CAT 2025 Shift 1 Analysis: Difficulty Level, Section-Wise Review, Expert Insights, and Answer Key Updates

New Delhi:
The Common Admission Test (CAT) 2025 Shift 1 has officially concluded, and early reactions from candidates indicate that the exam was moderately difficult, with several questions across all three sections — VARC, DILR, and QA — being tricky and time-consuming. A total of 66 questions were asked in CAT 2025 Slot 1.

In this detailed analysis, we break down the difficulty level, section-wise insights by experts, student reactions, and updates on the CAT 2025 unofficial answer key, along with steps to download and raise objections on the official key once released.

CAT 2025: Overall Difficulty Level

As per initial feedback from candidates appearing in the morning session, CAT 2025 Slot 1 was slightly difficult compared to CAT 2024. While the structure of the exam remained similar to last year, the questions in VARC, DILR, and QA required careful interpretation and strong time management.

CAT 2025 Section-Wise Analysis by Expert (T.I.M.E Institute)

Renowned CAT mentor Ramnath Kanakadandi, Senior Course Director at T.I.M.E, shared a comprehensive review of each section.

1. Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC)

The VARC section featured a mix of Reading Comprehension and Verbal Ability questions, continuing the sequencing pattern seen in CAT 2024.

Key Highlights

• 4 RC passages with 4 questions each

• Overall difficulty: Moderate

• *One RC passage was considered difficult

• RC sets had both inference-based and idea-based questions

Verbal Ability Breakdown

VA had a diverse mix of question types:

• Para Formation (2 questions) – returned after disappearing last year

• Para Summary (2 questions)

• Sentence Placement (2 questions)

• Para Odd One Out (2 formats)

  • Traditional odd sentence identification

  • Remove-the-odd-one, then form a logical sequence with remaining sentences

Difficulty level: Moderate overall, with a few tricky questions.

2. Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR)

DILR featured 22 questions across 5 sets, maintaining last year’s structure.

Expert Observations

• The Spider + Bar graph was the most scoring and highly recommended set

• Students who identified and solved this set early gained a strong advantage

• Other caselets were tricky, with two sets considered difficult

• Time consumption increased significantly on the second caselet for most candidates

Difficulty level: Moderate to slightly difficult.

3. Quantitative Ability (QA)

QA presented 22 questions and followed a predictable pattern without major surprises.

Topic Distribution

• Arithmetic & Algebra: Majority of the questions

• Numbers: 1 question

• Modern Math: 1 question

• Geometry: 3 questions

Expert Analysis

Students who prepared consistently with T.I.M.E’s material reported that the section was manageable.
However, lengthy calculations in several Arithmetic questions increased the overall difficulty.

Difficulty level: Moderate with slightly time-consuming calculations.

CAT 2025 Unofficial Answer Key: How to Download

Several private coaching portals have already released the CAT 2025 Slot 1 unofficial answer key. Candidates can download the PDF to verify their responses.

Steps to Download CAT 2025 Unofficial Answer Key

1. Visit any reliable unofficial coaching portal

2. Click on the CAT 2025 Slot 1 Answer Key PDF link

3. The PDF will open on the screen

4. Download and save it for reference

5. Take a printout if needed

CAT 2025 Official Answer Key Release Date

The official CAT 2025 answer key is expected to be released in the first week of December 2025 on the official website: iimcat.ac.in.

How to Download CAT 2025 Official Answer Key

1. Visit iimcat.ac.in

2. Log in using your CAT credentials

3. Click on CAT 2025 Answer Key

4. Access the answer key and response sheet

5. Download the PDF for future use

How to Raise Objections on CAT 2025 Answer Key

Candidates who find discrepancies can challenge the provisional answer key.

Steps to Raise Objections

1. Visit iimcat.ac.in

2. Click on Answer Key Objection Window

3. Select the question(s) you want to challenge

4. Upload supporting evidence documents (PDF)

5. Pay the required objection fee

6. Submit the objection and save the acknowledgment

Once objections are reviewed, IIM will release the final answer key and CAT 2025 result, expected in the first week of January 2026.

Conclusion

The CAT 2025 Shift 1 exam was moderately difficult, with VARC and DILR presenting tricky elements, while QA required strong calculation skills. Expert analysis suggests the paper was slightly more challenging than last year. Candidates are now awaiting the official answer key to evaluate their performance.

For official updates, always visit iimcat.ac.in.

FAQs (SEO-Friendly)

1. What was the difficulty level of CAT 2025 Slot 1?

Moderately difficult, with tricky questions across VARC, DILR, and QA.

2. How many questions were asked in CAT 2025 Slot 1?

A total of 66 questions.

3. When will the CAT 2025 official answer key be released?

Likely in the first week of December 2025.

4. How can I download the unofficial CAT answer key?

Visit any coaching portal offering CAT analysis and click on the unofficial answer key PDF link.

5. When will CAT 2025 results be declared?

Expected in the first week of January 2026.