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The CAT (Common Admission Test) is known to be a national – level entrance exam which is conducted by the Indian Institute of Management (IIMs) Kozhikode. This exam is a gateway for those candidates who are willing to take admission in PG programs in the field of Management (MBA). All those aspirants willing to pursue MBA program are required to sit for CAT exam as it is one of the most prestigious and competitive exam. Not only IIMs but also other leading Business schools in India also considers CAT scores during admission process. Each year, thousands of candidates register themselves for this exam.
As the CAT is conducted by the Indian Institute of Management (IIMs), the aim of this exam is to assess the candidates’ aptitude for business and management education. The CAT exam is divided into three parts – Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Ability (QA). The exam duration is of 2 hours (120 minutes) with 40 minutes allotted to each section. The question pattern consists of both multiple-choice questions as well as non-multiple choice based questions with a total of 68 questions.
CAT 2025 is organized and conducted by one of the IIMs. The Indian Institute of Management has yet to release the notification for the Common Admission Test or CAT 2025 in July 2025. This national-level exam will be held on November 2025, in two sessions. The application process is scheduled to begin in August and closes in September 2025.
MAIN FEATURES OF THIS ARTICLE AT A GLANCE:
Attributes
Details
Tentative date of CAT 2025
30th November 2025
No.of Sessions of CAT 2025 and duration.
3 Sessions (Morning, Afternoon, and evening) on the same day with a duration of 2 hours each (40 minutes/section)
No.of sections and questions and duration for each section.
3 Sections (1) VARC-24 Questions, (2) DILR-20 questions, (3) Quant-22 questions at 40 minutes per section.
Institute authorized for conducting CAT 2025
Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Bangalore. (to be confirmed)
Mode of CAT 2025
Computer Based Test (CBT)
CAT 2025 Exam fees
Rs.2,300/-
CAT 2025 Eligibility
Graduates with 50% marks and no age limit.
The pattern of CAT 2025
Total 66 questions divided amongst 3 Sections
Colleges accepting CAT 2025 scores for admission in the 2025 academic year
IIMs=20, FMS, MDI, SPJIMR, IITs, IMI, IMT& 500 other MBA colleges all over India.
Process of applications for CAT 2025
On-line mode only
Official Website of CAT 2025
iimcat.ac.in
Event
Dates
Notification Release
25th July 2025
Registration Start
2nd August 2025
Registration End
21st September 2025
Application Correction Window
September 2025
Admit Card Release
20th November 2025
CAT 2025 Exam Date
Answer Key Release
December 2025
Result Declaration
Category
Fees in Rs
General/NC-OBC
Rs. 2300 /-
SC/ST/PwD
Rs. 1200 /-
Registration Fee: Non-Refundable
Registration Fee can be paid through Credit/Debit Card/Net Banking/Cash Card & Wallet.
The CAT 2025 application should be submitted online only. Offline applications are not accepted for CAT Examination. For Online submission, visit the official website of CAT 2025.
1) Visit CAT 2025 official website iimcat.ac.in. In "New Candidate Registration" click on "Register as New User".
2) Generate username and password by entering details like Name, DOB, Email ID, Mobile Number etc.
3) Fill in the required fields carefully as the details on this form cannot be changed once submitted.
4) Verify email id and mobile number to receive login password.
5) The candidate will also receive the login Password as an SMS on the registered mobile number.
Requirements:
Online Mode:
After a few days of last date of submission of applications, a correction window shall be opened by the Authorities concerned. Candidates will be afforded an opportunity to carry out corrections if any with respect to data entered erroneously. However, this facility is only for select data and only successfully registered candidates through CAT 2025 registration process.
i) The percentage would be calculated as per their respective University/Institution.
ii) In the case of grades / CGPA, the conversion of marks would be based on the procedure of the respective University/ institution.
iii) The equivalence will be taken by dividing the candidate’s CGPA by the maximum possible CGPA, and multiplying the result with 100 if there is no conversion.
As per the legal requirements, 15% of the seats are reserved for Scheduled Caste (SC) and 7.5% for Scheduled Tribe (ST) candidates. 27% of seats are reserved for Other Backward Classes candidates belonging to the “non-creamy” layer (NC-OBC), 3% seats are reserved for Persons with Disability (PwD) candidates.
Section
Number of Questions
Marks
Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC)
24
72
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR)
22
66
Quantitative Ability (QA)
The CAT 2025 syllabus in general, covers three main sections. Following is the list of the main topics which are usually covered by the exam authorities when conducting CAT exam.
Syllabus:
Key Topics
Reading comprehension passages, para jumbles, para summary, para completion, odd sentence out, vocabulary (synonyms/antonyms), grammar, fill in the blanks, cloze passage, verbal reasoning, sentence correction, analogies, facts-inferences-judgements, summary questions, jumbled paragraphs.
Data interpretation (bar graphs, tables, line graphs, pie charts, scatter plots, venn diagrams, radar charts, Gantt charts), arrangements (linear, circular, rectangular), puzzles, grids, routes and networks, scheduling and allocation, games and tournaments, set theory, word/math puzzles, coding-decoding, blood relations, syllogisms, direction sense, input-output, data sufficiency.
