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.
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
- Section-Wise CAT 2025 Question Paper with Solutions PDF
- How to Download CAT Question Paper?
- CAT Question Paper Pattern 2025
- CAT 2025 Slot-Wise Difficulty & Topic Distribution
- CAT 2025 Analysis by Experts
- Previous Year's CAT Question Paper
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:
| CAT 2025 Question Papers | PDF Download |
|---|---|
| CAT 2025 Slot 1 Paper | CAT 2025 Slot 1 Question Paper with Solutions |
| CAT 2025 Slot 2 Paper | CAT 2025 Slot 2 Question Paper with Solutions |
| CAT 2025 Slot 3 Paper | CAT 2025 Slot 3 Question Paper with Solutions |
Also Check:
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:
- "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."
- "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.'"
- "It's easy to see why cavefish would be at a disadvantage if they were to maintain expensive tissues they aren't using."
- "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?
- Some offspring with eyes had white fat.
- Some offspring with eyes had yellow fat.
- Some eyeless offspring had white fat.
- Only eyeless offspring had yellow fat.
Answer: Option 4
Question 3: Which one of the following best explains why the "apparent inefficiency" is "unavoidable"?
- The lack of light in the caves kills the eye cells in the developing Mexican tetra cavefish embryo.
- The inefficiency resulting from eyelessness is compensated by enhancements like more tastebuds in Mexican tetra cavefish.
- Mexican tetra cavefish are similar to non-cave-dwelling variants in their early stages of development.
- The caves have poor and inconsistent availability of food and nutrition for Mexican tetra cavefish.
Answer: Option 4
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
- 3221
- 3180
- 3150
- 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
- 3 : 5
- 5 : 6
- 7 : 8
- 2 : 1
Answer: (A)
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?
- 2017
- 2015
- 2021
- 2016
Answer: Option 2
Question 2: Which of the following statements is TRUE?
- Charu was training under Ustad Samiran in 2018.
- Ananya was training under Ustad Samiran in 2015.
- Ananya was training under Ustad Samiran in 2018.
- Charu was training under Ustad Samiran in 2019.
Answer: Option 4
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:
- Visit CAT exam website, iimcat.ac.in.
- Navigate and access the candidate login by providing credentials, including user ID and password.
- 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:
| Parameter | Exam Specifications |
|---|---|
| CAT 2025 Exam Date | 30-Nov-2025 |
| Which IIM Conducted CAT 2025 Exam? | IIM Kozhikode |
| CAT 2025 slot time | 3 exam slots as mentioned below
|
| Total Questions | 68 Questions (48 MCQs + 20 TITA) |
| CAT Total Marks | 204 |
| Total Marks | 204 Marks (+3 for correct, -1 for wrong MCQs) |
| Sectional Breakdown | VARC (24) DILR (22) QA (22) |
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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:
| Parameter | Slot 1 | Slot 2 | Slot 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Difficulty | Moderate | Moderate to Difficult | Challenging (Toughest) |
| Toughest Section | DILR (Trap sets) | DILR & QA | VARC (Dense passages) |
| Surprises / Outliers | Straightforward VARC options; time-sink Circular Arrangement set in DILR | 11 TITA questions in DILR; calculation-heavy abstract Algebra in QA | Philosophical RC passages (AI Morality & Policy); high-scoring grid-based DILR |
| Expected 99 Percentile Score | ~92 - 95 Marks | ~86 - 89 Marks | ~78 - 82 Marks |
Commonly asked questions
There is no specific number of questions asked on Binary Logic in CAT exam. There can be 1-2 standalone questions in Logical Reasoning section of the exam.
Candidates can expect 1 to 2 questions from Quadratic Equations in the CAT exam. CAT Algebra section has about 7 to 9 questions.
About 2-4 questions can be asked from Mensuration section in CAT. Candidates can must practice this topic extensively.
There is no difference between slot 1, 2 and 3 of CAT exam paper in terms of structure and patten. The sectional break up, marking scheme and time limit are the same in all slots. However, due to unique sets of questions in each slot leads to difference in difficulty levels. There is usually a slight difference in the CAT question papers of different slots. Sometimes, topic wise weightage of the questions also vary. To negate advantage or disadantage to candidates due to difference in difficulty level of slots, CAT scores are normalised for result preparation.
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
⚡ CAT 2026 Exam Guide: Know all about Common Admission Test to get into the best B-Schools
Get a complete overview of CAT exam 2026 to be conducted by IIM Indore on November 29 for nearly 2.9 lakh MBA aspirants.
Commonly asked questions
Difficulty level in CAT exam is not specific to any of the three slots. The difficulty level across slots may vary every year. Know how the CAT scores are normalised: https://www.shiksha.com/mba/articles/understanding-cat-normalization-process-blogId-9386.
CAT question papers are released within a week of the exam in the form of a PDF as a response sheet and answer key. Response sheet hosts CAT exam questions and answers.
