CAT 2025 Question Paper PDF with Solutions (Slot 1, 2 & 3); Free Download

CAT 2025 question paper PDF was released officially with the issuance of response sheet and provisional answer keys. Candidates preparing for upcoming session of CAT can use CAT 2025 papers for slot 1, 2, and 3 available here.

Download CAT 2025 Papers with Answers for Slot 1, 2, and 3

CAT 2025 question paper PDF is available now. Candidates find the CAT syllabus weightage using the previous year's question papers. CAT response sheet hosts all questions, answer options, and correct answer as per the provisional answer key. Candidates preparing for CAT 2026 exam can access the CAT 2025 question paper pdfs to know the difficulty level, exam structure, and important topics. CAT 2025 question paper PDF has exact questions that appeared in the Common Admission Test (CAT) 2025, along with answer key, and detailed solution. Download CAT 2025 slot 1, 2, and 3 question papers.

Download CAT 2025 Question Paper PDF with Answers

CAT question papers have a mix of MCQs and TITA questions. Candidates must use the previous year's CAT question papers to practice as many questions as possible. As per the CAT 2025 exam analysis, candidates found the exam to be moderately difficult. Download slot 1, 2 and 3 PDFs for CAT paper 2025 from the table below:

Also Check:

• CAT Answer Key
• CAT Score vs Percentile
• CAT Cutoffs: Expected and Previous
• Understanding CAT Normalisation Process

Section-Wise CAT 2025 Question Paper with Solutions PDF

CAT exam has a total of three sections, namely VARC, DILR, and Quant. Although candidates can find slot wise CAT 2025 question paper PDFs in the table above, the section wise CAT 2025 question papers is mentioned below:

CAT 2025 VARC Questions with Solutions

Find CAT 2025 questions with answers below. For detailed solutions for CAT VARC question paper 2025, access the links after these questions below:

DIRECTIONS for questions 1, 2 & 3: The passage below is accompanied by a set of questions. Choose the best answer to each question.

Question 1: All of the following statements from the passage describe adaptation in Mexican tetra cavefish EXCEPT:

1. "Since relatively little lives or grows in their caves, the fish are likely surviving on a meager diet of mostly bat feces and organic waste that washes in during the rainy season."
2. "But when these cells get too big, they can burst, which is why we often see chronic inflammation in humans and other animals that have stored a lot of fat in their tissues.'"
3. "It's easy to see why cavefish would be at a disadvantage if they were to maintain expensive tissues they aren't using."
4. "Even in their sparse cave conditions, wild cavefish can sometimes get very fat, says Riddle."

Answer: Option 2

Question 2: Which one of the following results for the cross between surface fish (with eyes) and cavefish (without eyes) would invalidate Riddle's inference from the experiment?

1. Some offspring with eyes had white fat.
2. Some offspring with eyes had yellow fat.
3. Some eyeless offspring had white fat.
4. Only eyeless offspring had yellow fat.

Answer: Option 4

Question 3: Which one of the following best explains why the "apparent inefficiency" is "unavoidable"?

1. The lack of light in the caves kills the eye cells in the developing Mexican tetra cavefish embryo.
2. The inefficiency resulting from eyelessness is compensated by enhancements like more tastebuds in Mexican tetra cavefish.
3. Mexican tetra cavefish are similar to non-cave-dwelling variants in their early stages of development.
4. The caves have poor and inconsistent availability of food and nutrition for Mexican tetra cavefish.

Answer: Option 4

Download CAT 2025 VARC Question Paper with Solutions PDF

CAT 2025 Quant Questions with Solutions

Find CAT 2025 questions with answers below. For detailed solutions for CAT Quant question paper 2025, access the links after these questions below:

Question 1: At a certain simple rate of interest, a given sum amounts to Rs. 13920 in 3 years, and to Rs 18960 in 6 years and 6 months. If the same given sum had been invested for 2 years at the same rate as before but with interest compounded every 6 months, then the total interest earned, in rupees, would have been nearest to

1. 3221
2. 3180
3. 3150
4. 3096

Answer: (A)

Question 2: The ratio of expenditures of Lakshmi and Meenakshi is 2 : 3, and the ratio of income of Lakshmi to expenditure of Meenakshi is 6 : 7. If Lakshmi and Meenakshi save excess of income over expenditure, and the ratio of their savings is 4 : 9, then the ratio of their incomes is

1. 3 : 5
2. 5 : 6
3. 7 : 8
4. 2 : 1

Answer: (A)

Download CAT 2025 Quant Question Paper with Solutions PDF

CAT 2025 DILR Questions with Solutions

Find CAT 2025 questions with answers below. For detailed solutions for CAT DILR question paper 2025, access the links after these questions below:

Question 1: In which year did Charu begin her training under Pandit Meghnath?

