CAT 2025 Exam Analysis: Check slot-wise difficulty level, previous year comparison, experts’ review

CAT 2025 took place in 3 slots on November 30. Scroll down to see the difficulty level and experts' review on all 3 slots of the CAT 2025 exam.

CAT 2025: The CAT (Common Admission Test) 2025 commenced on November 30 in three slots. Now that all phases have concluded, students and experts are sharing their assessment of the exam’s difficulty. Slot 1 took place between 8:30 am and 10:30 am, slot 2 between 12:30 pm and 2:30 pm, and slot 3 between 3:30 pm and 5:30 pm. The exam was conducted by IIM Kozhikode, and more than 2.57 lakh students appeared in all three phases combined.

Overall difficulty of CAT 2025

As per the co-founder and MD of Career Launcher, Gautam Puri, the exam was ‘tricky’. Alongside, it was comparatively tougher than last year. The sections of VARC (Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension) and QA (Quantitative Ability) had almost the same level of difficulty as last year. On the other hand, DILR (Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning) was slightly more difficult.

CAT 2025 Slot 1 Analysis

As per the analysis of T.I.M.E., the QA (Quantitative Aptitude) consisted of 22 questions from arithmetic, algebra, numbers and modern math, and geometry. According to the test-takers, the DILR (Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning) segment was trickier than last year.

CAT 2025 Slot 2 Analysis

According to the CareerLauncher, slot 2 of the CAT exam was moderately challenging and easier than the previous slot. The analysis of T.I.M.E. stated that it consisted of combinations of questions about RC (Reading Comprehension) and VA (Verbal Ability), like the previous year. However, there were a few tricky questions too in the section.

CAT 2025 Slot 3 Analysis

Slot 3 of the CAT exam was considered the most difficult one by the students. According to the candidates, the QA (Quantitative Aptitude) section was the most complicated one, and not just for slot 3 but out of all the slots and sections. They suggested that 5-6 right answers may take them to touch the mark of the 90th percentile. This states the difficulty level of the exam.

Overall Analysis of CAT 2025

The overall analysis of the CAT 2025 exam suggests that it was moderately more difficult than 2024. The section of DILR (Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning) has come out as the most difficult section for 2025. On the other hand, QA (Quantitative Aptitude) was a little more challenging than the previous year.