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    CAT 2025 Exam Analysis Slot 1, 2 and 3 Available: Difficulty, Good Attempts & Score vs Percentile

    CAT 2025 Exam Analysis Slot 1, 2 and 3 Available: Difficulty, Good Attempts & Score vs Percentile

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    Komal MiglaniUpdated on 04 Dec 2025, 06:15 PM IST
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    The Common Admission Test (CAT) is known for putting every aspirant’s reasoning, aptitude, and problem-solving skills to the test. CAT 2025 was held on November 30 across three slots, with thousands of students taking this big leap toward their MBA dreams. Since all three slots are over, the official answer key is set to be released today, on 4th December. Meanwhile, students can go through the slot-wise analysis for Slot 1, Slot 2, and Slot 3 to understand how the exam played out. These analyses break down the difficulty level, question trends, CAT percentile-versus-score expectations, and even memory-based question papers to help aspirants gauge their performance more clearly before the answer key goes live.

    This Story also Contains

    1. CAT 2025 Exam Analysis
    2. CAT 2025 Slot 3 Highlights
    3. CAT 2025 Slot 1 Highlights
    4. CAT Score Vs Percentile
    5. CAT Answer Key 2025
    6. CAT 2025 Question Paper
    7. CAT All Slots Analysis
    CAT 2025 Exam Analysis Slot 1, 2 and 3 Available: Difficulty, Good Attempts & Score vs Percentile
    CAT Exam Analysis For Slot 1, Slot 2, Slot 3 Question Papers

    CAT 2025 Exam Analysis

    As per the CAT aspirants, this MBA entrance exam is on the tougher side. All three slots of the CAT exam demonstrate a similar level of difficulty. This year, the CAT 2025 exam is expected to be moderate to difficult. A detailed CAT sectional analysis and overall CAT 2025 exam analysis is provided below.

    CAT Stats: Registered & Appeared

    The CAT 2025 exam has concluded on November 30, 2025, at over 380 test centres across 170 cities in India. Check out below the number of candidates who appeared and registered last year.

    ParticularsDetails
    Total number of candidates registered for CAT2.95 lakh
    Total number of candidates who appeared for CAT2.58 lakh
    Appeared female candidates for CAT1.07 lakh
    Appeared male candidates for CAT1.86 lakh
    Appeared transgender candidates for CAT5
    Overall attendance for CAT89%
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    CAT 2024 All Slot Analysis YouTube Video Link

    CAT 2025 Slot

    YouTube Video Link

    CAT 2025 Slot 1 - Paper Analysis with Memory-Based Questions and Expected Cutoff

    Watch Now

    CAT 2025 Slot 2 - Paper Analysis | Memory-Based Questions & Expected Cutoff

    Watch Now

    CAT 2025 All Slots Analysis and Overall Expected Percentile

    Watch Now

    CAT 2025 College Predictor
    Use CAT 2025 College Predictor to check your chances for IIM and top MBA calls based on CAT percentile, profile, work experience and cut-off trends.
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    CAT 2025 Slot 3 Highlights

    Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning section

    As per the students, DILR was easy to moderate with questions from circular arrangement, Scatter-plot-based, and two double sets. In addition to this, the Incoming/outgoing call-based DI sets were time-consuming.

    Quantitative Aptitude Section

    The topics that came up in the QA section were Logarithms, Percentages, Time, Speed & Distance (very straightforward), Time & Work, Triangles (very easy), Inequalities, Surds, A dedicated number system question, and around 8–9 Arithmetic questions, but many required multi-step. calculations.

    CAT 2025 Slot 3: Section-wise analysis

    Section nameNumber of questionsDifficulty level
    Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension24Easy to Moderate
    Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning22Easy to Moderate
    Quantitative Aptitude22Moderate to Difficult
    Total68Easy to Moderate
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    CAT 2025 Slot 2 Highlights

    The CAT slot 2 was concluded at 2.30 PM. As per the reviews from the CAT exam takers, the CAT slot 2 was moderate to difficult, and the pattern of the CAT exam was similar to that of slot 1. Also, the DILR section of slot 2 of the CAT exam was felt to be difficult. The main highlights of the CAT slot 2 exam analysis are mentioned below.

    • There were four passages, and overall, it was manageable for candidates
    • Two para jumbles, two odd ones out, and two summary questions were there. Overall VARC section was manageable.

