CAT Exam 2025: Exam Dates, Syllabus, Preparation Tips, Registration, Eligibility, Pattern

CAT 2025 is one of the toughest exams in India, and it is expected to be conducted on the last Sunday of November 30, 2025. The official notification for this examination is expected to be released by July 2025. IIM Kozhikode is expected to administer the exam. Around 4 lakh students are anticipated to take the CAT exam 2025, owing to the fact that it is a gateway to the prestigious 21 IIMs and other top B-schools.
Overview of CAT 2025
Category |
Details |
Exam Name |
Common Admission Test (CAT) |
Conducting Body |
Indian Institutes of Management, Kozhikode (Expected) |
Official Website |
|
Medium of Exam |
English |
Exam Level |
National |
Frequency |
Annual |
Exam Mode |
Computer-Based Test (CBT) |
Number of Questions |
68 |
Question Types |
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) & Type in The Answer (TITA) |
Selection Process |
CAT scores, Written Ability Test (WAT), Group Discussion (GD), and Personal Interview (PI) for some IIMs |
Score Validity |
1 year |
Number of IIMs Participating |
21 IIMs |
Other Institutes Accepting Scores |
1000+ prestigious management institutes and business schools in India |
CAT stands for Common Admission Test, which is conducted once a year. And each year, exams are conducted in a computer-based test mode, which spans over 500+ Test centres across India. The exam is conducted in three slots. The exam will consist of 3 sections: VARC, DILR, and QA. The official notification will be released in July 2025, which will consist of all essential details, for example, date of registration, exam date, release date of the Admit card, etc. The CAT exam application form 2025 is expected to be released in August 2025.
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CAT Exam 2025 Important Dates
CAT 2025 Important Dates & Timeline |
Important Dates (Tentative) |
CAT 2025 Notification Date |
Last week of July 2025 |
CAT 2025 Registration Date |
First week of August, 2025 |
CAT 2025 Registration Last Date |
First week of September 2025 |
CAT 2025 Exam Date |
November 30, 2025 |
CAT 2025 Result Date |
First week of January 2026 |
IIM Kozhikode is expected to oversee the CAT exam 2025. The important dates for CAT 2025 include the registration date, application deadline, exam date, and result date.
CAT 2025 Eligibility Criteria
The CAT 2025 eligibility criteria have been provided to the aspirant must keep in mind before starting their preparation. The eligibility criteria are as follows,
- For the journal and NCBC categories, a bachelor's degree from any discipline with a minimum score of 50% is required. For ST, SC, and PWD candidates, the required score suggested is 45%.
- Bachelor's degree candidates are also eligible to take the exam upon completion with the necessary scores. Failure to meet the requirement will result in admission cancellation.
- Candidates with a professional degree, for example, CA, CS, ICWA, FIAI, are also eligible for the CAT exam.
- CAT 2025 also imposes no age restriction, yet mandates a bachelor's degree for eligibility.
CAT Exam Pattern 2025
Category |
Details |
Mode of Examination |
Computer-based |
Medium of Examination |
English |
Slots for Exam |
3 |
Total Questions |
68 |
Questions Per Section |
VARC: 24 DILR: 22 QA: 22 |
Time Allotted |
120 minutes (40 minutes per section) |
Type of Questions |
MCQs and TITA (Type In The Answer) |
Marks Awarded for Correct Answer |
#ERROR! |
Marks Deducted for Wrong Answer |
-1 for every wrong answer (only for MCQs) |
Negative Marking for TITA |
No negative marking |
The aspiring students for the CAT 2025 exam must be familiarise with the CAT 2025 exam pattern to help understand the topics and the types of questions to be asked in the exam. Below, you can check the pattern based on the previous CAT exam.
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CAT 2025 Syllabus
Well, there is no official announcement on the CAT 2025 syllabus. And aspirin is suggested to follow the 10th class syllabus for English and Math. However, based on the trends of the CAT exam in previous years, the tentative topics that have been asked in the CAT 2025 syllabus are mentioned below. The aspirins are required to go through the topic carefully.
CAT 2025 Registration Process
Let’s talk about the CAT 2025 registration process that an aspirant will have to undergo while filling out the CAT 2025 application form for the exam:
- A candidate must visit the official website and provide their basic information and complete a new candidate registration.
- They will receive an OTP for the registration after submission
- Candidates will receive a login ID and password to further enter their details
- Candidates can begin entering the necessary information in the application form after entering their login ID and password
- Candidates can choose the interview city and the program they want to participate in
- The candidate can choose up to 6 preferred test cities for the CAT 2025 exam
Uploading Documents
The candidates are required to upload the necessary documents as specified during the application process:
- Passport-size photograph
- PWD certificate
- Signature
- EwS.NC – OBC/SC/ST certificate
- Candidates will be required to present their mark sheet and degrees in person
CAT Application Fee Payment
- In order to finalise the CAT 2025 registration process, and are required to pay the application fees, which can only be submitted online.
- Moreover, candidates have the option to review their application before making the payment and submitting the form
- After successful payment, candidates will receive confirmation on their registered email within a few minutes.
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CAT Admit Card 2025
- The CA 2025 Admit card is anticipated to be released in October 2025. Here are some key pointers that should be remembered while downloading the CAT 2025 Admit card.
- Registered candidates can securely retrieve their admit card by logging in with their ID and password
- The admit card will contain essential details like the Centre name, exam date, and time. Remember to carry the CAT 2025 Admit card on the day of the examination.
CAT 2025 Answer Key
The CAT response sheet includes recorded responses and the CAT 2025. The answer key is usually released by the authorities around 8 to 10 days after the examination. Participants can be one download their responses and answers from the official website at iimcat.ac.in.
CAT 2025 Results
The CAT results 2025 are expected to be published on the official website around December 2025. Following the release of the results and cut-offs, the IIMs and B Schools will commence their interview and discussion rounds for the 2025-2027 cohort.