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CAT Application Date:01 Aug' 25 - 13 Sep' 25
When it comes to the CAT 2025 preparation, solving as many CAT previous year question papers is very necessary for the candidates. While the chances for the questions to get repeated from the previous year question papers in the CAT 2025 examination is minimal, solving them will give the candidates a good understanding of the type of questions asked in the CAT 2025 examination, the difficulty level of the CAT questions and the possible type of questions that the candidates can expect in the CAT 2025 question paper. The topic-wise CAT questions PDFs will help the candidates to uncover deeper insights into the CAT exam pattern and also help the candidates to estimate a possible CAT topic-wise weightage, which will guide the candidates to prioritise the topics during their CAT 2025 preparation. Having access to the CAT 2025 topic-wise previous year question PDFs can also help the candidates during their final stages of CAT 2025 preparation, as it serves as a key revision CAT material. In this article of Careers360, the candidates are provided with CAT topic-wise previous year questions PDFs of the most important CAT topics based on the previous year CAT weightage.
For applying to CAT exam 2025, candidates will need the following details:
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Before starting the CAT 2025 preparation using the CAT topic-wise previous year questions PDFs, it is good for the candidates to have a good understanding of the CAT 2025 exam pattern. This basic idea, later coupled with the extensive topic-wise CAT knowledge, will help the candidates to perform better on the CAT exam day. The complete CAT 2025 exam pattern is provided below. The CAT 2025 exam is likely to be conducted in the month of November 2025. This year, IIM Kozhikode is entrusted with the responsibility of conducting the CAT exam.
Particulars | CAT Exam Pattern and Syllabus |
CAT exam time duration | 2 Hours (120 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 |
Number of Questions | 68 |
Total Marks | 204 |
Mode of the CAT 2025 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 |
A few candidates are observed to be somewhat reluctant to prepare for the CAT examination using previous year's question papers. This could be due to factors such as the complexity of the questions, lack of good preparation, and not prioritising the important CAT topics. However, candidates are always encouraged to prepare for the CAT examination using CAT topic-wise PDFs of previous years' question papers. This will make the candidates exam-ready and help them to enhance their CAT 2025 scores. A few of the reasons why the candidates should always prioritise preparing for the CAT examination using the previous year's topic-wise are Listed Below.
While solving the topic-wise previous year CAT questions PDFs, the candidate can understand how the questions are structured in the CAT examination. This will help the candidates to understand what they can expect from the upcoming CAT examinations. Identifying the CAT examination trends is necessary for the candidates as this helps them to properly plan their CAT preparation timetable and improve their CAT scores.
The preparation levels and the grasping capabilities of the candidates who are appearing for the CAT examination might be different for each candidate. There might be specific areas in a particular CAT topic that a candidate might not be completely comfortable with. While practising with the previous year's CAT questions PDFs, the candidates will be able to understand their weak areas. Now, with the practice garnered by the candidates by practising these areas using the various CAT topic-wise PDFs of previous year questions, will help the candidates to enhance their CAT preparation.
CAT time management is very important for the candidates. Two important factors that determine the candidate’s CAT percentile are speed and accuracy. Attempting as many questions with a high accuracy of 90% and more will help the candidates to significantly improve their chances of getting into their dream top B schools of the country. While preparing for the CAT examination using the topic-wise previous year CAT questions PDF, the candidates will be able to acquire the much-needed CAT practice, which is important for the candidate to gradually improve their weak areas.
Practising using the CAT topic-wise previous year questions is essential for the candidates to build their confidence and tackle the nerves on the CAT exam. Practicing with the CAT's previous year questions is the closest that the candidates will get to real CAT exam questions experience. The candidates should solve a lot of CAT sample papers, attempt various CAT mock tests and solve as many CAT previous year questions as possible to enhance their confidence, which will help them to boost their confidence and eventually secure a high CAT percentile.
The links to download the topic-wise previous year CAT question PDFs are provided below. The questions are selected from the last 5 years of CAT question papers from 2019 to 2024 and official CAT sample papers. The solutions to these topic-wise CAT questions are written by subject-matter experts in a very clear and concise manner. The candidates are strongly advised to download the topic-wise CAT previous year questions and start their preparation now.
