Great Lakes - PGPM & PGDM 2025
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Devising a proper strategy to crack CAT 2025 is of utmost importance. Hence, to crack the CAT exam 2025, one must know when and how to start preparation. India’s top management institutes (IIMs) rotationally conduct the CAT exam every year to provide admission to MBA courses in top B-Schools in India. Candidates who are aiming for the top B-Schools for the academic year 2025-27 should get on their toes and start preparing for CAT 2025, India’s top management exam.
The question is when and how to start preparing for CAT 2025. The answer is 'NOW'. Common Admission Test (CAT) being a national-level management exam marks the participation of more than 2 lakh candidates every year. The next year, the CAT 2025 is expected to be held in the month of November. To know about the preparation plan and timing, the best books for CAT 2025, and the strategy to devise a study plan for CAT, candidates must go through this complete article on CAT 2025 when and how to start preparation by Careers360.
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Admissions Open | Globally Recognized by AACSB (US) & AMBA (UK) | 17.3 LPA Avg. CTC for PGPM 2024 | Extended Application Deadline: 10th Feb 2024
250+ Companies | Highest CTC 16 LPA | Average CTC 8 LPA | Ranked as Platinum Institute by AICTE for 6 years in a row | Awarded Best Business School of the Year
Scoring a good percentile will require extensive preparation for CAT 2025. Candidates who going to fill out the CAT 2025 application form must check the exam pattern beforehand in order to prepare and do well in the CAT exam. The exam pattern of CAT 2025 is expected to be in similar lines as was in 2025, but the candidates can expect some changes. Given below is an exam pattern for CAT 2025.
Particulars | Details |
Exam Duration | 2 hours |
Total no. of questions | 68 MCQs |
Mode of CAT 2025 | CBT i.e. computer-based |
Marking scheme |
|
Sections (3) | Quantitative ability |
Data interpretation & logical reasoning | |
Verbal ability and reading comprehension |
Along with the CAT exam pattern, candidates must also have a know-how of the CAT 2025 syllabus to prepare in advance. According to some management experts, six months of committed preparation will push you forward toward your goal of being a CAT topper.
Based on the past year CAT syllabus 2025 is likely to be the same with not many changes. The overall question paper will be divided into three sections Verbal ability and reading comprehension, Quantitative Ability, and Data interpretation & Logical Reasoning Candidates will be required to solve 68 questions in total.
Once aware of the CAT 2025 syllabus, candidates must divide their preparation to answer the question of when to start preparing for CAT 2025. It is quite common for candidates to get confused even after knowing the exam pattern and syllabus and end up wasting a lot of CAT 2025 precious time. Better scores than others will open your gateway to top B-Schools of Candidates can break their preparation into 3 stages as mentioned below-
Quick Links: How to prepare for CAT 2025
Strategy Planning of When and How to Start CAT 2025 Preparation
Month-wise Strategy Division | Target Points |
6 Months |
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3 Months |
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1 Month |
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How to start CAT preparation? There is no better way than starting your CAT preparation at home. Preparing for the CAT 2025 exam at home can be effective with the right approach. Start by understanding the exam pattern and syllabus, and then create a study schedule that covers all the sections: Quantitative Aptitude, Verbal Ability, and Logical Reasoning/Data Interpretation. Use high-quality study materials and online resources, and practice regularly with mock tests and previous years' papers to improve your speed and accuracy. Focus on understanding concepts rather than just memorizing them. Additionally, maintain a healthy lifestyle with proper nutrition and adequate sleep to keep your mind sharp and focused. Consistency, discipline, and a positive mindset are key to successful CAT preparation at home.
Most of the CAT toppers admitted that their major portion of preparation started when CAT was 6 months away. Below mentioned points can be referred to by candidates if they are planning to start their CAT 2025 Preparation within 6 months of duration -
CAT Toppers say, “Time management should be considered as the fourth section of the CAT exam. It is not just preparing Verbal Ability, Reasoning, and Quantitative Ability but preparing all these 3 and attempting them within the stipulated time”. Attempting questions with a time allotment of 40 minutes for each section itself makes the CAT exam difficult. To achieve fruitful results, candidates must try to divide their study timetable such that within 24 hours, they practice each section daily.
