New Delhi, August 2025: The 2025 edition of the Common Admission Test (CAT)—India’s premier gateway to top MBA programs—comes with familiar structure but fresh timelines and slight pattern refinements. Here’s your go-to update:
1. Official Notification & Key Dates Announced
- The CAT 2025 notification was officially released on July 27, 2025, by the conducting body, IIM Kozhikode.
- Registration is open from August 1 to September 13, 2025.
- The exam will be held on November 30, 2025, across three slots—morning, afternoon, and evening.
- Admit cards will be available from November 5, with download access lasting until test day.
2. Exam Pattern Remains Largely Unchanged
CAT 2025 maintains the established structure that aspirants are familiar with:
- Sections: Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR), Quantitative Aptitude (QA).
- Format: Computer-based test (CBT), with a total duration of 120 minutes, divided into 40 minutes per section.
- Total Questions: 68, spread across sections similarly to CAT 2024.
3. Minor Pattern Tweaks to Note
While the core structure remains unchanged, a few subtle tweaks are worth noting:
- Question Breakdown:
- VARC: Approx. 24 questions (mostly reading passages with a mix of MCQs and a couple of TITA questions).
- DILR: 22 questions, typically structured in sets (e.g., 3 sets of 4 and 2 sets of 5), with a blend of MCQs and TITA.
- QA: 22 questions featuring both MCQs and TITA.
- Marking Scheme: +3 for correct answers, -1 for incorrect MCQs, and no negative marking for TITA or unattempted questions.
- Total Marks: 204 (68 questions × 3 marks each).
- TITA emphasis: Increased proportion of TITA questions, especially in QA—expected to rise to about 30–35% of total questions.
4. What Students Must Do Now
- Register Early (Aug 1 – Sept 13) to avoid last-minute hassles.
- Familiarize with the sectional layout and time limits: 40 minutes per section, fixed.
- Practice TITA-heavy mocks to get comfortable with no-negative-marking formats.
- Focus on accuracy, since the reliance on TITA reduces the penalties for skipped questions.
- Track official communications for any last-minute policy updates.
Summary Table: CAT 2025 Overview
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Registration | Aug 1 – Sept 13, 2025 |
| Exam Date | November 30, 2025 (single-day, 3 slots) |
| Exam Duration | 120 minutes (40 min per section) |
| Sections | VARC, DILR, QA |
| Total Questions | 68 |
| Total Marks | 204 |
| Marking Scheme | +3 correct, –1 wrong (MCQs), no penalty for TITA/unattempted |
Bottom Line: CAT 2025 follows a stable pattern with well-known expectations, but aspirants should tune into the subtle uptick in TITA-type questions and leverage them through targeted practice. The key to success lies in early registration, focused preparation, and strategic mock testing.
Disclaimer
This article is intended solely for informational and educational purposes. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, details such as exam dates, guidelines, and pattern updates are subject to official announcements by the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs). Aspirants are advised to regularly check the official CAT website (iimcat.ac.in) for the latest notifications, instructions, and policy updates. The information provided here should not be considered as a substitute for official communications.