Careers360 has conducted a proper analysis of the CAT previous year questions and listed the most important topics from the quantitative aptitude, data interpretation and logical reasoning and verbal ability and reading comprehension sections. By following the previous year's trends, the maximum questions are expected to be asked from these topics as they are the CAT high-weightage topics.
The questions are divided into their corresponding sections: quantitative aptitude, data interpretation and logical reasoning and verbal ability and reading comprehension.
Under the sections, the questions are grouped under their corresponding topic such as time and work, circles, permutations and combinations, etc, under quantitative aptitude, types of graphs under data interpretation and reading comprehension and para summary under verbal ability and reading comprehension section.
The candidates can use the links to redirect to the previous year's CAT questions, topic-wise PDFs.
Title | Download Link |
Para Summary | |
RC | |
Para Completion | |
Odd One Out |
Title | Download Link |
Games and Tournaments | |
Routes and Networks | |
Logical Arrangement and Ordering | |
Quant-Based Logical Reasoning | |
Graphs | |
Table-Based DI and Quant-Based DI |
Title | Download Link |
Time, Speed and Distance | |
Ratio and Proportion | |
Time and Work | |
Percentages | |
Surds and Indices | |
Logarithms | |
Linear and Quadratic Equations and Mixtures and Alligations | |
Sequence and Series | |
Triangles | |
Circle | |
Permutations and Combinations | |
Remainders | |
Coordinate Geometry |
Having access to the CAT 2025 topic-wise previous year questions is not just enough. The candidates should also know how to make complete use of the topic-wise PDFs of previous year CAT question papers to enhance their CAT scores. Some of the efficient CAT preparation strategies that the candidates can employ using the CAT previous year PDFs are:
Solve one topic daily for consistency. The candidates are left with almost 6 months of CAT preparation. Solving one topic per day can greatly help them to improve their topic knowledge and enhance their CAT preparation. It is necessary for the candidates to understand that consistency is the most important factor that leads to success as per the CAT toppers.
Attempt without looking at solutions—then compare. The candidates should start using the CAT topic-wise previous year questions PDFs only after completing the CAT syllabus. The candidates should initially try to attempt the topic-wise CAT previous year question papers without seeing the solutions. If they are unable to solve or wish to compare the solutions, they can look at it later. This helps to retain the knowledge and improves conceptual understanding.
Track accuracy and speed. As we have discussed before, both accuracy and speed matter the most as far as the CAT exam is concerned. The candidates should always keep a track of the time taken by them in solving the CAT questions and note their performance over time. This will help them to perform better.
Maintain a notebook for mistakes and tricky problems. There are a lot of common mistakes made by the candidates. Not keeping a note of the mistakes made by them is one of the most repeated mistakes made by the candidates. It is advisable for the candidates to always keep a note of the mistakes that they have made and not repeat them on the actual CAT exam day to ensure that they outperform their counterparts.
Once the candidate finishes their CAT syllabus 2025, they should always put efforts into analysing their preparation by attempting a comprehensive CAT mock test. Careers360 has developed an online mock test for the overall assessment of the candidate’s preparation. It includes advanced data analytics features that help the candidates to understand their strong and weak areas, compare their sectional performance, along with the time taken for answering and accuracy level and much more. This helps the candidates to assess their performance and improve their CAT scores. The link to the CAT mock test by Careers360 is provided below.
Title | Mock Test Attempt Link |
CAT Mock Test by Careers360 |
While preparing for CAT 2025 using the complete syllabus, candidates should also refer to the best CAT preparation books. These books not only help in understanding concepts clearly but also offer deeper insights and plenty of practice questions. This extra practice can greatly improve their chances of scoring well in the exam.
