CAT Exam Section-wise Analysis 2025: Difficulty Level, Past Trends & More

CAT Latest Updates

09 Oct, 2026

CAT 2026 admit cards will be available for download from Nov 4, 2026, ahead of the Nov 29 exam.

CAT exam section-wise analysis 2025 provides a detailed breakdown of the exam's three sections- Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Ability (QA).

As one of the most competitive MBA entrance exams in India, CAT 2025 demands a strategic approach tailored to each section's difficulty level and question types. This analysis helps aspirants understand the overall exam structure, evaluate their performance, and anticipate cut-off trends.

CAT 2025 Exam Pattern: Overview

To know the difficulty level of CAT exam in 2025, it is essential to know the CAT exam pattern so that candidates can easily get the difficulty level of this year as compared to other previous years. Although the CAT exam pattern of 2025 is not yet given on the official website. However, it is expected that the same exam will be conducted this year as in previous years. The expected exam pattern of 2025 is described in detail in the table below.

Section	No. of Questions	Time Limit	Total Marks	Question Types	Marking Scheme
Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC)	24	40 minutes	72	MCQ + Direct Answer (No Options)	+3 for correct, -1 for wrong MCQ, 0 for Direct Answer
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR)	22	40 minutes	66	MCQ + Direct Answer (No Options)	+3 for correct, -1 for wrong MCQ, 0 for Direct Answer
Quantitative Aptitude (QA)	22	40 minutes	66	MCQ + Direct Answer (No Options)	+3 for correct, -1 for wrong MCQ, 0 for Direct Answer
Total	68	120 minutes	204

CAT 2025 Exam Pattern: Additional Details

Parameter	Details
Exam Mode	Computer-Based Test (CBT)
Language Medium	English
Total Duration	120 minutes (40 minutes per section)
Question Types	Multiple Choice (MCQ) & Direct Answer (Type Without Options)
Negative Marking	-1 for wrong MCQs only; No negative marks for Direct Answer type
Expected Exam Slots	Morning (8:30-10:30), Afternoon (12:30-2:30), Evening (4:30-6:30)

CAT Exam Difficulty Level 2025: Past Trends

CAT exam difficulty level for the last five years section wise, VARC (Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension), DILR (Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning), and QA (Quantitative Aptitude) is given here. So that the candidates can easily understand what the difficulty level of CAT exam in 2025 might be like, it is described in detail below.

Year	Total Questions	Section-wise Distribution	Exam Duration	Marking Scheme	Overall Difficulty Level
2024	66	VARC: 24 DILR: 20 QA: 22	120 minutes (40 min/section)	+3 for correct -1 for incorrect	Difficult
2023	66	VARC: 24 DILR: 20 QA: 22	120 minutes (40 min/section)	+3 for correct -1 for incorrect	Moderate to Difficult
2022	66	VARC: 24 DILR: 20 QA: 22	120 minutes (40 min/section)	+3 for correct -1 for incorrect	Moderate to Difficult
2021	76	VARC: 26 DILR: 24 QA: 26	120 minutes (40 min/section)	+3 for correct -1 for incorrect	Moderate to Difficult
2020	100	VARC: 34 DILR: 32 QA: 34	180 minutes (60 min/section)	+3 for correct -1 for incorrect	Easy to Moderate

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Frequently Asked Questions

Ans: The Common Admission Test (CAT) exam is conducted in three slots. Each slot has a unique question paper, Common Admission Test has unique questions. The Common Admission Test exam authorities prepare the question paper keeping in mind that no slot is harder or easier than the other. However, it may happen that one or two questions are more difficult in a particular slot.

Ans: For the last three years, 66 questions were asked in CAT Exam, the CAT 2024 question paper had 68 questions. There were 24 questions in Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension section, 22 questions in Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning and 22 questions in Quantitative Aptitude section. The total duration is 120 minutes and there is a section time limit of 40 minutes for each section.

Ans: Since Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning is a reasoning-based section, one might think that practicing sample question papers would be enough, but to build a strong foundation for solving any type of puzzle, it is very important to understand the fundamentals of Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning topics. This can also be achieved by solving various sample questions.

Ans: To do well in the VARC section, start reading English novels and all kinds of books from the initial stage of CAT preparation. This will improve your vocabulary, grammar and reading comprehension. Along with reading, you should also focus on grammar and vocabulary as these help in solving gap-filling type questions.

Ans: To prepare for the QA section, strengthen your basic concepts in mathematics and practice solving different types of problems. Focus on time management while attempting this section.

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