• Updated on 18 Feb, 2026 by Ankul Tiwari
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CAT Analysis 2025 for slot 1, 2, and 3 is uploaded here. The Slot 3 exam ended at 6:30 PM on November 30th, 2026, which started at 4:30 PM. The overall difficulty of the paper was moderate, but the candidates found the Quantitative Aptitude section the most challenging. The Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning section was moderate, with no major surprises. The English section was easy with well-known questions. According to the students' feedback, the difficulty level of the slot 1 CAT 2025 Exam was moderate to difficult. Considering the slot 1 exam, the Logical Reasoning section was difficult, and the Reading Comprehension section was easy. On the other hand, students found the Quantitative Aptitude section moderate to difficult. The exact exam analysis will be provided here after the exam concludes.
CAT 2025 Analysis: Difficulty Level
The CAT exam analysis 2025 for Slots 1, 2 & 3 is available now since the exam has concluded. Have a look at the sections provided below for complete details about the CAT Exam. It will help you in the CAT 2026 Preparation:
CAT 2025 Slot 1 Exam Analysis (Out)
CAT 2025 Slot 1 exam was conducted from 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM. As per the students' reactions, the overall paper was from moderate to difficult. Each QA and LR has 22 questions, and the Quantitative Aptitude section has 24 questions. There were no changes in the paper pattern. Students can check out the Slot 1 exam analysis for CAT 2025:
- VARC was moderate to difficult, with 2 questions each in para completion, para jumble, and odd one out.
- DILR was the toughest section, featuring multi-layer logic and time-consuming DI sets.
- QA was moderate to difficult, with questions on transaction reservations problems and chart-based questions.
CAT 2025 Slot 2 Exam Analysis (Out)
CAT 2025 Exam took place from 12:30 PM to 2:30 PM. According to the candidates, the slot 2 paper followed the same pattern and number of questions as slot 1. The overall difficulty was moderate, but the Quantitative section was the most challenging. The DILR section was moderate, whereas the VARC was easy. Find out the highlights of CAT 2025 Exam Slot 2 analysis in the sections provided below:
- VARC section was easy with jumbled sentences to reorder and fill-in-the-blank questions with 1–4 missing words.
- DILR was moderate, with standard reasoning sets. One of the DILR questions asked in Slot 2 was as follows: There are 6 balls and 4 hoops where balls could pass only through hoops with a larger diameter, and you have to figure out which ball fits into which hoop based on given conditions.
- The Quantitative Aptitude was the most difficult, with several questions from ratios and algebra, making it the most time-consuming section.
Candidates can check the CAT 2025 Exam Analysis for slot 1, slot 2, and slot 3 in the table below. Referring to each slot will give them a better idea of the CAT Question Paper, CAT Exam Pattern, number of questions, etc.
CAT 2025 Slot 3 Exam Analysis (Out)
CAT 2025 Slot 3 analysis strongly suggests that the exam was on similar lines as Slot 1 and Slot 2. Various candidates found the overall difficulty level higher compared to the previous year. TITA questions received higher weightage across all three sections.
- The VARC section maintained consistency in structure across the day. Para-jumble and odd sentence questions reappeared this year after being absent in 2024. Reading Comprehension passages were about 500–550 words, with two out of four considered difficult. One RC discussed ethics and AI, which many found inference-heavy. The DILR section was relatively easier. A circular arrangement set appeared again. Slot 3 candidates reported one set that could be solved faster due to its straightforward logic. However, some TITA-based LR questions required careful interpretation. Quant continued with the familiar pattern of arithmetic-heavy questions. A few algebra questions were tricky. Candidates felt that Quant in Slot 3 was neither too easy nor too difficult, but it required strong time management.
CAT 2025 Exam Shifts
The CAT 2025 Exam will be conducted in 3 shifts on 30th November, Sunday. The shift timings for the exam are :
- The morning shift was conducted from 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM.
- The afternoon shift was conducted from 12:30 PM to 2:30 PM.
- The evening shift was conducted from 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM.
CAT 2025 Question Distribution
CAT 2025 is to follow the 68-question pattern with 24 questions in VARC, 22 in DILR, and 22 in QA. VARC may be moderate to difficult due to dense passages, DILR will likely remain the toughest with complex sets, and QA should be moderately challenging with a focus on arithmetic and algebra.