Arithmetic (averages, ratio, percentages, profit & loss, time & work, time & distance), algebra (linear/quadratic equations, inequalities, polynomials, binomial theorem), number systems (divisibility, LCM/HCF, remainders, factorials, base systems, surds and indices, logarithms), geometry (2D & 3D, coordinate geometry, mensuration), modern math (permutations & combinations, probability, set theory, progressions).
CAT 2025 Syllabus
Exam Pattern:
Time Limit
VARC
40 minutes
DILR
QA
Total
120 minutes
CAT 2025 Selection Process:
Name of the State/ Union Territory
Names of the Cities
Andhra Pradesh
Chittoor
Kurnool,
Nellore,
Tirupati,
Vijayawada,
Visakhapatnam
Andaman & Nicobar
Port Blair
Arunachal Pradesh
Itanagar
Assam
Guwahati
Silchar
Dibrugarh
Bihar
Aurangabad
Gaya
Muzaffarpur
Patna
Purnea
Chandigarh
Chattisgarh
Bhilai
Raipur
Delhi
New Delhi
Goa
Madagaon
Verna
Gujarat
Ahmedabad
Gandhinagar
Rajkot
Surat
Vadodara
Anand
Haryana
Ambala
Bahadurgarh
Faridabad
Gurgaon
Palwal
Rohtak
Panipat
Sonipat
Himachal Pradesh
Solan
Shimla
Jammu & Kashmir
Jammu
Srinagar
Jharkhand
Dhanbad
Jamshedpur
Ranchi
Karnataka
Bengaluru
Belgaum
Bidar
Mangalore
Mysore
Shimoga
Udipi
Ramanagara
Davanagere
Chikballapur
Mandya
Kolar
Hassan
Tumkur
Kerala
Kochi
Kasaragod
Kozhikode
Malappuram
Thrissur
Thiruvananthapuram
Madhya Pradesh
Bhopal
Gwalior
Indore
Jabalpur
Sagar
Maharashtra
Ahmednagar
Amravati
Jalgaon
Kolhapur
Mumbai
Nagpur
Nashik
Navi Mumbai
Pune
Solapur
Nanded
Ratnagiri
Satara
Thane
Meghalaya
Shillong
Odisha
Bhubaneswar
Cuttack
Sambalpur
Berhampur
Balasore
Rourkela
Puducherry
Punjab
Fatehgarh Sahib
Jalandhar
Ludhiana
Mohali
Patiala
Ropar
Sangrur
Phagwara
Rajasthan
Jaipur
Jodhpur
Kota
Udaipur
Sikar
Alwar
Ajmer
Tamil Nadu
Chennai
Coimbatore
Madurai
Namakkal
Tiruchirappalli
Tirunelveli
Thanjavur
Telangana
Hyderabad
Karimnagar
Khammam
Uttar Pradesh
Agra
Allahabad
Ghaziabad
Gorakhpur
Greater Noida
Kanpur
Lucknow
Meerut
Varanasi
Mathura
Bareilly
Prayagraj
Uttarakhand
Dehradun
Roorkee
West Bengal
Durgapur
Hooghly
Howrah
Kolkata
Kalyani
Siliguri
Burdwan
Asansol
CAT 2025 authorities will announce results in online mode only. Candidates are required to check their results on the official website iimcat.ac.in Following are the steps involved in downloading CAT 2025 results by the candidates:
After taking into consideration various parameters and weights they carry for each parameter, a final composite score of a candidate will be calculated. The following table depicts the same.
CAT 2025 PARAMETERS
WEIGHTAGE
CAT 2025 SCORE
25
WRITTEN APTITUDE TEST(WAT)
10
PERSONAL INTERVIEW (PI)
30
10th Standard Marks
12th Standard Marks
05
Graduation
Work Experience
TOTAL
100
The process of admission in 9 (nine) new IIMs is common and the responsibility of conducting CAP shall be taken by one of these 9 IIMs in rotation every year. Following is the list of new IIMs that participate in the Common Admission Process (CAP):
Participating IIMs in CAP shall forward a list of candidates shortlisted for WAT/PI to the concerned IIM conducting CAP for the particular year. Qualifying CAT cut-off, admission parameters and weightage are common to all CAP participating IIMs. After the WAT/PI, final marks/scores obtained by the candidates shall be shared with all the CAP participating IIMs. These 9 new IIMs based on the final marks/scores received by them declare their own merit list of candidates selected for admission and forward allocation/admission letters to the successful candidates by the respective IIMs. The final list can also be accessed by the successful candidates through the respective website of the IIM concerned.
6.Any candidate pursuing any unfair means in the exam hall will be dealt with as per the rules and regulations of the test centre
CAT 2025 slated to be conducted on 27.11.2025 is one of the toughest and biggest MBA Entrance examinations conducted at the National level in India. As per statistics of last year, more than 2 (two) lakh aspiring candidates appeared for CAT 2025 and this year the number is likely to increase, keeping in view of highest demand for admissions to MBA in top MBA Institutes in prestigious IIMs etc. in India.
