The CAT 2025 exam will be moderately challenging, as per the previous years analysis and the trends in difficulty levels across CAT 2024 and 2023. The exam is expected to follow the same structure with three sections: VARC, DILR, and QA each with a time limit of 40 minutes, making the total duration 120 minutes.
CAT 2025 is expected to have around 72 questions in total, distributed as follows:
- VARC: 24 questions (with 4 RC passages and 6 VA questions)
- DILR: 22 questions (spread across 4 sets, with 2–3 sets being moderately solvable)
- QA: 22 questions (arithmetic, with algebra, number systems, and geometry)
The CAT 2024 exam was slightly easier than CAT 2023 especially in QA and DILR, though VARC remained moderate.
In CAT 2024 there were key changes with total number of questions increasing from 66 to 68 (48 MCQs + 20 TITA). The DILR section had additional 2 questions making it a total of 22 questions.
- The VARC dropped the para-jumbles, focusing only on RCs and VA.
- In CAT 2024, Slot difficulty increased from Slot 1 to Slot 3, the slot 3 was slightly difficult than the slot 1 and 2.
- The CAT cutoff are expected to be higher, for 99+ percentile the candidates should aim for 40–50 high-accuracy attempts.
The students focused on the speed and accuracy, targeting 15–18 QA, 13–16 DILR, and 14–18 VARC good attempts of questions.
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Key Summary
- The CAT 2024 exam was moderate in the difficulty level and conducted in 3 slots with the increase in number of questions to 68 with an additional 2 questions in DILR section.
- Slot 1 was the easiest, while Slot 2 was moderate and Slot 3 was moderate to challenging, where DILR was the toughest section.
- The Good attempts were highest in the Slot 1 (41–48 questions), followed by Slot 3 (37–44) and Slot 2 (36–43).
- To score a 99.9 in CAT 2024, the candidates needed 95-100 marks, while to get 99 percentile the required marks were 83-86. A score of 62-65 and 50-53 secured 95 and 90 percentile respectively.
- Section-wise, top percentile scorers had about 42+ marks in VARC, 25–30 in DILR, and 22–25 in QA.
CAT 2025 Difficulty level (Expected)
The CAT 2025 is expected to be moderately tough, particularly because of the complexity of DILR and QA. The CAT 2025 is conducted by IIM Kozhikode and the Prof. Ram Kumar P.N is the professor at IIM Kozhikode serving as CAT 2025 convenor, as per his academic background of operations Research and Quantitative methods along with the Ph.D. from IIT Madras, suggests that:
- The CAT 2025 will have more application based and logically structured questions, especially in DILR and QA focusing on decision making.
- The candidates can expect complex set involving flow, routing, or scheduling scenarios in the DILR section.
- In QA sections, questions may have a focus on arithmetic and algebraic problems.
- The VARC is expected to maintain a balance mix of questions from RC and inference-based VA questions that will test structured comprehension and logic.
“The overall difficulty level of the CAT 2025 is expected to be difficult as compared to the CAT 2024.”
| Year | Overall Difficulty | VARC | DILR | QA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| 2025* | Moderate–Difficult | Moderate | Moderate–Tough | Moderate |
CAT 2024 Exam Analysis
The CAT 2024 was conducted in the 3 slots: Slot 1 (8:30–10:30 AM), Slot 2 (12:30 PM –2:30 PM) and Slot 3 (4:30 PM–6:30 PM) each for 2 hours of duration
CAT Slot 1 was considered easiest, while Slot 2 was considered moderate and Slot 3 was a bit difficult than the other slots, indicating a graduall increase in the difficulty level among the slots of CAT 2024 exam.
| Slot | Overall Difficulty | VARC Difficulty | DILR Difficulty | QA Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slot 1 | Easy–Moderate | Easy–Moderate | Easy–Moderate | Moderate |
| Slot 2 | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| Slot 3 | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate–Difficult | Easiest among slots |
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CAT 2024 Slot 1 (8:30 AM–10:30 AM)
The CAT 2024 slot 1 was conducted from 8:30 to 10:30 AM, it was considered easy to moderate in difficulty.
- The VARC section has 24 questions and was considered easy with 14 -16 good attempts.
- The DILR section had 22 questions and was rated easy to moderate with the good attempts of questions around 10 to 11.
- The QA section also had 22 questions and was moderately difficult with around 9-10 questions good attempts.
CAT 2024 Slot 1 Marks vs Percentile
As per the CAT 2024 Slot 1, to score 99.9 the candidate needed 120-124 marks , with the sectional marks: 48 in VARC, 49 in DILR, and 48 in QA. A slight drop to 99.5 percentile required 106–110 marks, while for 99 percentile the candidates required 95-98 marks.
