CAT Exam 2025: Everything You Need to Know

The CAT Exam is just in a few months.  If you are planning to take the CAT in 2025 for getting admission in a top management college, it is crucial that you know the detailed CAT exam syllabus 2025, CAT eligibility criteria, important topics of CAT, and CAT marks distribution. 

In CAT 2025, CAT syllabus for MBA will comprise 3 sections; Quantitative Aptitude, Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension, and Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning. 22 questions on the LRDI section with 22 questions on the QA section and 24 questions on the VARC section is expected.

All the subjects of the CAT 2025 syllabus must be taken seriously and each of these sections must be approached with a strategy of preparation. The candidates should also be aware of the current trend of the exam and as a consequence, design their study schedule with the help of CAT syllabus. 

Table of Content

• What is CAT?
• CAT 2025 Exam Highlights
• CAT Exam Date 2025

• CAT 2025 Admit Card Download
• CAT Eligibility criteria 
• CAT Exam Structure, Syllabus
• CAT Important Topics
• CAT 2025 Syllabus – Exam Pattern
• CAT Topics Weightages 
• CAT Exam Centres
• CAT Exam states and cities
• CAT FAQs

What is CAT?

CAT, also known as Common Admission Test, is a national-level examination conducted by Indian Institute of Management. CAT exam is taken to get admission into Management courses.  

CAT  is India’s one of the most popular competitive exams that is conducted on a national-level. It is also called the MBA entrance exam. It is conducted once a year on a rotational basis. This  admission test is the minimum eligibility criteria for gaining admission into IIMs and other top B-schools across India. On an average, over 2 lakh students every year register for CAT, which makes it the biggest MBA entrance test of India.

CAT 2025 Exam Highlights

Feature	Details
Exam Name	Common Admission Test (CAT)
Official Website	iimcat.ac.in
Conducting Body	IIM (rotational basis; 2023 by IIM Lucknow)
Exam Date	Last Sunday of November (tentative)
Mode	Computer-Based Test (CBT)
Duration	2 hours (3 sections, 40 min each)
Medium	English
Question Types	MCQ & Non-MCQ
Registration Fee	₹2400 (General), ₹1200 (Reserved)
Eligibility	Bachelor’s degree with 50% (45% for reserved)

 

CAT EXAM DATE 2025

• Official notification: July 30
• Registration date: August First week
• Exam date: November 30, 2025. 
• Slot time: 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM, 12:30 PM to 2:30 PM, and 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM
• Result date: 21, December; 2025
• CAT website: iimcat.ac.in

CAT 2025 Admit Card Download

When the CAT 2025 application is submitted, an application confirmation email will be received on the registered email id of the candidate. This confirmation email will have all the details of the CAT 2025 Admit Card Download window. The Candidate can easily download the Admit Card from the official CAT 2025 website by logging in with the CAT 2025 User ID and view/print the Admit Card.

The Admit Card of CAT will have:

• Name of the Candidate
• Test Date
• PwD Status
• Test Centre Details
• Examination Session and Time

CAT Eligibility criteria 

To be an eligible candidate for CAT, one needs to possess the Bachelor’s Degree with 50% aggregate. If a candidate belongs to SC/ST/OBC or other reserved category, 45% aggregate is needed. 

CAT Exam Structure & Syllabus

The CAT exam is divided into three sections:

• Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC)
• Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR)
• Quantitative Ability (QA)

Each section is timed for 40 minutes, with a total exam duration of 2 hours

CAT Important Topics

• Quantitative Aptitude: Average, Ratio, Mixture & Alligation, Profit & Loss, SI CI, Percentages, TSD & Time and Work, Geometry, Quadratic, Polynomials & Simple Equation, Progression and Series, Inequalities, Modulus & Functions, Logarithm, Surds & Indices, Probability and P&C, Number System, Venn Diagrams
• Logical Reasoning & Data Interpretation: Puzzles, Graphs, Data Caselets, Syllogism, Coding-Decoding, Circular Arrangements, Linear Arrangements, Cubes, Venn Diagrams, Selection, Distribution, Games & Tournaments, Network Flow Diagrams, Binary Logics
• Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension: RC passages, Para Jumbles, Para Summary, Odd One Out, Science & Technology, Business & EconomicsArts, Society & Culture, History & Politics, Philosophy & Psychology. 

CAT 2025 Syllabus – Exam Pattern

CAT 2025 Section	Questions	Time
Quantitative Ability	22	40
Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension	24	40
Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation	22	40
Total	68	120

CAT Topics Weightages 

• CAT Quants Syllabus 2025 and Weightage

The CAT Quantitative Ability section examines your mathematical abilities, problem-solving capabilities, and data interpretation: your preparation should focus on basic concepts, regular practicing of mock tests and previous years' papers, and the overall skill of problem-solving. The weighted average is 2 questions per subtopics. 