    CAT 2025 Slot 2: Section-wise analysis

    Section nameNumber of questionsDifficulty level
    Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension24Moderate to Difficult
    Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning22Difficult
    Quantitative Aptitude22Moderate to Difficult

    CAT 2025 Slot 1 Highlights

    As the CAT slot 1 examination concluded at 10.30 AM, it was observed that there were some noticeable changes in the exam when compared to slot 1 of the 2023 examination. The highlights of the CAT 2024 slot 1 examination are given below:

    CAT 2025 Quantitative Aptitude Analysis

    Overall Quantitative Aptitude section of Slot 1 was easy in terms of difficulty.

    • 1 question was based on Surds and Indices

    • 2 questions were based on Coordinate Geometry

    • 1 question was from Quadratic Equations

    • 1 question from Logarithms

    • 1 question of Profit and Loss was based on the marked price, and another was based on Investment

    • 1 question was from Mixture and Alligation

    • 1 question from Permutation and Combination

    • 1 question was from Time and Work

    • 1 question from Time, Speed, and Distance

    • 2 questions were asked from Linear Equations

    CAT 2025 VARC Analysis

    • There were 4 para-jumbles in the section

    • 2 para-summary questions were asked

    • 4 Reading Comprehensions were there (each with 4 questions)

    • Reading Comprehension passages were short and easier to read

    CAT 2025 Slot 1: Section-wise analysis

    Section nameNumber of questionsDifficulty level
    Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension24Moderate to Difficult
    Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning22Difficult
    Quantitative Aptitude22Lengthy and Difficult

    CAT Score Vs Percentile

    Given below are the expected overall CAT score vs percentile, along with the sectional score vs percentile CAT 2025.

    Section-Wise Score Vs Percentile CAT 2025

    CAT Percentile

    CAT 2025 Slot 1 Score Vs Percentile

    CAT slot 2 score vs percentile

    CAT slot 3 score vs percentile

    99.95

    110+

    110+

    112+

    99.9

    100-104

    102-105

    102-104

    99.5

    90-92

    89-91

    88-90

    99

    78.-82

    77-79

    76-78

    97

    66-68

    65-67

    65-67

    95

    56-58

    55-57

    54-56

    90

    45-48

    44-46

    44-45

    85

    40-42

    38-40

    38-40

    80

    35-36

    34-35

    34-35

    75

    32-33

    31-32

    30-32

    70

    30-31

    29-30

    29-30

    60

    25-26

    24-25

    24-25

    What is a slot in the CAT exam?

    The slot in the CAT exam refers to the three shifts in which the exam will be conducted: slot 1 (morning) from 8:30 am to 10:30 am, slot 2 (afternoon) from 12:30 pm to 2:30 pm, and slot 3 (evening) from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm. Refer to this article for a section-wise CAT exam review.

    Which slot in CAT is toughest?

    In the CAT 2025 exam, according to students, Slot 1 was said to be slightly more challenging compared to Slot 2 and Slot 3.

    CAT Answer Key 2025

    The aspirants who appeared in the CAT 2025 exam can refer to the CAT answer key and solutions to calculate their probable marks. The official CAT answer key has been released by CAT, conducting IIM, giving the answers to the CAT exam questions for each section and slot. Candidates can avail themselves of the CAT answer key and use it to calculate their scores in the CAT exam.

    TITLECAT 2024 Answer Key Download LinkCAT 2025 Answer Key Download Link
    CAT Official Answer KeyDownload NowCAT 2025 Slot 1 Answer Key

    CAT 2025 Question Paper

    The candidates can refer to the question papers from all the slots of the CAT examination using the links provided in the table below.

    People also search for:

    CAT All Slots Analysis

    In addition to all the information given in the article, the candidates can download and go through the comprehensive ebook designed by Careers360 experts that consists of an analysis of all the slots of the CAT 2025 examination. The links to the ebooks are provided below.

