CAT 2025 Question Paper

The CAT 2025 papers cover all three slots. Each slot had the same section counts, but different questions and data sets. The standard duration was 120 minutes, with 40 minutes per section. PwD candidates had 160 minutes, divided equally across the sections.

CAT Question Paper Pattern Across Years

The 2017-2019 papers had a three-hour duration and 60 minutes per section. From 2020, the standard duration became two hours. The CAT 2023 papers had 20 DILR questions; this increased to 22 in 2024 and remained 22 in 2025. A raw score out of 300 in an older paper cannot be compared directly with a score out of 204.

CAT Section-wise Questions and Topics

The CAT syllabus includes reading comprehension, verbal ability, data interpretation, logical reasoning and quantitative topics. The question papers show how these areas are combined in the exam.

VARC Questions

VARC combines reading passages with questions on paragraph structure. CAT 2025 Slot 3 had 16 reading-comprehension questions and eight verbal-ability questions. The latter included two questions each on summaries, paragraph completion, odd sentences and para jumbles. Passage questions may ask for an inference, the author's main argument or the purpose of an example.

A common difficulty is choosing between two close options. An option may repeat a phrase from the passage but add a claim the author has not made. In summary questions, retain the main point without treating a supporting example as the whole argument.

DILR Questions

DILR questions share information within a set. CAT 2025 had five sets per slot: three with four questions and two with five. Topics included arrangements, routes, ratings, charts, trade and schedules. A single missed condition can affect several answers, so the initial table or arrangement matters as much as the final calculation.

Quantitative Aptitude Questions

QA covers Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, Number System and Modern Mathematics. The recent papers include mixtures, investment ratios, equations, logarithms and counting. Some questions combine two areas, such as a geometry diagram with a counting condition. In logarithms, a solution must also satisfy the domain; an algebraically correct value may still make the original expression invalid.

CAT Marking Scheme

For example, 14 correct answers and five wrong MCQs give 37 raw marks: (14 × 3) − 5. Use the answer key rather than a candidate's selected responses. The CAT score calculation explains the difference between raw marks, scaled scores and percentiles.

Which CAT Papers Should You Solve First?

Start with 2025 and 2024 for practice in the most recent completed format. Keep VARC, DILR and QA from the same slot together for a full-paper attempt. Older papers are useful for extra passages, DILR sets and QA topics, but use their own question count and timing when attempting them as a complete test.

Review unanswered questions separately from incorrect answers. If you can solve an unanswered question without help after the test, compare it with the questions that used most of your time. For DILR, identify whether the mistake was in the shared arrangement or in one calculation; the same mistake may explain several lost marks.

1. Choose a Past Paper
2. Compare Archive Formats

1. Choose a Practice Mode
2. Score and Review