CAT 2025 Prep Calendar: 6 Months to Crack CAT and Land INR 30+ LPA Job at Amex, Meta, McKinsey, Google

What’s at Stake? Careers that Begin with CAT

IIMs and the other top B-Schools are the go-to institutions for the best placements for managerial roles in the country. More than 100 companies regularly recruit from the IIMs, seeking fresh talent from the nook and corner of the country. Going through the placement statistics of the IIM Bangalore alone for the academic year 2024 - 26, 140 companies have already visited the campus and have recruited 601 students with handsome salaries. Some of the top recruiters of the top IIMs, such as Bangalore, Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Kolkata and Indore, are listed below.

• Accenture Strategy

• Boston Consulting Group (BCG)

• Bain & Company

• McKinsey & Company

• EY Parthenon India

• PwC India

• Kearney

• Alvarez & Marsal

• Microsoft

• Amazon

• American Express

• EY (EPGP)

• Accenture Strategy & Consulting (EPGP)

• Samsung (EPGP)

IIM Lucknow and Bangalore Average CTCs

Based on the latest reports released by the authorities, the average CTCs secured by the students of IIM Lucknow and Bangalore is provided below.

CAT 2025 Exam Pattern

Starting the CAT exam preparation begins with the proper understanding of the CAT 2025 examination pattern. Without understanding the CAT exam pattern, the candidates might struggle during their CAT examination preparation, as this forms the basis of the candidate’s CAT preparation. The complete CAT exam pattern that the candidates should be aware of is provided below for the reference of the candidates.

Why Start CAT 2025 Preparation 6 Months in Advance?

According to the CAT toppers and various CAT exam experts, starting the CAT preparation 6 months early is necessary for candidates who are yet to start the CAT preparation or for candidates who are looking to refine their CAT preparation. A systematic approach for the CAT preparation in 6 months can help the candidates complete the entire CAT syllabus 2025 and also help them to save enough time for CAT revision through CAT mock tests and CAT sample papers. So this is the right time to start the CAT preparation if the candidate have’nt. Waiting any longer can hamper the candidate’s chances of making it to the premier institutes of the country. Starting the CAT preparation months in advance can also help the candidates avoid the CAT exam stress and be ready for the exam day. Each day of the CAT 2025 preparation will help the candidates identify their strengths and weaknesses, identify the areas requiring more focus and also enhance their time management skills and improve accuracy while attempting the CAT examination.

Ideal 6-Month CAT 2025 Preparation Strategy

The ideal CAT 2025 preparation strategy is not just the one which helps the candidate to complete the CAT 2025 syllabus, but one which helps the candidate to also save enough time for solving multiple CAT mock tests. Starting from now, the candidates should devise a CAT preparation plan tailored to their learning capabilities and available time. After analysing the CAT preparation timeline and the CAT 2025 syllabus, Careers360 has devised a CAT 2025 preparation calendar for 6 months. This calendar will be divided into a month-wise preparation plan. The candidates can refer to this expert-crafted CAT preparation schedule for 6 months to make the most out of their CAT preparation for the remaining time.

CAT Preparation Calendar Month 1 (June 2025) – Foundation and Assessment

June is the month when you start your CAT preparation. This month should be focused on understanding the CAT syllabus and exam pattern. Candidates must take a diagnostic test to assess their current level. Start brushing up on basics from all three sections - Quantitative Aptitude, VARC, and DILR. After analysing the results of the test, the candidates should note down their strengths and weaknesses. Priority should be given to the areas where the candidates feel like they are lagging. It is recommended that the candidates begin with the Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning section or the Quantitative Aptitude section because these two sections are the ones which demand a lot of time due to their extensive CAT 2025 syllabus. The candidates should also design a CAT preparation timetable at this time, which can help them to achieve their goals in the limited time. The candidates should also inculcate the important skill of consistency in this phase, which is required throughout the candidate’s preparation cycle. During this phase, the candidates can also begin revisiting fundamental math concepts and reading editorials or short articles for CAT VARC improvement. The first month of the CAT 6-month plan is necessary for the candidates because this builds their foundations towards the later stages of the CAT preparation. The practice of the questions should begin with the easy questions, followed by moderate and then the difficult ones.

CAT Preparation Calendar Month 2 (July 2025) – Concept Building and Practice

Once the basics are clear, July should be used to dive deeper into section-wise concepts. The candidates can refer to the previous year's CAT question papers and form a repository of questions. Referring to the questions, the candidates should try to solve them using a timer. Taking a note of the time spent and trying to reduce the time spent while resolving is a good approach. Candidates can start solving topic-wise questions in QA, reading RC passages, and practising basic DI/LR sets. During this phase, the candidates should focus on both time management and accuracy, with the former given more priority than the latter. For all the concepts that the candidates covered in the first month of CAT preparation, the candidates should use July to engage in CAT sectional mock tests. The progress of the candidates should be noted down. Special attention should be paid to the areas where the candidates are still lagging.