Before we discuss on the tips for aspiring candidates, it is necessary to recapitulate various attributes of CAT 2025 with respect to pattern of examination. In the first step, candidates are required to thoroughly understand the pattern of examination, before they plan their strategy or approach.
CAT 2025 comprises of 3 (three) sections viz., VARL, DILR & QA.
Second Phase (Admission Phase) comprises of WAT/GD/PI conducted by the respective B Schools
A quick look at the scores/marks and weightages being awarded to candidates as mentioned in the previous paragraphs, it can be observed that maximum marks are allocated to CAT 2025 examination (25) and Personal Interview/GD (30). This gives a clue to candidates that they should focus maximum on these Papers/facets of CAT 2025. Out of 100, remaining marks are allocated to WAT (10), 10th Class marks (10), 12th Marks (05), graduation marks (10) and work experience (10). So, equal importance to be given to the remaining Papers/facets to crack CAT 2025 to achieve highest sectional cut off.
Another important facet of CAT 2025 is non-MCQs (TITA questions). It is expected that with the syllabus mentioned in the foregoing paragraphs, candidates will have an idea how to prepare for MCQs. But more attention is required on TITA (Type within the Answer) Questions.
With the CAT 2025 approaching, it is time for the candidates to focus on ways and means to maximize score and enhancement of time management skills by building a strategy for a planned preparation. While QA (Quantitative Ability) is calculation-specific and the strategy should be to develop speed in calculations, VARC (Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension) requires reading the passages quickly and to catch the key points in the given passage to answer correctly within the timeframe.
A decent score in the DILR (Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning) Section increases overall percentile and the individual Sectional cut off. To crack this section, it is essential to develop good comprehension skills by solving previous years Question papers of CAT. Candidates must carefully work out logical conditions to arrive at a missing detail or numbers, which will eventually direct them to the right answer.
As already mentioned in the previous paragraphs, for TITA (Non-Multiple Choice of Questions) questions, candidates are required to type the answers directly on the keyboard with no choices being provided, leaving no room for guess work. On the other hand, due to absence of negative marking, candidates might spend more time on these questions, which might eventually waste their precious time.
The concept of TITA questions was introduced primarily to assess the comprehension and writing abilities of candidates within the given time. Following are few tips for cracking TITA (Type in the Answer) Non-MCQs in CAT 2025:
Candidates who clear CAT 2025 are required to gear up themselves to face the second challenge under Phase II i.e., WAT/GD/PI.
In the recent years, majority of B Schools and IIMs have dispensed with/replaced the Group Discussion and are basing on Written Ability Test. Hence WAT has assumed much importance for the candidates to fare well. This is the first round of second phase. In this round of WAT, candidates are required to write essays on the given topic within the prescribed time.
This round is aimed to test the writing skills, logical thinking on the topic, positive or negative views of the candidate. Hence, candidates are required to prepare the essay portraying the candidate’s logical thinking on the topic by depicting them point-wise so that the Evaluator is impressed with the presentation of the essay. Candidates to note that they should never deviate from the subject matter and avoid exaggerations. Thoughts of the candidates must be practicable as far as possible.
Group Discussion round is aimed to test the knowledge base, analytical and communicating skills. About 8 to 10 candidates will be asked to sit in a room and the Examiner provides them with a topic or an issue to discuss and suggest solutions. During discussions in GD, several positive and negative opinions emerge on the given topic. Many a times, candidates with fluency in English and good communicating skills dominate the group leading the other group members. To achieve success in this round, candidates must articulate themselves with a positive approach and convincing capacity with full knowledge on the subject. Candidates must present their firm view point without mincing words. Such an attitude will be developed, if the candidate attends mock GDs and constant reading of Newspapers and other General Knowledge/Awareness books. Communicating skills are more important to crack Group Discussion.
Personal Interview will be the last and most important phase before admission is offered to candidates. Almost all the MBA Colleges/Institutes, including IIMs/SLRI, FMS, SPJIMR, MDI conduct PI before offering admission to successful candidates.
Personal Interview is aimed to test the verbal communication skills, presence of mind of the candidate. Interviewers test the views and knowledge of the candidates and their presence of mind through various questions. Following are major topics based on which questions are normally asked in the Personal Interviews.
Candidates must prepare themselves based on the above main topics and attend mock interviews with friends or faculties or seniors and get rid of nervousness and understand various pre-requisites of a Personal Interview for achieving success.
The biggest task before the candidates is to target his/her efforts to enhance thinking capacity, speed of learning and power to retain whatever learnt to unravel their potential for the best possible results in solving the Sectional questions in CAT 2025.
So, hard work, strong academic background, sincere efforts with planned preparation is paramount importance to secure highest marks in CAT 2025. Following few tips may help candidates to prepare well and enhance the chances of success in the impending CAT 2025.