How to Prepare for CAT 2025 in 6 Months: Tips and Tricks
Common Admission Test 2025 ( CAT )
Admit Card - 5 Nov '25 - 30 Nov '25
CAT 2025 preparation can be done in 6 months. CAT exam date 2025 is November 30 so this is the time to implement the 6-month plan. Those who have not appeared for the CAT exam before must ensure that the six-month preparation plan for CAT 2025 must include monthly, weekly and daily plan to syllabus end-to-end. Do keep in mind your strengths and weaknesses while making the six-month CAT preparation plan because you have limited time.
CAT exam 2025 preparation in six months is possible with a plan that includes strengthening foundation, regular practice and performance analysis. If you have appeared for CAT before, start from where you think you need improvement. If you are appearing for the CAT for the first time, get hold of the syllabus, look at the topics, make a list of what you know and what you don't and then start with basics. There are a lot of books and resources available online. Choose the best CAT study material. One can opt for student forums also for fruitful guidance and support.
CAT 2025 exam date is November 30, 2025 so one should start with their six month preparation plan NOW. The six-month strategy for CAT exam must include a monthly plan, a weekly plan and a daily plan. Do keep in mind your strength and weaknesses vs the CAT syllabus while making the plan. The CAT 2025 exam syllabus includes – Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) and Quantitative Ability (QA). You may find one section more difficult than the other. So you need to start with your weak areas. In this article, we will share some strategy and tips on how to prepare for CAT in 6 months.
Also Read: What is the Best Time to Start CAT 2025 Preparation?
- CAT Exam Pattern and Marking Scheme 2025
- How to Prepare for CAT in 6 Months: Plan for July-August 2025
- How to Prepare for CAT in 6 Months: Plan for September-October 2025
- How to Prepare for CAT in 6 months: Plan for November 2025
- Take CAT Mock Test by Shiksha
- Best Books for CAT 2025 Preparation
CAT Exam Pattern and Marking Scheme 2025
Before making a study plan, understand the CAT syllabus, pattern and marking scheme. The best source to understand these are the CAT question papers. You can check the question papers of CAT 2024, CAT 2023, CAT 2022, CAT 2021 and previous years (click here to download CAT question papers) to know the past years' trends. The CAT question paper tells you five things:
| CAT Exam Highlights | |
|---|---|
| Types of questions | Moderate to difficult |
| Section wise number of questions | VARC - 24 DILR - 22 QA - 22 |
| Topic-wise weightage of questions | Arithmetic, Algebra and Geometry dominate QA RC dominates VARC DI dominates DILR |
| Types of questions | MCQs and non-MCQs |
| Marking scheme (CAT includes negative marking) | 3 for correct attempt, -1 for incorrect attempt |
Once you are familiar with the latest CAT exam pattern and syllabus, make the monthly CAT 2025 preparation plan.
| Download CAT syllabus PDF for topic-wise preparation of the exam |
How to Prepare for CAT in 6 Months: Plan for July-August 2025
Complete the syllabus, understand concepts and fundamentals: If you are a fresher, start with solving Maths of Class 9 and 10. It will help you build the base for Quantitative Aptitude. Dedicate July and August in completing the CAT syllabus, understanding the topics and concepts, decoding formulae, memorizing theorems, etc. Take help from CAT books and study material. You can also download online courses and mobile phone apps to understand concepts and solving questions. Once your fundamentals are clear, start solving questions to understand application of those concepts.
Also Read:
How to Prepare for CAT in 6 Months: Plan for September-October 2025
Mock tests and sample papers: Get on to solving CAT mock tests, sample papers and previous year question papers once you have completed the syllabus. In these two months, rigorously practice mock tests and question papers. But do keep in mind that quantity must not compromise quality, i.e. make sure you not only solve a variety of sample papers (easy, medium, tough). You have to be well prepared for surprise question in the actual CAT exam 2025.
Practicing CAT mock tests will also help you in discovering shortcuts and tricks to solve questions in least time. In this period, you should ideally solve two mock test series and seven topic wise tests per week.
While practicing CAT mock test, what is important, is to keep a check on your performance. Analyse each mock test viz. your accuracy, time taken and assess areas of improvement. Take help from mentors, friends and online study groups to clear your doubt about any question in any mock test. Do not move on to a new test until your doubt has not been cleared.
Also, don’t get demoralized if you score low in mock tests initially. This happens to everyone. The key is to move from point A to point B. Continue the hard work, your performance will improve.
CHECK OUT:
- CAT Preparation: Data Interpretation (DI) solved questions for practice
- CAT Preparation: Data Interpretation (DI) solved questions for practice- Part 2
- CAT Preparation: Logical Reasoning (LR) solved questions for practice
- CAT Preparation: Quantitative Aptitude (QA) solved questions for practice
- CAT Preparation: VARC Solved Questions for practice
CAT Practice Questions - VARC, DILR and Quantitative Aptitude
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How to Prepare for CAT in 6 months: Plan for November 2025
Speed up practice and revision: Solve high difficulty-level mock tests in the final leg of exam preparation. You’ll see your performance improve with each passing day. The last few days are crucial for the hard work of past months to bear fruits. In the last 15 days, dedicate time to revision of concepts and topics. Memorise all the theorems and formulae again. In the last one month, focus more on improving mock scores and revision. However, make sure you don't over do it. If you have reached the desired score in CAT mocks, slow down. Spend more time solving previous years' CAT question papers instead.
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Take CAT Mock Test by Shiksha
Check below Shiksha'a original CAT mock test for practice. The Shiksha CAT mock test is free and can be accessed with a simple click.
| CAT Mock Test 1 | CAT Mock Test 1 Solutions |
| CAT Mock Test 2 | CAT Mock Test 2 Solutions |
Download:
- CAT 2024 Question Paper: Download Free PDF
- CAT 2023 Question Paper: Download Free PDF
- CAT 2022 Question Paper: Download Free PDF
- CAT 2021 Question Paper: Download Free PDF
- CAT 2020 Question Paper: Download Free PDF
- CAT 2019 Question Paper: Download Free PDF
- CAT 2018 Question Paper: Download Free PDF
- CAT 2017 Question Paper: Download Free PDF
Best Books for CAT 2025 Preparation
Selection of the right study material is very crucial for CAT exam preparation. Check the table below for the list of best books for CAT 2025.
| CAT Books |
Name of the Author |
|---|---|
| CAT Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning |
Gautam Puri |
| Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation for the CAT |
Nishit K. Sinha |
| Data Interpretation & Data Sufficiency |
Ananta Ashisha |
| How to Prepare for Data Interpretation for CAT |
Arun Sharma |
| How to Prepare for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for CAT |
Arun Sharma and Meenakshi Upadhyay/Arihant |
| 30 Days to a More Powerful Vocabulary Mass Market Paperback |
Wilfred Funk & Norman Lewis/ Simon & Schuster |
| How to Prepare for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for the CAT |
Sharma and Upadhyay |
| PSC for VA for CAT |
Nishit Sinha |
| High School English Grammar & Composition |
Wren & Martin |
| NCERT Mathematics Books (Class 6 to 10) |
NCERT |
| How to Prepare for Quantitative Aptitude for the CAT |
Arun Sharma |
| Quantitative Aptitude Quantum CAT |
Sarvesh Sharma |
| Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations |
Abhijit Guha |
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Student Forum
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