CAT 2025 Live: Exam Analysis, Slot-wise Difficulty, Percentile, Answer Key & Cut-off Details

cat 2025 live exam analysis slot wise difficulty percentile answer key and cut off details

Home ❯ CAT (Common Admission Test) ❯ CAT 2025 Live: Exam Analysis, Slot-wise Difficulty, Percentile, Answer Key & Cut-off Details

College Vidya News Team Dec 18, 2025 1.2K Reads

The Common Admission Test (CAT) 2025, India’s most competitive MBA entrance exam, was held on November 30, 2025, across 170 cities and 350+ exam centres. Conducted by IIM Kozhikode, the computer-based test saw participation from nearly 2.95 lakh aspirants across three sessions in a single day.

While the pattern remained unchanged: VARC, DILR and QA with 120 minutes total testing time the overall difficulty varied across slots, offering a balanced yet challenging assessment of analytical and reasoning ability.

CAT 2025 Slot-wise Difficulty Breakdown

Slot	VARC	DILR	QA	Overall Difficulty
Slot 1	Moderate–Difficult	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate
Slot 2	Moderate	Moderate–Difficult	Moderate	Slightly Tough
Slot 3	Moderate	Moderate–Difficult	Moderate	Moderate

CAT 2025 Major observations:

VARC was trickiest in Slot 1, easier in Slots 2 and 3.
DILR turned out to be the most time-intensive section of the day.
QA was dominated by Arithmetic with calculation-heavy problems.
CAT 2025 result will be releasing in January 2026

CAT 2025 Sectional Question Distribution

Section	Total Questions	Summary
VARC	24	RC-driven, accuracy-focused
DILR	22	Multi-caselets, moderate difficulty
QA	22	Time-consuming, mostly arithmetic

CAT 2025 Estimated Score vs Percentile (Based on Analysis and Candidate Feedback)

Percentile	Predicted Score (Overall)
99.9	122+
99.5	103+
99	90+
98	81+
95	70+
90	53+
85	45+
80	40+

Percentiles may shift slightly after normalization across slots.

Expected CAT Cut-off for IIM Shortlisting

B-School	Expected Cut-off (Percentile)
IIM Ahmedabad	99 – 100
IIM Bangalore	99 – 100
IIM Calcutta	99
IIM Kozhikode	97 – 98
IIM Indore	97 – 98
IIM Lucknow	97 – 98
New and Baby IIMs	90 – 96 range

Cut-offs will vary by gender, academic category, diversity, and work experience.

CAT 2025 Answer Key & Result Timeline

Activity	Expected Date
Provisional Answer Key & Response Sheet	By December 5, 2025
Objection Window	2–3 days after answer key release
Final Result	Early January 2026
Score Validity	Until December 31, 2026

CAT 2025 Key Insight for Aspirants Post-Exam

This year’s exam was moderate with spikes in DILR, and the cut-offs are likely to remain in line with last year. Candidates with high accuracy in QA and VARC are expected to gain an edge in percentile calculations.

If you walked out of the test feeling confident, great. But if you’re anxious about your performance and the fear of “What if I don’t score enough for IIMs?” remember this: one exam does not define your management career.

Instead of losing another full year to reattempt CAT, thousands of aspirants today are building their careers through UGC-approved Online MBA programs, studying from home while working and still getting placed in the corporate world.

If you don’t want to waste another year and are exploring Online MBA options, you can get neutral guidance and university comparisons through College Vidya, one platform to compare, choose and enroll confidently.

Your CAT score might be uncertain, but your management career doesn’t have to be.

Live Updates

CAT 2025 Results Live

December 18, 2025 11:18 AM

Which non-IIM colleges accept CAT scores?

Several reputed non-IIM institutes accept CAT scores, including FMS Delhi, MDI Gurgaon, SPJIMR, IMI Delhi, TAPMI, KJ Somaiya, and others. Each institute sets its own cutoff and selection criteria.

December 18, 2025 4:33 AM

What happens if a candidate clears the CAT overall cutoff but not the sectional cutoff?

Candidates who fail to meet sectional cutoffs may not be shortlisted by some IIMs. However, several non-IIM institutes focus primarily on overall percentile.

December 13, 2025 9:09 AM

How does normalization affect CAT scores and percentiles?

Normalization adjusts raw scores across different exam slots to ensure fairness. If one slot is more difficult, candidates from that slot may receive a higher scaled score.

December 13, 2025 9:05 AM

Will the CAT 2025 cutoff increase or decrease this year?

Cutoffs depend on multiple factors such as exam difficulty, number of candidate, and overall performance. Any increase or decrease will become clear only after the results and normalization process.

December 8, 2025 5:14 AM

Can I retake CAT 2025 if performance is bad?

No retest for the same year. Candidates must apply again next year for CAT 2026.

December 5, 2025 12:32 PM

Are there sectional cut-offs in CAT?

Yes. Many IIMs require minimum scores in all three sections:
VARC
DILR
QA
Even a good overall percentile may not qualify without clearing sectional cutoffs.

December 4, 2025 12:07 PM

When will CAT 2025 result be declared?

Result is typically released in late December or early January, shortly after the answer key objection review.

December 4, 2025 9:04 AM

What is a good score for 99 percentile in CAT 2025?

99 percentile: 90–100 marks
95 percentile: 70–80 marks
Exact ranges vary by difficulty of the examination.

December 4, 2025 7:54 AM

What is the marking scheme in CAT 2025?

1. +3 marks for each correct answer
2. –1 mark for each incorrect MCQ
No negative marking for TITA (type-in-the-answer) questions

December 4, 2025 6:31 AM

How can I calculate my CAT 2025 percentile?

Once the response sheet is out, candidates can:
1. Count correct/incorrect attempts using the official marking scheme
2. Use percentile predictor tools for the score vs percentile estimate

December 4, 2025 6:27 AM

Where can I download the CAT 2025 response sheet?

Candidates can download it from the official IIM CAT portal using their:
1. User ID
2. Password
The link will activate once the key is released.

December 4, 2025 6:24 AM

When will the CAT 2025 answer key be released?

The CAT answer key and response sheet are expected within 5–7 days of the exam. The objection window opens at the same time.

By College Vidya News Team

Online Education News / Colleges & Universities / Admission Assistance

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