For 95 percentile the overall score was about 59–61, and to get 90 percentile the candidate needed just 50–51 marks.
The DILR has seen the highest cutoff as compared to other sections, reflecting the importance of the section.
| Percentile | VARC | DILR | QA | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 99.9 | 48 | 49 | 48 | 120–124 |
| 99.5 | 40 | 43 | 43 | 106–110 |
| 99 | 36 | 40 | 35 | 95–98 |
| 95 | 20 | 29 | 18 | 59–61 |
| 90 | 17 | 23 | 14 | 50–51 |
CAT 2024 Slot 2 (12:30 PM–2:30 PM)
The CAT 2024 Slot 2 exam held from 12:30 PM to 2:30 PM, was rated moderate in difficulty similar as the Slot 1 and was considered overall easier than CAT 2023.
- The VARC section slot 2 was rated Easy to Moderate, with 10–12 good attempts.
- The DILR section was also Easy to moderate in difficulty level with the 12–13 good attempts.
- The QA was slightly challenging as compared to ther other sections, was rated moderated with 11–12 good attempts.
Slot 2 vs Slot 1 difficulty: QA and DILR on par; VARC remained consistent
Candidate feedback (Reddit):
“Quant was difficult esp algebra… was only able to attempt 3 after so much effort.”
“DILR was easy to moderate… VARC passages were easy to moderate.
CAT 2024 Slot 2 Marks vs Percentile
In the CAT 2024 slot 2 scoring 100 percentile the candidates needed 98–100 marks, with the sectional score of 43–44 in VARC, 29-30 in QA, and 25-27 in DILR. to achieve 99 percentile the candidates required around 82–83 marks, while 95 and 90 percentiles required about 57–58 and 46–48 marks, respectively.
The VARC section had the highest score requirements, making it a key section to influence the percentile.
| Percentile | QA | DILR | VARC | Overall CAT Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 % | 29–30 | 25–27 | 43–44 | 98–100 |
| 99 %+ | 27–28 | 22–23 | 40–42 | ~82–83 |
| 95 %+ | 20–22 | 18–20 | 30–33 | ~57–58 |
| 90 %+ | 15–17 | 15–17 | 24–26 | ~46–48 |
| 85 %+ | 12–14 | 12–14 | 20–22 | ~40–43 |
| 80 %+ | 10–12 | 10–12 | 18–20 | ~36–39 |
CAT 2024 Slot 3 (4:30 PM –6:30 PM)
The CAT 2024 slot 3 exam was conducted from 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM it was considered slightly tougher in difficulty, with the DILR and VARC sections as more challenging as compared to the previous slots.
The VARC section was moderate in difficulty with 17-18 good attempts.
While DILR section was rated as moderate to difficulty and the there were around 10-11 good attempts
The QA section was the easiest section among other sections with 13–15 good attempts.
CAT 2024 Slot 3 Marks vs Percentile
As per in the CAT 2024 Slot 3 the candidates needed 118-123 overall marks with sectional scores of VARC and QA (48 each) and 46 in DILR to get 99.9 percentile.
A slight drop to 99.5 percentile the candidates required 103–108 marks, while 99 percentile was achievable with 92-95 marks.
For 95 percentile the candidates needed around 55–57 marks, with DILR (27) had a higher cutoff than VARC and QA. For 90 percentile, 45–47 marks were enough.
| Percentile | VARC | DILR | QA | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 99.9 | 48 | 46 | 48 | 118–123 |
| 99.5 | 40 | 40 | 43 | 103–108 |
| 99 | 36 | 37 | 35 | 92–95 |
| 95 | 19 | 27 | 18 | 55–57 |
| 90 | 16 | 21 | 14 | 45–47 |
CAT 2024 Exam Analysis Slot-Wise
| Slot | Analysis |
|---|---|
| CAT 2024 Slot 1 Analysis | Check Here |
| CAT 2024 Slot 2 Analysis | Check Here |
| CAT 2024 Slot 3 Analysis | Check Here |
CAT 2024 Section-wise Good Attempts
In CAT 2024 the section wise good attempts of questions were 14-18 in VARC, in DILR 13-16 questions were considered as good attempts and 13–18 in QA with the 75–90% accuracy across sections.
