CAT Exam Pattern 2025 - Marking scheme, duration, and sectional breakdown

The exam pattern of CAT Exam is prescribed and released by the IIMs. As per the official notification, the CAT Question Paper will consist of 66 MCQ objective type questions. A total of 66 questions are required to be solved within a time duration of 120 minutes. These 120 minutes are equally divided, thus giving 40 minutes to solve each section. CAT Exam analyzes a candidate's speed of solving questions in the stipulated time. Candidates are expected to solve the questions within a few seconds.

This year's CAT paper pattern is said to be similar to the previous year's paper. The total marks of the CAT examination is 198.

What is the Exam Pattern of CAT 2025?

CAT Exam Pattern is basically the structure in which the CAT Question Paper is designed. It defines several details such as what sections are included in the CAT Exam, how many questions are asked in each section of the CAT exam, time duration and section limits in cat exam, section wise weightage in CAT, the number of questions asked in the question paper, cat 2025 exam structure and marking scheme, etc. The exam analyzes candidate's ability to solve mathematical, reasoning and verbal problems with accuracy in the least amount of time. There are Verbal Ability, Data Interpretation, and Quant sections in CAT exam.

Candidates who have registered themselves for CAT 2025 must go through and familiarize themselves with the CAT Exam Pattern. It will help them understand the structure of CAT Question paper and the marking scheme of the exam. There are three sections in CAT Exam Pattern:

• Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) - CAT VARC section will have 24 questions and weightage of 72 marks.
• Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR) - CAT DILR section will have 20 questions and weightage of 60 marks
• Quantitative Aptitude (QA) - CAT Quantitative Aptitude section will have 22 questions and weightage of 66 marks

CAT Preparation Material -

• CAT Preparation Tips for VARC, DILR, and Quant
• Download Previous Year CAT Question Papers
• CAT Cutoff 2025 for IIMs and Top Colleges
• CAT Study Material - Download PDFs

CAT 2025 Exam Pattern and Syllabus Guide

Aspirants who have registered themselves and who want to go for CAT 2025 must thoroughly go through the CAT entrance exam pattern along with the CAT Syllabus 2025. For the past two years, the CAT exam paper consists of 66 questions.

Particulars	CAT Pattern 2025 and Syllabus
CAT exam time duration	2 Hours (120 Minutes)
Name of the Section	Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC) Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) Quantitative Aptitude (QA)
Section-wise CAT exam duration	40 Minutes for Each Section (VARC, DILR, QA). 53 Minutes 20 Seconds for PwD candidates for each section.
CAT slot timings	CAT slot 1 timing: 8:30 am - 10:30 am (Morning Session) CAT slot 2 timing: 12:30 pm - 2:30 pm (Afternoon Session) CAT slot 3 timing: 4:30 pm - 6:30 pm (Evening Session)
How many questions in CAT exam	66 Questions
CAT Total Marks	198 marks
Mode of the CAT 2025 exam	Computer-Based Mode (CBT)
CAT 2025 Marking Scheme	For every right answer, +3 will be awarded For every wrong answer in MCQs, -1 will be deducted No negative marks for Non-MCQs

Note* IIMs try to modify the exam in such a way that more students from non-engineering background find it convenient to apply for and crack the exam and pursue MBA.

Important pointers for CAT exam

Given below are some important points for the upcoming CAT exam that the candidates must keep in mind.

• Candidates are allowed to use an on-screen calculator while the CAT examination 2025
• With the help of an on-screen clock, candidates can check the time
• For rough work candidates will be provided with sheets, which a candidate needs to submit after the completion of the CAT examination.
• Candidates are not allowed to jump from one section to another while attempting questions in one section.
• The CAT official mock test has been declared on its official website, iimcat.ac.in. It generally discloses the overall and section-wise exam pattern of CAT.

CAT Exam Duration and Slot Timings

The CAT 2025 exam will be conducted in three different shifts with a time limit of 120 minutes (2 hours) for each CAT slot. The CAT 2025 entrance exam will be conducted on November 24. The CAT exam will be conducted in three slots, morning, afternoon, and evening as per the guidelines.

