CAT Exam 2025 – The next edition of the CAT exam (CAT 2025) will be conducted tentatively in the last week of November 2025. The admission notification will be OUT around July 2025. The application form for CAT 2025 is expected to open in 1st week of August 2025. Candidates who meet the prescribed CAT 2025 eligibility criteria must apply before the last date.
IIM Kozhikode is expected to be the conducting body of CAT 2025.
As per CAT 2025 exam pattern, the exam will be administered in a computer-based mode and will be 2 hours long (40 minutes for each of the three sections). The CAT 2025 question paper will include 68 questions and include MCQs and TITA (Type In The Answer).
In the previous edition, out of the 3.29 lakh registered candidates, around 2.93 lakh candidates appeared in the exam. This makes CAT one of the most competitive entrance exams in the land.
Scores of CAT 2025 will be considered for admission to 21 participating IIMs. Additionally, more than 1000 other institutes will consider CAT 2025 scores to admit candidates to their business courses.
Latest Updates:
- Registrations for CLAT 2025 is expected to START in 1st week of August
Table of Contents
CAT 2025 Exam – Highlights
| Particulars | Description |
| Name of the exam | Common Admission Test (CAT) |
| Conducting Body | Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode (Tentative) |
| Official website | https://iimcat.ac.in |
| Exam Level | National |
| Frequency of the exam | Annual |
| Exam DATE | November 2025 |
| START of CAT 2025 application form (tentative) | 1st week of August 2025 |
| Exam Timings | The CAT exam will be conducted in THREE sessions. Session 1: 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM Session 2: 12:30 PM to 2:30 PM Session 3: 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM |
| Application Fees | INR 2,500 (General category) INR 1,250 (Reserved category) |
| Eligibility Criteria | Graduation with 50% aggregate (45% for SC/ST students) |
| Number of Applications | 3.29 lakh (in 2024) |
| Number of Test Takers | 2.93 lakh (in 2024) |
| Validity of CAT scores | 1 year |
| Courses Offered | MBA/PGDM |
| CAT syllabus | Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC) Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) Quantitative Ability (QA) |
| Mode of the exam | Computer Based Test (CBT) Question type: Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) & Type in The Answer (TITA) |
| Test cities | 170 |
| Selection process | CAT scores, Written Ability Test (WAT), Group Discussion (GD), and Personal Interview (PI) for some IIMs |
| Number of participating IIMs | 21 |
| Institutes other than IIMs that will accept CAT scores | 1000+ |
| Important Resources | CAT exam 2025 – Selection Process of IIMs How to prepare for CAT 2025 |
| Download | CAT 2024 Information Bulletin |
| Mock Test | Take CAT Mock Test – Here |
Also Read:
- CAT 2025 exam syllabus – Section-wise Topics, Weightage, Important Topics
- CAT cut-off 2025 – Check Institute-wise Opening and Closing Ranks, Factors
CAT Important Dates 2025
The tentative dates for the CAT 2025 exam are given in the table below. Note that one the official admission schedule is released, the same will be updated here.
| Event | Tentative Dates |
| Release of Exam Notification | Last week of July 2025 |
| START of online registration | 1st week of August, 2025 |
| Last Date to register | September 2025 |
| Issue of admit cards | November 2025 |
| Exam Date | Last week of November 2025 |
| Declaration of Result | First week of January 2026 |
CAT Eligibility Criteria 2025
The candidate is recommended to carefully go through the CAT 2025 eligibility criteria before applying for the exam. It is because if the candidate doesn’t meet the criteria, he or she could be disqualified at any stage of the admission process.
Eligibility Criteria of CAT 2025
- The candidates must have a bachelor’s degree with minimum 50% aggregate marks or an equivalent CGPA (45 per cent aggregate for SC, ST and PWD/DA category).
- Candidates who have completed a professional degree (CA/CS/ICWA/FCAI) with the required percentage are also eligible for CAT 2025.
- Candidates appearing for the final year of bachelor’s degree/equivalent qualification or awaiting the result can apply. However, the aggregate of their first and second year marks must meet the minimum score requirement.
- The education mode of the bachelor’s degree can be regular or distance learning, but should be a 3-year programme and from a UGC recognised institution.
CAT Application Form 2025
The registration process for CAT 2025 will open around August 2025. The direct link to register for the exam will be provided here.
Candidates who meet the CAT 2025 eligibility criteria may apply before the last date.
The CAT 2025 registration process has to be completed online. Also, when filling out the form, use only genuine and verifiable information. CAT officials will verify all the details entered by the candidate, and if any anomaly is found, the candidate will be disqualified.
Step-wise process to register for CAT 2025
- Go to the official website click on “New Candidate Registration” tab
- In the registration form that opens, enter name, date of birth, phone number, and email ID.
- On successful registration, login ID and password will be sent to the candidate’s email ID and mobile number.
- Log-in to the registration portal and fill in academic, contact, and academic details
- Choose an exam city from the drop-down menu
- Select your choice of IIMs in the order of priority
- Pay the application fee to complete the registration process.
CAT 2025 Application Checklist – Fees, Documents
| Items | Description |
| Mode of application | Online |
| Fees | INR 2,500 for General/OBCINR 1,250 for SC/ST/PwD |
| Mode of fee payment | Debit/credit card or net banking |
| Registration link | iimcat.ac.in |
| Selection of Test City | The candidate can select FIVE city options |
| Documents for uploading | Recent passport size photo Scanned signature on white paper Caste/PwD/Scribe certificate |
CAT Exam Pattern 2025
The candidate must refer to the CAT 2025 exam pattern to understand the question paper structure. For instance, the exam pattern will outline the types of questions asked, sections covered, overall and section-wise time allocated, total marks, etc.
