The CAT 2025 exam is a national-level MBA entrance test for IIMs and top B-schools in India. It will be held on 30th November 2025 in computer-based mode across ~170 cities.
The registration is open from 1st August to 13th September 2025 on
iimcat.ac.in
.
Admit cards will be available from 5th November 2025 onward.
Graduates with at least 50 marks (45 for SC/ST/PwD) are eligible to apply.
The exam tests English, Reasoning, and Quantitative Aptitude in three timed sections.
From CAT Prep to FMS Delhi: An Engineer and Non-engineer's journey ft. CAT Topper’s Sohum & Garima
Ongoing Event
CAT Application Date:01 Aug' 25 - 20 Sep' 25
CAT topper's journey to FMS Delhi: Careers360 conducted an exclusive CAT Topper Interview with Soham and Garima. Sohum scored 99.6 %ile in CAT 22 and Garima scored 99.64%ile in CAT 22. They are both pursuing an MBA from FMS, Delhi University. They talked about how they made it to one of the top MBA colleges in India. These CAT toppers shared their CAT preparation journey, CAT mock test strategy and gave tips and tricks for CAT24 aspirants. This article offers excerpts from the interview. Watch the complete conversation by clicking the YouTube link given below.
LiveCAT 2025 Registration LIVE: IIM Kozhikode extends registration till September 20; MBA admission criteriaSep 13, 2025 | 7:30 PM ISTRead More
Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Indore has signed an agreement with the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) to enhance academic and professional opportunities in accountancy and finance. The partnership will involve joint academic programmes, workshops, seminars, and professional development initiatives such as faculty training and trainer development sessions.
Careers360 - Tell us about yourself and your profile and why you chose to pursue an MBA?
Garima - I come from a business family, then I studied commerce in 12th, and then again B.Com for my graduation. It was obvious that I wanted to make my career in management. So MBA was an obvious choice for me. During my graduation days, I observed how much impact I can create by getting into corporate and an MBA is the first step that will help me to create that impact.
Sohum - As far as my profile goes, I also joined FMS straight out of college. I got a 10 CGPA in 10th standard, 93.2 % in 12th, and 89.4 in my B-TECH. I interned at Optum, where I got a PPO during my graduation.
Careers360 -Soham, you already had a PPO, as you mentioned. So why did you switch paths and decide on doing an MBA?
Sohum - During my internship at Optum, I realized that the best thing for me probably would be to complete my education in one go and then move on to the corporate world once together. And I realized that without an MBA, your career would not reach great heights. you need to know how the business works. So I decided to pursue an MBA.
Check out | MBA after B.tech
Careers360 - Garima, you are from a non-engineering background and usually non-engineers find the CAT’s quant section challenging. Was it the same for you or was it any different?
Garima - Yes, it was the same for me. My arithmetic was strong somehow so I knew that it was my strength. I focused more on that. I made sure that if I have to get a 99+ %ile then I need to attempt more than 15 questions in quant. I made myself stronger at arithmetic and good enough at algebra. so that I'm able to attempt 15 questions and then skip geometry entirely. I focused more on my strengths, not my weaknesses.
Careers360 -What about you Soham, which section did you find challenging?
Sohum - Most engineers find the CAT VARC section most difficult and so did I. I started reading the newspaper and went through CAT previous year papers. I timed myself while reading the newspaper and then challenged myself every day. VARC in CAT is all about how quickly you can grasp and how quickly you can go through the reading paragraphs. Quants and DILR were my favourite topics. I did my coaching from Karnal itself. My sir used to say that even if you don't know anything else, just do past years, then also you'll be able to score a decent enough percentile.
Check out | Important Topic for CAT
Check out preparation resources for CAT 2024
Careers360 - How much time did you spend on CAT preparation daily?
Garima - I had targeted November 2022 attempt for the CAT exam. So I started preparing in October 2021. My goal was to finish the CAT Syllabus as soon as possible. From October to February 2022, I was just taking coaching and from February onwards I started doing self-study as well. So, it was 13 months of preparation. From February onwards, it was four hours per day and from September onwards, it was even six hours per day.
Sohum - I started my CAT preparation in June, it was about five months of preparation. I tried to give like two hours to the CAT preparation. And during the later stages, I think the last two months would probably be three to four hours. Inclusive of the CAT past year's paper and newspaper, it might be even five to six hours.
Check out | Crack CAT in 6 months
Careers360 - When did you start appearing for CAT mocks and what was the mock analysis process for you?
Garima - I started appearing for mocks right from January. For the first three months, January to March, I used to take two mocks every month. Then I used to take one mock every week for the next three months. And then I used to take two mocks every week. So in total, I took almost 60 to 80 mocks. I don't remember the exact figure, but mocks played a huge role in my entire preparation. I also used to take a lot of sectional tests because as my coaching teacher and as my seniors always mentioned that CAT is all about accuracy and speed.
Sohum - In August, I started giving mocks. And the mocks were usually two to three a week. Then after October, I only attempted the previous year's papers, but given in the form of a mock, in the same environment and like without getting up. So I guess for me that worked.
Check out | Practice CAT Mocks for free
Let's talk about your life at FMS
Careers360 - How was your experience in the summer placement at FMS?
Sohum - By the grace of God, FMS has done well considering that these were difficult times, the market was bad, even the US was heading into a recession and the companies were not hiring. There was a hiring freeze. So keeping all that in mind, we had a great pool of companies on the campus. And yeah, I would have to say that it just kind of reinstates your faith in the legacy of FMS.
