almost exactly like last year.

• VARC was generally readable and predictable.

• DILR required intelligent question selection because of complex sets. 

• The final slot QA section was surprisingly difficult compared to precious years.

• Slot 3 was the most challenging session of the CAT exam.

• Those who managed time well were at an advantage throughout the sections.

2025 CAT Exam - Slot 1 Detailed Analysis

Overall Difficulty

Slot one was moderate but slightly tougher than last year. DILR caused most of the time pressure while VARC and QA stayed moderate with a few challenging questions.

CAT 2025 Slot One - Section-wise Question Breakup

Slot 1 - VARC Section Analysis

VARC had 24 questions. The reading passages were a bit long but the questions were straightforward. Many felt the section was doable if they kept a steady pace.

Reading Comprehension Topics

• Income inequality and economic growth

• Electronic music and its influence

• Relationship between mental health and the law

• Impact of noise on society

Apart from RCs the Verbal Ability part included

• Para formation

• Para summary

• Odd-one-out

• Sentence placement

The difficulty level was moderate with only a few questions requiring careful reasoning.

Slot 1 - DILR Section Analysis

This section created most of the pressure. Many questions were time consuming and required multiple steps. Around half of the questions were non-MCQ. DILR sets for slot one are given below

Note - The Spider plus Bar Graph set was the easiest and should have been attempted first. The other sets required more time and logical depth.

Slot 1 - QA Section Analysis

QA was similar to last year. Arithmetic and Algebra dominated the paper while Geometry had a few doable questions.

Topic spread

• Arithmetic

• Algebra

• Geometry

• Numbers very few

• Modern Math very few

Topic-wise QA Section breakdown for Slot 1

CAT 2025 Slot 2 Detailed Analysis

Slot 2 had the same structure but felt overall more balanced. Many students found this slot more manageable than Slot 1.

Slot 2 - VARC Section Analysis

VARC again followed the mixed pattern for RC and VA. Of the RC passages two were straightforward while one was slightly in depth. The VA questions needed focused reading but were nothing out of the box. This section continued the format from last year.

Slot 2 - DILR Section Analysis

This section had 22 questions across five sets. Two sets were relatively easy but required careful reading. None of the sets were extremely difficult giving students a chance to improve attempts. Common themes included scheduling puzzles, route or path-based set and network graph style logical reasoning sets.

Slot 2 - QA Section Analysis

Quantitative Ability had a consistent mix of topics with greater emphasis on Arithmetic, Algebra and Geometry. This slot did not have any probability questions. A couple of the math questions were long but doable. Math problems were among the quickest to finish.

CAT 2025 Slot 3 Detailed Analysis

Slot 3 was the toughest session of the CAT exam day. Quantitative Ability in particular was considerably tougher.

Slot 3 - Analysis of VARC Section 

VARC remained within the easy to moderate range. Eight or nine correct answers may be enough to earn the 90 percentile. The questions were straightforward however the passages were a little long.

Slot 3 - Analysis of DILR Section 

DILR had a predictable structure but it was time taking. Extra thought was needed for several caselets. Selecting the right set first was essential.

Slot 3 - Analysis of QA Section 

QA formed the highlight of the CAT exam in Slot 3 because it was difficult. All questions required at least two steps and took more time than usual. Even the best prepared candidates had a tough time solving these.

Overall CAT 2025 Comparison With Last Year

Overall the CAT 2025 exam had a moderate difficulty level with clear ups and downs across sections. VARC remained stable, DILR shifted to being tougher and QA saw increased difficulty levels.