CAT 2025 will be be held on November 30, 2025 so the best time to start CAT preparation is March/April. Many 99 and 100 percentiler start preparation in May too. If you are not a first timer, you can start even in July 2025. Read what MBA experts suggest to aspirants on the duration of CAT preparation 2025.
It is well known that Common Admission Test or CAT is a tough entrance exam. Every year, nearly three lakh candidates appear for the CAT so the competition is also high. Since, CAT is a gateway to 1,300 MBA colleges in India. Naturally, it requires long-term preparation. To crack the CAT exam, one needs to have a focussed plan and correct guidance.
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Among many questions regarding CAT exam, the most common question that trouble MBA aspirants is 'when to start CAT preparation'? Some related questions we get from aspirants are:
- "What is the best time to start CAT preparation 2025?"
- "Is February too early to start CAT preparation?"
- "Is it ok to start CAT preparation in June?"
The right time to start preparing for CAT exam depends on each candidate's skills, abilities and the amount of time he/she can devote on daily basis. Some start as early as January-February, while some start as late as August.
The CAT 2025 exam will be held on November 30, 2025 and if you plan to appear for CAT 2025 exam then starting CAT preparation in March-April is a good idea. However, if you start preparation even in May-June 2025, you will be able to crack it. f you start studying in July 2025, then you will have to make a short-term plan of four months from August 2025 to November 2025.
Ideally, CAT preparation should start by March/April. Given below are expert advice and toppers' experience of CAT preparation.
Best Time to Start CAT Preparation 2025: What Expert Says?
According to Parasharan Chari, MBA expert and COO at Endeavour Careers, "Candidates should look at finishing the entire CAT syllabus by August. Do not stretch the course till the very end. In June, July and August – candidates should try and complete the entire core CAT syllabus. The primary sections of CAT syllabus are: Data Interpretation, Logical Reasoning, Verbal Ability and Quantitative Aptitude. Thereafter, candidates can start focusing on speed-building, accuracy building and later on move to full length mock tests," adds Parasharan Chari.
Also Read:
CAT Preparation–Coaching vs Self Study
Best Time to Start CAT Preparation: What Toppers Say?
Check below when did previous years' CAT toppers started exam preparation and how did they go about it.
Vagish Nangia, 100 percentile, CAT 2024
"I started considering CAT seriously in July 2024. Given the responsibilities and workload of the 7th semester, including placements, academics, extra-curricular activities, and projects, I couldn't devote much prep time. However, I focused on understanding the CAT exam, practicing questions for each section, and doing sectional and full-length mock tests."
Kartik Bhageria, 99.99 percentile, CAT 2023
"I began my CAT preparation around July 2023. Being an engineering student, I did not spend a lot of time learning new concepts in the Quant and DILR sections. I spent most of my time giving mocks to practice and try to increase my attempted questions with better accuracy in each attempt."
CAT exam is conducted by any one of the top 6 Indian Institute of Management on rotation basis. Each of the top IIM conducts the exam after a gap of five years. The responsibility to conduct the CAT 2024 was given to IIM Calcutta. For CAT 2025, IIM Kozhikode will be the exam convening institute. IIM Kozhikode will be responsible for preparation and conduct of the exam without glitches, in collaboration with TCS for test labs and centres. The institute will design the question papers, exam pattern and guidelines, as well as manage the conduct of exam and preparation of admit card, answer key and result. CAT Conducting Indian Institute of Management Over the Years:
2024: IIM Calcutta
2023: IIM Lucknow
· 2022: IIM Bangalore
· 2021: IIM Ahmedabad
· 2020: IIM Indore
· 2019: IIM Kozhikode
· 2018: IIM Calcutta
· 2017: IIM Lucknow
· 2016: IIM Bangalore
· 2015: IIM Ahmedabad
· 2014: IIM Indore
· 2013: IIM Indore
· 2012: IIM Kozhikode
· 2011: IIM Calcutta
· 2010: IIM Lucknow
· 2009: IIM Ahmedabad
CAT 2025 exam will be conducted on November 30, 2025. Official announcement of the CAT exam date 2025 will be done in the last week of July 2025, along with the release of the offiical notification of CAT 2025. The CAT exam is always conducted on the last Sunday of November. The exam is conducted on a single day in three slots.
Along with the exam date, the CAT 2025 notification will have CAT registration and admit card dates. CAT 2025 registration will begin in the first week of August 2025 and the form submission window will close in the third week of September 2025.
CAT 2025 notification will be released online as well as offline. The online notification of CAT 2025 exam will be released at iimcat.ac.in website and the offline notification will be issued in all the national dailies – Hindi, English and Vernacular. Aspirants can either check the notification and CAT 2025 exam dates online at the official website or in the newspapers (to be published in the last week of July 2025).
Risshi Agrawal, 99.99 percentile, CAT 2022
"I started preparing in the month of July. Since I had already taken the exam last year, I was familiar with the pattern. For the first two months I focused on revising the concepts while in the later stages I devoted my time towards solving mocks (average of 1 per day)....Mocks play a crucial role while preparing for CAT. It helps you determine the strategy which suits you the best."
