CAT Preparation 2025: Get Free Study Material, Prep Strategy & Tips from Toppers

Exam On - 30 Nov '25

Updated on Nov 4, 2025 17:02 IST

By Vipra Shrivastava, Senior Manager - Content

CAT Preparation 2025 has entered the final stage. With the exam scheduled on November 30, you do not have much time. Now is not the time to start anything new. Now is the time to start working on whatever you've studied so far. Set up a daily plan of problem solving sessions with mentor/guide. Shared below are key tips on how to prepare for CAT exam 2025.

CAT Last One Month Plan

In this last month of CAT preparation focus on practice
You would have reached certain percentile in CAT mocks
Improvise on your performance in these few days
Have a daily problem solving session
Memorise short cuts and revise formulas
Go back to your short notes and read them for key insights
Focus on your strength areas and make exam strategy accordingly
Solve previous years' CAT question papers for best results

Table of content

CAT Preparation Strategy 2025
CAT Preparation: Understand CAT Syllabus and Pattern
CAT Preparation with Mock Tests and Previous Years' Question Papers
CAT VARC Preparation Tips and Strategy
CAT DILR Preparation Tips and Strategy
CAT Quantitative Aptitude Preparation Tips and Strategy
CAT Preparation 2025: Tips from Toppers

CAT Preparation Strategy 2025

Candidates can either opt for a coaching institute or self study to prepare for CAT 2025. Check below a general CAT exam preparation strategy that can be adopted by any candidate to make an overall study plan for CAT 2025 exam.

1: Understand the CAT syllabus and CAT exam pattern well

2: Obtain CAT books recommended by experts and other study material

3: Join online MBA study groups for guidance

4: Take help from YouTube, Telegram, Quora, Facebook, WhatsApp, etc.

5: Make a monthly time-table, a weekly time-table and a daily time-table

6: Stick to the CAT prep strategy and the time-table for best results. Set short term targets.

7: Record your progress regularly and work on weak areas.

8: Make sure to do regular practice and revision.

9: Stay motivated and positive throughout your CAT preparation journey.

CAT Preparation Highlights

Commonly asked questions

Q: Which CAT slot has the toughest question paper?

There is no pattern to which CAT question paper can be the toughest. The CAT question paper of every slot has unique questions. The examination body strives to maintain the same difficulty level of the paper across all slots but it may happen that a question can be more difficult from another. It is seen that, to keep the uniqueness of the question paper intact, the examination authority also changes the topic wise weightage a little bit across the exam slots. In most of the previous years, it is seen that the morning slot of the CAT exam is tougher than the rest two. However, candidates must not worry about the difficulty level of the slots as, the scores of all the candidates are normalised on a common scale to root out the possibility of advantage or disadvantage to any student due to difference in difficulty level. To know how the CAT scores are normalised, read this article: https://www.shiksha.com/mba/articles/understanding-cat-normalization-process-blogId-9386.

Q: How many CAT mock tests to practice to score 99 percentile?

Experts recommend that aspirants must practice at least 40 CAT mock tests to score above 99 percentile well in the exam. Most of the CAT test takers take up to 50 mock tests of various types and difficulty level. CAT toppers in previous years have practiced even up to 80 mock tests during their preparation. However, candidates must decide the number of CAT mock tests depending on their control and confidence on topics as the exam day comes closer. Mock tests are the best way to judge your performance viz. The important topics of CAT. The more one practices CAT mock tests, the more accurate they get in solving questions from all subjects. It is very important to know which formula to apply to which type question to solve the problem accurately. Mock tests help candidates in this aspect which is why practicing mock tests is most important in CAT preparation.

