Is one year needed for CAT preparation? – Shiksha Poll
Shiksha conducted an online poll asking readers ‘is one year enough to prepare for CAT?' Check here what the majority of aspirants feel.
CAT 2025 preparation
CAT is a highly competitive exam. Nearly 3 lakh candidates appear for it every year. Given the high number of test takers, it is tough to crack CAT with 99.99 percentile. Out of nearly three lakh candidates, only a handful manage to score 100 percentile or 99.99 percentile. In CAT 2024, the number of 100 percentilers was only 14 where as the number of 99.99 percentilers was only 29.
Naturally, preparation for the CAT is not easy. It is a long journey of 9 to 12 months. Whether one chooses to do CAT preparation by self-study or through coaching, long rigorous hours of study over a long period of time is essential.
CAT 2025 exam will be held on November 30, 2025 and it is now time to start exam preparation. Many of those who are planning to appear for CAT 2025, have already started the exam preparation. Shiksha conducted an online poll asking, ‘Is one year needed for CAT preparation?’, and majority of respondents agreed.
Is One Year Needed for CAT Preparation?
Nearly 35% of respondents said less than 1 year is enough but the opinions are divided. Check below the responses of poll participants.
CAT 2025 preparation poll
- 37% said one year is needed
- 13% said 8 to 9 months are needed
- 15 % said 6 months are enough
- 7% said less than six months are needed
- 29% were not sure of the duration as they are preparing for CAT for the first time
Commonly asked questions
CAT exam full form is Common Admission Test. It is a national level MBA entrance exam conducted by the IIMs. The CAT score is accepted by the IIMs for MBA, PGP, Executive MBA, FPM and Ph.D admissions. The Common Admission Test or CAT is the most recognised entrance test for MBA admission in India. Apart from the IIMs, over 1300 MBA colleges in India select candidates on the basis of their performance in CAT. The exam is conducted annually on the last Sunday of November. The exam is conducted in over 150 cities across India. The CAT 2025 will be conducted by IIM Kozhikode on November 30, 2025.
CAT exam is held in about 170 cities across India. Candidates can choose up to six cities as their preferred test location. The list of test cities for CAT is available in application form. Candidates should choose the test city carefully as the request to change the test city later may or may not be accepted due to non-availability of seats at the centres in that particular city. Given below are the cities where CAT exam is usually held.
Looking at the responses, we can infer that, there is no one size fits all concept for CAT preparation. While some need a year, some need less than that. It has been seen that, those appearing for the first time need more time to prepare (1 year), whereas those who have appeared for CAT previously need less time (6 months). So, start your CAT 2025 preparation now.
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Vipra Shrivastava is MA in English Literature from Delhi University with extensive experience in content writing of over 14 years. She has been handling content for Management, Accounting and Commerce streams for 8
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