CAT 2025 will reward those who choose well under time pressure. Calm decision-making, steady accuracy and post-mock reflection together lead to a strong score.
Common Admission Test (CAT) demands not only subject knowledge but precise time discipline. Each section allows just 40 minutes, so students need to be selective about what they attempt and how quickly they decide to move on. From my experience as both a test-taker and faculty member biggest differentiator is not speed, it is decision-making.
CAT 2025 Section Wise Strategy
Below is a straight-forward approach for three sections, along with habits that help candidates maintain accuracy under pressure.
General Approach for Every Section
Begin with a quick scan of the questions.
Attempt familiar or clearly solvable ones first.
Avoid long struggles in the early phase.
Mark doubtful questions for a revisit if time allows.
Keep a short review window toward end to correct avoidable slips.
After every mock test, reflect on just two points:
- Where did time get stuck?
- Which questions did you miss despite knowing the concept?
Consistently fixing these improves scores faster than increasing attempts.
CAT VARC - Read for Structure
Success in this section comes from understanding the argument, not rushing through text.
How to approach:
- Choose RC passages wisely- avoid abstract content if comprehension feels slow.
- Do two RCs first and then move to Verbal Ability tasks such as Para Jumbles and Odd sentence Out.
Intent of author
Contrast and transition words
Eliminating answer options that change or stretch meaning
Good benchmark: Two RCs + a few VA questions with strong accuracy is a stable performance.
DILR - Smart Set Selection
Many students lose marks by staying too long with one idea.
CAT Exam Day Plan:
Spend first two minutes scanning all sets.
Pick ones where the data layout and conditions are immediately clear.
If a set becomes confusing after one minute of work, drop it early.
Writing neatly and organizing data properly often prevents avoidable mistakes.
Realistic target: Two solvable sets + 1–2 individual DI questions attempted with high accuracy.
CAT Quant - Take Simple Gains First
Quant isn’t a race to prove ability on toughest topics.
Sequence that works well:
- Arithmetic - ratios, percentages, time-work, averages.
- Algebra - factorisation or substitution before lengthy formulas.
- Geometry - draw clean diagrams and confirm basic properties.
- Modern Math - start with small base cases to avoid over-calculation.
If a question looks calculation-heavy or unfamiliar, leave it for later.
Healthy goal: 10-14 accurate attempts are usually enough for a competitive score.
A 4-Week Practice Plan CAT 2025
Week 1: Two full mocks + identify problem areas
Week 2: Focused practice on specific weak topics
Week 3: Mocks under strict timing + pacing discipline
Week 4: Maintain form-moderate testing and deeper review
Good sleep, consistency and routine matter more in final days than increasing study hours dramatically.
Final Word CAT Exam 2025
CAT 2025 will reward those who choose well under time pressure. The goal should not be to attempt everything but to allocate effort where marks are most assured. Calm decision making, steady accuracy and post mock reflection together lead to a strong score.
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.
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.
By- Dr Swapnil Sahoo, Assistant Professor - Strategy, Great Lakes Institute of Management, Gurgaon
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Abhay Anand is an experienced education journalist with over 15 years in print and digital media. Currently serving as Manager- Editorial at Shiksha.com, he specializes in higher education policy, student mobility,
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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.