CAT Preparation: Understand CAT Syllabus and Pattern

The most important aspect of CAT preparation is gaining hold on topics included in the CAT syllabus. CAT Quantitative Aptitude includes advance level Mathematics topics studied in Class 9-10. So, if you have strong base in Maths, you will not find it too tough to crack CAT quantitative aptitude. You will only need a good amount of practice. Infact, it is CAT VARC, that candidates from Engineering stream find tough to crack as the RC passages are long, dense and inference based. If you study in a time bound manner, you will be able to cover the CAT syllabus properly, irrespective of your educational background. Practicing sample questions will help you in cracking tough topics. Check important topics of CAT syllabus 2025 in the table below:

CAT Syllabus	CAT Important Topics
Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension	Reading Comprehension, Parajumbles, English Grammar, One-word Substitution, Fill in the Blanks, Antonyms-Synonyms, Sentence Correction, Foreign Words, Verbal Ability, etc.
Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning	Tables, Line Charts, Pie Charts, Bar Charts, Mixed Charts, Series, Coding-Decoding, Data Structures, Blood Relations, Family Tree, Assumptions, etc.
Quantitative Aptitude	Geometry, Trigonometry, Algebra, Mensuration, Partnership (Accounts), Profit & Loss, Ratios and Proportion, In-equations Quadratic and Linear Equations, Surds and Indices, Time-Speed-Distance, Number System, Geometric Progression, Inequalities, Work and Time, Percentages and Logarithms, etc.

Prepare as per Latest CAT Pattern

To make a sound CAT preparation plan, first understand the exam pattern. It will help you to analyse how much bandwith would you need to cover what part of the CAT syllabus. Given below is the table highlighting key aspects of the latest CAT exam pattern.

CAT Exam Features	Details
Number of sections	Three - VARC, DILR, QA (to be answered in the same sequence)
Number of questions	66 68
Types of question	MCQ
Examination mode	Online
Sectional time-limit	40 minutes
Total marks	204
Marks per question	3
Negative marking	-1 (no negative marking for TITA and unattempted questions)
Exam duration	120 minutes

Difficulty Level of CAT Exam

While preparing for CAT 2025, you must also know the difficulty level of the question paper so that you are aware of what are you likely to encounter in the exam. Check the table below for CAT exam difficulty level of past six years. You can also read the details by clicking on the links in the third column.

CAT Year	Difficulty Level	Paper Analysis
CAT 2024	Moderate	Read CAT 2024 exam analysis
CAT 2023	Moderately difficult	Read CAT 2023 exam analysis
CAT 2022	Moderately difficult	Read CAT 2022 exam analysis
CAT 2021	Moderately difficult	Read CAT 2021 exam analysis
CAT 2020	Moderately difficult	Read CAT 2020 exam analysis
CAT 2019	Moderately difficult	Read CAT 2019 exam analysis
CAT 2018	Moderately difficult	Read CAT 2018 exam analysis
CAT 2017	Moderately difficult	Read CAT 2017 exam analysis
CAT 2016	Moderately difficult	Read CAT 2016 exam analysis

Commonly asked questions

Q: What makes CAT tougher than other MBA entrance exams?

CAT exam is a national level MBA entrance exam conducted by the IIM. Every year, over 2.3 lakh candidates apply for it. Since the last two years, the competition has increased further with oveer 3 lakh candidates applying for the exam.

The CAT score is accepted by the Iims and all top MBA colleges in India. To select the best candidates from over 3 lakh test takers there is a need for stringent criteria. That's why, the CAT exam is tougher than other MBA entrance exams. Even though the syllabus of CAT is same as that of other MBA entrance exams, the question paper set by the IIM faculty always has tough questions. Moreover, CAT has sectional time limit for each section which is not there in any other exam except XAT. Having a time limit for each section adds pressure on candidates to complete solving adequate number of questions in a section within the time limit. If a student is weak in a particular subject, they can't use the time as per their need. CAT's Reading Comprehension passages are long and dense unlike other MBA exams. This is one more reason why most candidates feel CAT is tougher than any other MBA entrance exam.

Q: Is it possible to score 99.99 percentile in CAT in first attempt?

Yes, it is possible to score 99.99 percentile in CAT in first attempt. Many toppers of previous years' are such candidates. One must study in a focussed manner and do a lot of mock test practice. Exam day strategy is also crucial for better performance.

CAT Preparation with Mock Tests and Previous Years' Question Papers

It is recommended that candidates must practice about 40-45 CAT mock tests during the preparation phase. The aim of a CAT mock test is to improve application, accuracy and speed. If you have reached a stage where you're consistently performing well in the mock tests (high difficulty level) you can slow down. It is not mandatory for all candidates to solve 40-45 mock tests. You can be prepared equally well by solving lesser number of mock tests. Judge your capacity.

