How to Improve Accuracy in CAT Mock Tests 2025: Proven Tips for Higher Percentile

How to Improve Accuracy in CAT Mock Tests 2025: Proven Tips for Higher Percentile

Komal MiglaniUpdated on 17 Nov 2025, 08:41 PM IST

Improving accuracy in the CAT mock test 2025 is one of the most important steps you can take to boost your overall score. Since your accuracy in CAT 2025 shows how exam-ready you actually are. Hence, instead of chasing high attempts in CAT 2025, your focus should be on reducing errors, choosing questions more wisely, and building consistency. When you analyse each CAT 2025 mock test carefully and track the patterns behind your mistakes, your accuracy starts improving steadily. This disciplined approach not only strengthens your performance in mocks. It also prepares you for a more confident and controlled attempt in the actual CAT exam 2025.

LiveCAT 2025 Result LIVE: IIM CAT result soon at iimcat.ac.in; cut off, seat matrix, MBA admission processDec 22, 2025 | 6:21 PM IST

Candidates seeking admission to MBA programmes at the Indian Institute of Management Mumbai (IIM Mumbai) will be assessed through their performance in the CAT 2025, previous academic records, work experience, and scores obtained in personal interview (PI). The IIM Mumbai has also announced admission policy for the upcoming batch 2026-28. The selection process includes retaining the same shortlisting and final process as last year.

CAT 2025 results soon at iimcat.ac.in. (Image source: IIM Mumbai official website)

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This Story also Contains

  1. Why Accuracy Matters in the CAT Exam 2025
  2. What is a Good Accuracy Level for CAT 2025?
  3. Common Reasons for Low Accuracy in CAT Mocks
  4. Section-wise Tips to Improve Accuracy
  5. CAT 2025 Question Selection Strategy for Higher Accuracy
  6. Importance of CAT Mock Test 2025 for High Accuracy
  7. How to Analyse CAT Mock Test 2025 Performance for Better Accuracy
  8. Best Books for CAT Preparation
  9. CAT Preparation Resources from Careers360
How to Improve Accuracy in CAT Mock Tests 2025: Proven Tips for Higher Percentile
How to Improve Accuracy in CAT Mock Tests 2025: Proven Tips for Higher Percentile

In this article, we will discuss the various factors that the candidates should follow to enhance their accuracy in both mock tests as well as on the CAT exam day.

Why Accuracy Matters in the CAT Exam 2025

Accuracy plays an important role in the CAT 2025 exam because every incorrect answer (except TITA) carries a –1 penalty, which directly reduces your overall score.


For example, if a candidate attempts 40 questions and gets 24 correct and 16 wrong, the raw score becomes:
(24 × 3) – (16 × 1) = 72 – 16 = 56.

A difference of even 1–2 marks can shift your percentile by several hundred ranks, making accuracy a critical performance factor.

Accuracy is calculated using:

Accuracy (%)=(Correct AnswersTotal Attempts)×100\text{Accuracy (\%)} = \left( \frac{\text{Correct Answers}}{\text{Total Attempts}} \right) \times 100Accuracy (%)=(Total AttemptsCorrect Answers)×100

Maintaining high accuracy is especially important in CAT DILR and CAT Reading Comprehension, where questions often involve tricky logic, dense data, and closely worded options. These sections tend to produce most errors, and even small mistakes can significantly impact your final percentile. High accuracy ensures your attempts translate into score, not penalties.

What is a Good Accuracy Level for CAT 2025?

A good accuracy level for CAT 2025 usually lies between 70–85%, depending on your attempt volume and section strengths. In the CAT exam 2025, maintaining this accuracy range is essential because negative marking can significantly reduce your net score and overall percentile. While reviewing your CAT mock test 2025 results, track consistent accuracy across VARC, DILR, and Quant, identify recurring error patterns, and ensure that mistakes, especially avoidable ones, drop steadily over successive mock attempts.

