CAT Exam Analysis 2025: Question Types, Difficulty, Cutoff & Insights

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Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Kozhikode has concluded the CAT exam 2025 on November 30, 2025. The detailed slot-wise exam analysis is now available. In Slot 1, which ended at 10:30 AM, candidates reported the overall paper to be of moderate difficulty. The Quantitative Aptitude section was perceived as lengthy and challenging, while the VARC section was comparatively straightforward with passages that were easier to interpret. The DILR section featured familiar question types such as bar graphs and charts.

Slot 2, completed at 2:30 PM, was considered slightly easier than the previous year's paper, though the DILR segment posed moderate challenges. Quantitative Aptitude in this slot ranged from moderate to difficult, whereas VARC was manageable.

Slot 3 mirrored the overall moderate difficulty level of the earlier slots, but the LRDI section stood out as relatively simpler. The VARC section remained consistent with Slots 1 and 2 in terms of structure and question types. However, the Quantitative Aptitude section of Slot 3 was more time-consuming, with nearly 10 TITA (Type in the Answer) questions adding to its length.

CAT 2025 Slot-Wise Exam Analysis

A thorough review of the CAT 2025 highlights the overall difficulty level, changes in exam pattern, expected number of good attempts, and sectional cutoffs. Slot 1 was rated as moderate, with most questions manageable, particularly in the VARC section. Slot 2 leaned towards moderately difficult, while DILR was balanced at a moderate level; the Quantitative Aptitude section proved more challenging, ranging from moderate to difficult. He VARC section in Slot 2 remains accessible, much like Slot 1. Slot 3 followed a similar moderate difficulty trend, though the LRDI section was comparatively easier. VARC continued to be approachable, whereas the Quantitative Aptitude was lengthy, adding to the challenge.

A detailed breakdown of both sectional and overall performance for CAT 2025 has been compiled and shared below:

CAT 2025 Exam Analysis of Slot 1

CAT 2025 Slot 1 was conducted on November 30, 2025, between 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM. Check out the section-wise difficulty level and number of questions asked in the exam:

Section	No. of Questions	Difficulty Level	No. of Good Attempts
Quantitative Aptitude	22	Difficult	13-14
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning	22	Moderate	9-10
Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension	24	Easy to Moderate	16
Overall	68	Moderate	39-40

CAT 2025 Exam Analysis of Slot 2

CAT 2025 Slot 2 was conducted on November 30, 2025, between 12:30 PM to 2:30 PM. Check out the section-wise difficulty level and number of questions asked in the exam:

Section	No. of Questions	Difficulty Level	No. of Good Attempts
Quantitative Aptitude	22	Moderate to Difficult	13-14
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning	22	Moderate	8-9
Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension	24	Easy to Moderate	18-20
Overall	68	Moderate	40-43

CAT 2025 Exam Analysis of Slot 3

CAT 2025 Slot 3 was conducted on November 30, 2025, between 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM. Check out the section-wise difficulty level and number of questions asked in the exam:

Section	No. of Questions	Difficulty Level	No. of Good Attempts
Quantitative Aptitude	22	Lengthy & Moderate	11-12
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning	22	Easy	9-10
Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension	24	Moderate	17-18
Overall	68	Moderate	37-40

CAT 2024 Slot-Wise Exam Analysis

The CAT 2024 exam analysis highlights the overall difficulty level, changes in the paper pattern, expected number of good attempts, and sectional cutoffs. Slot 1 was considered relatively easy, with most questions manageable for candidates who had a strong grasp of fundamental concepts. Slot 2 presented a moderate challenge, featuring a significant number of questions from LRDI and Algebra. Slot 3 was rated between moderate and difficult, requiring more effort from test takers. A detailed breakdown of both sectional and overall performance for CAT 2024 has been compiled and shared for aspirants:

CAT 2024 Exam Analysis of Slot 1

Here is the CAT 2024 exam analysis of Slot 1:

The exam comprised 68 questions in total.
The overall difficulty of Slot 1 was assessed as low to moderate.
In comparison to the previous year, the Quant section appeared easier, and questions from Arithmetic, Algebra, and Geometry were manageable.
The LRDI section had five sets, out of which three were DI sets based on charts.
No Parajumble questions appeared in the paper. Candidates were presented with three Para Summaries along with three Para Completion tasks.
Candidates were presented with four RC passages, one focused on Economics, another linked to Netflix, and a third on Arts & Crafts.