Aspirants must start practicing CAT mock test after they have completed the syllabus and dedicate the second half of CAT preparation phase to it. The key here is to analyse each mock test result to see where you stand and how much more practice you need. One tip you should follow is to not practice mock tests continuously till the exam day. In the last week of CAT preparation 2025, attempt only one mock test for confidence. Irrespective of the result of that CAT mock test, you will score well in the exam.

CAT Mock Test by Shiksha

IIMCAT releases official CAT mock test a month before the exam to help candidates prepare themselves for the actual exam. The official CAT mock test is replica of the exam and provides an insight of the exam pattern for that year. The official mock test provides a sneak peek of the final CAT exam. Every candidate must attempt the official CAT mock test, which can be accessed online on the official IIMCAT website.

Shiksha has also created CAT mock tests for candidates to practice and strengthen their preparation. Given below are two CAT mock tests you can practice for free.

CAT Mock Test 1	CAT Mock Test 1 Solutions
CAT Mock Test 2	CAT Mock Test 2 Solutions

CAT Previous Years Papers

To further strengthen CAT preparation, candidates must attempt previous years' CAT question papers to understand the latest question type and topic wise weightage. For example, if Arithmetic dominates Quantitative Aptitude section of CAT, which type of Arithmetic questions are there. Practicing actual CAT questions from previous years will boost your confidence. Check here CAT question papers of previous years and download PDF.

Download CAT Previous Year Papers

Download CAT question papers of last five years from the below table to know the type and difficulty level of questions asked:

CAT 2024 Question Paper Slot 3	CAT 2018 Question Paper PDF
CAT 2023 Question Paper Slot 1	CAT 2023 Question Paper Slot 3
CAT 2022 Question Paper Slot 1	CAT 2022 Question Paper Slot 3
CAT 2021 Question Paper PDF	CAT 2019 Question Paper PDF
CAT 2020 Question Paper PDF	CAT 2017 Question Paper PDF

CAT VARC Preparation Tips and Strategy

The CAT VARC section is broadly divided into Reading Comprehension, Verbal Ability, Vocabulary and Grammar. To prepare for this section of CAT exam, candidates need to have a separate approach for each part. For example, preparation of Reading Comprehension should begin in early months of the year as it all about developing and cultivating the habit of reading. CAT Verbal Ability can be tackled by practicing sample questions and can be done in lesser time. Grammar and Vocabulary can be handled alongside. However, the CAT VARC is mostly about RC, parajumbles, odd sentence out and para completion, you need to focus on practice of exercises based on these. By the time exam day approaches, candidates must practice mock RCs and parajumbles.

Commonly asked questions

Q: How many RC questions does CAT have?

The CAT VARC section is dominated by RC questions. Out of 24 questions about 14-16 are based on Reading Comprehension passages and the rest of them are based on parajumbles, para completion, etc.

CAT has about 12-16 RC question. Since, it is not mandatory to solve all the questions, candidates can maximize their scores by leaving out the questions related to the passage they find the toughest. There is negative marking in CAT so candidates must ensure that they mark only the correct options or do not mark any option at all.

Q: What is the best preparation strategy for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension?

To prepare for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension, stick to the traditional path of concepts first and practice later. Study English grammar and Verbal Ability first to understand the concept. Then practice a number of sample questions of different kinds to gain confidence, speed and accuracy. For RC passages, develop the habit of reading from early stages. Read books from all walks of life.

Practicing sample Reading Comprehension passages and questions in a crucial part of VARC preparation. This will help you understand the types of questions and RC passages asked in various entrance exams.

As an aspirant, you will be appearing for more than one entrance exam, thus you need to have the practice of different types of RC passages.

CAT DILR Preparation Tips and Strategy

To score well in CAT Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning or DILR, the most important thing is to have clarity of basic concepts. Since the questions in this section are data and logic based, candidates need to develop sharp observation and eye for detail. Also, there are no formulas or theorems in DILR, so your preparation majorly depends on practice of sample questions. Major topics to study for DILR are Tables, Line Charts, Pie Charts, Bar Charts, Mixed Charts. Strengthen your Mathematical calculation ability for DILR. Get hold of CAT study material having a good number of sample questions on these topics.

