CAT Question Papers 2025 – The CAT 2025 exam will be conducted on November 30, 2025.
Candidates preparing for the exam are recommended to solve previous year’ CAT question papers. This will help you understand the CAT exam pattern, question type, how questions are framed, specific questions asked, important topics, difficulty level, extent and scope of the questions, etc.
You can use these insights for making an effective exam preparation strategy for CAT 2025. For instance, the difficulty level of topics can help you decide whether you need coaching or whether self-study is sufficient. If you decide to go for self-study, you will need a more robust exam-preparation plan, including selecting the best books for CAT.
The previous years’ CAT question paper banks can be bought online from portals like Amazon, Flipkart, etc. Or, you can download them for free from coaching and counseling portals. NOTE that the current years’ question paper, i.e., CAT 2025, will be released in the form of response sheets and answer keys on the official CAT website a few days after the exam.
You can download the response sheet using your candidate log-in credentials.
To prepare for CAT 2025, it is recommended that you solve at least a dozen sample papers along with previous years CAT question papers.
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Why Solving CAT Question Papers is Important?
Solving previous years’ CAT question papers helps in:
- Understanding Exam Pattern – CAT has varying structures (number of questions, sections, and time limits).
- Identifying Important Topics – Some concepts (e.g., Arithmetic, RCs, DI-LR puzzles) appear frequently.
- Improving Time Management – CAT is a speed-based test; practicing with real papers enhances speed.
- Adapting to Difficulty Levels – CAT’s toughness varies yearly (e.g., 2020 was moderate, 2023 was tougher in QA).
- Boosting Confidence – Familiarity with question types reduces exam-day anxiety.
Official Sources for CAT Previous Year Papers
A. IIM Official Website
The conducting IIM sometimes releases sample papers.
CAT official exam portal: https://iimcat.ac.in
B. CAT Prep Books by IIM Alumni
- Books like “CAT Previous Year Papers” by Arun Sharma compile official questions.
- Available on Amazon, Flipkart.
C. Coaching Institute Websites
- TIME, Career Launcher, IMS provide free and paid CAT papers.
- Example: TIME CAT Portal
Unofficial but Reliable Websites for CAT Papers
| Website | Features | Link |
| Pagalguy | Free PDFs (2010-2023) | Pagalguy CAT Papers |
| Cracku | Section-wise PDFs + Video Solutions | Cracku.in |
| MBA Universe | Year-wise papers with answer keys | MBAUniverse.com |
| InsideIIM | CAT Papers + Analysis | InsideIIM.com |
Caution: Avoid random Google downloads—some sites have incorrect answers.
Decoding Recent CAT Papers (2020-2023)
| Section | Exam Analysis |
| Quantitative Ability | 2023: 8 Algebra, 5 Arithmetic, 4 Geometry questions 2022: Increased focus on Modern Math (P&C, Probability) 2021: Surprise questions from Number Systems |
| VARC | RC passages increased from 16 to 18 questions (2021-23) Critical reasoning questions reduced by 40% |
| DILR | Data Interpretation now combines: 2 traditional sets (tables/graphs) 2 logical reasoning caselets |
When and how many Sample Papers to Solve for CAT Exam
Solve sample papers very early on in your CAT exam preparation. For instance, after completing a few topics, solve related problems in the sample papers. That being said, do this exercise after you have solved the problem sets given at the end of each chapter.
Also, as you move deeper into your CAT exam preparation, you will be able to solve more and more questions in the sample papers. And by the time you complete the CAT exam syllabus, you should ideally be able to complete an entire CAT sample paper.
Coming to the question – how many sample papers you must solve – the answer is “more the better”. So, solve as many sample papers as you can. The more sample papers you solve, the more confidence you will get apart from getting better at problem-solving and time management. Closer to the exam, say in the last week or so, also attempt a few mocks to give finishing touches to your preparation. The CAT 2025 mock test will also help you understand the format of the test.
CAT Question Paper 2025 – FAQs
Q: How many papers should I solve?
A: It is recommended to solve around 15 question papers; also, it can be a combination of old and new patterns (5 old patterns + 10 new patterns).
Q: Are 10-year-old papers relevant?
A: You can use old papers for concept practice, but maybe not for pattern analysis.
Q: Best time to start solving papers?
A: You can start solving sample- and previous years’ papers at any stage of the exam. However, in the early stages, you will only be able to solve only a few questions.
Once you go deep into the preparation cycle, you should be able to solve more questions.