Section	No. of Questions	Difficulty Level	No. of Good Attempts
Quantitative Aptitude	22	Easy	17-18
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning	22	Easy to Moderate	10-11
Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension	24	Moderate	10-11
Overall	68	Easy to Moderate	37-40

CAT 2024 Exam Analysis of Slot 2

Here is the CAT 2024 exam analysis of Slot 2:

Slot 2 was of moderate difficulty, with mostly straightforward questions following a pattern similar to Slot 1.
The paper did not include any Parajumble or Modern Math questions.
The LRDI section has five sets in total. The section comprised two sets containing five questions each and three sets with four questions each. The Logical Reasoning sets were rated from moderate to high in difficulty. The Data Interpretation sets vary in complexity.
Odd One Out, Sentence Insertion, and Para Summary were manageable, with difficulty spanning from easy to moderate.
Candidates found the VARC section time-consuming, with four RCs, two of which dealt with Spices and Carnivores.
One TITA question from the CAT 2023 reappeared in the CAT 2024 exam.

Section	No. of Questions	Difficulty Level	No. of Good Attempts
Quantitative Aptitude	22	Moderate	14-15
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning	22	Moderate	14-15
Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension	24	Moderate	15-18
Overall	68	Moderate	43-48

CAT 2024 Exam Analysis of Slot 3

Here is the CAT 2024 exam analysis of Slot 3:

The overall difficulty level was easy to moderate.
In Slot 3, Parajumbles were absent, and candidates encountered three questions based on the Para Summary.
Two questions in the paper were based on Odd One Out.
One of the Reading Comprehension passages dealt with the Japanese language and was slightly tricky, while the others were manageable.
Out of the eight Verbal Ability questions, five were considered manageable.
The DILR section included three DI sets and two LR sets. One DI involved a bar graph, another a line graph that required heavy calculations, and one was based on missing values.
Around 7-8 questions came from Arithmetic, including 1 on Time, Speed & Distance, 1 on Time & Work, 2 on Percentages, 1 on Mixture & Alligation, and 2 on Ratio & Proportion.
About 6-7 questions came from Algebra, including 2 on Equations and 2 on Functions, which were of easy to moderate difficulty.

Section	No. of Questions	Difficulty Level	No. of Good Attempts
Quantitative Aptitude	22	Easy to Moderate	14-16
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning	22	Easy	17-18
Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension	24	Easy to Moderate	15-17
Overall	68	Easy to Moderate	46-51

CAT Score vs Percentile

The following table presents the expected overall CAT 2025 score vs percentile, along with sectional score versus percentile:

Percentile	Score VARC	Score DILR	Score QA	Overall Score
99.5	42	30	30	86
99	35	25	25	74
95	30	20	22	52
90	24	14	13	42
80	20	11	9	35
70	18	9	7	30

CAT Result 2025

The CAT result 2025 is expected to be announced online by IIM Kozhikode in December 2025. To access and download your scorecard, you must log in to the official IIM CAT portal using your User ID and Password. The scorecard will display both sectional and overall scores, along with the percentile achieved.

For more details, check the CAT Result 2025

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Frequently Asked Questions

Ans: CAT exam analysis is more than just a review of the paper; it’s a roadmap for preparation. By breaking down the number of questions, difficulty levels, and topic distribution, aspirants can identify which areas were high-yield and which demanded more effort.

Ans: The paper ranged from easy to moderate overall, but the difficulty level varied across sections. VARC was lengthy yet manageable, LRDI leaned towards moderate to high with calculation-intensive sets, and Quant balanced between approachable Arithmetic and trickier Algebra.

Ans: IIM Kozhikode will release the provisional and final answer keys in December 2025, followed by the official scorecards. Candidates can log in to the IIM CAT portal using their login credentials to download the scorecard.

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