• CAT VARC Syllabus 2025 and Weightage

CAT exam VARC syllabus 2025 is a section that has topics from reading comprehension genre and verbal ability. This section has a total of 24 questions. If you wish to get full marks in this section, you need to ensure you have covered all the important topics of VARC. RCs weightage is 16 question, Odd One Out 2 Questions, Para Summary 3 Questions, and Para Jumbles 3 Questions. 

• CAT LR Syllabus 2025 and weightage 

Logical reasoning section holds 16% weightage in CAT exam. This topic has 20 questions from which 10 are of logical reasoning while the other 10 are from DI. To prepare for this section, you can refer to  youtube videos, practice solving different questions, and work on sharpening your cognitive skills. 

Quick Preparation strategy for CAT

• Understand the basics 
• Ensure you have calculation speed
• Practice Daily 
• Analyse previous year questions 
• Use chatgpt to generate most Probable questions 
• Prepare for Easy sections first
• Take sectional mock tests 

CAT Exam Centres

In 150+ cities CAT is conducted, like Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Patna, and many more. Students and aspirants from across the country can easily take this exam from all regions.

CAT Exam States and Cities:

S.No:	Name of the State	CAT Exam Cities
1	Andaman and Nicobar	Port Blair
2	Andhra Pradesh	Guntur
3		Kakinada
4		Kurnool
5		Nellore
6		Rajahmundry
7		Tirupathi
8		Vijayawada
9		Visakhapatnam
10		Vizianagaram
11	Arunachal Pradesh	Itanagar-Naharlagun
12	Assam	Dibrugarh
13		Guwahati
14		Jorhat
15		Silchar
16		Tezpur
17	Bihar	Gaya
18		Aurangabad-Bihar
19		Arrah
20		Bhagalpur
21		Darbhanga
22		Muzaffarpur
23		Patna
24	Chandigarh	Chandigarh
25	Chhattisgarh	Bhilai Nagar
26		Bilaspur
27		Raipur
28	Dadar and Nagar Haveli	Silvaasa
29	Goa	Panaji
30		Madgaon
31	Gujarat	Ahmedabad
32		Anand
33		Gandhinagar
34		Mehsana
35		Rajkot
36		Surat
37		Vadodara
38	Haryana	Ambala
39		Faridabad
40		Gurugram
41	Himachal Pradesh	Bilaspur
42		Shimla
43		Hamirpur
44	Jammu & Kashmir	Jammu
45		Srinagar
46	Jharkhand	Dhanbad
47		Hazaribagh
48		Jamshedpur
49		Ranchi
50	Karnataka	Belagavi (Belgaum)
51		Bengaluru
52		Hubli-Dharwad
53		Kalaburagi (Gulbarga)
54		Mangaluru (Mangalore)
55		Mysuru (Mysore)
56		Shivamogga (Shimoga)
57		Udupi
58	Kerala	Kannur
59		Ernakulam
60		Kollam
61		Kottayam
62		Kozhikode
63		Thrissur
64		Trivandrum
65	Ladakh	Leh
66	Lakshadweep	Kavaratti
67	Madhya Pradesh	Bhopal
68		Gwalior
69		Indore
70		Jabalpur
71		Sagar
72		Satna
73		Ujjain
74	Maharashtra	Amravati
75		Ahmednagar
76		Aurangabad-MH
77		Bhiwandi
78		Boisar
79		Jalgaon
80		Kolhapur
81		Mumbai
82		Nagpur
83		Nanded
84		Nashik
85		Pune
86		Raigad
87		Satara
88		Solapur
89		Thane
90		Vasai
91	Manipur	Ukhrul
92	Meghalaya	Shillong
93	Mizoram	Aizawl
94	Nagaland	Kohima
95	New Delhi	New Delhi
96	Odisha	Balasore
97		Berhampur
98		Bhubaneswar
99		Cuttack
100		Dhenkanal
101		Rourkela
102		Sambalpur
103	Punjab	Bhatinda
104		Jalandhar
105		Ludhiana
106		Mohali
107		Patiala
108		Amritsar
109	Puducherry	Puducherry
110	Rajasthan	Ajmer
111		Bikaner
112		Jaipur
113		Jodhpur
114		Kota
115		Sikar
116		Udaipur
117	Tamil Nadu	Chennai
118		Coimbatore
119		Madurai
120		Salem
121		Tirunelveli
122		Tiruchirappalli
123		Vellore
124	Telangana	Hyderabad
125		Karimnagar
126		Warangal
127	Uttar Pradesh	Agra
128		Aligarh
129		Bareilly
130		Ghaziabad
131		Gorakhpur
132		Greater Noida
133		Kanpur
134		Jhansi
135		Lucknow
136		Meerut
137		Moradabad
138		Muzaffarnagar
139		Prayagraj
140		Varanasi
141	Uttarakhand	Dehradun
142		Haldwani
143		Roorkee
146	West Bengal	Asansol
147		Bankura
148		Burdwan
149		Durgapur
150		Hooghly
151		Kalyani
152		Kolkata
153		Siliguri

