Great Lakes - PGDM & PGPM Admissions 2026
Admissions Open | Globally Recognized by AACSB (US) & AMBA (UK) | 17.8 LPA Avg. CTC for PGPM 2025
CAT Admit Card Date:12 Nov' 25 - 30 Nov' 25
The CAT 2025 Slot 1 Question Paper with Solutions will be provided in this article immediately after the conclusion of the examination. Slot 1 is scheduled for 30th November 2025, from 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM. The CAT Slot 1 exam is the first session of the day and generally provides early insights into the paper pattern, topic distribution, and overall difficulty level for the entire exam day. Analysing the CAT Slot 1 question paper is extremely important for both aspirants who have already appeared for the exam as well as those appearing in later slots.
As per the NIRF Rankings 2025, the top five management institutes in India are IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, IIM Kozhikode, IIT Delhi, and IIM Lucknow. In the top 10, two more IIMs – Calcutta and Indore – have also bagged a place.
Grabbing an MBA seat in the top IIMs has been all the more difficult, especially with the introduction of CAT sectional cut-offs and addition of diverse factors such as academic performance and work experience, gender diversity and beyond.
IIM | 2020 Final selection | 2025 Final selection | What changed? |
IIM Ahmedabad | CAT 25%; PI 50%; WAT 10%; Academics 15% | CAT 25%; PI 50%; WAT 10%; Academic rating (AR) 15% (unchanged). BUT sectional cutoff raised in 2025 (higher VARC, DILR, QA minimum percentiles). | Final weightage unchanged. However, shortlisting became much stricter in 2025. Over CAT cut-off 2025 increased from 80 to 95. Sectional CAT cut-off from 70 to 85. |
IIM Bangalore | CAT - 25% PI - 30% WAT - 10% Class 10 - 10% Class 12 - 5% Work - 10% Diversity - 2% | CAT - 25% PI - 40% WAT - 10% Class 10 score - 5% Class 12 score - 5% Bachelor's degree score - 5% Work experience - 10% | CAT scores carry 25% at final stage. While a tiny weightage difference in other factors |
IIM Kozhikode | CAT - 44% PI - 44% Resume, Academic and work experience - 12% WAT - Dropped | Last year: CAT - 35% PI: 35% WAT - 20% Resume score - 10% | WAT was reintroduced and weightage for CAT scores reduced. |
IIM Lucknow | CAT 30% PI 40% WAT 10% Class 12 - 5% Graduation - 5% Diversity 5% Work experience - 5% | CAT - 30% PI - 40% WAT - 10% Academics performance - 10% Diversity - 5% Work experience - 5% | No major change. |
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The CAT 2025 Slot 1 overall analysis will help candidates understand the type of questions asked, the section-wise difficulty level, expected good attempts, and potential cut-off trends. This analysis also plays an important role for candidates appearing in Slot 2 and Slot 3 by giving them a fair idea of what to expect in terms of exam structure and complexity.
We encourage all aspirants to go through the CAT 2025 Slot 1 paper analysis and memory-based questions carefully, as this can significantly improve confidence levels and exam strategy for candidates appearing in subsequent slots.
There has been no official notification regarding changes in the CAT examination pattern for 2025. Therefore, the CAT 2025 exam is expected to follow the same structure and marking scheme as that of the previous year.
Below is the expected CAT 2025 exam pattern:
Particulars | CAT Exam Pattern |
CAT exam time duration | 2 Hours (120 Minutes) |
Name of the Section | Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC) Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) |
No of Questions | 68 Questions |
Total marks of CAT exam | 204 |
Mode of the CAT 2025 exam | Computer-Based Mode (CBT) |
CAT Marking Scheme | For every right answer, +3 will be given For every wrong answer in MCQs, a negative mark of -1 will be deducted Non-MCQs do not have any negative marks |
Candidates are advised to revisit this page on the day of the CAT 2025 examination for access to memory-based questions and detailed solutions from Slot 1. This section will be updated after the completion of the exam with:
Section-wise memory-based questions
Expert-curated solutions
Topic-wise analysis
Expected cut-offs
Good attempts for each section
Admissions Open | Globally Recognized by AACSB (US) & AMBA (UK) | 17.8 LPA Avg. CTC for PGPM 2025
Ranked No. 3 Business School in India and no.35 in world by Financial Times MiM 2025 Ranking | Highest CTC: INR 89 LPA
Will be updated on 30th November 2025 after slot 1 concludes.
Will be updated on 30th November 2025 after slot 1 concludes.
Will be updated on 30th November 2025 after slot 1 concludes.
Based on CAT difficulty trends from previous years, the following pattern is expected for 2025:
Slot 1: Easy to Moderate (Favourable for most candidates)
Slot 2: Moderate (Balanced difficulty)
Slot 3: Moderate to Difficult (Most challenging overall)
Candidates appearing in Slot 1 generally experience slightly more manageable paper levels, especially in the VARC section, whereas Slot 3 is traditionally more intense at an overall level.
Note: The CAT 2025 Slot 1 Question Paper with Solutions will be updated here immediately after the exam ends. Bookmark this page and revisit for the most accurate and student-focused CAT analysis.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Referring to the CAT 2025 Slot 1 question paper and solutions will help you:
Analyse your performance
Identify strengths and weaknesses
Estimate percentile
Plan GDPI preparation
Improve future exam attempts
Yes, a detailed Slot 1 difficulty analysis, including section-wise difficulty level, topic weightage, and expected good attempts will be provided in this article after the exam.
The official answer key and response sheet for CAT 2025 Slot 1 are expected to be released a few days after the exam by the conducting body, the Indian Institute of Management.
The CAT 2025 Slot 1 question paper with solutions will be made available on the same day after the Slot 1 exam concludes based on memory-based questions shared by candidates.
On Question asked by student community
Hello,
Here are Documents Required for CUSAT CAT (NRI Quota):
To know more access below mentioned link:
https://engineering.careers360.com/articles/cusat-cat-application-form
Hope it helps.
You can get the previous year's CUSAT CAT papers in pdf format sample papers from careers360 article. Follow the link given below from careers360 to get the the CUSAT CAT previous years question papers.
Link- https://engineering.careers360.com/articles/cusat-cat-sample-papers
Hello,
Since the CAT application form correction window is closed, you must contact the CAT help desk immediately to explain the situation, as you can't edit a wrong date of birth after submission. If it's a major error like date of birth, you may need to go to the exam center with proof and the correct admit card, although getting it corrected before the exam date is the most important first step.
I hope it will clear your query!!
Hi there,
You have to apply separately for each symbiosis college, like SIBM Pune, as they as not automatically included. The CAT form automatically includes many IIMs, but the SNAP exam is a separate test that is given for admission to Symbiosis Institute, which requires its own separate application and fee.
Hope it helps!!!
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Admissions Open | Globally Recognized by AACSB (US) & AMBA (UK) | 17.8 LPA Avg. CTC for PGPM 2025
IBSAT 2025-Your gateway to MBA/PGPM @ IBS Hyderabad and 8 other IBS campuses | Scholarships worth 10 CR
Ranked No. 3 Business School in India and no.35 in world by Financial Times MiM 2025 Ranking | Highest CTC: INR 89 LPA
Ranked among top 10 B-Schools in India by multiple publications | Top Recruiters-Google, MicKinsey, Amazon, BCG & many more.
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MICAT-2 Applications Closing on 29th Jan’26 | Ranked #33 by NIRF | Highest CTC 40.91 LPA & Average CTC 19.22 LPA