Quick Link: How to do Time Management for CAT?
If some candidates feel that they will be unable to study and prepare for CAT 2025 on a self-basis, then it is advisable for such candidates they join some coaching institutes. Another answer to the question CAT 2025: when and how to start preparation is nowadays popular social media groups are in trend and help candidates to crack CAT and other management exams. One Topper of CAT told us that he joined the coaching institute and began preparing from their study material in order to learn new and efficient approaches to solving the questions.
In the initial 6 months of CAT preparation, candidates should only focus on clearing their concepts. One of the assets of CAT toppers is the clarity of fundamental concepts. Most of the toppers believe that it is easy to guess what type of questions will form part of the data interpretation & logical reasoning and quantitative ability section. But to even guess what will come in VARC i.e. Verbal ability and reading comprehension is very challenging. In order to clear concepts, candidates must be aware of the CAT exam pattern and CAT 2025 syllabus.
Quick Link: CAT Exam: Important topics for preparation
Once done with the basic knowledge of the CAT exam 2025, candidates will be nearer to the CAT exam day. Agitation and stress are the most common during this period. Do not panic and follow the below-mentioned points for CAT 2025;
Keeping track of past papers, mainly there are three sections in CAT. Candidates are advised to draw an efficient section-wise strategy when CAT 2025 is almost near.
As for CAT 2025, candidates can focus and try improving the areas in which they feel are not as strong as compared to some others. Instead of being melancholy about what all new can be learned, candidates should take the initiative to focus on and enhance their preparation for weaker areas.
Candidates are advised to check the previous year's question papers of CAT. After finishing the syllabus, candidates should try to revise at least 2-3 sample papers on a daily basis. It will help in improving speed as well as let candidates know how accurate they are. While solving the questions papers or sample papers of CAT rigorously there will be a time when candidates will not find any question of a new type.
Quick Link- CAT Sample Paper
When there is almost a month left until CAT 2025, candidates will be required to keep calm and emphasize only what is majorly required. Below mentioned points will help candidates in scoring great and most likely a call from any of the IIMs.
IIM will release the official CAT mock Test for giving candidates a gist of the actual exam simulated environment. Solving the mock tests helps candidates to understand and access the difficulty level of CAT 2025. Lakshya the topper of CAT said that “he was regular at testing myself via mock tests (once a week). Post any mock he gave some time to analyze the test and figure out what went wrong and then focused on that”. The most effective method of evaluating the current preparation level is the mock test.
Quick Link- Why, When, and How to Take CAT Mock Test
Starting any new topic will lead to confusion. So it is advisable for candidates to focus on and improve their strong areas. Do not waste your time figuring out new topics or trying to learn new concepts.
CAT results will be declared by the authorities on the second first of January 2025, in online mode. Around 2.0 lakh candidates will appear for the exam. To Know and read the success stories of the toppers, when and how they started their CAT preparation as well as their message for future candidates, go through the complete article on CAT toppers.
Read more-
Starting CAT 2025 preparation about a year in advance, ideally around June or July 2024, can give candidates ample time to cover the syllabus thoroughly and practice consistently. This timeline allows for a structured approach, beginning with building conceptual clarity in Quantitative Aptitude, VARC, and DILR. Gradually, candidates can focus on solving practice papers and taking mock tests to analyze their performance. However, for those with stronger fundamentals, even 6-8 months of focused preparation can suffice if they maintain a disciplined study routine.
Starting CAT preparation nine months in advance is a great choice according various CAT experts and toppers, as it provides a lot of time to cover the syllabus and improve. In the first three months, candidates can focus on building a strong foundation in Quantitative Aptitude, VARC, and DILR topics. The next three months can be dedicated to practicing questions, improving speed, and identifying weak areas. The final three months should focus on taking regular mock tests, analyzing performance.
