Table of Contents
Latest Updates: CAT exam 2025 is scheduled for November 30, 2025. The official notification is expected to release in the last week of July 2025. CAT 2025 registration will start from first week of August 2025 and it will continue till third week of September 2025. CAT 2025 result will be released by December 2025.
Common Admission Test (CAT) is a national-level management entrance exam for admission to postgraduate management programs. The exam is conducted by the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) once in a year. It serves as a gateway to MBA/PGDM programs offered by the 21 IIMs and more than 85 prestigious non-IIM institutions across India.
CAT exam assesses a candidate's quantitative aptitude, verbal ability and reading comprehension, data interpretation and logical reasoning skills, which are crucial for success in the field of management. To be eligible for the CAT Exam 2025, candidates must hold a bachelor's degree with a minimum of 50% marks (45% for reserved categories). There is no age limit attempt limit prescribed by the authority.
CAT exam paper consists of three sections: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension, Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning, and Quantitative Aptitude. The total number of questions and the exam duration can vary slightly each year, but generally, the exam is conducted for two hours. CAT cutoff for the top 5 IIMs is usually exceptionally high, often above 99 percentile.
The table below shows the key highlights of the CAT exam 2025:
| Particulars | Details |
| Exam Name | CAT 2025 |
| CAT Full Form | Common Admission Test |
| Conducting Body for 2025 | IIM Kozhikode (Tentative) |
| Exam Level | National |
| Exam Frequency | Once a year |
| CAT Exam Date 2025 | November 30, 2025 |
| CAT Exam Timing | Slot 1: 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM Slot 2: 12:30 PM to 2:30 PM Slot 3: 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM |
| CAT 2025 Application Fee | INR 2500 for General Category Candidates INR 1250 for Reserved Category Candidates |
| Eligibility Criteria | Graduation with minimum of 50% aggregate marks and 45% for SC/ST candidates |
| Exam Purpsoes | Admission to 21 IIMs, and over 85 b-schools in India |
| Courses Offered | MBA/PGDM |
| CAT Syllabus 2025 | VARC DILR QA |
| Number of Test Cities | 170 |
| Exam Mode | Computer Based Test (CBT) |
| CAT Exam Website | iimcat.ac.in |
The table below shows the CAT 2025 exam dates:
| CAT Exam Events | CAT 2025 Exam Dates (Tentative) |
| CAT 2025 Notification Out | July 30, 2025 |
| CAT 2025 Exam Registration Date | First Week of August to Third Week of September 2025 |
| CAT Admit Card 2025 | First Week of November 2025 |
| CAT Exam Date 2025 | November 30, 2025 |
| CAT Answer Key 2025 | First Week of December 2025 |
| CAT Result 2025 | Last Week of December 2025 or the First Week of January 2026 |
CAT exam 2025 registration is expected to start from the first week of August 2025. You will be able to register for the CAT entrance exam by following the steps below:
There has been a revision in the CAT 2024 application fee, which is expected to be the same for CAT 2025. Check out the table below for the CAT exam fees:
| Category | CAT Registration Fees 2025 |
| General, EWS, and NC-OBC | INR 2,500/- |
| SC, ST, and PwD | INR 1,250/- |
You must have to meet the CAT 2025 eligibility criteria to appear for the exam. Here are the eligibility criteria based on past year’s trends:
You must carry your CAT admit card 2025 on the day of the examination. You should be aware of the following points about the CAT admit card:
Here is the list of top IIMs that accept the CAT 2025 score:
| IIM | Courses Offered through CAT |
| IIM Ahmedabad | PGP, PGP-FABM, ePGP, PhD |
| IIM Amritsar | MBA, EMBA, MBA-Business Analytics, MBA-HRM, PhD |
| IIM Bangalore | PGP, PGPEM, PGPBA, PhD |
| IIM Bodh Gaya | PGP, PhD (FPM) |
| IIM Calcutta | MBA, PhD |
| IIM Indore | PGP, PGP-HRM, FPM |
| IIM Jammu | PGP, PhD |
| IIM Kashipur | MBA, MBA (WX), MBA (Analytics), PhD, EFPM |
| IIM Kozhikode | PGP, PGP-BL, PGP-F, PGP-LSM, PhD, PhD (PT) |
| IIM Lucknow | PGP, PGP-ABM, PGP-SM, FPM |
| IIM Nagpur | PGP, PhD |
| IIM Raipur | PGP, FPM/ PhD, EFPM |
| IIM Ranchi | PGP, PGP-HRM, PGP (Business Analytics), PhD, PhD |
| IIM Rohtak | PGP, EPGPX, EPGDSM, PhD, Part-Time FPM |
| IIM Sambalpur | MBA, PhD, E PhD |
| IIM Shillong | PGP, PGPEX, PGPWE, PhD, PhDWP |
| IIM Sirmaur | MBA, MBA (T&HM), PhD |
| IIM Tiruchirappalli | PGPM, PGPM-HR, PGPBM, FPM, E-FPM |
| IIM Udaipur | MBA, PhD |
| IIM Visakhapatnam | PGP, PGPEx, PGPDGM, PhD |
| IIM Mumbai | MBA, MBA in Sustainability Management MBA in Operations and Supply Chain Management |
Once the CAT 2025 result is released, top B-schools like IIMs, MDI, FMS, etc will start releasing the CAT 2025 cutoff. Based on the cutoff score, they will shortlist the candidates for admission to the MBA programs. Check out the table below for the expected cutoff for CAT 2025:
Here is the list of IIMs along with their expected CAT cutoff 2025:
| List of IIMs | Expected CAT 2025 Cutoff (Percentile) |
| IIM Ahmedabad | 99-100 |
| IIM Bangalore | 99-100 |
| IIM Calcutta | 99 |
| IIM Lucknow | 97+ |
| IIM Indore | 97+ |
| IIM Kozhikode | 97-98 |
| IIM Amritsar | 95+ |
| IIM Nagpur | 95+ |
| IIM Sambalpur | 95+ |
| IIM Trichy | 94 |
| IIM Raipur | 94 |
| IIM Kashipur | 94 |
| IIM Vizag | 92 |
| IIM Udaipur | 92 |
| IIM Bodhgaya | 92 |
| IIM Shillong | 90 |
| IIM Sirmaur | 95 |
| IIM Rohtak | 95 |
| IIM Mumbai | 97 |
The table below shows the non-IIMs along with their expected cutoff score:
| List of CAT Colleges | Cutoff 2025 Cutoff (Expected) |
| FMS | 98.20 Percentile |
| BITSOM | 94 Percentile |
| DMS, IIT Delhi | 98+ Percentile |
| LIBA, Chennai | 90+ Percentile |
| SJMSOM, IIT Bombay | 99+ Percentile |
| IMT, Ghaziabad | 90+ |
| MDI Gurgaon | 95+ |
| NITIE Mumbai | 95+ |
| SPJIMR | 85+ |
| XIMB | 90+ |
| Department of Management Studies, IIT Madras | 95+ |
| TAPMI, Manipal | 85+ |
Check out the table below for the CAT paper pattern:
| Particulars | Details |
| Mode of CAT 2025 | CBT (Computer Based Test) |
| Sections in CAT 2025 | Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Aptitude (QA) |
| CAT Exam Duration (Section-Wise) | 40 minutes per section |
| Number of Total Questions in CAT 2025 | 68 (Expected) |
| CAT Total Marks | 204 |
| Medium of CAT 2025 | English |
| Type of Questions | MCQs and non-MCQ |
Similar to the last year’s exam pattern, the marking scheme for both MCQs and non-MCQs will remain the same. Here is an overview of the CAT 2025 marking scheme:
| Question Type | For Correct Response | For Incorrect Response |
| Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) | +3 | -1 |
| Type in the Answer (TITA) | +3 | 0 |
The exam-conducting authority does not officially release the CAT syllabus. It is based on the topics from which the questions were asked in the CAT previous year papers. If you are applying for the CAT exam 2025, then the first step is to learn the syllabus. Check out the table below for the detailed CAT syllabus 2025:
| Subjects | Topics |
| Verbal Ability | Para Summary, Odd Sentence Out, and Inferences, Odd One Out, One-word Substitution, Syllogism and Analogies, Verbal Logic |
| Reading Comprehension | RC passages |
| Logical Reasoning & Data Interpretation | Blood Relations, Directions, Syllogism, Clocks & Calendars, Tables, Graphs, Charts, Connectives, Logical Sequence, Matching/Puzzles, Number & Letter Series, Seating Arrangement, Venn Diagrams, Coding-Decoding, Binary Logic, Caselets & Table |
| Quantitative Aptitude | Geometry, Trigonometry, Averages, Percentages, Number Systems, Arithmetic, Algebra, Mensuration, Modern Maths, Profit & Loss, Simple & Compound Interest |
The CAT response sheet will be released within 2 to 3 days after concluding the CAT exam 2025. After that, the CAT answer key will be published in the third week of December 2025. The official answer key will include the recorded responses of all the candidates for the year 2025, along with the correct answers determined by experts. Exam conducting authority will release the CAT answer key 2025 once the paper is evaluated and all the responses from the candidates are recorded.
You can check the CAT response sheet and CAT answer key, by login to your account. It will help you to estimate your CAT score and probable CAT percentile. The exam conducting authority will also allow you to raise objections against the official answer key if you see any error in the answer key. However, there will be a fee of INR 1200 per question for raising objections against the answer key. The final CAT 2025 result will be released based on the revised CAT 2025 answer key.
CAT Result 2025
CAT result 2025 is expected to be released in the third week of December 2025. You can check the results through the official website of CAT exam 2025. You must login to your account with the login credentials like ID and password.
After qualifying for the CAT 2025 exam and achieving the required cutoff, you will be called for the selection process by the participating institute. The admission process may vary from college to college, depending on factors, such as CAT 2025 scores, Written Ability Test, and GD/PI. Check out the details below for the selection process:
Practicing the CAT mock test can help you master all the topics included in the syllabus and improve speed and accuracy. If you are appearing for the CAT exam 2025, then you should practice at least 40 to 50 mock tests during your preparation phase.
The exam-conducting authority will release the CAT mock test series on the official website a few days before the examination. You can practice the official mock test too before the exam date. The official mock test will help you to understand the exam pattern and marking scheme.
These are some important preparation tips to prepare for the CAT exam 2025:
Ans: The CAT exam 2025 is conducted IIM and is not yet to be announced. As per the trends, it is expected that the IIM Kozhikode will conduct the CAT 2025.
Ans: Candidates who have completed their Bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 50% aggregate marks from a recognised university, can apply for the CAT 2025. There are no minimum age limit criteria to appear for the CAT exam 2025.
Ans: If you are seeking MBA admission at any IIMs or non-IIMs, then you should start your preparation at least 1 year before the exam date.
Ans: There is no limit on the number of attempts for the CAT exam. You can take the exam as many times as you want if you meet the eligibility criteria. Some candidates also take the exam to improve their scores, while others may appear only once.
Ans: It is expected that the CAT exam registration 2025 will start on August 1, 2025. You have to complete your registration for CAT, before the deadline.
Ans: CAT slot 3 was the toughest in the CAT exam 2024. However, the CAT 2024 scores of all the candidates will be normalized to balance the challenge level of each slot.
Get College Notifications, Exam Notifications and News Updates