How To Calculate CAT 2025 Score?
To calculate CAT 2025 Results, Candidates need to calculate sectional and overall raw scores, considering the slot-wise difficulty that may affect scores due to normalisation and then convert the marks into percentiles to understand the rank.
Calculate Your Raw Score
- Award +3 for each correct MCQ and -1 for each wrong MCQ.
- TITA (Type-In-The-Answer) questions do not carry negative marking.
- Calculate raw scores separately for each section and for the total (maximum 204 marks across 68 questions).
Understand Normalisation & Scaling
- CAT is conducted in multiple slots with different question papers, so raw scores are normalised across slots to ensure fairness.
- Normalisation adjusts for difficulty variations, ensuring candidates in a tougher slot are not disadvantaged.
Convert Scaled Score to Percentile
- The percentile reflects your performance relative to all test-takers.
- For reference, in CAT 2024:
- Around 80 marks overall corresponded to a 99+ percentile.
- Scores of 55-58 marks were enough to achieve 95+ percentile.
CAT 2024 Paper Analysis
The CAT 2024 Paper analysis will help us understand what we can expect in CAT 2025, including the difficulty level, question distribution and types of questions that may appear. CAT 2024 Exam was slightly easier than the CAT 2023 exam. In CAT 2024, a major change was the increase in the total number of questions from 66 to 68 (48 MCQs and 20 TITA). The DILR section also saw an addition of 2 questions, bringing the total to 22.
In CAT 2024, the VARC section removed para-jumbles and focused solely on RCs and VA questions. The difficulty increased across slots, with Slot 3 being slightly tougher than Slots 1 and 2.
CAT 2024 Vs CAT 2023 Difficulty Level Comparison
CAT 2025 Score vs Percentile
The CAT percentile shows the percentage of candidates who scored less than or equal to a particular score. While exact scores vary each year depending on difficulty and number of candidates, based on past trends, the CAT 2025 Score vs percentile is:
- 99+ percentile usually requires 40-50 high-accuracy attempts.
- The 95-98 percentile corresponds to 30-39 attempts.
- 90-94 percentile corresponds to 25-29 attempts.
| VARC Score | DILR Score | QA Score | Overall CAT Score | |
| 51 | 46 | 48 | 122 | |
| 40 | 34 | 33 | 90 | |
| 34 | 31 | 30 | 81 | |
| 30 | 26 | 25 | 70 | |
| 23 | 19 | 18 | 53 | |
| 19 | 15 | 16 | 45 | |
| 80 | 17 | 13 | 14 | 40 |
| 75 | 15 | 11 | 12 | 34 |
Does 75 percentile mean 75% in CAT Exam?
No, 75 percentile in the CAT exam does not mean 75% marks. The percentile indicates students’ relative performance among all test-takers. A 75th percentile means they scored better than 75% of candidates, not that they got 75% of the total marks. Score/Marks is the actual number of questions candidates answered correctly out of the total marks.
For more details, read CAT Percentile Calculation 2025
CAT Score vs Percentile for Top IIMs
Based on past admission patterns, the table represents the percentile requirement.
- IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, and IIM Calcutta: You usually need a 99+ percentile, often around 99.6 or higher, to be eligible for calls. These are the most competitive IIMs.
- IIM Lucknow: Requires a slightly lower percentile, generally between 97-99.
- IIM Kozhikode & IIM Indore: Candidates with 96-98 percentile typically meet the cutoff for shortlisting.
CAT 2025 Good Score
What is a good score in CAT Exam? Many students have this question in their minds. A good CAT Score changes every year as it depends on several factors such as overall exam difficulty, the total number of candidates appearing in the CAT 2025 exam and sectional Performance. Candidates must keep this thing in mind that meeting sectional cut-offs is crucial even if their overall score is high. A higher score helps students to get top-tier IIMs and more competitive programs.
- Candidates scoring between 40-44 marks are to have a 90-94 percentile. They can target newer IIMs and Top private B schools like FMS Delhi and MDI Gurgaon.
- Candidates scoring between 35-39 marks are to have an 85-89 percentile. They can get a call from mid-tier IIMs and well-known Private B schools, but chances are limited.