Chirag Gupta, 100 percentile, CAT 2021
“I started preparing in March 2021. I focused mainly on giving mock tests and analysing them. I used to work on my weaknesses by watching various CAT preparation YouTube videos on various topics.”
Bir Anmol Singh, 99.94 percentile, CAT 2021
“I started preparing in April 2021. I solved Arun Sharma sir's CAT books for VARC, LR, DI and Quant. I attempted as many past year CAT questions papers (timed attempt) that I could attempt, on weekends.”
Kshitiz Singhal, 99.99 percentile, CAT 2020
Kshitiz Singhal started preparing in July. He started my preparation by knowing about the CAT exam pattern and syllabus. Once he completed the syllabus, he started taking mock tests. Although he did not enroll into any coaching institute, I bought study materials and took a mock test series from noted institutes for practice purpose.
Ekansh Agarwal, 99.98 percentile, CAT 2020
Ekansh Agarwal started his CAT preparations approximately 11 months before the CAT 2020 exam. According to him," mock tests are the most important part of CAT preparation. Attempt as many CAT mock tests as possible. 40-50 mock tests are good enough. Focus on the areas you are weak at and accordingly attempt the mock tests. Another piece of advice would be, if you think that you are weak in any section, then try maximizing the other two whilst working on the first."
Somansh Chordia, 100 percentile, CAT 2019
His CAT preparation witnesses multiple breaks. “I had joined TIME in January but for the initial 3-4 months I just gave mocks and attended a few classes to understand CAT exam pattern. During summers, I was busy in my internship, so could not devote any time. From August onwards, I began analysing the mocks and worked upon some of my weak areas. Finally in October, I began focusing properly”, he said.
Rishi Mittal 100 percentile, CAT 2019
Rishi began preparing for CAT in July 2018. “I joined IMS classes for CAT and online study group iQuanta. I gathered the study material of TIME, IMS and iQuanta. Then for five to six months I was referring to these study materials and understanding concepts and going through what all needs to be done and how should I go about my preparations. In March, I started attempting mocks and analyzing them. Around May or June of 2019, I stopped studying from the study material, I was only solving mock tests and analyzing my performance, ”he said.
Rounak Majumdar, 100 percentile, CAT 2018
Rounak started CAT preparation a year before. “My entire preparation was based on taking mock tests. I attempted two mock tests every week and around 40 mock tests in a year. I used to do practice tests on the weekends and analyse my results during the week. Analysing mock tests are more important than actually appearing for them; it helped me understand my shortfalls and device a test strategy,” he said.
Madhur Gupta, 100 percentile, CAT 2017
Madhur started preparing in January but paced up this preparation in August. “I started preparing for CAT 2017 from January and joined TIME for coaching. I ramped up my preparation only in August after quitting my job at Amazon, as Operations Manager. I joined a small start-up alongside CAT preparation from August onwards. In the last-three to four months I gave over 70 mock tests, of different mock series, he said.
Avidipto Chakraborty, 100 percentile, CAT 2016
Avidipto started preparing in mid-May 2016. "In May-June I had summer vacation which I utilized in revising the basic concepts. Once my internship began, I changed my strategy. I would study for four and half hours (9:30 pm to 2 am) on weekdays and dedicated Saturdays and Sundays to mock tests," he said.
Every aspirant has their own strengths and weaknesses. Some candidates take longer than others to grasp basic concepts and then move on to mock tests.
Akshay Mehndiratta, 100 percentile, CAT 2016
Akshay started preparation in June. "I never used to get time during the weekdays. I used to put in 5-6 hours on Saturday for preparation, and a mock test, followed by detailed analysis on Sundays. I started following this schedule rigorously from June onwards," he said. I guess a period of 5-6 months, with concentrated effort for 2-3 days in a week works fine, he added.
According to Rajesh Balasubramanian, who topped CAT 2011, CAT 2012 and CAT 2014, "Candidates with engineering background need about three-and-a-half months to prepare. Three months is still doable. Anything lesser than that and the time pressure adds up. There are too many things moving around and you don’t have enough time to do your Mock CATs. Three-and-a-half months is a good time-frame. You can still cover everything and get a lot of practice for Mocks." Balasubramanian is an MBA coaching expert.
Also Read:
CAT Preparation 2025: Month-Wise Time-Table
Here's a quick time-line of CAT exam preparation. This is a broad distribution of CAT preparation time frame into phases. You can alter the time-table according to your need.
Months |
Target |
---|---|
March-August |
Complete core CAT syllabus |
August-end to mid-September |
Experiment with exam strategy, take timed sectional tests, practice question selection & prioritisation, focus on accuracy building |
Mid-September to mid-October |
Start solving full-length mock tests |
October onwards |
Focus on revision & mock tests |
Also Read:
- How to Prepare for CAT exam in 6 Months
- How to Prepare for CAT exam in 3 Months
- Last Month CAT Preparation Plan and Tips
- How to Prepare for CAT VARC
- How to Prepare for CAT DILR
- How to Prepare for CAT Quantitative Aptitude
Also Read:
- Your Love for Reading Can Get You Desired Result in CAT
- How to Prepare for CAT Without Quitting Your Job
- Best Books for CAT Preparation Recommended by Experts
- How to Prepare for CAT: Ultimate Tips from Experts
- How to Prepare for CAT: Tips from Toppers
- Advantage of Appearing in CAT While Pursuing Final Year Graduation
CAT Preparation FAQs
Q: When will CAT 2025 will be conducted?