CAT Exam Duration 2025

Following the CAT paper patterns, applicants will be given 40 minutes to solve each section. Once the time duration is completed, no changes or corrections will be allowed to be made after that. The section-wise number of CAT questions and the time duration are mentioned below: Also Read - Important CAT Exam Dates 2025: Complete Schedule

CAT Exam Sections	Number of Questions in CAT Exam	Sectional Time limit	Time limit for PwD students
Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC)	24	40 minutes	53 minutes and 20 seconds
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR)	20	40 minutes	53 minutes and 20 seconds
Quantitative Aptitude (QA)	22	40 minutes	53 minutes and 20 seconds
Total	66	120 minutes	160 minutes

CAT 2025 Exam Pattern - Slot Timings

CAT Exam Slots	CAT Exam Time
CAT Slot 1	8:30 AM to 10:30 AM
CAT Slot 2	12:30 PM to 2:30 PM
CAT Slot 3	4:30 PM to 6:30 PM

What is CAT Marking Scheme?

CAT 2025 qualifying marks will be revealed with the release of the CAT cutoff for the next academic session. The CAT qualifying marks will be announced by the (IIMs) and other top MBA colleges that accept CAT scores for MBA/PGDM admissions. For candidates who want to be selected for MBA admission the first criterion is to fulfil is the CAT qualifying marks criteria

As per the CAT marking scheme, applicants must be familiar with the CAT exam total marks awarded for every correct answer and the total number of marks deducted, in case an applicant's answers are incorrect.

• For every correct answer, +3 marks will be awarded.
• CAT Negative Marking: For every wrong answer, 1 mark will be deducted
• For unattempted CAT questions, no marks will be deducted. Also for Non-MCQs, no marks will be deducted.

CAT exam section name	Number of questions	Marks per question	CAT Negative Marking (Only MCQs)
VARC	24	3	-1
DILR	20	3	-1
Quantitative Aptitude	22	3	-1

Also Read -Top CAT Coaching Institutes in India for 2025

CAT Exam Pattern Evolution Over the Years

The CAT exam pattern has seen some significant changes over the years'. Majorly these changes included changes in the number of questions and the CAT exam duration. Candidates can view the table below to view the evolution of the CAT exam pattern.

Year	Number of Question	Difficulty Level	CAT exam time duration	CAT Sections	Conducting Body
2025	66	Moderate to Difficult (Expected)	2 hours	QA, DILR, VARC	IIM Kozhikode
2024	66	Moderate to Difficult	2 hours	QA, DILR, VARC	IIM Calcutta
2023	66	Difficult	2 hours	QA, DILR, VARC	IIM Lucknow
2022	66	Moderate	2 hours	QA, DILR, VARC	IIM Bangalore
2021	66	Moderate to High	2 hours	QA, DILR, VARC	IIM Ahmedabad
2020	76	Moderate to High	2 hours	QA, DILR, VARC	IIM Indore
2019	100	Moderate to High	3 hours	QA, DILR, VARC	IIM Kozhikode
2018	100	Moderate to High	3 hours	QA, DILR, VARC	IIM Calcutta
2017	100	Moderate	3 hours	QA, DILR, VARC	IIM Lucknow
2016	100	Moderate to difficult	3 hours	QA, DILR, VARC	IIM Bangalore
2015	100	Moderate to difficult	3 hours	QA, DILR, VARC	IIM Ahmedabad
2014	100	Moderate to Easy	2.50 hours	QA & DI, LR & VARC	IIM Indore
2013	60	Moderate to Easy	2:20 hours	QA & DI, LR & VARC	IIM Indore
2012	60	Moderate to Easy	2.20 hours	QA & DI, LR & VARC	IIM Indore
2011	60	Moderate	2.20 hours	QA & DI, LR & VARC	IIM Calcutta
2010	60	Easy to Moderate	2.50 hours	QA, DILR, VARC	IIM Lucknow

CAT Syllabus and Important Topics

The syllabus of CAT Exam consists of VARC, DILR, and QA sections. The CAT Syllabus PDF is not usually released by the IIMs. However, we can make out the topics asked by analyzing the CAT previous years' question papers. Below mentioned are the main topics of CAT Syllabus 2025 based on the previous years’ question paper of CAT Exam:

CAT Sections	CAT Syllabus
Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension	Parajumbles, Sentence-Completion, Reading Comprehension, Para-Summary, Inferences
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning	Tables, Graphs, Data Caselets, Blood Relation, Venn Diagram, Seating Arrangement and Syllogism
Quantitative Aptitude	Percentages, Profit & Loss, Simple Interest-Compound Interest, Time & Distance, Averages-Mixtures-Alligations, Numbers, Mensuration, Logarithms, Functions & Graphs, Indices & Surds, Quadratic Equations, Special Equations, Statistics

Read More -Complete CAT Syllabus 2025: Section-wise Topics

How to Mark Answers in CAT Exam 2025?

