CAT Exam 2025 : 30 November Slot-1,2,3 Analysis, Review & Question Paper with Answer Key

The wait is finally over for MBA aspirants. CAT 2025 concluded on November 30, 2025, with IIM Kozhikode successfully conducting all three exam slots across the country.

Thousands of candidates appeared for the much-anticipated management entrance test, and now everyone's asking the same question—how difficult was it really?

When Did the Exams Take Place?

The day was divided into three testing windows:

What Did the Paper Look Like?

The exam stuck to its familiar three-section format with 68 questions in total:

• VARC (Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension): 24 questions
• DILR (Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning): 22 questions
• QA (Quantitative Ability): 22 questions

Each section had a 40-minute time limit, giving candidates exactly two hours to complete the entire test.

Expert Verdict: Slightly Tougher Than Last Year

According to Ramnath Kanakadandi, Senior Course Director at T.I.M.E Institute, CAT 2025 turned out to be a notch harder than CAT 2024. The main culprits? A tricky DILR section and lengthy calculations in Quant that ate into precious time.

That said, there were no nasty surprises in terms of question types or overall pattern.

Breaking Down Each Section

VARC: Manageable with a Few Twists

The reading comprehension portion featured four passages with 16 questions. Topics ranged from tech tools and Mexican cavefish to literary spaces and scientific instruments. Most passages were moderate in difficulty, though one proved particularly challenging.

On the verbal ability side, candidates encountered Para Formation (which made a comeback this year), Para Summary, Sentence Placement, and Odd One Out—two questions from each type.

DILR: The Real Challenge

This section lived up to its reputation as the toughest part of CAT. With 22 questions spread across five sets, test-takers faced a mix of logical reasoning puzzles and data interpretation challenges.

Some notable sets included problems on balls and hoops, music gurus and their students, bar charts combined with Venn diagrams, and sustainability indices. Experts recommend the "Balls and hoops" set as a must-attempt, while two other sets were deemed quite difficult.

Quant: Familiar Territory with Heavy Calculations

Arithmetic and Algebra dominated the 22-question Quant section, just as expected. Geometry contributed three questions, while Numbers and Modern Math had just one question each.

The section was doable for well-prepared candidates, though the calculations were time-consuming and required careful attention.

CAT Exam Slot Wise Question Weightage 2025

Slot 1

• 8 questions in arithmetic
• 5+ questions from Algebra
• 1 question from geometry and number systems each.
• Four sentences in parajumbles
• DI was easy in slot 1 exam. Tricky puzzles in LRDI
• No change in VARC section
• Quant was moderate
• Five sets in LRDI
• VARC was time consuming.
• Four reading comprehensions.
• Overall exam was in line with past sessions.
• No surprise elements in CAT slot 1 exam
• 11 TITA questions in  LRDI
• 11 MCQ questions in LRDI
• Quant had 8 TITA questions
• 2 questions from para completion
• 2 questions odd one out
• 2 questions from para summary
• 2 questions from para jubles
• 1 RC was related to electronic music instruments
• 1 RC was on complex systems
• 1 RC was on inequality and economic growth
• 1 RC passage on infinity and law.
• 4-5 questions were inference-based
• Question paper tougher than 2024 exam.
• Overall difficulty level similar to 2023 exam.
• 2 questions from simple and compound interest
• 1 question from P&L
• 1 question was from Time speed distance

👉 CAT 2025 Slot 1 Answer Key (Memory-Based Question PDF)

Slot 2

• Slot 2 had 4 theme-based questions
• In passages there were a lot of inference based questions
• RC topics included
  • Mexican tetrafish
  • How AI manipulates bias
  • Historical evolution of scientific instruments
  • Importance of literature on a region.
• VARC was moderate in terms of difficulty.
• One DI set for increase decreasy type qiestion
• One DI set had venn diagram based questions
• One quant based puzzle in LRDI 
• GP had one question
• Geometry had 3 questions
• Higher weightage for Arithmetic questions
• 3-4 questions from number systems
• LRDI is tougher
• One set of LRDI was doable
• Quant was easy and straightforward
• There was no modern math question
• There were more TITA questions, similar to slot 1 exam.
• VARC was on similar lines with slot 1.
• Passages that were not lengthy had difficult questions

👉 CAT 2025 Slot 2 Answer Key (Memory-Based Question PDF)

Slot 3

• Arithmetic had 8-9 questions.
• Calculation intensive question in QA.
• One set in LRDI on import export
• LRDI section was easy.
• Log question in quant was easy.
• Nearly 10 TITA questions in quant.
• 1 each question was from percentage and time and work.
• 2 questions from TDS.
• 1 question from number system.
• One set in LRDI was on circular arrangement. 
• Parajumble, Para summary, Para completion, and odd sentence out had two questions each.
• Odd one out was tricky in all three slots.
• Slot 3 was difficult compared to slot 1 and 2.
• Similar pattern for VARC in all three slots.
• 500 - 550 word long RC appeared in slot 3 of CAT 2025
• One RC on ethics and AI.
• Out of 4 two RCs were difficult.
• There were 3-4 inferences based question in RC
• Assumption question was there in slot 3 RC

👉 CAT 2025 Slot 3 Answer Key (Memory-Based Question PDF Update Soon)

The Bottom Line

For candidates who walked out feeling the heat, you're not alone. The exam was genuinely tougher this time around. But for those who managed their time well and picked the right questions to attempt, there's plenty of reason to stay optimistic.

Now comes the waiting game for results and cutoffs. Best of luck to everyone who appeared!