CAT Preparation Calendar Month 3 (August 2025) – Speed and Accuracy

Once the candidates have mastered both time management and accuracy, they should now focus on speed. The CAT examination is all about answering as many questions as possible within 120 minutes with a great level of accuracy. Speed alone is not sufficient, because for each wrong answer, 1 mark will be deducted. This indicates that the candidates should focus on finding the right answers. There are good chances for the CAT 2025 examination to have lengthy DILR sets and a few time-consuming Quantitative Aptitude questions. To improve the speed while answering the questions, the candidates should learn CAT shortcut methods, memorise all the important CAT formulas and so on. Learning mental maths and methods such as Vedic mathematics for calculation can also be very helpful for the candidates.

CAT Preparation Calendar Month 4 (September 2025) – Full Mocks and Advanced Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning

As the candidate moves towards the 4 months of the CAT preparation 6-month calendar, it is the time for them to focus more on getting ready for the CAT exam day. This is the phase where the candidates should move from sectional CAT mock tests to complete mock tests involving the CAT syllabus 2025 topics that the candidates have completed till now. The candidates should also ensure that while attempting the CAT mock tests, they simulate the actual environment by attending the test in a noiseless environment and following the CAT guidelines. The candidates should practise tough DI/LR sets, as this is often the most unpredictable section. The candidates must spend time analysing each mock test thoroughly, identifying weak points, and improving them through focused practice. This will help the candidates pinpoint the areas that require more attention and focus. If the candidate has left behind any topics of the CAT 2025 syllabus, this should be the last month for doing so because the last 2 months of the CAT 2025 preparation calendar are reserved for mock test, sample paper and overall revision alone.

CAT Preparation Calendar Month 5 (October 2025) – Peak Performance Mode

Now that the candidate has completed the entire CAT 2025 syllabus and has attempted multiple full-length mock tests and a lot of CAT sectional mock tests, the peak CAT performance of the candidate is expected in the month of October. The candidates are suggested to take at least 3 full-length mock tests per week and note their progress. The candidates should also revise the important CAT formulas, work on their speed of solving the problems and fine-tune their test-taking approach by referring to the CAT preparation tips and listening to the CAT topper tips and tricks. This should be the ideal month that the candidates to put their heart and soul into. It is also necessary that the candidates take enough breaks in between so that they do not feel exhausted or burned out.

CAT Preparation Calendar Month 6 (November 2025) – Revision + Calm Strategy

The final month is for revision, light practice, and staying mentally calm. It is essential for the candidates not to learn any new concepts during this period, as it may create unwanted stress and confusion. It is important for the candidates not to compare their preparation with that of others because this might create panic and stress. The candidates should focus on revising core concepts, notes, and mock test feedback. The number of CAT mock tests per week should be reduced to 1-2 by focusing on speed and accuracy. Use the last week for light revision and mental relaxation to be fully prepared for CAT day. This is critical because overburdening with heavy revision and day-night study without revision can exhaust the candidates and may even result in physical illnesses during the exam week, which may adversely affect the candidates.

CAT 2025 Syllabus Time Table for 4 Months

Completing the CAT 2025 syllabus would be slightly cumbersome for the candidates as the CAT syllabus is vast and includes a lot of topics. But reserving the last few months for CAT practice is necessary for the candidates to score well in the CAT examination. Hence, it is necessary for the candidates to complete the CAT syllabus 2025 within 4 months so that they will be left with 2 months for a comprehensive CAT examination revision. Carers360 has designed a weekwise CAT preparation in 4 months, which can be followed to complete the CAT 2025 syllabus in time.

Tools and Resources to Follow During the CAT 6 Months Preparation

Taking the guidance of the CAT preparation materials and materials during the candidate’s CAT preparation in 6 months can be extremely helpful for securing a good CAT percentile. This should be one of the important CAT strategies for success. The important resources that the candidates should follow during their CAT 6 months preparation are listed under this section.

CAT Preparation Books 2025

With a wide variety of CAT preparation materials available, selecting the right ones based on individual needs can be challenging. To make this easier, Careers360 has analysed and shortlisted the most important books for CAT preparation.

CAT 2025 Exam Preparation Materials by Careers360

Careers360 provides a variety of CAT 2025 preparation resources such as detailed syllabus guides, topic-wise study materials, mock tests, and expert strategy articles. The list of CAT exam preparation materials designed by Careers360 is provided in the list below.