The Common Admission Test (CAT) serves as a gateway to an MBA, as it provides access to the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and over 1,300 business schools. An IIM organizes the examination every year in the form of a rotating schedule and CAT tests its examinees on: Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Reasoning (QA). IIM Calcutta is projected to conduct the CAT on November 30, 2025, and will offer three testing slots in 170 cities. Considered as one of the most competitive examinations in the country, with over 3 lakh annual registrants, the CAT requires students to devise strategic plans to achieve a high score in the percentile for admission to IIMs Ahmedabad, Bangalore, and Calcutta.
IIMs, FMS Delhi, MDI Gurgaon, and SPJIMR Mumbai use CAT as the main score for eligibility and admission, so it is critical to devise a plan for CAT 2025. The score is thrown away after a year, making it available for 21 IIMs and other top B-schools for MBA, PGDM, and even doctoral programs, thus making it a one-year wonder. The examination opens opportunities in multiple high-earning (10 to 25 LPA) careers in management.
The CAT date for 2025 will be on the 30th of November, and the official notification is expected on 27th July 2025. As usual, the CAT registration date will be on August 1, 2025, and will last until September 13, 2025. The admit card would be released from early November, and the result announcement would be in the third week of December. Check the Date tab for a timeline to mental map and plan for your preparation.
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Notification Date |
26th July 2025 ( expected ) |
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Registration starts on |
1 August ( expected ) |
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Last Date of Registration |
12 September ( expected ) |
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Exam Date |
30th November ( expected ) |
The results would be released in December and would be available on the official site. Cutoff would be 95 to 100 for the IIMs, with FMS and MDI expecting 90 to 98. All results can be accessed with a CAT ID and password on iimcat.ac.in. Candidates who clear the initial screening are eligible for WAT, GD, and PI. Check the Result tab for IIM selection and scorecard details.
The CAT exam for the year 2025 consists of 68 questions about the areas of “TITA and MCQ,” divided into three key sections, which are VARC, DILR, and QA. Each one of the sections has a specific set of 40-minute timed questions. The VARC section comprises 24 questions, DILR has 22, and QA also has 22 questions. The marking system for the CAT exam is +3 for a correct response and -1 for an incorrect Marked Choice Question (no negative marking for TITA style questions). The exam is scheduled to be conducted in two parts and a computer-based format. In detail, the exam is to be 2 hours long, having an overall duration of 40 minutes per section, capped at a max of 2 minutes, in two portions of 24 and 22 minutes per section. To better understand the exam layout, structure, and optimization in CAT exam preparation, kindly refer to the exam preparation tab.
The CAT exam 2025 syllabus covers the areas of VARC (comprehension and English grammar), DILR (interpretation and analysis of the given graphical and tabular data alongside given logical puzzles), and QA (mathematics). Even though IIMs do not officially publish a syllabus, it can be reasonably expected to be based on the respective topics covered in 10-12 classes. For an IIM aspirant, the value of CAT is undeniable. Given the level of competition, the MBA exam syllabus is CAT intensive, and the VARC section, in comparison to the rest, is considerably. For full breakdowns, review the syllabus tab.
Beginning a year in advance is recommended, as preparation requires a structured plan. Resource materials from IMS, TIME, or CrackU can be supplemented with mock exams and revision of prior year papers. Spend dedicated time on identified weaknesses and work on mental calculations. Read newspapers for the VARC section. Join a coaching or work through self-directed study on WidEd. For further information, feel free to contact our advisors through the Enquiry button on our homepage.