CAT has 68 questions. Each question carries three marks. There is negative marking of minus one for incorrect attempts. There is no deduction of marks for unanswered questions. Total marks in 204.
In CAT exam, each candidate gets 120 minutes to solve the paper. There are three sections in CAT Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension, Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning and Quantitative Aptitude. For each section 40 minutes are allotted as sectional time limit. For PwD candidates, the sectional time limit is 53.20 minutes per section. Candidates have to complete each section within the given time limit. Since the CAT is an online mode exam, the test screen will move from first section to the next section automatically as soon as the time limit gets over. Thus candidates have to be mindful of the on-screen timer and pre-decide the number of questions to solve in each section. The Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension section of CAT has 24 questions, Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning section has 22 questions and Quantitative Aptitude section has 22 questions. It is not mandatory to solve all the questions in CAT so candidates can devise a strategy to use 40 minutes per section as per their strength and weakness.
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.
| Download CAT Paper PDF |
Overall Question Paper Difficulty |
Number of Questions vs CAT Duration |
|---|---|---|
| CAT 2024 Question Paper PDF | Moderate | 68 questions that were to be answered within 120 minutes |
| CAT 2023 Question Paper PDF | Moderate to Tough | 66 questions that were to be answered within 120 minutes |
| CAT 2022 Question Paper PDF | Moderate to Tough | |
| CAT 2021 Question Paper PDF | Moderate | |
| CAT 2020 Question Paper PDF | Moderate | 76 questions that were to be answered within 120 minutes |
| CAT 2019 Question Paper PDF | Easy to Moderate | 100 questions that were to be answered in 180 minutes |
| CAT 2018 Question Paper PDF | Easy to Moderate | |
| CAT 2017 Question Paper PDF | Easy to Moderate |
Read More:
Commonly asked questions
In CAT 2025, the following changes were seen:
- The fee amount increased from INR 2,500 to INR 2,600 for General category candidates and from INR 1,250 to INR 1300 for Reserved category candidates.
- In DILR section, number of questions increased from 20 to 22.
- Total marks of CAT DILR section increased from 60 to 66.
- Total marks of CAT exam increased from 198 to 204.
- Candidates can select five cities instead of six.
Candidates should practice CAT mock test during the day. Once, CAT admit card is released, they should practice CAT mocks at the same time as their exam slot. This will help them align their mind and body to 2 hours of rigorous test so that they can utilize their time in the CAT exam well. For example, CAT exam starts are early as 8:30 am. So, those who are not used to studying early morning will face difficulty in performing optimally if they get morning slot.
Profit and Loss is one the main topics of CAT Arithmetic, which dominates the question paper every year. About 2-4 questions are asked from Profit and Loss every slot of CAT exam.
There are no direct Fill in the Blanks-based questions in CAT exam. Candidates must however practice FIB questions to improve word usage in sentence.

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Student Forum
Answered 4 days ago
Yes, NISM offers scholarship on not just CAT percentile score but also on XAT, CMAT & MAT entrance scores. Currently they offer 50% scholarship on 1st year tuition fees if you score more than 75 percentile on CAT/XAT. For CMAT & MAT, the percentile score should be above 80 percentile. These may chan
D
Beginner-Level 1
Answered 5 days ago
Dedicate one focused hour in the morning to QA formulas or an RC passage, one hour in the evening to DILR sets, and reserve weekends for full-length mocks and thorough review.
L
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 5 days ago
It is not too late, provided you adjust your scope. Focus directly on core topics, start taking sectional tests immediately, and spend time learning through mock test analysis.
R
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 5 days ago
Focus on formula sheets, mental math tables, grammar pointers, and your accumulated test error log. Avoid attempting full-length tests during the final three days before the exam.
N
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 5 days ago
Enrolling in a classroom programme is rarely practical with two months left. However, a dedicated mock test series or a targeted crash course for specific weak subjects can provide structured practice material.
D
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 5 days ago
A beginner can build a respectable attempt by focusing strictly on high-yield areas such as Arithmetic, Algebra, core DI arrangements, and Reading Comprehension, rather than attempting the entire syllabus.
R
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 5 days ago
Taking 12 to 18 full-length mocks across the 60-day window is generally sufficient. Candidates must scatter these mocks into phases and dedicate at least three to four hours to analysing each test.
B
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 5 days ago
Yes, 60 days is adequate if you have a basic understanding of mathematics and reading skills. It provides sufficient time to revise concepts, complete timed sectional practice, and take 12 to 15 full mocks.
S
Contributor-Level 7
Answered a week ago
IIM Indore will release CAT admit card 2026 on November 4. Candidates will be able to download the admit card of CAT exam 2026 until the exam date, i.e. November 29.
R
Contributor-Level 7
Abhishek Dhawan is a content writer and editor with 7+ years of experience in education journalism. He holds a BA degree from the University of Delhi. At Shiksha, Abhishek primarily covers MBA and BBA entrance
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