1. 2017
2. 2015
3. 2021
4. 2016

Answer: Option 2

Question 2: Which of the following statements is TRUE?

1. Charu was training under Ustad Samiran in 2018.
2. Ananya was training under Ustad Samiran in 2015.
3. Ananya was training under Ustad Samiran in 2018.
4. Charu was training under Ustad Samiran in 2019.

Answer: Option 4

Download CAT 2025 DILR Question Paper with Solutions PDF

How to Download CAT Question Paper?

Conducting IIMs do not release CAT question paper. Candidates who appear for the CAT exam are able to download their response sheet which indicates the questions along with the provisional answers. Once IIM releases the response sheet, candidates can follow the steps below to download CAT question paper:

1. Visit CAT exam website, iimcat.ac.in.
2. Navigate and access the candidate login by providing credentials, including user ID and password.
3. Save the file for CAT question paper with answers.

Candidates looking for the steps to download CAT 2025 question paper can access the PDF files in the table above.

CAT Question Paper Pattern 2025

The table below indicates the CAT question paper pattern 2025:

CAT 2025 Slot-Wise Difficulty & Topic Distribution

CAT 2025 exam was moderate in terms of difficulty level. Candidates can check slot wise CAT 2025 question paper analysis for VARC, DILR, and QA below:

CAT 2025 Slot 1 Analysis

Overall Difficulty: Moderate (Comparable to CAT 2023, easier, if compared with CAT 2024). Check section wise CAT 2025 Slot 1 exam analysis below:

1. VARC (Slot 1)

• Difficulty Level: Easy to Moderate

• RC Passage Themes (16 Questions):

  • Income Inequality & Growth Economics (4 Questions)

  • The Evolution and Aesthetics of Electronic Music (4 Questions)

  • Systemic Complexity and Pandemic Responses (4 Questions)

  • Evolutionary Psychology & Mental Health (4 Questions)

• Verbal Ability Breakdown (8 Questions): Para Summary (2), Para Completion (2), Paragraph Jumbles (2), and Odd One Out (2).

• Expert Take: The RC passages appeared dense at first glance, but the option choices were highly distinct, allowing for straightforward elimination.

2. DILR (Slot 1)

• Difficulty Level: Moderate to Difficult

• Set Configurations (22 Questions | Mix of 4-and-5-question sets):

  • Set 1 (5 Qs): LR-Based Ticketing and Revenue Distribution (Moderate)

  • Set 2 (4 Qs): Circular Arrangement with variable conditions (Difficult)

  • Set 3 (4 Qs): Radar Graph on Import-Export Data (Easy-DI)

  • Set 4 (4 Qs): Quant-Based Puzzle involving Taps/Flow (Moderate-Difficult)

  • Set 5 (5 Qs): Analytical Reasoning based Employee Matrix (Moderate)

• Expert Take: Crackable if you avoided the Circular Arrangement time-sink. Securing 2 complete sets (~8-9 questions) with high accuracy was the 99th percentile differentiator.

3. Quantitative Ability (Slot 1)

• Difficulty Level: Moderate (Trap-heavy but manageable)

• Topic-Wise Distribution:

  • Arithmetic (8 Questions): Dominant force; focused on Time-Speed-Distance, SICI, and Mixtures.

  • Algebra (6 Questions): Linear Equations, Logarithms, and Modulus Inequalities.

  • Number System (3 Questions): Highly focused on factors and digit properties.

  • Geometry & Modern Math (5 Questions): Standard coordinate geometry and basic progressions.

CAT 2025 Slot 2 Analysis

Overall Difficulty: Moderate to Difficult (slightly tougher than Slot 1). Check section wise CAT Slot 2 exam analysis 2025 below:

1. VARC (Slot 2)

• Difficulty Level: Moderate

• RC Passage Themes (16 Questions):

  • Biological Adaptation: How Tetrafish Evolved in Caves

  • Data Biases and Ethics in Artificial Intelligence Systems

  • The Architectural Concept of "Place" in Modern Literature

  • The Friction Between Empirical Science and Tribal Culture

• Verbal Ability Breakdown (8 Questions): Followed the strict standard split (2 Summary, 2 Completion, 2 Jumbles, 2 Odd Sentence).