CAT Section | Book Name | Author Name |
Quantitative Aptitude | Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations | R.S. Aggarwal |
Quantitative Aptitude Quantum CAT | Sarvesh Verma | |
NCERT Mathematics Books (Class 9–10) | NCERT | |
How to Prepare for Quantitative Aptitude for the CAT | Arun Sharma | |
Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning | How to Prepare for Data Interpretation for CAT | Arun Sharma |
Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation for the CAT | Nishit K. Sinha | |
A Modern Approach to Logical Reasoning | R.S. Aggarwal | |
Data Interpretation & Data Sufficiency | Ananta Ashisha | |
Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension | How to Prepare for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for CAT | Arun Sharma and Meenakshi Upadhyay |
Word Power Made Easy | Norman Lewis | |
PSC for VA for CAT | Nishit Sinha | |
High School English Grammar & Composition | Wren & Martin |
The candidates can download the various CAT preparation resources developed by Careers360 using the links given below.
eBook Title | Download Links |
3000+ Most Important Words - Vocabulary Builder | |
500+ Most Important Idioms and Phrases | |
300+ Most Important Phrasal Verbs | |
Permutation & Combination - Video Lectures and Practice Questions | |
Mastering DILR Questions with Expert Solutions | |
CAT 2025 Exam's High Scoring Chapters and Topics | |
Mastering CAT Exam: VARC, DILR, and Quant MCQs & Weightages | |
CAT 2025 Mastery: Chapter-wise MCQs for Success for VARC, DILR, Quant | |
CAT 2025 Quantitative Aptitude Questions with Answers | |
CAT DILR Questions with Solution, Download LRDI Questions for CAT | |
CAT 2025 Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) Study Material |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Start by solving one topic each day to maintain consistency, attempt questions before checking solutions to strengthen concepts, and regularly track speed and accuracy. Maintaining a notebook for mistakes will help avoid repeating them in the final exam.
High-weightage areas include Reading Comprehension and Para Summary in VARC, Graphs and Quant-based LR in DILR, and core topics like Time-Speed-Distance, Percentages, and Geometry in QA. Practising these topics using structured PDFs helps you focus on what matters most.
The CAT 2025 syllabus is divided into three key sections—Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Aptitude (QA). Each section is allotted 40 minutes (or 53 minutes 20 seconds for PwD), and the paper has 68 questions in total.
Solving CAT previous year questions, especially in a topic-wise format, helps you grasp the question patterns, identify commonly tested areas, and improve exam-day familiarity. It’s one of the most effective strategies to build confidence, speed, and accuracy using real CAT-level problems.
On Question asked by student community
Yes, you can pursue an MBA at Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University (BBAU), Lucknow, through the CAT exam.
Eligibility Criteria:
Educational Qualification: A bachelor's degree with at least 50% marks (45% for SC/ST/PwD candidates) from a recognized university.
Entrance Exam: A valid CAT score is required for admission.
Admission Process:
Application: Register online through the BBAU admission portal.
Entrance Exam: Appear for the CAT exam and obtain a valid score.
Counseling: Shortlisted candidates will be called for counseling based on their CAT scores.
Document Verification: Submit necessary documents for verification.
Fee Payment: Complete the fee payment to confirm admission.
Course Details:
Duration: 2 years (full-time).
Specializations: Finance, Marketing, Human Resource Management, among others.
Placement Opportunities:
BBAU has a strong placement record, with top companies recruiting MBA graduates.
For more details and to apply, visit the official BBAU MBA admission page
Hello Amgothu
With 305 marks in ICAR PG and being from ST category, your chances of getting an AIEEA (CAT) seat is good, especially in plant sciences and less competitive subjects
Hello
As you said you by mistakenly done that, you don't need to get worry regarding that ,
Just inform the help desk and carry the correct certifications , the state certificate will not disqualify you .
The steps you can follow is -
1. You can check if the correction window is available or not
2. Contact the CAT desk immediately.
Hope this helps
In CAT registration, you cannot create a new user ID with the same mobile number, even if you use a different email ID. Each mobile number and email can be linked to only one account. If you already registered once, the system will not accept a duplicate with that number. To register again, you must use a new mobile number and new email ID. If you lost your old login, you can recover it through the forgot password/user ID option on the CAT portal.
Yes, you can fill the CAT form even if you currently have a backlog. CAT eligibility requires you to be in your final year of graduation or already graduated backlogs don’t stop you from applying.
While filling the form:
Enter the aggregate percentage/CGPA of marks you have obtained up to the latest semester for which results are declared (in your case till 4th semester).
There will be an option to mention that you have a backlog.
If you clear the backlog later, you’ll just need to show the updated marks during admission.
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