The VARC focused in RCs after dropping the para-jumbles, while DILR required smar set selection across 5 sets
QA was the easiest, focusing on the Arithmetic and Algebra.
overalll there were 40–50 good attempts to achieve 99+ percentile, especially with normalization across slots.
| Section | Good Attempts |
|---|---|
| VARC | 14–18 |
| DILR | 13–16 |
| QA | 13–18 |
CAT 2024 Question Paper Analysis
In CAT 2024 Question Paper there was an increase of questions to 68 (48 MCQs + 20 TITA), with some changes like the removal of para-jumbles in VARC and an additional 2 questions in DILR section (22 questions across five sets), by focusing on RC and VA.
| Section | Qs (Total) | Good Attempts | Accuracy | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VARC | 24 | 14–16 | 70–80% | Easy–Moderate |
| DILR | 22 | 13–16 | 75–80% | Easy–Moderate |
| QA | 22 | 13–18 | 85%+ | Moderate |
CAT 2024 Question Paper
The CAT 2024 question paper PDFs are the most useful source for the students to analyse their performance and to help prepare for CAT 2025. Here are the links to download the CAT question papers and answer keys section wise.
CAT 2024 Question Paper PDF (VARC)
| CAT VARC Slot | Download PDF | Answer Key PDF |
|---|---|---|
| CAT 2024 Question Paper with Answer key (Slot 1) – VARC | Download | Click Here |
| CAT 2024 Question Paper with Answer key (Slot 2) – VARC | Download | Click Here |
| CAT 2024 Question Paper with Answer key (Slot 3) – VARC | Download | Click Here |
CAT 2024 Question Paper PDF (DILR)
| CAT DILR Slot | Download PDF | Answer Key PDF |
|---|---|---|
| CAT 2024 Question Paper with Answer key (Slot 1) – DILR | Download | Click Here |
| CAT 2024 Question Paper with Answer key (Slot 2) – DILR | Download | Click Here |
| CAT 2024 Question Paper with Answer key (Slot 3) – DILR | Download | Click Here |
CAT 2024 Question Paper PDF (QA)
| CAT QA Slot | Download PDF | Answer Key PDF |
|---|---|---|
| CAT 2024 Question Paper with Answer key (Slot 1) – QA | Download | Click Here |
| CAT 2024 Question Paper with Answer key (Slot 2) – QA | Download | Click Here |
| CAT 2024 Question Paper with Answer key (Slot 3) – QA | Download | Click Here |
CAT 2024 Marks vs Percentile Analysis (Slot-wise)
As per the the CAT 2024 Marks vs Percentile analysis, Slot 1 had a slightly higher cutoff with 120–124 marks required for 99.9 percentile, as compared to slot 2 and 3 i.e, 118–123 marks.
- A 99 percentile required 95–98 marks in Slot 1 and 92–95 in the Slot 2 and 3.
- For 95 percentile, slot 2 had a slightly lower cutoff of 65-67 marks, whereas in the slot 1 and slot 3 the required marks were 68–70.
- At 90 percentile scores ranged from 59-61 in slot 1, 57-59 in slot 2 and 55-57 in slot 3, slot 1 againn being the highest.
| Percentile | Slot 1 Overall | Slot 2 Overall | Slot 3 Overall |
|---|---|---|---|
| 99.9 | 120–124 | 118–123 | 118–123 |
| 99.5 | 106–110 | 103–108 | 103–108 |
| 99 | 95–98 | 92–95 | 92–95 |
| 95 | 68–70 | 65–67 | 68–70 |
| 90 | 59–61 | 57–59 | 55–57 |
Also Read
What is a Good Score in CAT?CAT 2024 Score vs Percentile
| Percentile | VARC Scores | DILR Scores | Quant Scores | Overall Scores |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | 42–44 | 26–30 | 29–33 | 127 |
| 99+ | 38–40 | 23–26 | 25–28 | 95–103 |
| 95+ | 29–31 | 18–20 | 19–22 | 55–70 |
| 90+ | 23–26 | 14–17 | 15–17 | 45–58 |
| 85+ | 20–22 | 13–14 | 12–14 | 40–50 |
| 80+ | 18–20 | 10–12 | 10–12 | 36–44 |
CAT Previous Years Exam Analysis (2024-2022)
As per the CAT previous years analysis the exam has shown a gradual increase in difficulty level especially in the QA and DILR sections.
- CAT 2022 was moderate with 66 questions, while CAT 2023 was tough with difficult QA section, with less score needed for 99 percentile to ~76 marks.
- In CAT 2024, the number of questions were increased, 2 more questions in DILR (total 68), with the Slot 1 was the easiest and slot 3 was the toughest.