Common Reasons for Low Accuracy in CAT Mocks

It is beneficial to know the common reasons why a lot of candidates score less in the CAT mock tests due to low accuracy levels. A few of the most common mistakes that the candidates make while attempting the CAT mock tests are provided below for the reference of the candidates.

Lack of Concept Clarity

A management entrance examination, such as the CAT exam, tests the conceptual clarity of the candidates the most. Memorising the concepts will not be helpful in an examination such as CAT, as there are no one-word questions. CAT tests the understanding of the candidates in a topic which is essential for scoring well in the examination. Hence, conceptual clarity plays a very important role in determining the CAT success of the candidates. Not understanding the basics of a concept can affect the candidates negatively and lead to lack of conceptual clarity, which will ultimately lead to lower scores in the CAT mock tests.

Rushing Through Questions

As discussed before, speed alone will not help the candidates to score well in the CAT examination. Accuracy is as important as speed when it comes to scoring well in the CAT exam. When a candidate rushes through a question, they tend to either miss the important information related to the topics or the key points which are crucial for scoring well in the CAT examination. Also, rushing through questions may also result in the candidates not understanding the questions, which will ultimately lead to a waste of time.

Poor Question Selection

According to the CAT toppers, selecting the correct question set while attending the CAT question paper plays a very important role in improving the CAT score of the candidate. In the CAT exam, there will be questions from various difficulty levels. Some candidates, unfortunately, choose the difficult set and try to solve it. This is particularly seen in the CAT DILR section. This poor selection of questions leads to wastage of time and low scores in both the CAT mock tests and the examination.

Inadequate Mock Analysis’

When it comes to the analysis of the CAT mock tests, it is essential for the candidates to analyse their results and understand the areas where they made mistakes. But the major issue seen today is that a lot of candidates do not perform the mock test analysis, and due to this, there is very little learning from mistakes in previous mocks, which reduces the scores of the candidates.

Section-wise Tips to Improve Accuracy

Accuracy is not just limited to a single section of the CAT examination. It plays an important role in shaping the CAT score of the candidates, which is an accumulation of marks gained from all the CAT sections. A few of the best CAT strategies that the candidates can follow to improve their performance are discussed in this section for the reference of the candidates.

How to Improve Accuracy in CAT VARC Section

  • While attempting the CAT VARC questions and in particular the questions, it is important to avoid assumptions. This is a common mistake made by candidates. If not explicitly mentioned, assuming a context is wrong and should be avoided.

  • An effective CAT reading comprehension strategy is to read the questions carefully first before moving to the passage. This will easily help the candidates to spot the sections of the CAT passage where the information might lie.

  • While the elimination method is very useful when attempting the CAT questions, this must be done by using logic only, not on instinct.

  • The candidates are also advised to read a lot of materials to ensure that they have inculcated the reading habits which is necessary for performing well in the CAT RC section. This will help the candidates to enhance their vocabulary and ensure a better CAT score.

How to Improve Accuracy in the CAT DILR Section

  • The candidates should first go through the CAT DILR questions and find out which is doable for them. This is critical because choosing the right and easy sets will help the candidates to save time and use it effectively for the other sections. Instead of choosing lengthy and confusing CAT DILR sets, the candidates must go for the easy and doable sets first. Always remember that accuracy outweighs the number of confused attempts.

  • Assumptions can also be a negative factor under the CAT DILR section because this may invite unwanted negative marks. The candidates must use logic to solve the CAT DILR questions instead of simply using guesswork.

  • Candidates are also advised to use tables and visual aids to avoid calculation errors.

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How to Improve Accuracy in the CAT QA Section

  • The CAT quantitative aptitude section is one of the sections in which the candidates face the most issues when it comes to accuracy. The best strategy to enhance the accuracy in the mock test is by avoiding silly mistakes. This includes missing a value, using a different value for computing, misreading the questions, etc. The candidates should be very careful when it comes to reading the questions and ensure that their calculations are correct.

  • Candidates are also encouraged to study techniques such as mental maths and quick answering techniques, such as Vedic maths, to improve the speed of answering. Also, they can use approximation techniques to improve the speed of calculation.