The CAT Exam is conducted in online mode, as a computer based test mode. The candidates appearing the examination will have to enter their answers on a computer system. Candidates will be allowed to use the keyboard only for TITA (Type in the Answer) type of questions. For each CAT Question, there will be four options given to students to choose from:

• Save and Next
• Clear Response
• Mark for Review and Next

The options chosen by candidates will be represented in the following colors:

What is the Difference Between CAT Exam Pattern and Other MBA Entrance Exams?

The basic difference between the exam pattern of CAT Exam and other MBA Exams lies in the several factors such as sections in which the question paper is divided, duration of the exam, mode of the exam, colleges that accept the exam's score, marking scheme, score vs percentile calculation and difficulty level of the exam.

Feature	CAT	XAT	GMAT	SNAP	NMAT	MAT
Sections	3 Sections VARC DILR QA	4 Sections Verbal Ability & Logical Reasoning Decision Making Quant GK	4 Sections Analytical Writing Integrated Reasoning Quant Verbal	3 Sections General English Analytical & Logical Reasoning Quant	3 Sections Language Skills Quantitative Skills Logical Reasoning	5 Sections Language Math Data Analysis Reasoning GK
Duration	2 hours (40 min per section)	3 hours	3 hours 7 minutes	1 hour	2 hours	2.5 hours
Difficulty Level	High, particularly QA & DILR	High, especially Decision Making	Moderate, Global Standard	Moderate, Speed-based	Moderate, Speed & Retakes Allowed	Easier than CAT
Marking Scheme	+3 marks for correct answer -1 for wrong No negative for non-MCQ	+1 mark for correct -0.25 for wrong penalty for >8 unanswered questions	No negative marking	+1 mark for correct answer -0.25 for wrong answer	No negative marking	No negative marking
Percentile Calculation	Percentile-based, sectional cutoffs	Percentile-based with Decision Making & GK included	Score out of 800, percentile provided	Scaled scores, percentile-based	Scaled scores, no percentile	Percentile-based, less competitive than CAT
Focus Areas	Analytical & logical reasoning, Quant-heavy	Decision Making, General Knowledge	Critical thinking, Analytical writing	Speed and time management	Flexibility in section order, Time management	Basic reasoning, language, and GK
Accepted By	IIMs, Top B-schools in India	XLRI, Xavier Institutes, some top B-schools	Worldwide MBA programs, ISB	Symbiosis institutes	NMIMS, some other B-schools	Tier-2 and Tier-3 B-schools
Negative Marking	Yes, except non-MCQs	Yes, including for unanswered questions (>8)	No	Yes	No	No
Retake Option	No	No	Yes (up to 5 times a year)	No	Yes (up to 3 times a year)	No

CAT Exam Pattern - Mock Test 2025

Candidates who want to test their practice can opt for the official CAT Mock Test. CAT conducting body will declare the official CAT 2025 mock test on iimcat.ac.in. The CAT mock test is a practice test that will help the candidates to experience real-life examinations without any fear and also help them to attend the questions within the time duration.

By taking the mock test, the candidates will get an idea about how to attend different sections. Before Opting for the CAT exam mock test, students must understand the CAT test pattern 2025 also for additional practice they must go through the CAT sample papers.

Read in Detail - Free CAT Mock Test Series 2025

CAT Exam Pattern - Types of Questions & Key Skills Tested

CAT exam is vast and incorporates a variety of questions. Given below are the type of questions and key skills that are tested in each section.

Section	Expected No. of Questions	Types of Questions	Key Skills Tested	Preparation Tips
VARC (Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension)	24	Reading Comprehension (4 passages × 4 questions = 16); Para jumbles (2–3 non-MCQ, not always asked); Para summaries; Odd sentence out	Reading speed and comprehension; Grammar and vocabulary; Logical sentence arrangement	Read editorials, essays, and news articles daily; Identify main ideas and tone regularly
DILR (Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning)	20	Logical puzzles; Seating arrangements; Graphs, charts, tables; Caselets, Venn diagrams	Analytical thinking; Pattern recognition; Performance under pressure	Practice a wide variety of sets - Learn to pick the right set; Improve mental calculations
QA (Quantitative Aptitude)	22	Arithmetic (40–50% weightage); Algebra (~25%); Geometry & Mensuration (2–3 questions); Number systems; Modern Math (P&C, Probability; low weightage)	Problem-solving skills; Conceptual clarity; Speed and accuracy	Focus on basics from school math; Prioritize high-weightage topics; Attempt sitters first for time efficiency