- The CAT 2025 is expected to be more challenging with 72 questions and higher cutoff score for top percentiles (99.9%ile at ~125–130 marks), with high difficulty level of DILR and QA sections.
| Category | CAT 2025 (Expected) | CAT 2024 | CAT 2023 | CAT 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Difficulty | Moderate to Tough (QA and DILR likely tougher) | Moderate, DILR most challenging | Moderate to Difficult (QA toughest) | Moderate |
| Total Questions | 72(DILR and QA will have 2 extra questions) | 68 (DILR had 2 extra questions) | 66 | 66 |
| Slot 1 | Moderate | Easiest | Moderate–Tough | Hardest |
| Slot 2 | Moderate to Tough | Moderate | Easiest | Easiest |
| Slot 3 | Slightly tougher than other slots | Moderate to Challenging (DILR most difficult) | Toughest (especially QA) | Moderate to Tough (DILR tricky) |
| Good Attempts (Total) | 37–45 (expected) | S1: 41–48S2: 36–43S3: 37–44 | NA | NA |
| Good Attempts (VARC) | 17–20 | S1: 18–21S2: 17–20S3: 16–19 | ~16–19 (avg) | NA |
| Good Attempts (DILR) | 10–13 | S1: 12–14S2: 10–12S3: 11–13 | ~9–12 (avg) | NA |
| Good Attempts (QA) | 9–12 | S1: 11–13S2: 9–11S3: 10–12 | ~8–11 (avg) | NA |
| 99.9 Percentile | ~125–130 marks (expected) | ~120–124 marks (scaled; varies by slot) | ~101.43 marks | ~109.9 marks |
| 99 Percentile | ~98–100 marks | ~95–98 marks (Slot 1) | ~76.02 marks | ~83.6 marks |
| 95 Percentile | ~65–68 marks | ~62–65 marks | ~54.86 marks | ~59.8 marks |
| Sectional Score (99%ile) | VARC: 40+DILR: 28–32QA: 25–28 (expected) | VARC: 42+DILR: 25–30QA: 22–25 | VARC: ~40DILR: ~27QA: ~30 | VARC: ~45DILR: ~45QA: ~46 |
CAT Exam Analysis FAQs
Ques. Which slot is hardest in a CAT?
Ans. As per the CAT 2024 exam the Slot 3 was considered the hardest out of the 3 slots. While Slot 2 was considered “easy to moderate” and slot 2 was “moderate”, and the slot 3 was described as “moderate to difficult” because of the high difficulty level of VARC and DILR section.
- The VARC section in Slot 3 had tricky RC passages and more inference-based VA questions.
- The DILR was more complex, with 5 sets with interlinked data, which made it harder to solve even 2 full sets confidently.
Ques. How to analyse CAT results?
Ans. To analyse the CAT results the candidates need to calculate their sectional and overall raw scores, and check the respective slots’ difficulty might have affected the scored due to the normalization, then convert the marks to percentile to understand the rank and compare the section wise performance with the toppers’.
Calculate Your Raw Score
- Add +3 for each correct answer and –1 for each wrong MCQ (TITA mistakes don’t attract penalties).
- Separate this for each section and for the total (max 204 marks across 68 questions)
Understand Normalization & Scaling
- CAT 2024 was conducted in 3 slots with different question papers, so raw scores are normalized across slots to ensure fairness.
- These scaled scores adjust for difficulty variations, making sure that a tougher slot doesn’t disadvantage candidates.
Convert Scaled Score to Percentile
- Percentile shows your performance relative to all test-takers.
- It is calculated by using:
- For CAT 2024, around 80 marks overall earned a 99+ percentile, and 55–58 marks were enough for 95+ percentile
Ques. Is the CAT exam very tough?
Ans. Yes, CAT exam is considered tough, especially due to speed, competition, and unpredictability. From 2020 to 2024 the difficulty level of the overall exam has fluctuated between moderate tto difficult. The CAT 2023 was tougher as compared to the rest of the years’ with the rise in the difficulty level of DILR and QA sections.
Ques. What is CAT analysis?
Ans. The CAT analysis helps in decoding every aspect of the exam, from structure and slot wise difficulty levels to sectional strategies and expected percentile, which helps the candidates in assessing their performance and to refine their preparation strategies to aim for high percentiles and predict the preferred college.
What CAT Analysis Covers?
- Exam Pattern and changes
- Section wise difficulty and attempts
- Slot-Wise Difficulty & Normalization
- Score vs percentile analysis
Ques. Is CAT exam tougher than NEET
Ans. Both CAT and NEET are considered high competitive exams in India, but they are conceptually different as their difficulty lies in different domains.
- CAT (Common Admission Test): It is a 2 hour computer based exam for the MBA aspirants, with around 3 lakhs candidates over the years. The CAT exam tests the Quantitative Aptitude, Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning, and Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension, which requires strong analytical thinking, quick decision-making, and reasoning skills. The exam is unpredictable with mixed topic questions designed to test logic.
- NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test): It is a 3- hour paper based exam for MBBS/BDS entry, with over 2.3 million candidates, covering topics like, Physics, Chemistry, and Biology with 180 questions and a 4‑mark for correct responses, which requires extensive memorization, conceptual clarity in domain subjects.
*The article might have information for the previous academic years, which will be updated soon subject to the notification issued by the University/College.
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