  • If a candidate is not getting the right answer despite the number of attempts, it is better to leave them without making any guesses, as wrong answers might invite negative marking.

  • The candidates are strongly advised to regularly revise the CAT formulas throughout their CAT 2025 preparation and k so that they do not forget them when required.

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CAT 2025 Question Selection Strategy for Higher Accuracy

Selecting the right questions in CAT 2025 is a key factor in improving section-wise accuracy and achieving a stable percentile. With strict time constraints and negative marking shaping the CAT exam 2025, a systematic selection strategy helps you maximise correct attempts while avoiding high-risk items. By analysing trends from every CAT mock test 2025, you can identify solvable patterns, optimise your attempt order, and minimise accuracy losses caused by misjudged difficulty levels or poor time allocation.

Prioritise Easy but High-Accuracy Questions

Begin each section of CAT 2025 by spotting questions that match your strongest concepts and require minimal computation or interpretation. Review your CAT mock test 2025 accuracy logs to identify problem types that consistently fall within this “low-time, high-accuracy” category, such as factual RC questions, structured DI sets, or direct Arithmetic problems. Targeting these first helps you secure early marks and build momentum before moving to more demanding items.

Use a 90-Second Decision Cut-Off

Apply a strict 90-second evaluation window during the CAT exam 2025. Within this time, assess whether the question’s structure and required steps are clear. If you can’t visualise the solution path quickly, flag it and proceed. Practising this in every CAT mock test 2025 prevents unnecessary time loss and protects accuracy by avoiding rushed or uncertain attempts.

Base Attempts on Topic Strengths

Analyse your CAT mock test 2025 data to classify topics into strong, moderate, and weak zones. In CAT 2025, always start with questions from strong zones because they yield higher accuracy and require less time. For instance, if Algebra or Arithmetic is your strong area, prioritise them before heading into Geometry or advanced Modern Math.

Skip High-Variance Questions Early

High-variance questions in CAT 2025, like abstract inference RCs, ambiguous DILR sets, or layered Quant puzzles, carry a higher error probability. Identify these from your CAT mock test 2025 performance. Unless they align with your strengths, skip them in the first sweep to ensure your accuracy remains stable throughout the section.

Filter DILR Sets Before Attempting

Before attempting any DILR set in CAT exam 2025, apply quick filters: data completeness, clarity of constraints, question distribution, and estimated solving time. Sets with a clean structure and solvable flow offer higher accuracy. Build this habit during the CAT mock test 2025 analysis to avoid time traps and error-heavy sets.

Revisit Flagged Questions After Core Attempts

In CAT 2025, return to flagged questions only after securing your essential accuracy-based attempts. This prevents early-section errors caused by unnecessary risk-taking. When revisiting, approach with a clear plan and remaining time awareness. Repeating this process in CAT mock test 2025 develops consistent accuracy even under time pressure.

Importance of CAT Mock Test 2025 for High Accuracy

Attempting regular CAT mock test 2025 is essential for building and maintaining high accuracy in the upcoming exam. These mocks for the CAT exam help you understand question difficulty, improve time allocation, and refine your selection strategy. Candidates must emphasise analysing each mock to understand common error patterns, weak concepts, and high-risk attempts that reduce accuracy. Consistent practice with full-length and sectional mocks ensures you develop stable accuracy and a predictable performance curve for the CAT exam 2025.

Title

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CAT Mock Test 2025

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How to Analyse CAT Mock Test 2025 Performance for Better Accuracy

Analysing your CAT mock test 2025 performance is essential for improving accuracy and reducing errors in the CAT 2025 exam. A structured analysis helps you understand time usage, question selection quality, accuracy trends, and section-wise performance. By breaking down error sources, evaluating attempt patterns, and studying score fluctuations across mocks, you can build a more stable and predictable performance for the CAT exam 2025.