The CAT 2025 exam is expected to be set by IIM Kozhikode, continuing the rotation system among the Indian Institutes of Management. Each year, one of the IIMs takes responsibility for conducting the exam, ensuring a fair and standardized process.
Starting CAT preparation in the pre-final year of college is a good idea. It gives students enough time to study for the exam while managing their college studies. They can focus on learning the basics, practicing mock tests, and improving their weak areas without much pressure. Preparing early also helps them feel more confident and ready by the time the exam comes.
Top MBA colleges based on CAT, XAT, SNAP, and NMAT scores include some of India’s best institutions. For CAT, the IIMs (Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta) and FMS Delhi are highly regarded. XAT results in prestigious colleges like XLRI Jamshedpur and XIMB. SNAP is known for Symbiosis Institutes, such as SIBM Pune and SCMHRD. NMAT scores open doors to NMIMS Mumbai, SPJIMR Mumbai, and ISB Hyderabad. Each exam has unique eligibility requirements, and their cutoffs vary, so it's important to research the specific criteria and select based on your preferences and strengths.
Hello,
Here are important points regarding your query :-
Hope it helps !
Hi,
Based on the previous year analysis, According to your CAT 2024 percentile some of the colleges in which you have chances to get a seat includes:
You can predict more colleges using the CLAT 2024 college predictor tool .
Hope this information will help you
Hello Greetings
With a CAT 2024 percentile of 68.28%, you may face a challenging time getting into IIT Delhi, as their cutoffs are typically higher. However, being an SC female student, you may be eligible for relaxation in the cutoff criteria .
To give you a better idea, here are some general CAT cutoff percentiles for IITs and other top B-schools:
- *IIT Delhi*: Typically above 90 percentile for general category students.
- *Newer IIMs*: Such as IIM Vishakapatnam, IIM Shillong, and IIM Udaipur, may have lower cutoffs, around 80-90 percentile.
- *Other top B-schools*: Like IMT Ghaziabad, XIM Bhubaneswar, and TAPMI, may also consider students with lower percentiles.
It's essential to note that CAT cutoffs can vary from year to year, and other factors like your academic background, work experience, and performance in the personal interview (PI) and written ability test (WAT) also play a significant role in the admission process.
To explore more options and predict your chances of getting into various colleges, you can use online CAT college predictor tools .
Have a great day
Hello Greetings
Considering your 82.58 percentile in CAT and 22 months of industry experience in IT and Financial analysis, you have several options for General Management PGDM or PGPM programs.
*Decent Colleges Accepting Low CAT Percentile:*
- _SPJIMR_: Offers PGDM and PGPM programs, accepting CAT scores, with a minimum eligibility criterion of 50% aggregate in graduation ¹ ².
- _SOIL_: Provides PGPM and PGDM programs, considering CAT scores, with a focus on experiential learning ³.
- Other institutes like _IMT Ghaziabad_, _XIMB_, and _IRMA_ might also accept candidates with lower CAT percentiles, but this may vary depending on the program and intake.
*Key Factors to Consider:*
- _Work Experience_: With 22 months of experience, you might be eligible for PGPM programs, which typically require more work experience than PGDM programs ¹.
- _Career Gap_: Explain your career gap effectively in your application, highlighting any relevant activities or skills gained during that period.
- _Profile-Based Selection_: Some institutes consider profiles, including work experience, academic background, and extracurricular activities, in addition to CAT scores ¹.
*Next Steps:*
1. Research the institutes mentioned above and their programs.
2. Review the eligibility criteria, admission process, and fees for each program.
3. Prepare your application, ensuring you effectively communicate your strengths, work experience, and career goals.
4. Be prepared for interviews, focusing on your profile, experience, and motivation for pursuing a PGDM or PGPM program.
Remember, a lower CAT percentile doesn't necessarily limit your options. Focus on showcasing your strengths, experience, and fit with the program to increase your chances of admission.
Have a great day
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Admissions Open | Globally Recognized by AACSB (US) & AMBA (UK) | 17.3 LPA Avg. CTC for PGPM 2024 | Extended Application Deadline: 10th Feb 2024
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