If you are an aspiring candidate who wishes to study MBA at India’s best colleges, the CAT exam is your first step. Stay updated with the latest notifications, prepare with trusted resources like BYJU’S, and give yourself enough time to practice. With dedication and the right strategy, you can crack CAT and achieve your dream B-school admission.

CAT FAQs

Is the CAT syllabus PDF 2025 out?

No, because IIM does not release the syllabus officially. However, if you still want the syllabus pdf as per the previous year question paper, refer to the above comprehensive CAT syllabus and take screenshots. 

In how many days can I prepare for the CAT exam for MBA?

A minimum of 3 months of consistent practice and study is needed to prepare well for CAT 2025. 

Is the CAT syllabus for MBA different for IIM?

No, the syllabus is the same of all the colleges that are accepting CAT. 

Is the CAT admit card important?

Yes. To take any exam, an admit card is needed. The CAT 2025 Admit Card is important for taking the CAT 2025 exam. A candidate needs to get the Admit Card printed and carry it to the exam center on the day of the CAT 2025 exam.

What is the CAT syllabus and pattern?

The common admission test 2025 has 3 sections, namely, Quantitative Aptitude, Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension and Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning. The VARC section has 24 questions whereas the QA and LRDI section has 22 questions each. Each section in CAT 2025 has 40 mins time allotted because the exam duration is 120 minutes.

Does IIM release the CAT syllabus?

No.  The syllabus of CAT is not officially released by IIMs. THe topics and all for CAT exam are decided as per the previous year’s exam pattern and question papers.

What To Know About CAT 2025 Exam Centre Entry?

To enter the CAT 2025 Exam centre, the candidate needs an admit card on which the photograph of the Candidate affixed will be checked with the photo on their physical Admit Card. The photograph on the hardcopy of the admit card must match the photo uploaded at the time of registration otherwise the entry won’t be granted. 

What is the quantitative aptitude syllabus for CAT 2025?

The QA syllabus of CAT 2025 as per the previous year question paper analysis is as follows: Average, Ratio, Mixture & Alligation, Quadratic, Polynomials & Simple Equations, Logarithm, Surds & Indices, Profit & Loss, SI CI, Percentages, Probability and P&C, Venn Diagrams, Number System, Inequalities, Modulus & Functions, TSD & Time and Work, Progression and Series, and Geometry.

Is there an easy alternative to CAT 2025?

YES! CAT is not the only entrance exam for management courses. While the majority of the students fight for seats in only a few of the top colleges, candidates taking GMCAT (Global Management Common Aptitude Test) become eligible for top management colleges in India (private). For details about GMCAT exam, refer to this link: https://gmcat.org/ 

What are the different Programs Offered by IIMs? 

IIMs	Programmes Offered
IIM Bangalore	PGP, PGPEM, PGPBA
IIM Amritsar	MBA, EMBA, MBA-Business Analytics, MBA-HRM
IIM Indore	PGP, PGP-HRM
IIM Kozhikode	PGP, PGP-BL, PGP-F, PGP-LSM, EPGP Kochi
IIM Bodh Gaya	PGP
IIM Calcutta	MBA
IIM Ahmedabad	PGP, PGP-FABM
IIM Jammu	MBA
IIM Jammu	Executive MBA (Blended Mode)
IM Jammu	PGP in Health Care Management (Jointly with AIIMS Jammu and IIT Jammu)
IIM Kashipur	MBA, MBA (Analytics), EMBA
IIM Jammu	PGP in Hospital Administration (Jointly with AIIMS Jammu and IIT Jammu)
IIM Tiruchirappalli	PGPM, PGPM-HR, PGPBM
IIM Nagpur	PGP
IIM Raipur	PGP
IIM Visakhapatnam	PGP, PGPEX, PGPDGM
IIM Lucknow	PGP, PGP-ABM, PGP-SM
IIM Shillong	PGP, PGPEX, PGPWE
IIM Sirmaur	MBA, MBA (T&HM)
IIM Sambalpur	MBA, Executive MBA
IIM Rohtak	PGP, EPGPX, EPGDSM
IIM Udaipur	MBA, MBA-DEM, MBA-GSCM, PGDBA
IIM Ranchi	PGP, PGP-HRM, PGP (Business Analytics)