Free Quantitative Aptitude Question Bank with Answer Keys

Free DILR Question Bank with Answer Keys

Free VARC Question Bank with Answer Keys

Commonly asked questions

Q: Is it possible to prepare for DILR by self-study?

Yes, it is possible to prepare for DILR with self-study. In order to score well in this section with self-study, students will have to follow a systematic strategy. The first step is to go through previous years question papers and know various topics. Candidates should refer top books for DILR preparation. This should be followed by adequate practice. Aspirants have to solve past question papers, take sectional mock tests and analyse their performance regularly to find out ways of improvement. Last but not the least, they should focus on speed. DILR questions can be time consuming, so it is important to have speed in solving questions.

Q: Is it necessary to have Maths background to perform well in DILR?

While candidates belonging to Science and Engineering background do have an edge over Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR), it is not impossible for students from non-Science background to crack this section of an MBA entrance exam. They do need to prepare harder which includes going back to study fundamentals of Mathematics such as Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry and Mensuration.

With regular practice and understanding of the question types and topics, candidates, irrespective of the educational background, can crack this section. Aspirants must note that it is important to identify the weak areas and improve on them to get a stronghold on this section. For Logical Reasoning, a good amount of practice of sample questions will be enough.

CAT Quantitative Aptitude Preparation Tips and Strategy

Quantitative Aptitude section is the last section of CAT exam and the most rigorous one. The CAT QA section includes Mathematics topics such as Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry and Mensuration. The key to excel in this section of CAT exam is having thorough knowledge of concepts, formulae and theorems. Having a good command on fundamentals of Arithmetic and Algebra will help you immensely. Also, mental calculation plays a major role in scoring well in this section. Although an on screen calculator will be provided in the CAT exam, mental calculation saves time. Here are some tips for CAT Quantitative Aptitude preparation:

Get the CAT exam study material which has a good number of sample questions on these topics.
Cover the topics end to end. Do not leave out any topic of Arithmetic and Algebra as most of the questions are asked from these two topics.
Break down your CAT Quant preparation into phases. Start with topics, then move to practice questions and then to mock tests.
Start with easy topics and then move to tough ones. Starting with easy topics will give you confidence.
Revise important formulae and theorem every day in the last one month.
Practice sectional mock tests for Quantitative Aptitude to learn how to handle 40 minutes in the exam.

CAT Preparation 2025: Tips from Toppers

Shiksha reached out to previous years' CAT toppers to know their CAT preparation journey for the benefit of future aspirants. Click on the links below to know how CAT toppers prepared for the exam and follow the CAT exam day tips that they offer for a brilliant performance.

CAT Toppers	CAT Topper Interviews
Vagish Nangia CAT 2024, 100 percentile	“For an aptitude exam like CAT, one should focus on two things, speed and accuracy, both of which come with practice. Speed is important as the exam typically has 66-68 Questions to be attempted within 2 hours with sections like DILR and Quant in particular being fairly time-taking. Accuracy is also important as you need to avoid taking negative marks while looking to maximise your score as much as possible.” Read Vagish’s full interview
Mani Praneeth Chilukuri CAT 2024, 100 percentile	“In terms of preparation, I started just a few weeks before the exam due to my job and other commitments. I prioritised understanding the exam format, syllabus, and structure through YouTube videos. I then solved a few previous years’ question papers to familiarize myself with the patterns.” Read Praneeth’s full interview
Vedant Chandewar CAT 2024, 99.98 percentile	“I began my preparation in August 2024. Being good at mathematics, I found Quantitative Aptitude (QA) and Logical Reasoning (DILR) relatively easy to prepare for. I joined a coaching institute that provided daily practice questions for these sections, which I diligently solved.” Read Vedant’s full interview
Sarthak Jaiswal CAT 2024, 99.97 percentile	“I personally think that for the DILR section, the mock tests do not really help because every question is unique and there is no set pattern. Only practice can help for the DILR section preparation. Attempting mock tests for this section will not harm the preparation but also not give an edge. For QA and VARC, mock tests are very important.” Read Sarthak’s full interview
Kartik Bhageria CAT 2023, 99.99 percentile	"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." Read Kartik's full interview
Riddhi Dugar CAT 2023, 99.91 percentile	"My overall strategy was to finish the entire syllabus a few months before the CAT. From July, I focused entirely on taking mock tests and sectional tests to maximise my score and have a strategy for D-Day. I completed around 70 mocks from July until the CAT exam day." Read Riddhi's full interview
Rounak Tikmani CAT 2023, 99.90 percentile	I started my preparation properly in May 2023. My preparation strategy was simple build your foundations by having conceptual clarity in the basics of each section. Then It was just mocks every day. I gave around 110 mocks and made sure I spent enough time analyzing them properly. Taking a mock is not as important as analyzing the mocks and improving on your mistakes. Read Rounak's full interview
Nisakar Kumar CAT 2023, 99.83 percentile	"Quant emerged as my strength, whereas DILR presented a challenge. To address my weakness in DILR, I invested considerable time in understanding the question types and engaged in extensive practice until they became more intuitive. Simultaneously, I dedicated time to revising and practising Quant to maintain a solid grasp. I considered myself decent in VARC." Read Nisakar's full interview

