How to Use Previous Year CAT Papers for 2025 Preparation: Download PDFs with Solutions

How to Use Previous Year CAT Papers for 2025 Preparation: Download PDFs with Solutions

Komal MiglaniUpdated on 30 Jul 2025, 12:55 PM IST

While preparing for the CAT 2025 examination, one of the most effective preparation methodologies is to use previous year's question papers. Analysing the CAT previous year question papers helps candidates understand the CAT exam trends and restructure their CAT preparation accordingly, based on the latest syllabus and examination structure. Due to the rapid increase in the number of CAT aspirants each year, the competition level of the CAT exam has also increased. In recent years, changes in the CAT 2025 exam pattern have also been observed. Hence, using the previous year's question papers, the candidates will be able to build their essential exam familiarity to ensure a good CAT score. But, having access to the CAT previous year question papers is solely not enough; the candidates should also ensure that they follow the best practices to ensure a higher CAT percentile using the CAT previous year question paper, which we will be discussing in this article.

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The table below shows the expected CAT 2025 cut-off scores corresponding to different percentiles, along with the previous year’s scores for reference. These estimates can help candidates gauge their performance and anticipate shortlisting for IIMs and other management institutes.

CAT percentile

CAT 2025 expected cut-off score

99.95

110

99.9

100-104

99.5

90-92

99

78-82

97

66-68

95

56-58

90

45-48

85

40-42

80

35-36

75

32-33

70

30-31

60

25-26

Read More

This Story also Contains

  1. Benefits of Solving Previous Year CAT Papers
  2. How to Approach Previous Year CAT Papers
  3. CAT Previous Year Question Papers
  4. Tips to Maximise Benefit from PYQs
  5. CAT 2025 Preparation Resources by Careers360
  6. CAT 2025 Preparation Resources by Careers360
How to Use Previous Year CAT Papers for 2025 Preparation: Download PDFs with Solutions
How to Use Previous Year CAT Papers for 2025 Preparation: Download PDFs with Solutions

Benefits of Solving Previous Year CAT Papers

When it comes to CAT 2025 preparation, both the CAT toppers and experts have suggested that the candidates solve the CAT previous year question papers as soon as they complete the CAT syllabus. A few of the benefits that the candidates can acquire while attempting the CAT previous year question papers are listed below for the reference of the candidates.

Understanding Exam Pattern and Structure

The CAT exam pattern is dynamic and is susceptible to changes each year. In 2024, 2 additional questions were added under the CAT DILR section, which resulted in the total number of questions being 68 instead of 66. By solving the CAT previous year question papers, the candidates will be able to gain an understanding of the exam pattern of the CAT examination. Having a good understanding of the CAT exam pattern is one of the crucial steps towards the success of the candidates. As per the CAT 2024 question paper, the expected CAT exam pattern for 2025 is provided below.

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Section Details

Information

Total Questions

22

Types

MCQs and TITA (Type In The Answer)

Sectional time limit

40 minutes

Marking Scheme

+3 for the correct answer
-1 for incorrect responses

No mark awarded or deducted for unattempted questions.

Sub-sectional question arrangements

Jumbled.

Identifying Frequently Asked Topics

Though the CAT examination does not repeat the exact questions, solving the CAT previous year question papers will help the candidates to identify the topics from which the most number of questions are asked in the examination. Prioritising these sections will help the candidates to gain an upper hand in the CAT examination. Each section of the CAT examination contains a list of topics from which the candidates can expect the maximum number of questions. The candidates are strongly advised to study all the concepts under these important CAT topics to ensure to strengthen their CAT preparation. This is one of the most important CAT preparation strategies. The set of most important CAT topics is listed below.

CAT Important Topics: Quantitative Aptitude

QA

Arithmetic

Averages, Ratios & Proportions, Percentages, Mixtures and Alligations, Profit & Loss, Time, Speed & Distance, Time & Work, SI and CI, Pipes & Cisterns, Races, Trains & Boats

Algebra

Linear & Quadratic Equations, Inequalities, Logarithms, Surds & Indices, Modulus Functions & Graphs, Sequence & Series, and Polynomials.

Geometry

Lines & Angles, Triangles, Circles, Polygons, Quadrilaterals, Coordinate Geometry, and Mensuration (2D & 3D)

Number System

Properties of Integers, Divisibility, Factors, HCF & LCM, Remainders, Trailing Zeroes and Base System Conversions.

Modern Maths

Permutations & Combinations, Probability, Set Theory, and Venn Diagrams.

CAT Important Topics: Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning

Logical Reasoning & Data Interpretation

Line & Bar Graphs

Circular Arrangements

Linear Arrangements

Pie Charts

Venn Diagrams

Binary Logics

DI Tables

Distribution

Games & Tournaments

Cubes

Selection

Network Flow Diagrams

QUANT Based DI

QUANT Based LR

Caselets

CAT Important Topics: Verbal Ability and Reading Comphrehension

Verbal Ability and Reading Comphrehension

Reading Comprehension

Para-jumbles

Sentence Completion

Inferences

Odd One Out

Syllogism and Analogies

One-word Substitution

Sentence Correction

Para Summary

Para Completion

Improving Time Management

Solving the CAT previous year question papers under timed environments will help the candidates to enhance their time management skills. CAT time management is an important attribute that decides the CAT success of the candidates. Both speed and accuracy are essential when it comes to the CAT success of a candidate. Without either of these skills, the CAT score of the candidate may decrease drastically. Hence, solving a minimum of the previous five years' CAT question papers is essential for the candidates to perform well on the CAT exam day.

