For the candidates preparing for the CAT 25 exam it's a good idea to know the test pattern and level beforehand. The test will be given by IIM Kozhikode itself, the same school which had designed CAT 2019. With a comparison of trends between CAT 2019 and CAT 2024, we can get a reasonable idea about the likely difficulty level, section-wise problems and score vs percentile range. This CAT 2025 Analysis shall assist the aspirants in understanding what they can expect and accordingly frame their preparation strategy in a more intelligent manner.

CAT 25 Based on CAT 19 & 24 Insights

CAT 2019 Conducted by IIM Kozhikode

The CAT 2019 exam administered by IIM Kozhikode was moderate to difficult in its overall analysis.

• VARC: The section was of moderate difficulty but the majority of the reading comprehension passages were inference and interpretation-based making them complicated.

• DILR: This was the most challenging section. Of the provided sets barely 2–3 were realistically achievable by most of the candidates.

• QA: The section was even but with a high emphasis on arithmetic subjects such as percentages, ratios and averages.

In order to reach 99 percentile the students needed to possess a very high raw score of approximately 157 - 160 which indicates that the test was highly competitive.

CAT 2024 Conducted by IIM Calcutta 

The CAT 2024 examination was administered by IIM Calcutta and was found to be moderate on average.

• VARC: More easy compared to the last few years but the options in the answers were mostly confusing and tricky.

• DILR: Was in the moderate to difficult range with two additional questions compared to 2023 keeping the pressure on.

• QA: Remained moderate with the majority of questions centred around arithmetic and algebra.

To reach the 99th percentile score a candidate was required just 96 marks which is very minimal as compared to previous years.

CAT 2025 Predictions: Expected Difficulty Level and Exam Pattern

Considering trends from past years here's what the test taker can anticipate in CAT 2025:

• Overall Difficulty: As IIM Kozhikode is organising the test so the paper is sure to be conceptual and subtle rather than being voluminous like the CAT 2024 organised by IIM Calcutta. Overall level is expected to be moderate to moderately tough.

• DILR: This section can again be the most challenging like the previous years. Most sets might appear to be manageable but might be full of secret complexity. Only 2 - 3 sets might be really doable according to candidates and hence can be the deciding factor of CAT 2025.

• VARC: Rather than fact questions the RCs section can have more inference-based passages, tone of the author and critical reasoning. This implies that knowing the underlying meaning of the passage will be given greater significance than finding explicit answers.

• QA: Arithmetic topics such as percentage, ratio, time-work, profit-loss and algebra topics such as equations, inequalities, progressions are anticipated to reign supreme. Subjects such as geometry and modern math can occur in small quantities but will probably be challenging in nature and based on strong fundamentals.

• Section-Wise Weightage: Candidates need not anticipate the paper to be uniformly weighted. Certain sections may appear to be heavier than others so the test strategy will be crucial in achieving maximum scores.

Briefly CAT 2025 will be more inclined to test clarity of concepts, logic and accuracy rather than speed.

CAT Exam Pattern Evolution

Expected CAT Score vs Percentile For CAT 2025

Key insight from the CAT 2025 Analysis is that the CAT 2019 required much higher scores compared to the CAT 2024 for the same percentile. If CAT 2025 follows the 2019 trend, cutoffs will rise. If it’s closer to 2024 cutoffs may remain lower.

Section-Wise CAT 25 Exam Analysis

VARC 

• The difficulty level of this section is expected to be moderate.

• 24 questions are expected from this section of the CAT 25. 

• RCs may test critical reasoning, the author’s tone and implicit meanings.

DILR 

• 20 Questions are expected in the 2025 CAT DILR section. 

• Likely the toughest section again with only 2–3 solvable sets.

• Expect puzzles with multi-layered constraints.

QA 

• A total of 22 questions can come in the Quant section of CAT 2025. 

• Strong focus on arithmetic and algebra topics like ratios, percentages, equations and progressions.

• Geometry and modern maths may appear in selective but tricky forms.

Key Takeaways for Aspirants of CAT 25

1. Difficulty won’t be uniform across sections as DILR will likely be the toughest.

2. For 99%ile in 2025 aspirants should target a score between 95 - 105 but if the paper mirrors the CAT 2019 cut-offs may rise to 120+.

3. Accuracy matters more than attempts even 50% attempts with 80% accuracy in DILR can fetch 95%ile plus.

4. Expect some surprises in question framing as IIM Kozhikode is known for unique twists like implicit RCs in CAT 2019.

CAT Analysis 2025 Final Prediction

The CAT 2025 Exam Analysis suggests the test will be moderate to tough overall. Percentile cutoffs are expected to be higher than CAT 2024 but slightly lower than CAT 2019. Candidates should prepare for a 99%ile score requirement in the 95 - 120 range depending on the actual exam difficulty across slots.