The CAT 2025 exam pattern is expected to be the same as last year. No change is expected, as a minor change was already brought about in CAT 2025 (an increase in the number of DILR questions from 20 to 22). Thus, the CAT exam pattern for 2025 is expected to be:

• VARC: 24 questions, 40 minutes
• DILR: 22 questions, 40 minutes
• QA: 22 questions, 40 minutes  

Every question will carry 3 marks, and there will be a negative marking of -1 for incorrect attempts.

Yes, CMAT is much easier that CAT exam. Despite the fact that CMAT and CAT syllabus are same and that CMAT has two more sections than CAT the former is much easier than the latter. The CAT exam is usually of moderate to high difficulty level, whereas the CMAT exam is of easy to moderate difficulty level.

There are key differences between CMAT and CAT which make the former easier. There is no sectional time limit in CMAT so candidates do not face the pressure of completing a given section within certain time limit. In CAT there are 4-5 Reading Comprehension passages which are 500-600 words, and 12-14 question.

In CMAT there is usually, only one Reading Comprehension passage, having 4 questions. The Quantitative Aptitude questions of CMAT are also easier than CAT and so are Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation questions. It is easier to score high percentile in CMAT as the number of applicants is more than one Lacs less in CAT.

CAT is the common entrance test for a range of post management courses offered by the Indian Institute of Management. The CAT score is accepted for admission to PGP, MBA, Executive MBA, Ph.D. and FPM courses.

Here is the list of courses offered by every IIM.

• IIM Ahmedabad: PGP, PGP-FABM, ePGD-ABA (post Graduate Diploma in Advanced Business Analytics), PhD
• IIM Amritsar: MBA, MBA-Business Analytics, MBA-HRM, EMBA, PhD
• IIM Bangalore: PGP, PGPEM, PGPBA, PhD
• IIM Bodh Gaya: PGP, Ph.D. (FPM)
• IIM Calcutta: MBA, PhD
• IIM Indore: PGP, PGP-HRM, MSDSM (Master of Science in Data Science and Management), FPM
• IIM Jammu: MBA, MBA (Hospital Administration & Healthcare Management, Executive MBA (Blended Mode), Ph.D. (Full-Time Mode), Ph.D. (Part-Time Mode)
• IIM Kashipur: MBA, MBA (Analytics), EMBA, EMBAA (Executive Master of Business Administration Analytics), PhD
• IIM Kozhikode: PGP, PGP-BL, PGP-F, PGP-LSM, EPGP Kochi, PhD
• IIM Lucknow: PGP, PGP-ABM, PGP-some, PGPWE, PhD
• IIM Nagpur: MBA, MBA (Executive), Ph.D. (Executive)
• IIM Raipur: PGP, FPM/PhD, EFPM
• IIM Ranchi: PGP, PGP-HRM, PGP (Business Analytics), Ph.D. EPhD
• IIM Rohtak: PGP, EPGDSM, PhD
• IIM Sambalpur: MBA, Executive MBA, Ph.D. Executive PhD
• IIM Shillong: PGP, PGPEX, MBA (WE), Ph.D. PhDWP
• IIM Sirmaur: MBA, MBA (T&HM), ExMBA (Digital Transformation & Analytics), PhD
• IIM Tiruchirappalli: PGPM & PGPM-HR, DPM, E-DPM
• IIM Udaipur: MBA, MBA-DEM, MBA-GSCM, PGDBAWE, PhD
• IIM Visakhapatnam: PGP, PGPEx, PGPDGM, Ph.D.

The CAT (Common Admission Test) is a highly competitive entrance exam for admission to various management programs offered by top business schools in India. The percentile score in CAT exam is based on the relative performance of the test taker compared to all the other test takers.

The cutoff percentile for admission to top business schools varies from year to year and also depends on factors such as the number of candidates, difficulty level of the exam, and the number of available seats. In general, a percentile score of 90 or above is considered a good score and can help you secure admission to some of the top business schools in India. However, to increase your chances of admission to the top-tier business schools, a percentile score of 95 or above is preferred. For IIMs, one needs to definitely have CAT percentile in the range of 97 to 99+ percentile. 

CAT is a speed based test which is designed to assess a candidate's analytical aptitude, logical reasoning skills, data interpretation and English comprehension. Now, it may sound tough, but these are the skills which we are taught in school so there is nothing new to learn. What is required is to learn these subjects at advanced level. If you are an average student but have studied Science or commerce in Class-12 and graduation, you will find a lot of familiar topics in Data Interpretation, Quantitative Aptitude and Logical Reasoning. All you will need is brush up the basics and practice the concepts on advance level problems.