Track Section-Wise Accuracy

Check accuracy for VARC, DILR, and Quant separately in every CAT mock test 2025. Categorise errors into conceptual mistakes, misreads, calculation slips, and time-pressure errors. This helps you understand whether your accuracy issue in CAT 2025 is due to weak fundamentals or execution gaps.

Evaluate Time Spent vs Marks Gained

Analyse how much time you spent on each question and compare it with marks earned. In CAT exam 2025, inefficient time-to-score ratios reduce overall accuracy. Use mock analytics to identify questions or sets where time investment exceeded value.

Identify High-Risk Attempts

Review questions you attempted but got wrong despite investing time. These attempts drag down your CAT 2025 accuracy. Track such patterns across multiple CAT mock test 2025 attempts to learn which question types you should skip earlier.

Analyse Question Selection Order

Study whether your attempt order helped or hurt your accuracy. In CAT exam 2025, starting with the wrong question type increases errors. Use mock data to see if your first 10–12 attempts were optimal or led to unnecessary mistakes.

Review Unattempted Questions

Check questions you skipped in each CAT mock test 2025 and identify solvable ones you missed. These are low-hanging marks that directly improve accuracy and total score in CAT 2025.

Best Books for CAT Preparation

Selecting the right books is one of the most important steps in preparing for CAT 2025. High-quality CAT Books provide clear concepts, solved examples, and chapter-wise practice that match the level of the CAT exam 2025. The best resources help you build accuracy, understand question patterns, and strengthen fundamentals across three sections, ensuring you develop the depth needed for confident preparation.

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

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CAT Preparation Resources from Careers360

Careers360 has designed a set of resources which are extremely helpful for guiding the candidate’s CAT performance. This includes ebooks, CAT sample papers and other CAT resources, which are written by experts of Careers360. The candidates can access the materials using the links provided in the table below.

eBook Title

Download Links

3000+ Most Important Words - Vocabulary Builder

Download Here

500+ Most Important Idioms and Phrases

Download Here

300+ Most Important Phrasal Verbs

Download Here

Permutation & Combination - Video Lectures and Practice Questions

Download Here

Mastering DILR Questions with Expert Solutions

Download Here

CAT 2025 Exam's High Scoring Chapters and Topics

Download Now

Mastering CAT Exam: VARC, DILR, and Quant MCQs & Weightages

Download Now

CAT 2025 Mastery: Chapter-wise MCQs for Success for VARC, DILR, Quant

Download Now

CAT 2025 Quantitative Aptitude Questions with Answers

Download Now

CAT DILR Questions with Solution, Download LRDI Questions for CAT

Download Now

CAT 2025 Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) Study Material

Download Now

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: Does accuracy matter more than attempts in CAT mock test 2025?
A:

Yes, in CAT mock test 2025, high attempts with low accuracy reduce your score due to penalties. Moderate attempts with strong accuracy consistently lead to higher mock percentiles.

Q: How do I avoid negative marking in CAT mock test 2025?
A:

Skip uncertain questions and maintain a strict 60–90 second time cut-off. In the CAT mock test 2025, move ahead if the solving path isn’t clear. This reduces unnecessary errors and negative marking.

Q: How can I improve my accuracy in CAT mock test 2025 quickly?
A:

Start by attempting questions you’re fully confident about. In the CAT mock test 2025, focus on strong topics, avoid random guesswork, and review every mock carefully. Identifying repeated mistakes and correcting them in the next mock improves accuracy faster.

Q: What are the common reasons for low accuracy in CAT mock tests?
A:

Low accuracy often arises from unclear concepts, rushing through questions, selecting difficult question sets, and inadequate mock test analysis. Improving in these areas greatly enhances test performance.

Q: How can I improve my accuracy in the CAT VARC section?
A:

To improve accuracy in VARC, read questions first before passages, avoid assumptions, and practice logical elimination of incorrect answers. Building a consistent reading habit also enhances comprehension skills.

Q: What strategies help in the CAT DILR section?
A:

Choose manageable question sets to avoid confusion, use logical reasoning rather than guesswork, and rely on visual aids like tables. Prioritising accuracy over the number of attempts reduces negative marks.