    TITLE

    DOWNLOAD LINK

    CAT 2024 All Slot Paper Analysis

    Download Now

    CAT Analysis - Changes in the Question Paper

    YearCAT exam conducting IIMCAT exam time durationSection nameCAT exam date
    CAT 2014IIM Indore170 Minutes2 Sections:
    1. Quantitative Ability
    2. Data Interpretation
    November 16 & November 22, 2014
    CAT 2015IIM Ahmedabad180 Minutes

    3 Sections:
    1. Quantitative Ability
    2. Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning
    3. Verbal and Reading Comprehension

    November 29, 2015
    CAT 2016IIM Bangalore180 Minutes

    3 Sections:
    1. Quantitative Ability
    2. Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning
    3. Verbal and Reading Comprehension

    December 4, 2016
    CAT 2017IIM Ahmedabad180 Minutes

    3 Sections:
    1. Quantitative Ability
    2. Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning
    3. Verbal and Reading Comprehension

    November 26, 2017
    CAT 2018IIM CalcuttaCAT 2025 VARC Analysis180 Minutes

    3 Sections:
    1. Quantitative Ability
    2. Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning
    3. Verbal and Reading Comprehension

    November 25, 2018
    CAT 2019IIM Kozhikode180 Minutes

    3 Sections:
    1. Quantitative Ability
    2. Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning
    3. Verbal and Reading Comprehension

    November 24, 2019
    CAT 2020IIM Indore120 Minutes

    3 Sections:
    1. Quantitative Ability
    2. Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning
    3. Verbal and Reading Comprehension

    November 29, 2020
    CAT 2021IIM Ahmedabad120 Minutes

    3 Sections:
    1. Quantitative Ability
    2. Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning
    3. Verbal and Reading Comprehension

    November 28, 2021
    CAT 2022IIM Bangalore120 Minutes

    3 Sections:
    1. Quantitative Ability
    2. Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning
    3. Verbal and Reading Comprehension

    November 27, 2022
    CAT 2023IIM Lucknow120 Minutes

    3 Sections:
    1. Quantitative Ability
    2. Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning
    3. Verbal and Reading Comprehension

    November 26, 2023
    CAT 2024IIM Calcutta120 Minutes3 Sections:
    1. Quantitative Ability
    2. Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning
    3. Verbal and Reading Comprehension
    November 24, 2024
    CAT 2025IIM Kozhikode120 Minutes3 Sections
    1. Quantitative Aptitude
    2. Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning
    3. Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension
    November 30. 2025

    Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

    Q: What are the key sections in CAT 2025 and their weightage?
    A:

    CAT 2025 consists of three major sections: Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Ability (QA). Each section is equally important, with varied difficulty levels across slots, making sectional strategy essential for top percentile scoring.

    Q: How to prepare for VARC in CAT effectively?
    A:

    Focus on improving reading speed, comprehension accuracy, and vocabulary. Practicing RC passages, para jumbles, and verbal reasoning questions daily enhances performance in the VARC section. Slot-wise analysis provides insights into trending question types and passage difficulty.

    Q: What is the best strategy for DILR section in CAT?
    A:

    Time management and practice are key for DILR. Analyze previous years’ slot-level questions to identify patterns in puzzles, tables, and graphs. Developing a quick assessment skill helps in attempting high-scoring sets under limited time.

    Q: How to tackle the Quantitative Ability (QA) section in CAT?
    A:

    Focus on fundamentals of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and modern math. Practice sectional mocks and previous years’ questions to identify frequently tested topics. CAT 2025 slot analyses highlight which topics were calculation-heavy or tricky, aiding targeted preparation.

    Q: Which section is considered as the toughest in the CAT exam?
    A:

    The Quantitative Aptitude section of the CAT examination is considered as the most difficult section because this section involves calculations. Candidates need to work on learning shortcut techniques to crack this section.

    Q: Is there negative marking in CAT?
    A:

    Yes, 1 mark will be deducted for each wrong answer in MCQ questions. There is no negative marking for TITA and unattempted questions.

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    Questions related to CAT

    On Question asked by student community

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    FMS Udaipur admission for 2026 is not open. The MBA 2026 admission will likely commence in May 2026. You can keep checking the official website of FMS.

    Hi admission to the courses offered at CUSAT is based on the CUSAT CAT results, relative performnace of the students and the number of applications for each course. Please check CUSAT CAT cutoff 2025 to know in detail about the cutoff score for Electrical and Electronic branch in previous years.

    Yes, it is possible. If you have received a PI call from IIM Sambalpur with a 75 percentile in CAT, you have a chance to convert the call. However, the final selection will depend on multiple factors such as your personal interview performance, academic record, and overall profile.

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