Q: In how many months can I prepare for CAT 2025 exam?
Q: Can I prepare for CAT by self-study?
Q: Which is the toughest section of CAT exam?
Q: Is coaching mandatory for CAT preparation?
Q: How many questions are there in CAT question paper?
Q: Will marks be deducted for wrong answers in CAT exam?
Q: Is practicing sample questions enough to cover DILR section of CAT preparation?
Q: How can I master VARC section of CAT exam?
Q: What is the best way to master DILR section of CAT?
Q: Do PwD candidates get extra time in CAT exam 2025?

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Student Forum
Answered Yesterday
The essential requirement to get admission into the MBA course at Dr. C.V. Raman University Bihar is that candidates must complete their bachelor's degree with a minimum aggregate of 50%. 45% for reserved category candidates. Moreover, the selection process is based on merit, and the university migh
R
Contributor-Level 10
Answered Yesterday
Hi,
You have a chance of getting seat in your desired college with your percentile marks. Over the years, Great lakes will definitely get admission to MBA course at a cutoff percentile of 70 only, and 75 percentile is more than enough to avail the course.
T
Contributor-Level 7
Answered Yesterday
Great Lakes Institute of Management, Gurgaon allows candidates to take admission through CAT scores. Considering the Great Lakes Institute of Management cutoff 2024, getting 86 percentile in CAT is more than enough to secure a seat at Great Lakes, Gurgaon.
A
Contributor-Level 7
Answered Yesterday
To get into St. Xavier's University, Kolkata, candidates need to acquire at least 85 percentile in CMAT can easily give you admission to any PGDM programme at St. Xavier.
M
Contributor-Level 7
Answered Yesterday
St Xavier's University Kolkata allow All India category candidates to get admission to MBA course. Based on St Xavier's University cutoff 2024, the admission were conducted via CMAT exam. To get into the university, students must need to score a percentile of 85 which had remained constant over the
Y
Contributor-Level 10
Answered Yesterday
IMT Nagpur MBA admission is based on CAT/ XAT/ CMAT scores. As per the IMT Nagpur cutoff 2024, it is not that much difficult to get admission with 69 percentile at IMT Nagpur. Further, if you have scored a XAT percentile of 60 you can surely admission to Institute of Management Technology, Nagpur.
C
C
Contributor-Level 7
Answered Yesterday
The cut off for CAT 2025 varies according to institution and category. According to the top IIMs like IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore, and Calcutta, they usually have a cut off between ninety and ninety-nine percentile. For the relatively newer IIMs, they have a lower cut off of eighty-five percentile to n
A
Contributor-Level 10
Answered Yesterday
The IMT Nagpur accept CAT scores to offer MBA courses to General All India candidates. The IMT Hyderabad cutoff 2024 has been released in the form of percentile, the CAT percentile for General AI category candidates stood at 70. Also, it has been observed that the CAT percentile remained the same ov
V
Contributor-Level 7
Answered Yesterday
To get into Welingkar Bangalore, considering the MBA cutoff 2024, the needed percentile stood at 80, 80, and 70 for CAT, CMAT and XAT exams for the General AI category candidates. To check out year-wise cutoffs, candidates can check out the table below:
Exam | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
---|---|---|---|
CMAT (percentile) | 80 | 80 | 80 |
CAT (percentile) | 80 | 80 | 80 |
XAT (percentile) | 70 | 70 | 70 |
A
Contributor-Level 7
Answered Yesterday
CAT (Common Aptitude Test) 2024 has been conducted for the admission to Welingkar Bangalore for MBA course. Based on CAT cutoffs, the candidates were enrolled under the counselling rounds. For now, the Welingkar Bangalore CAT cutoff 2024 for the PGDM course stood at 80 for the General AI category ca
M
Contributor-Level 7
Yes, the CAT 2025 exam will be conducted in three shifts. Until 2019, CAT was conducted in two shifts and the exam duration used to be 180 minutes. However, in 2020, the number of shifts were increased to three and exam duration was reduced to 120 minutes in order to follow the social distancing guidelines for COVID-19. Since the COVID-9 pandemic appropriate behaviour had to be followed at public places and gatherings, the examination authorities increased the number of exam slots to ensure a limited number of candidates can be accommodated at any exam centre in a given exam slot by following social distancing and seating arrangement with gap. Since then, the CAT is conducted in three shifts - morning, afternoon and evening. In CAT 2025 too, there will be three slots which will be allotted to applicants in no particular order. The CAT exam slot timings will be - 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM, 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM and 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM.