CAT Marking Scheme 2025: Slots, Time Duration, Syllabus, Marking Scheme, Answering Tips

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09 Oct, 2026

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CAT marking scheme is an important part of CAT exam pattern for the aspiring students to prepare for CAT 2025. The exam is set and modified by IIM several times. CAT question often makes minor changes in its pattern. Based on last year's pattern, the question paper consists of three sections Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehending (VARC), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR) and Quantitative Aptitude (QA). The total number of questions has now increased from 66 to 68 compared to CAT 2023 exam. The VARC section now having 22 questions instead of 20 as previous year. As a result, the total marks for the CAT exam were 204 in 2024.

The exam duration for all candidates except person with disability (PwD) is 120 minutes. The PwD candidates get 160 minutes. Each section has a time limit of 40 minutes for all except the PwD candidates, who get 53 minutes and 20 seconds per section.

CAT 2025 Marking Scheme Highlights (Expected)

Check out the CAT Exam 2025 pattern highlights in the following table:

Particulars	CAT Exam Marks Pattern
CAT exam time duration	2 Hours (120 Minutes) 2 Hours 40 Minutes (160 Minutes) for PwD
Name of the Section	Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC) Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) Quantitative Aptitude (QA)
Section-wise CAT exam time duration	40 Minutes for Each Section (VARC, DILR, QA) 53 Minutes 20 Seconds for PwD candidates for each section
CAT slot timings	CAT slot 1 timing: 8:30 am - 10:30 am (Morning Session) CAT slot 2 timing: 12:30 pm - 2:30 pm (Afternoon Session) CAT slot 3 timing: 4:30 pm - 6:30 pm (Evening Session)
Number of Questions	68
Total marks of CAT exam	204 CAT marks
Mode of the CAT 2024 exam	Computer-Based Mode (CBT)
CAT Marking Scheme	For every right answer +3 will be awarded For every wrong answer in MCQs, -1 will be deducted No negative marks for Non-MCQs

CAT 2025 Time Duration

CAT exam has three sections in total in its question paper. Each section has a time limit of 40 minutes. Once the section time limit is over, candidates cannot make any changes or attempt any new questions to answer in that section. The following table presents the section wise time limits and number questions as per the CAT 2024:

CAT Exam Sections	Number of Questions	Time Limit	Time Limit for PwD Students
Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC)	24	40 minutes	53 minutes and 20 seconds
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR)	22	40 minutes	53 minutes and 20 seconds
Quantitative Aptitude (QA)	22	40 minutes	53 minutes and 20 seconds
Total	68	120 minutes	160 minutes

CAT 2025 Syllabus

IIMs never released CAT exam syllabus. However, based on the existing CAT exam pattern over the past five years candidates can check the topics to prepare for the exam in the following table:

Section	Topics Covered
Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC)	Verbal Ability, English Usage or Grammar, Close Passage, Synonyms & Antonyms, Facts-Inferences-Judgments, Reading Comprehension, Verbal Reasoning
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR)	Caselets, Blood Relations, Calendars, Bar Graphs, Column Graphs, Tables, Cubes, Clocks, Binary Logic, Line Charts, Combination of Two or More Types, Syllogism, Venn Diagrams, Pie Chart, Number Series, Letter Series, Seating Arrangement
Quantitative Aptitude (QA)	Algebra, Higher Mathematics, Geometry, Trigonometry, Mensuration, Arithmetic

CAT Marking Scheme 2024

The marking scheme of CAT 2024 revealed a total of 204 marks consisting of 68 questions from all three sections. Under the CAT marking scheme, candidates are awarded three marks for correct answers and one negative mark for each wrong answer. However, it is to be noted that for any unanswered CAT questions no marks will be deducted. There are no negative marks for Type in The Answer (TITA) or the Non-MCQs questions. Check the following table for the sectional marking scheme:

CAT Exam Section Name	Number of Questions	Marks per Question	CAT Negative Marking (Only MCQs)
VARC (Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension)	24	3	-1
DILR (Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning)	22	3	-1
Quantitative Aptitude	22	3	-1

Hope you have got glimpse of CAT 2025 question pattern, marking schemes, and syllabus as discussed in the above sections. Remember, cracking CAT to get admission to the top business schools like IIMs is not at all easy. Planning and strategy for each steps plays a big role in getting competitive ranks in CAT result. In the following section we will discuss the tips on how you can answer with proper time management.

How to Answer Questions in the CAT 2025 Exam?

Candidates should be aware of the below-mentioned options for answering questions beforehand while attempting the CAT exam:

Save and Next: Select the answer, save it, and proceed to the next question.
Clear Response: Delete the selected answer if needed.
Mark for Review and Next: If unsure, mark the question for review, answer it, and then move to the next one.

Note: Candidates must answer CAT questions by using the mouse. The system keyboard usage will lock the computer screen.

Colour Codes on CAT Question Paper

As you know that CAT exam is computerized, it has colour codes for each stages of your answering. You can answer a questions and mark it for review, or you can mark it for review by yourself at a later stage and not answer. The questions you have not answered will be marked as Red while the answered questions will turn to Green. Violet and Green tick represents the answers that you have answered and reviewed. Check the table below for your further understanding of colour codes:

Panel Color	Indication
Red	Question not answered and not marked for review.
Green	Question answered but not reviewed.
Grey	Question not viewed or visited.
Violet	Question marked for review but not answered.
Violet with Green Tick	Question marked for review and answered.

Click here to get CAT Previous Year's Question Paper PDFs

CAT Marks vs Percentile 2025

Now, that you know that strategy is key for preparation for CAT 2025, you need to further analyse the marks vs percentile for each section to know which section needs more attention.

CAT 2024 Slot 1 Score vs Percentile

The following section show the section-wise analysis of CAT 2024 Slot 1 marks vs percentile:

CAT Percentile	CAT VARC Score	CAT DILR Score	CAT QA Score	Overall CAT Score
100	42-44	29-30	30-32	100-102
99+	40	25-27	25-28	80
95+	28-30	18-20	20-22	55
90+	22-24	15-17	15-17	45-48
85+	20-22	13-14	14-15	40-45
80+	18-20	12-14	13-15	35-37

CAT 2024 Slot 2 Score vs Percentile

The following section show the section-wise analysis of CAT 2024 Slot 2 marks vs percentile:

CAT Percentile	CAT VARC Score	CAT DILR Score	CAT QA Score	Overall CAT Score
100	43-44	25-27	29-30	98-100
99+	40-42	22-23	27-28	82-83
95+	30-33	18-20	20-22	57-58
90+	24-26	14-15	15-17	46-48
85+	20-22	13-14	14-15	40-43
80+	18-20	12-14	13-15	36-39

CAT 2024 Slot 3 Score vs Percentile

The following section show the section-wise analysis of CAT 2024 Slot 3 marks vs percentile:

CAT Percentile	CAT VARC Score	CAT DILR Score	CAT QA Score	Overall CAT Score
100	42-43	27-28	32-34	98-100
99+	38-40	23-24	27-28	78-80
95+	28-30	18-20	18-20	57-58
90+	24-25	15-17	15-17	46-48
85+	20-22	13-14	14-15	40-41
80+	18-20	18-22	18-20	36-37

CAT 2025 Cutoff (Expected)

The following table presents the CAT 2025 expected cutoff for admission to some of the top IIMs in India:

IIMs	Expected CAT Cutoff Percentile
IIM Ahmedabad	80
IIM Bangalore	85
IIM Calcutta	85
IIM Lucknow	90
IIM Indore	90
IIM Kozhikode	85
IIM Mumbai	85
IIM Tiruchirappalli	94
IIM Shillong	75

CAT 2025 Section-wise (Expected) Cutoff

You can check the CAT 2025 Section-wise expected cutoff for the IIMs as presented in the following table:

Name of the Institutes	VARC	DILR	QA
IIM Ahmedabad	70	70	70
IIM Amritsar	75	75	80
IIM Bangalore	80	80	80
IIM Bodh Gaya	73	73	73
IIM Calcutta	80	80	75
IIM Indore	80	80	80
IIM Jammu	73	73	73
IIM Kashipur	73	73	73
IIM Kozhikode	75	75	75
IIM Lucknow (PGP)	85	85	85
IIM Nagpur	73	73	73
IIM Raipur	73	73	73
IIM Ranchi	73	73	73

CAT Exam Pattern and Details: Year-wise Changes

CAT exam pattern has changed over the years keeping in mind the competitive nature of the exam. The following table summarizes the details of exam pattern changes:

CAT Exam Year	Number of Questions in CAT Exam	CAT Exam Time Duration	CAT Sections
2024	68	120 minutes	QA, DILR, VARC
2023	66	120 minutes	QA, DILR, VARC
2022	66	120 minutes	QA, DILR, VARC
2021	66	120 minutes	QA, DILR, VARC
2020	76	120 minutes	QA, DILR, VARC
2019	100	180 minutes	QA, DILR, VARC
2018	100	180 minutes	QA, DILR, VARC
2017	100	180 minutes	QA, DILR, VARC

Click here to know more about: CAT 2025 Exam Pattern

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Frequently Asked Questions

Ans: The CAT Exam is a computer-based test (CBT) of a duration of 2 hours, consisting of three sections: verbal ability and reading comprehension (VARC), data interpretation and logical reasoning (DILR), and quantitative ability (QA). Each of these sections has a time limit of 40 minutes to answer. Person with Disabilities will get 40 minutes more to answer all the questions.

Ans: CAT 2025 exam is expected to have around 66 or 68 questions. Since 2021, the total number of questions in CAT exam had been 66 till 2023. In 2024, there were a deviation from this and the total number of questions were 68, with the VARC section had 2 more questions.

Ans: No. You cannot switch between the sections. Each sections has a time limit of 40 minutes. You need to answer each section to move on to attempt questions of the next section.

Ans: Each section has 40 minutes time limits. You need to finish answering a section 5-10 minutes earlier. By saving this extra time you can review any questions you have marked for review. You should carefully read the instructions provided on the test screen carefully.

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