Read How much CAT Percentile do you need to get in FMS Delhi?
Is 70 a good score in CAT?
Yes, 70 marks in CAT is considered a very good score. However, this depends on the difficulty of the exam and the target percentile.
A score of 70 out of 204 would roughly correspond to around the 97-99th percentile in most years, which is good enough to get calls from top IIMs like IIM Lucknow, Kozhikode, or Indore. Even the top three IIMs at times, depending on the difficulty.
- Thus, it is equally essential to meet the sectional cut-offs (VARC, DILR, QA), since a high overall score may not assure shortlisting.
- A score of 70 marks generally gives candidates a good shot at top IIMs and elite private B-schools.
- 70 marks are a good score, but the percentile and sectional balance will determine which colleges can be targeted.
CAT 2025 Toppers
The CAT 2025 results were announced on December 24, 2025 and had declared the result of total of 12 such candidates who have scored overall as well section wise a 100th percentile. However, there was a drastic change that among these 9 such students were not from an engineering background. The top scorers are Vinayak Agrawal (99.99 per cent), Parav Goyal (99.98 per cent) and Soumyadip Mukherjee & Anmol Gupta, both with 99.97 percent marks).
What to do if my CAT Score is low?
Nearly 3 Lakh students take admission in the CAT exam every year. With less than 5500 seats in Top IIMs and less than 10,000 seats in Top 30 MBA Colleges, what do the remaining 2.8 lakh (Approx) students do? Either they retake the exam or they aim for colleges like New Delhi Institute of Management, Amity University Raipur, IBS Bangalore, etc. These colleges have decent placements and affordable fees. Below is the list of Colleges accepting 50-60 CAT percentiles.
CAT 2025 Exam Analysis FAQs
What was the total number of questions in CAT 2025?
CAT 2025 had a total of 68 questions spread across three sections: VARC, DILR, and QA. Each section will be timed separately, and candidates will not be allowed to switch between sections during the exam.
Which slot of CAT 2025 can to be considered the easiest?
The slot 1 of CAT 2025 exam was considered the easiest due to simplicity of questions.
Was Slot 3 really the toughest in CAT 2024?
Yes, most students who appeared for Slot 3 said it was the most challenging. VARC had longer and more abstract passages, and DILR required deeper reasoning, making time management harder.
Will all slots in CAT 2025 have the same number of questions?
Yes, the number of questions was consistent across all three slots. However, the difficulty level and types of questions vary slightly, which was later balanced through normalisation.
What types of questions was asked in CAT 2025?
A mix of Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) and Type in the Answer (TITA) questions were asked. While MCQs had negative marking, TITA questions will carry no penalty for wrong answers.
How difficult was the Quant section be in CAT 2025?
According to the CAT 2025, Quantitative Aptitude was generally considered easier than the previous year. Most questions focused on arithmetic and basic algebra, which gave well-prepared candidates an edge in scoring.
How was the DILR section be across the three slots?
DILR section was time-consuming in all slots. Slot 1 and 2 had relatively doable sets, but Slot 3 had more complex structures that required extra time to understand and solve. This analysis is completely based on the CAT 2025 paper.
What kind of reading passages appear in VARC?
The RC passages was based on topics like philosophy, behavioral economics, and cultural studies. Slot 3 passages was slightly more abstract, requiring closer reading and inference.
How is the CAT score converted to percentile?
Since CAT 2025 exam was conducted in multiple shifts, the raw scores were normalised to account for differences in difficulty. This ensured fairness and is how the final percentile is calculated for each candidate.
What raw score is needed for 99 percentile in CAT?
A raw score of 122 marks out of 204 was required for the 99.9 percentile. However, this can change depending on the slot and overall performance of candidates.
Do IIMs only consider overall CAT scores?
No, IIMs look at both overall and sectional scores. Failing to clear the cutoff in even one section may lead to disqualification, so balanced performance across all three sections is very important.
What happens after the CAT exam is over?
After CAT, the official answer key and response sheet are released. Then, results are declared, followed by WAT-PI rounds for shortlisted candidates, depending on the institute's admission process.
Which IIMs had the highest cutoffs for CAT 2024?
IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore, and Calcutta had the highest cutoffs. For general category students, a percentile of 98.5 or above was usually to receive a call from these top IIMs.
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