Q: How many CAT mock test 2025 attempts are enough to improve accuracy?
A:

Taking 20–30 full-length CAT mock test 2025 attempts along with sectional practice is ideal. What matters most is analysing each mock thoroughly and applying those learnings in the next one.

Q: Why does my accuracy drop even after taking CAT mock test 2025 regularly?
A:

Accuracy drops when your question selection isn’t right. Check your CAT mock test 2025 attempts to see where you over-attempt, misread, or spend excess time. Fixing these patterns helps stabilise accuracy.

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Questions related to CAT

On Question asked by student community

Have a question related to CAT ?

CAT does not restrict eligibility based on stream. Candidates from commerce, arts, science, engineering or any other background can appear for CAT and apply to MBA programmes offered by IIMs and other top B-schools.

The basic eligibility criteria for CAT are:
You must hold a bachelor’s degree in any discipline from a recognised university with at least 50 percent marks (45 percent for SC, ST and PwD categories). Final-year graduation students are also eligible to apply.

Being a commerce graduate can actually be an advantage in areas such as accounting, finance, economics and business studies, especially during MBA coursework in finance, marketing and operations.

After qualifying CAT, admission depends on multiple factors including CAT percentile, academic background, work experience (if any), performance in GD, WAT and personal interview rounds. Many IIMs and B-schools follow a diverse academic background policy, which means non-engineering candidates, including commerce graduates, often receive additional weightage.

Apart from IIMs, several reputed institutes such as FMS Delhi, SPJIMR Mumbai, MDI Gurgaon, IMT Ghaziabad, and many state and private universities also accept CAT scores for MBA admissions.

So, as a commerce graduate, you are fully eligible to appear for CAT and pursue an MBA, provided you meet the minimum academic requirements and perform well in the selection process.

If you want, I can also help you with realistic CAT percentile targets based on your academic profile or suggest suitable MBA colleges.


Hello aspirant,

With a CAT 2025 raw score of 84 and strong sectionals, your expected percentile may fail in the high 98 range , depending on scaling. Your excellent academics and 2 years of work experience strengthen your profile .IIM Lucknow calls are possible but competitive for EWS engineers , while FMS Delhi looks mainly at CAT score and VARC , so you have a reasonable chance there . Final calls depend on cutoffs and composite score.

FOR REFERENCE : https://bschool.careers360.com/articles/cat-cutoff

Hope the details will help you.

THANK YOU

Hello aspirant ,

For MANAGE Hyderabad MBA , the OBC cutoff in CAT 2024 was generally around 85-90 percentile for shortlist consideration , tough exact figures vary by section and profile . For CAT 2025, if fewer candidates appeared , the cutoff might slightly adjust , but percentile based cutoffs dont change drastically year to year. A minor decrease is possible , but you should still aim for 90+ percentile to be competitive. Factors like VARC, QA-LRDI and overall profile influence the final shortlist.

FOR REFERENCE : https://bschool.careers360.com/articles/cat-cutof f

Hope the details will help you.

THANK YOU

Hello,

For a raw score of 56 in CAT 2025 Slot 3, your expected overall percentile is likely to be in the range of the 90th-95th percentile. The exact percentile can vary slightly on the final normalization process and the process and performance of all test-takers. In this article you'll find more about the CAT result.

I hope it will clear your query!!

Hello,
With a projected CAT percentile of 87% but not clearing sectional cutoffs, your chances at top IIMs are limited because they require both overall percentile and sectional minimums. However, you still have a good shot at other reputed management institutes and non-IIM B-schools. Consider colleges like NMIMS, SPJIMR, IMT, TAPMI, Great Lakes, and other well-ranked private or state-level B-schools that accept CAT scores and weigh your profile holistically. Your academic record, BSc in Animation with 80%, and 5 years of work experience at Ubisoft India are strong points and may help in institutes that value work experience in their selection process. Also, explore institutes that accept XAT, MAT, or CMAT, where your profile can be competitive.
Hope this helps you.