CAT Paper Analysis 2021-2025: Year-wise and Section-wise

Reviewing previous CAT papers helps candidates understand recurring question types, section-level variation, changes in exam structure and the importance of time management. This guide summarises publicly reported analyses for CAT 2021–2025, with emphasis on VARC, DILR and Quantitative Aptitude (QA).

Important: difficulty labels such as Easy, Moderate and Difficult are expert/editorial judgements, not official IIM ratings. Slot analyses may differ by source. Percentile estimates and ‘good attempts’ are coaching-provider estimates, not guaranteed cut-offs.

Reported CAT 2025 analyses described a 68-question paper in three slots. VARC was broadly moderate, DILR was the most demanding section in many reports, and QA ranged from moderate to moderately difficult. Exact slot-specific impressions and recommended attempts varied by coaching provider.

• VARC: 24 questions in 40 minutes; Reading Comprehension remained central. Reports described dense passages and options requiring careful reading rather than quick keyword matching.
• DILR: 22 questions in 40 minutes; reports described multiple data and logic sets, with set selection and avoiding time sinks as important decisions.
• QA: 22 questions in 40 minutes; Arithmetic and Algebra remained important, with Geometry and smaller topic areas also represented.
• Strategy takeaway: the paper rewarded prioritisation. Candidates needed to identify questions with a clear path and avoid spending too long on one difficult set or calculation.

• Overall: many post-exam summaries described the paper as moderate, but difficulty varied by slot and section.
• VARC: RC remained the main component; candidates reported lengthy passages and close answer options. Verbal Ability formats varied from prior expectations.
• DILR: the section had 22 questions, up from 20 in 2023. Set types included arrangements, distribution, games/tournaments, Venn diagrams and tables/graphs in various slot analyses.
• QA: commonly rated moderate; Arithmetic and Algebra featured prominently, alongside Geometry and other standard CAT topics.
• Strategy takeaway: do not assume a moderate overall rating means every question is easy. Practise all three sections and train for slot-level variation.

• Overall: commonly described as difficult, with QA a notable challenge and DILR requiring strong set selection.
• VARC: RC formed the bulk of the section; accuracy depended on identifying the author's central argument and distinguishing supported inferences from plausible-sounding distractors.
• DILR: sets could be time-consuming. Choosing a workable set and setting a time limit were especially important.
• QA: many analyses rated QA difficult, with Arithmetic, Algebra and Geometry appearing among the main topic areas.
• Strategy takeaway: practise solving questions under time limits and learn to abandon an unproductive question before it consumes the section.

• Overall: usually described as moderate to difficult, with DILR frequently identified as the hardest section.
• VARC: RC remained dominant, supported by verbal ability questions such as para-summary, para-jumbles and odd-sentence-out formats.
• DILR: a mix of data interpretation and logical reasoning tested the ability to organise conditions and recognise a solvable set.
• QA: many reports rated the section moderate, although difficulty and topic mix varied by slot.
• Strategy takeaway: build speed by practising standard representations—tables, grids, charts and organised lists—rather than relying on mental tracking alone.

• Overall: commonly characterised as moderate to difficult, with DILR a recurring challenge.
• VARC: RC-heavy and demanding in passage selection and answer-option precision.
• DILR: required careful organisation of information, especially in puzzle-style and data-based sets.
• QA: a mix of arithmetic, algebra, geometry and other standard quantitative topics; difficulty impressions differed across slots.
• Strategy takeaway: develop a stable exam routine and practise moving on when a question does not offer a clear route to a solution.

• Reading Comprehension has consistently formed the largest share of VARC, commonly around two-thirds of the section.
• Passages span different disciplines; candidates need to follow argument structure, purpose, tone, assumptions and inference.
• Verbal Ability has included formats such as para-summary, para-jumbles, odd-sentence-out and sentence placement/completion, with exact formats varying by year.
• Preparation implication: read varied non-fiction regularly, practise timed passages, and review why each incorrect option is unsupported or too extreme.

• DILR difficulty varies substantially across years and slots, making it a key source of uncertainty.
• Set formats may include tables, charts, arrangements, distribution, games/tournaments, ranking, Venn diagrams and caselets.
• Selection is as important as solving: scan the sets, choose a clear entry point and move on if progress stalls.
• Preparation implication: practise varied set types and review the setup logic, not just the final answers.

• Arithmetic and Algebra are recurring high-value areas, while Geometry/Mensuration, Number Systems and Modern Mathematics also appear.
• QA difficulty has fluctuated, with 2023 often singled out as particularly challenging and 2024 as more manageable.
• Preparation implication: master concepts, practise calculation accuracy and learn to identify questions with a feasible solution path.

• Prepare for variability: do not plan around the assumption that your strongest section will be easy.
• Complete several full-length mocks and analyse them deeply; a mock without review gives limited learning.
• Practise previous-year papers in timed conditions, then redo mistakes without looking at solutions.
• Use section-specific timing checkpoints and practise skipping questions strategically.
• Track both accuracy and time spent; a high attempt count is not automatically a good performance.
• Build a repeatable DILR set-selection routine and a QA question-selection strategy.
• Keep the official CAT notification as the authority for the current year's pattern, dates and test-day rules.

• Careers360 — CAT past five years analysis and trends: careers360.com/mba/articles/cat-past-5-years-analysis-and-trends
• Careers360 — CAT 2025 section-wise analysis and pattern trends: news.careers360.com/cat-2025-section-wise-analysis-shows-shift-in-difficulty-level-weightage-question-count-trends-outlined-varc-dilr-qa-pattern/amp
• Indian Express — CAT 2025 slot-wise analysis and section review: indianexpress.com/article/education/cat-2025-exam-analysis-slot-wise-difficulty-level-section-varc-dilr-answers-expert-students-review-iim-kozhikode-10394020/lite/
• Testbook — CAT exam analysis and previous-year comparisons: testbook.com/cat-exam/exam-analysis
• Cracku — CAT 2025 analysis and previous-year paper comparisons: cracku.in/cat-exam-analysis-2025/
• Unacademy — previous-year CAT question papers and analyses: unacademy.com/content/cat/previous-year-cat-question-papers/
• Official CAT portal — current notifications and instructions: iimcat.ac.in/