Prepare for CAT exam with previous years’ question papers & prep guides. Get topper tips & expert advice.

Download Question Papers

CAT Preparation Tips That Will Enhance Your Performance

Download MBA preparation mobile apps to prepare for CAT exam anywhere and anytime.
CAT is a speed and accuracy test. Practice CAT question papers and mock tests to improve speed and accuracy.
Measure your performance after each CAT mock test. Analyse strengths and weaknesses and work upon them.
Solve each CAT practice question at least thrice, because in the first attempt, you will understand it, in the second attempt you will solve it faster, and in the third attempt you may discover a shortcut.
CAT exam has sectional time limit, which means you need to complete each section within the stipulated time-frame. So practice questions in time bound manner. Opt for CAT sectional mock tests.
Solve CAT questions of various types and varied difficulty levels. By the CAT 2025 exam day, you should be able to solve easy, moderate as well as tough questions.
CAT exam has negative marking. For each wrong answer 1 mark is deducted. To avoid this, understand your strong areas and learn how to pick the right question to solve.
Do not do speed reading in RC. Nor should you go for reverse reading, i.e. reading the questions first and passage later. Read the RC passage and note down important points in the rough sheet. This way you will be able to address the questions easily.
CAT has sectional cut off limit, so do not ignore any topic. The sectional cut off directly affects the overall CAT percentile and selection in WAT-GD/PI.
Practice time-bound CAT mock tests as part of your CAT prep strategy. It will help you to develop time management skills.
Keep your CAT 2025 preparation optimum but do not over do anything. If you have prepared certain topics already. Do not work on them again and again. Focus on topics that are still your pain points.
Memorise tables up to 20, square, square roots, cubes, cube roots, etc. These will help you in mental calculation during the CAT exam.
Revise all the concepts of VA and LR and formulae of QA every day for one hour. You should be so well versed with these that on the exam day, you can recall them without wasting a single moment.
In the last phase, focus completely on mock tests and revision. This is the crucial time when you can take your CAT score from 95 to 99 percentile.

Get Here: CAT Questions for Practice with Solutions: Free PDF Download

Commonly asked questions

Q: How many students score 100 percentile in CAT every year?

Every year, over 2 Lacs candidates appear for the CAT exam and about 10-14 test takers score 100 percentile. In CAT 2024, the number of 100 percentiler was 11, and in CAT 2023 the number of 100 percentilers was 14. In CAT 2022, the number of 100 percentilers was 11. In CAT 2021, only 9 candidates scored 100 percentile.

Q: Is it mandatory to attempt all the questions in CAT?

No, it is not mandatory to attempt all the questions in CAT. Candidates can choose to attempt questions as per their preparation. It is not possible also to attempt all the questions due to time limitation and difficulty level. Reading dense RC passages often take up a lot of time. In DILR and QA too, some questions are time taking and calculation intensive due to which not much time is left in hand to attempt all questions. The aim of every test taker should be to attempt about 2/3rd of the total questions in all the sections of CAT.

Q: What is the marking scheme of CAT?

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.