• Expert Take: The AI and Tetrafish passages were highly accessible. The literature passage was abstract, featuring long, tricky question stems that required multiple readings.

2. DILR (Slot 2)

• Difficulty Level: Difficult

• Set Configurations (22 Questions | Noteworthy 11 TITA Questions):

  • Set 1 (5 Qs): Pollution Index Calculation via Weighted Averages (Medium-DI)

  • Set 2 (4 Qs): Double Bar Graph analyzing Authors and Books (Easy-DI)

  • Set 3 (4 Qs): Scatter Plot Tracking Index Calculations across 3 Years (Difficult-DI)

  • Set 4 (4 Qs): Numerical Logical Ranking with 6 balls and 4 holes (Easy-LR)

  • Set 5 (5 Qs): Grid Puzzle based on Musicians and Instruments (Difficult-LR)

• Expert Take: A massive deviation occurred here—exactly half the section consisted of non-MCQ (TITA) questions, with one entire set strictly requiring typed entries. Choosing the Bar Graph and Ball-Hole Ranking sets was crucial for a competitive score.

3. Quantitative Ability (Slot 2)

• Difficulty Level: Difficult

• Topic-Wise Distribution:

  • Arithmetic (8 Questions): Relied heavily on complex weighted averages and successive replacement rules.

  • Algebra (5 Questions): Highly abstract quadratic formations and Logarithmic inequalities.

  • Modern Math (4 Questions): Marked increase in Progressions, Permutations, and Functions.

  • Geometry & Numbers (5 Questions): Focused on properties of regular hexagons and divisor counts.

CAT 2025 Slot 3 Analysis

Overall Difficulty: Challenging (Toughest among all three slots). Check section wise CAT Slot 3 exam analysis 2025 below:

1. VARC (Slot 3)

• Difficulty Level: Challenging / Hard

• RC Passage Themes (16 Questions):

  • Autonomous Decision-Making and Moral Agency in AI & Robotics

  • Art, Representation, and Tribalism in Historical Contexts

  • The Forest Rights Act and Ecological Policy Shifts Since Independence

  • The Direct Impact of River Dams on Local Riparian Ecology

• Verbal Ability Breakdown (8 Questions): Maintained the uniform pattern, though Paragraph Completion questions featured highly technical terminology.

• Expert Take: The toughest Verbal section of CAT 2025. The passages on AI Morality and the Forest Rights Act required deep contextual comprehension, with extremely close options that penalized hasty readers.

2. DILR (Slot 3)

• Difficulty Level: Moderate

• Set Configurations (22 Questions):

  • Featured highly structured, grid-based logical arrangements and clean matrix structures. Unlike the afternoon slot, the data sets were less computation-heavy and heavily rewarded systematic deduction and process of elimination.

• Expert Take: This slot offered minor relief compared to the brutal DILR sections of Slots 1 and 2. Candidates who accurately mapped out their grid systems easily cleared 2.5 sets.

3. Quantitative Ability (Slot 3)

• Difficulty Level: Moderate to Difficult

• Topic-Wise Distribution:

  • Arithmetic (9 Questions): Dominated by time, work, and distance variations, including multi-variable time constraints.

  • Algebra (4 Questions): Heavy use of higher-order roots, log properties, and simultaneous linear equations.

  • Geometry (3 Questions): Purely application-based theorems involving inscribed circles inside trapeziums and isosceles triangle altitudes.

  • Modern Math & Numbers (6 Questions): Standard arithmetic progressions and geometric progressions.

CAT 2025 Analysis by Experts

Several coaching institutes like CATKing, Career Launcher, TIME, and IMS share CAT exam analysis soon after the exam. Check CAT exam analysis by experts here:

• CAT 2025 Analysis by CATKing
• CAT 2025 Analysis by Career Launcher
• CAT 2025 Analysis by IMS
• CAT 2025 Analysis by TIME

Difference b/w CAT Question Paper, Response Sheet & Answer Key

Conducting IIM for CAT does not release question papers. Candidates find the entire question paper when they check the CAT response sheet. The conducting IIM releases CAT answer keys, as well as response sheet. CAT response sheet . indicates the questions that appeared on the exam day, answer options, the answer option marked by the candidate, and the correct answer option. Candidates can threfore treat the CAT response sheet as answer key as well as the question paper.

Previous Year's CAT Question Paper

Candidates preparing for the upcoming exam can use CAT question paper PDFs to analyse difficulty standards, important topics and more.

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