Learning from Past Trends

The CAT examination in the previous years has exhibited the following the previous year. This means that having a good understanding of the CAT's previous year question papers will help candidates gain an understanding of the CAT exam trends, which will give them a good understanding of what to expect on the CAT exam day. This is essential for the candidates as a good understanding of the CAT examination trends will help the candidates to avoid any surprises that they might come across while attempting the CAT 2025 examination.

How to Approach Previous Year CAT Papers

Having access to the CAT previous year question papers is not just sufficient. The candidates should also be aware of the various best CAT strategies for solving the CAT previous year question papers, which will help the candidates to make the best out of their CAT preparation using the previous year question papers. Given below are the best practices that the candidates can follow to enhance their CAT preparation.

Step-by-Step Process

  • Solve the CAT previous year question papers in a very silent place that resembles the CAT environment. The candidates should also use a timer and set it to 2 hours before starting to attempt the questions. This will help them to analyse their speed and time management, which are benchmarks for the CAT success.

  • Each time a candidate attempts a CAT mock test or attempts the CAT previous year question paper, they must note down the time taken and the number of questions solved. They should progressively analyse their performance and take notes of their progress.

  • If there is a dip in the performance, then the candidates should stop attending the CAT previous year question papers and instead focus on enhancing their sectional conceptual clarity.

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Use the CAT Percentile Predictor to estimate your score, gauge your performance, and know your chances of getting shortlisted by IIMs.
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Maintain an Error Log

  • While solving the CAT previous year questions, the candidates should ensure that they maintain a notebook to list the questions which they did not answer correctly or made silly mistakes in. This book should be referred to daily during the CAT revision of the candidates.

  • The candidates should attempt the questions again and ensure that they are able to solve them now with better precision than before.

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Compare with CAT Answer Keys

  • While checking their answers, the candidates should compare their answers with the official CAT answer keys released by the official CAT exam conducting authorities.

  • This will give them precise answers to the questions.

  • The candidates are also encouraged to check how IIMs frame solutions or accepted answers.

Tips to Maximise Benefit from PYQs

A few of the important tips that the candidates can follow to enhance their CAT preparation using the available CAT previous year question papers are provided below for the reference of the candidates.

  • The candidates are strongly advised to solve a minimum of one CAT previous year question in a week, as soon as they are done with their CAT syllabus. The number should increase progressively.

  • Solving the CAT previous year question papers is not just enough. The candidates should also put efforts into analysing the question papers deeply. They should find the areas where they have made mistakes, find the total time taken by them in solving the questions and which section they find the maximum issues under. This will help them to improve while attempting the next question papers.

  • Each time the candidate solves the question papers, they should also note their improvement. This is by comparing their performance with the previous attempts.

  • The candidates are advised to refrain from solving the question papers by keeping the answer keys open. This defeats the purpose of attempting the CAT previous year question papers. They can refer to the solutions and answer keys after the examination is completed.

CAT 2025 Preparation Resources by Careers360

The CAT aspirants can download the various CAT resources for preparation curated by Careers360 using the links given below.

eBook Title

Download Links

3000+ Most Important Words - Vocabulary Builder

Download Now

500+ Most Important Idioms and Phrases

Download Now

300+ Most Important Phrasal Verbs

Download Now

Permutation & Combination - Video Lectures and Practice Questions

Download Now

Mastering DILR Questions with Expert Solutions

Download Now

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

CAT 2025 Preparation Resources by Careers360

The CAT aspirants can download the various CAT resources for preparation designed by Careers360 using the links given below.

eBook Title

Download Links

3000+ Most Important Words - Vocabulary Builder

Download Now

500+ Most Important Idioms and Phrases

Download Now

300+ Most Important Phrasal Verbs

Download Now

Permutation & Combination - Video Lectures and Practice Questions

Download Now

Mastering DILR Questions with Expert Solutions

Download Now

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: How can one effectively analyse performance using previous year papers?
A:

Candidates should maintain an error log to track mistakes and compare answers with official answer keys. Regular analysis of performance after each mock attempt helps identify weak areas and improve accuracy.

Q: How do previous year papers help with time management?
A:

Attempting these papers under timed conditions improves speed and accuracy, two essential factors for scoring well in CAT. It also helps candidates strategise their approach for each section.

Q: What are the most important topics in the CAT syllabus?
A:

Key topics include Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, and Number System under Quantitative Aptitude; Line Graphs, Arrangements, Venn Diagrams, and Caselets for DILR; and Reading Comprehension, Para-jumbles, and Sentence Correction in VARC.

Q: Why are previous year CAT papers important for 2025 preparation?
A:

Solving previous CAT papers helps aspirants understand the exam pattern, marking scheme, and the kind of questions asked. It also reveals the changing trends and helps build familiarity with the exam structure.

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Questions related to CAT

On Question asked by student community

Have a question related to CAT ?

Hello,

The results for the CAT 2025 entrance, which is conducted on November 30, 2025, were declared on December 22, 2025. Candidates can download and see their results on the official IIM CAT website. On the website, click on the "CAT 2025 Result/Scorecard" link to download the result by entering the required details.

I hope it will clear your query!!

Hello,

The link to the website where you can check the published result is attached herewith.  The result will be out soon. You can also check the cutoffs on the website of Careers360.

https://bschool.careers360.com/articles/cat-result

Thank you.

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