The Common Admission Test (CAT) 2025 was conducted by IIM Kozhikode on November 30, 2025 in three slots. Each slot had a total of 68 questions to be solved in 120 minutes, with a 40-minute sectional time limit for each section:

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

This article focuses on the CAT 2025 Slot 3 exam analysis, overall and section-wise, with difficulty level, good attempts, and expected percentile trends based on inputs from coaching institutes and student feedback.

CAT 2025 Slot 3: Overall Exam Difficulty

• Overall level: Moderate to difficult
• Total questions: 68
• Slot timing: 4:30 pm – 6:30 pm (ended at 6:30 pm)
• Pattern: Same as Slot 1 and Slot 2; no change from CAT 2024 in overall structure.

Students as well as experts reported that Slot 3 felt slightly tougher than CAT 2024 overall, and in line with or a shade tougher than Slots 1 and 2, mainly due to QA and the time-consuming nature of some DILR sets.

CAT 2025 Slot 3: Section-wise Difficulty Snapshot

Using the official pattern and expert feedback:

Section	Questions	Difficulty Level (Slot 3)	Doable questions for ~90%ile (as per experts)
VARC	24	Easy to Moderate	~8–9 net correct
DILR	22	Moderate to Difficult	~5–6 net correct
QA	22	Difficult (toughest)	~5–6 net correct

(Doable questions based on analysis by Gautam Puri, Career Launcher, and other expert reviews.)

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VARC Analysis: Easy to Moderate, RC-heavy but Manageable

• Total questions: 24
• Time allotted: 40 minutes
• Overall difficulty: Easy to Moderate
• Good net correct for 90%ile: 8–9

Question pattern (as reported by coaching institutes)

• Around 16 Reading Comprehension (RC) questions and 8 Verbal Ability (VA) questions.
• Parajumbles (PJ) were reintroduced in CAT 2025 after being absent in CAT 2024.
• Typical VA question mix:
  • Para Summary – 2 questions
  • Para Completion – 2 questions
  • Odd Sentence Out – 2 questions
  • Parajumbles (TITA) – 2 questions

RC themes and nature

• RC passages of around 500–550 words.
• One RC on Ethics and Artificial Intelligence, another on topics like ill-effects of dams / environmental legislation reported as moderate
• RC questions were more inference and application-based rather than vocabulary-heavy.

Key takeaway for aspirants

• VARC in Slot 3 was similar to or slightly easier than CAT 2024 and comparable to Slots 1 and 2.
• Students with strong reading speed and basic familiarity with abstract/social science passages could comfortably attempt 16–18 questions, of which 8–9 net correct would position them close to the 90 percentile mark.

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DILR Analysis: Moderate to Difficult and Time-Consuming

• Total questions: 22
• Time allotted: 40 minutes
• Overall difficulty: Moderate to Difficult
• Good net correct for ~90%ile: 5–6

Structure & sets

As per memory-based analysis:

• Mix of MCQ and TITA questions with roughly equal distribution (IMS & Career Launcher both report high TITA weightage).
• Reported sets included:
  • A set on import–export data
  • A circular arrangement–based LR set
  • Other sets on tables/graphs + reasoning constraints

Difficulty nature

• Several students found at least one DILR set approachable, but two sets were quite time-consuming.
• Selecting the right 2–3 sets was crucial; those who spent too long on one tough set struggled to reach double-digit attempts.

Strategic takeaway

• Compared to CAT 2024, DILR in Slot 3 of CAT 2025 was clearly on the tougher side, especially with dense data sets and tricky constraints.
• Serious aspirants aiming at 99%ile+ overall would ideally look at:
  • 2 sets completely solved
  • 1 set partially solved,
    resulting in 10–12 serious attempts, of which 5–6 net correct is a safe benchmark for 90%ile and above, depending on scaling.

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QA Analysis: Toughest Section of Slot 3 and the Day

• Total questions: 22
• Time allotted: 40 minutes
• Overall difficulty: Moderate to Difficult, effectively the toughest section
• Good net correct for ~90%ile: 5–6

Topic-wise distribution (from memory-based inputs)

• Arithmetic: 8–9 questions (Percentages, Time & Work, TDS, Ratios, Simple/Compound Interest, Profit & Loss)
• Algebra: Questions from Equations, Logarithms (one relatively easy log question), Inequalities, Functions
• Number System: ~1 question
• Geometry & Mensuration: A couple of questions; conceptual and slightly tricky
• Total TITA questions in QA: ~10 (varies slightly across analyses)

Nature of difficulty

• Calculations were reported as intensive and lengthy, even in otherwise straightforward arithmetic questions.
• Algebra and geometry required multi-step reasoning, making them time-consuming.
• Many serious test-takers could attempt only 8–10 questions, with high accuracy being the key.

Comparison with previous years

• QA in Slot 3 was tougher than CAT 2024 QA and also widely regarded as the toughest QA across the three slots on the day.

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CAT 2025 Slot 3: Expected Good Attempts & Percentile Mapping (Indicative)

Different institutes give slightly different numbers, but combining multiple analyses, we get an approximate picture

Section-wise (Slot 3)

• VARC
  • Good attempts: 16–18 with high accuracy
  • For ~90%ile: 8–9 net correct
• DILR
  • Good attempts: 2–2.5 sets (around 10–12 questions)
  • For ~90%ile: 5–6 net correct
• QA
  • Good attempts: 9–10
  • For ~90%ile: 5–6 net correct, given higher difficulty

Overall

• Many expert analyses suggest that for 99 percentile overall across slots, a total score around 90–95 marks may be expected (exact number will depend on scaling and slot normalisation).

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CAT 2025 vs CAT 2024: How Did Slot 3 Compare?

Based on expert comments and early reports:

• Pattern:
  • Same three-section structure, 68 questions overall, 120 minutes, and similar MCQ/TITA mix.
• Overall Difficulty:
  • CAT 2025 Slot 3 was slightly more difficult than CAT 2024, particularly due to:
    • Tougher QA
    • More time-consuming DILR
• VARC:
  • Almost at par, maybe slightly easier than 2024, with predictable RCs and reintroduction of Parajumbles.

This means normalisation is likely to favour Slot 3 candidates somewhat in QA and DILR, but the final percentile will depend on the official scaling process.

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What Next After CAT 2025 Slot 3?

With the exam over, aspirants should now focus on the post-exam timeline:

1. Check Memory-Based Answer Keys & Solutions
   • Coaching institutes like IMS, Career Launcher, TIME, etc., are releasing slot-wise answer keys and detailed solutions.
2. Download Official Response Sheet & Answer Key
   • IIM Kozhikode will release the CAT 2025 response sheet and official answer key a few days after the exam.
   • You’ll be able to calculate your raw score and estimate your percentile using score vs percentile tables.
3. Raise Objections (if necessary)
   • If you find discrepancies in any official answer, you can challenge the answer key within the stipulated window by paying the applicable fee.
4. Start Shortlisting B-schools
   • Based on your expected percentile, begin preparing for GD-PI/WAT rounds for IIMs and top non-IIM B-schools.

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Final Takeaway for CAT 2026 Aspirants

• Slot 3 of CAT 2025 reinforces a recurring trend:
  • VARC: Read extensively and practice inference-based RCs + PJs, Odd One Out & Summary.
  • DILR: Focus on set selection, not just solving sets—practice diverse puzzle types and timed sets.
  • QA: Strengthen Arithmetic but don’t ignore Algebra, Geometry, and Numbers, and above all, practice under strict time constraints.