However, since the competition is so high in CAT and less than 95 percentile can break your dream of joining a top college like IIM, the preparation for CAT requires a lot of focus, dedication, discipline and diligence. If you can do that, despite being an average student, you can crack the CAT exam.

MAT exam is conducted for admission to MBA and PGDM or PGP programmes offered by over 800 B-Schools in India. The exam is conducted multiple times in four phases - February, May, September and December. It is conducted by the All India Management Association (AIMA). Candidates can appear for the MAT exam in any session any number of times. The score of the latest attempt will be taken into consideration for MBA Admission. 

There are three modes to MAT. Computer Based Test (CBT), Paper Based Test (PBT) and Internet Based Test (IBT). In every exam phase, MAT CBT and PBT are conducted once, and IBT is conducted 3-5 times.  

Yes, the NMAT is easier than the CAT exam. This is due to the following reasons:

1. There is no negative marking in the NMAT unlike one-third negative marking for wrong answers in the CAT.
2. You can do guess marking in a last-minute rush and get three marks even if only one choice is right.
3. NMAT allows you to schedule the order of sections during the test. This makes it easier to attempt the sections for which you are well prepared.
4. According to the updated pattern, the CAT has only 66 questions, compared to the NMAT's 108 questions, but the level of difficulty is higher.
5. The CAT is a concept-based exam where you need to understand each question, and therefore, you need accuracy as well as speed in this exam.
6. The competition in the NMAT is less than that in the CAT. As most MBA aspirants aim for IIM.

Each section of MAT exam has equal weightage. All the five sections - Language Comprehension, Intelligence and Critical Reasoning, Data Analysis and Data Sufficiency, Mathematical Skills and Indian & Global Environment have 30 questions. Each question carries one mark thus the section wise weightage of marks is 30 per section. There is negative marking of 0.25 in MAT. Since, every section has equal weightage, you need to prepare well for each one of them for a good overall score. Even in the exam, spend a good amount of time on each section and solve a minimum number of questions to meet the sectional cut off. Since, there is no sectional time-limit in MAT exam. Candidates can decide themselves how much time they should spend on which section as one needs to score well in all sections because of equal weightage. Out of 2 hours or 120 minutes, candidates should allot maximum time to the section they find tough or are calculation intensive. It is advisable to attempt the easier sections first and then move to tougher sections.

There are several benefits of appearing in the CMAT exam. It is easier than other exams and accepted by many B-schools. Check below some of the key benefits of CMAT.

• CMAT is conducted at the end of MBA entrance exam season, so MBA aspirants don't have to study much as the previous experience of exams like CAT, XAT, SNAP comes in use.
• CMAT score is accepted by about 1,300 MBA colleges in India which includes top colleges in Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities. 
• CMAT exam is a moderate difficulty level exam so it is easier to score high in CMAT than CAT, XAT, IIFT, GMAT.
• CMAT cut offs for admission to top colleges are not exceptionally high, so you can get a good MBA college with a decent CMAT score.
• There's no 50 per cent aggregate criteria for CMAT application. Candidates with passing marks in graduation can also appear for the exam. 
• CMAT application fee for women and reserved category candidates is only INR 1,000 which is quite less as compared to CAT, XAT, IIFT, SNAP fees.

NMAT exam is conducted by GMAC three times during one MBA admission session. GMAC facilitates the three exam takes within a testing window. The test window for NMAT ranges around 45 days. Once the candidate has a valid score, he/she can compete the retake registration process and schedule any date that is 15 days after the previous attempt.

Candidates can choose to appear for NMAT up to three times on chosen dates within the test window specified by GMAC. Of all the three test scores, best exam score is sent to the NMAT participating colleges, chosen by the applicant while filling the form.

None of the sections of SNAP exam is tough However, if one compares between the three, the Analytical & Logical Reasoning section of SNAP exam is usually tougher than General English and Quantitative Ability, Data Interpretation & Data Sufficiency sections. Unlike other MBA entrance exams, where Quantitative Aptitude and English are tough, in SNAP only reasoning questions are tough.

The SNAP Analytical & Logical Reasoning has more questions than General English and Quantitative Ability sections, and most of the questions are not so easy to understand. It has 25 questions and about 18-19 questions are usually doable. Last year in the SNAP exam, the Quantitative Ability, Data Interpretation & Data Sufficiency section was tougher than the Analytical & Logical Reasoning. So, candidates must prepare for SNAP exam in such a way that they can handle questions from any section irrespective of their difficulty level.