CAT 2025 exam pattern
| Particulars | Description |
| Mode of CAT exam | Computer Based Test |
| Duration of exam | 120 minutes 40 minutes for each section |
| CAT exam slots | The exam in be conducted in THREE sessions: Morning: 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM Afternoon: 12:30 PM to 2:30 PM Evening: 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM |
| Number of questions | 68 |
| Number of answer choices | 4 |
| Total marks | 204 |
| Marking scheme | +3 marks for correct answer -1 mark for an incorrect answer No Negative marking for TITA |
| Language of question paper | English |
| Question Type | MCQ and non-MCQ |
CAT Admit Card 2025
The hall ticket for CAT 2025 will be released online at iimcat.ac.in website.
The admit card download date will be announced at the time of CAT 2025 exam date announcement in July 2025.
On the day of the CAT 2025 exam, the candidate must bring the CAT 2025 admit card and a valid photo ID proof. The admit card will contain details like the name and address of the CAT 2025 exam center, roll number, date and exam timings, and exam-day guidelines.
How to download the CAT Admit Card 2025
- Go to the CAT 2025 admission portal – Click Here
- Click on the admit card download link
- In the log-in window that opens, enter registration ID and password
- The admit card will be displayed in PDF format
- Download and take a printout.
Also Read:
- CAT Result 2025 – When and How to Download, Qualifying Status, Topper List
- NIFT Syllabus 2025 – Section-wise Topics, Skills Evaluated, Important Topics
- NIFT Cut-off 2025 – Download year-wise Cut-off PDF, How is Cut-off Prepared
CAT Syllabus 2025
Candidates appearing in the CAT 2025 exam must make it a point to refer to the updated syllabus prescribed by the exam conducting authority. The CAT 2025 syllabus will include the section-wise topics candidates need to prepare the MBA entrance exam.
CAT 2025 question paper will include questions from Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) and Quantitative Aptitude (QA) sections.
Given the vastness of the CAT syllabus, the candidate must prepare in-depth over a period of time. Also the difficulty level of CAT questions poses challenge in scoring high. So, if you start your CAT 2025 exam preparation early, you will have enough time to complete the syllabus on time, solve sample papers, take mock tests, and do ample revision.
CAT Question Paper 2025
If you are preparing for the CAT 2025 exam, make sure that you solve a good number of sample papers to go with previous years’ CAT question papers.
The previous years’ question papers will provide insights into the specific questions asked in the exam, difficulty level, specific questions asked, marking scheme, trends, etc.
These insights are very useful when preparing for the exam and will also give the candidate a reality check.
Meanwhile, sample papers can be used for improving one’s problem-solving and time-management abilities.
CAT Exam Center 2025
The candidate has to select their choice of exam center for CAT 2025 at the time of filling out the application form. In the previous edition, the CAT exam was conducted at over 375 exam centers spread across 170 cities.
The list of CAT 2025 exam centers will be released at the time of release of the exam notification.
The candidate can select a maximum of five exam CAT 2025 cities at the time of registration. The name and address of the exam center allocated to the candidate will be mentioned on the CAT 2025 admit card. Additionally, the admit card will contain the CAT 2025 exam center reporting time and rules to be followed inside the CAT exam venue.
CAT Exam Books 2025
When preparing for an entrance exam like CAT, it is important that the CAT 2025 books are top notch.
Here are some features of good CAT 2025 study material:
- These books will have very few to no errors
- Will explain the concepts in an easy-to-understand language. On the other hand, some books may explain the concepts correctly, but sadly use such complex and advanced language that you will have to spend half your effort deciphering these phrases.
- Good books will also follow the official CAT 2025 exam syllabus and pattern.
- Then, these books will contain examples and infographics to make learning fun, easy, and interactive.
- Also, they will contain problem sets at the end of a chapter or at the end of the book that you can practice and evaluate your progress and ability to solve related problems.
Also Read:
CAT Answer Key 2025 – Date, How to Download, Objection Window, Calculate Probable Score
CAT Counseling 2025 – Schedule, Shortlisting for WAT/PI, Selection Process, Weightage
CAT Exam Answer Key 2025
The exam conducting body will release the provisional CAT 2025 answer key within a few days of the exam. The answer key will be released for all exam slots and contain the keys (answers) to all the questions asked in the CAT 2025 entrance exam. The link to download the answer key will be provided here.
You can download the CAT answer key using your CAT 2025 login ID and password.
The answer key can be used to calculate probable or expected CAT 2025 score. For instance, first calculate the number of correct and incorrect attempts, and then using the marking scheme given in CAT 2025 exam pattern, assign marks to each question. Finally tally the marks to arrive at the expected score.
The candidate will also be given the option to challenge the CAT 2025 provisional answer key.
The FINAL answer key of CAT 2025 will be released after considering feedback given by candidates against the draft key. There will be no provision to challenge the final key. Further, the final key will be used for preparing the CAT 2025 results.
CAT Exam Result 2025
The results of the CAT 2025 exam will be declared sometime in December 2025. The results will be declared online at iimcat.ac.in. The link to check the CAT 2025 results will be provided here.
Log-in to the result portal using your CAT 2025 ID and password.
The CAT 2025 scorecard will include details like sectional and overall score, and merit ranks.
List of CAT 2025 Toppers: The exam officials will also release the name of CAT 2025 Toppers at the time of declaration of results.
CAT Exam Counseling 2025
The counseling of CAT 2025 will be conducted starting sometime in February 2025.
CAT 2025 counseling will include a Written Ability Test and Personal Interview (WAT/PI). The final selection of the candidate will be based on the performance in the CAT 2025 written exam and WAT/PI.
Additionally, the performance of the candidate in academic field, work experience, gender and academic diversity, etc., will also be considered.