CAT 2025 Review and Student Reaction: Slot-wise Analysis, Good Attempts, Expected Cut-offs

CAT 2025 Review and Student Reaction began pouring in immediately after the exam was conducted on November 24, 2025 in all three slots. The Common Admission Test (CAT) 2025 is one of the most competitive management entrance exams in India. This works as the primary gateway to leading IIMs and top B-Schools. Students and experts shared their CAT 2025 Review, slot-wise analysis, and overall feedback. This analysis helps aspirants to understand the difficulty level of the exam based on section-wise performance trends and expected percentile outcomes. 

In this content, there is a proper description of the complete CAT 2025 Student Reaction with a CAT 2025 Analysis covering the overall difficulty, section-wise breakdown, and safe attempts in all three examination slots. The overall difficulty of the CAT 2025 paper from all slots was assessed as Moderate to Difficult based on the initial feedback and assessment.  The CAT 2025 Review and Student Reaction presented here is important for aspirants to evaluate their performance and prepare for the admission process.

CAT 2025 Review and Student Reaction Overview

CAT 2025 followed the updated exam pattern, which has been implemented in recent years. This exam pattern featured a question paper of 2 hours duration divided into three distinct sections. The structure was consistent across Slot 1, Slot 2, and Slot 3.  The table below outlines the key CAT 2025 Exam Highlights.

CAT 2025 Slot 1, Slot 2, and Slot 3 Analysis

The difficulty level was a bit different in all three slots. It is common in a scaled, multi-session exam like CAT. Here is the detailed section-wise description of the CAT 2025 student reaction and analysis for each slot.

CAT 2025 Slot 1 Analysis and Student Reaction

The CAT 2025 Slot 1 Analysis suggested an overall difficulty of Moderate to Difficult. The Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) section was considered challenging due to abstract RC passages. Quantitative Aptitude (QA) was reported a bit easier in comparison to Slot 2 and slot 3.

CAT 2025 Slot 2 Review and Student Feedback

Based on the CAT 2025 Slot 2 Review, this slot was considered to be a bit tougher than Slot 1. The difficulty level was a bit high in the Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR) section. The CAT 2025 Student Reaction indicated that the QA section was manageable but lengthy. The question paper demanded high calculation speed.

CAT 2025 Slot 3 Feedback and Analysis

The final slot maintained the general moderate-to-difficult standard. The CAT 2025 Slot 3 Feedback highlighted that VARC was tricky due to close options in Verbal Ability. The DILR sets were challenging but manageable. The QA section, as per the CAT 2025 Analysis, was comparable to Slot 1 in difficulty.

CAT 2025 Expected Score vs. Percentile

The most important aspect of the CAT 2025 Review is converting raw scores into a projected percentile. These estimates are based on the difficulty of the question paper, the number of participants, and the trends of previous years. Also, these estimates are subject to change after normalisation. The table below provides a tentative correlation between the expected raw score out of 198 and the projected percentile.

Note: This projection is based on initial student feedback and expert analysis. The official percentile calculation will depend on the final normalisation process.

CAT 2025 Expected Cut Off

The CAT 2025 Expected Cut Off is the minimum percentile that is required for candidates to receive a call from the IIMs and other top B-schools. The cut-off varies based on the institute, the category of candidate, and the overall difficulty level of the exam.

A percentile of more than 99 remains the target to expect a call from the top IIMs like Ahmedabad, Bangalore, and Calcutta. The projected overall percentile cut-offs for IIM interviews are provided below:

Note: These figures are estimated based on historical trends and the CAT 2025 Analysis. Actual cut-offs released by the IIMs may differ based on the shortlisting criteria and the process of normalisation.