Garima - I think given the market conditions FMS has performed well. The credit goes both to the legacy of FMS as well as the current batch, their profiles, and the placement team.
Careers360 - What were some of the most sought-after roles this season during the summer placements?
Sohum - With the diverse group of people in FMS, a lot of people preferred management consulting roles. But I wouldn't say that everybody was going gaga over it. There were a lot of people who were interested in marketing and that's where they wanted to go. Then some people knew from day zero that they wanted to get into finance. Some wanted to get into product management.
Careers360 - Soham, you are an upcoming intern at Deloitte USI.How was that interview for you?
Sohum - That was a fun interview. So, I went through three rounds and I guess each round lasted about an hour. I was asked to solve a case in the first two rounds and the third round was mainly about my interests, my hobbies and basically to understand if I would be a good fit at Deloitte.
Check out | How to become a management consultant.
Careers360 - How would you describe your journey so far in FMS?
Garima - It has been a roller coaster ride. I mean, there were lots of ups, lots of downs. There will be nights when you'll just cry. There will be nights of laughter as well. You get to see everything. you see the most vulnerable side of yourself and you get to see the most happy side of yourself. So it's about enjoying the journey. It's about embracing everything that comes your way.
Sohum - It has been very exhilarating. You're going to do loads of work. You are simultaneously gonna go sleepless for two or three days and then suddenly you're gonna sleep for 18 hours also. Because you feel that you've earned it. But yes, it's a great journey.
Careers360 - People who are appearing for CAT 24 this year, are there any tips or guidance that you would like to share with the students?
Sohum - I would just say keep practicing and just give some direction to your practice. Know what you're doing wrong.
Careers360 - Any don'ts that you want to add?
Sohum - Log out of Quora.
Garima - give direction to your preparation. Do not just keep doing it because there are like n number of resources available for CAT preparation. So you need to identify which resources are best for you. Identify your strengths and weaknesses. See what you need to focus on more. Give as many mocks as you can. Focus on speed, focus on accuracy and you'll ace it.
CAT Topper’s Interview: From CAT Prep to FMS Delhi
Check out this video to watch the complete conversation.
Also, Check out -
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: Why is FMS Delhi so cheap?
A:
FMS Delhi is a part of the Delhi University and is funded by the government making it one of the most prestigious and affordable choices for many MBA aspirants.
Q: Does FMS have 100% placement?
A:
Yes, as per the placement reports of FMS Delhi they offer 100% placement to all the participating students.
Q: What is a safe score for FMS Delhi?
A:
Generally, the FMS Delhi cutoff falls between 98 to 99+ percentile for admission to its MBA programme.
Q: Is there any interview in FMS Delhi?
A:
Yes, for admission to FMS, Delhi candidates must clear the interview round along with the extempore round.
Q: What is the average CTC in FMS?
A:
The average CTC offered by FMS Delhi is INR 46.1 LPA.
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Yes, you can pursue an MBA at Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University (BBAU), Lucknow, through the CAT exam.
Eligibility Criteria:
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Educational Qualification: A bachelor's degree with at least 50% marks (45% for SC/ST/PwD candidates) from a recognized university.
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Entrance Exam: A valid CAT score is required for admission.
Admission Process:
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Application: Register online through the BBAU admission portal.
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Entrance Exam: Appear for the CAT exam and obtain a valid score.
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Counseling: Shortlisted candidates will be called for counseling based on their CAT scores.
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Document Verification: Submit necessary documents for verification.
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Fee Payment: Complete the fee payment to confirm admission.
Course Details:
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Duration: 2 years (full-time).
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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
Popular CAT Questions
Directions for question :
M/s Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, one of the top four audit and accounting firms in the world with headquarters at London, UK, and with an operational presence in 153 countries, hires Management Trainees (MT) from all the premier management institutes of India thrice every year, in the months of January, May and September.
Each new group of Management Trainees (MT) have to go through a four month rigorous training schedule, after which they have to pass through a test consisting of a written assessment and a case-analysis. The top hundred ranked Management Trainees (MT) based on the performance in the test are confirmed as Management Executives (ME). The rest are given the opportunity of undergoing the training for four months one more time along with the next batch of Management Trainees (MT) and then passing through the subsequent test consisting of the written assessment and case-analysis. The Management Trainee (MT) who fails to get confirmed as a Management Executive (ME) the second time is fired.
The scatter-graph below depicts the number of Management Trainees (MT) at Deloitte taking the tests from January 2020 till May 2022, and the vis-à-vis hired Management Trainees (MT) at Deloitte who were fired :
It is also known that for the month of September 2019 at Deloitte, 96 hired Management Trainees (MT) failed to be confirmed as a Management Executive (ME) the first time, and that 36 hired Management Trainees (MT) were fired.
Question :
In which test did the minimum number of Management Trainees (MT) get confirmed as a Management Executive (ME) in the second attempt ?
Option: 1
September 2020
Option: 2
May 2021
Option: 3
January 2021
Option: 4
January 2022
Directions for question:
The bar-graph given below shows the foreign exchange reserves of Nepal (in million Rupees) from 2014 to 2021. Answer the following questions based on the graph :
Question:
What was the percentage increase (rounded to the nearest integer, if deemed necessary) in the foreign exchange reserves in 2020 over 2016 ?
Option: 1 None
Option: 2 None
Option: 3 None
Option: 4 None
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