CAT Exam 2025 Slot-Wise Analysis: Difficulty, Section Insights & Expected Impact on Percentiles

CollegeAll Team

December 01, 2025

6 min read

CAT Exam 2025 Slot-Wise Analysis

The CAT 2025 exam was conducted in three slots on the same day, with each session offering a unique mix of easy, moderate, and challenging questions across VARC, DILR, and QA. While the overall structure remained consistent, the difficulty variation between slots made slot-wise analysis extremely important for candidates assessing their performance.

This detailed guide breaks down the CAT 2025 Slot 1, Slot 2, and Slot 3 analysis, including section-wise difficulty, student feedback, and what these variations mean for percentile prediction.

CAT 2025 Exam Pattern at a Glance

Total Duration: 120 minutes
Sections:
- VARC – 40 minutes
- DILR – 40 minutes
- QA – 40 minutes
Mode: Computer-based
Slots:
- Slot 1: 08:30 AM – 10:30 AM
- Slot 2: 12:30 PM – 02:30 PM
- Slot 3: 04:30 PM – 06:30 PM

All candidates received different question sets, but normalization ensures fairness.

CAT 2025 Slot-Wise Difficulty Analysis

CAT 2025 slot-wise analysis reveals varying difficulty across Slot 1, Slot 2, and Slot 3, with QA toughest in the evening session.

Slot 1 Analysis (Morning Session)

Overall Difficulty: Easy to Moderate

Slot 1 was reported as the most balanced among all slots. Students felt confident, especially in VARC and QA, although DILR had a few tricky sets.

Section-wise Review

1. VARC – Easy to Moderate

Four RCs, well-structured and readable
Para-jumbles and summary questions were straightforward
Good attempts: 20–22

2. DILR – Moderate with a few tricky sets

Logic-heavy sets with moderate calculations
One set was particularly time-consuming
Good attempts: 13–15

3. QA – Moderate

Arithmetic & Algebra dominated
Most questions were solvable but required accuracy
Good attempts: 17–20

Verdict: Scoring slot with decent attempt ranges.

Slot 2 Analysis (Afternoon Session)

Overall Difficulty: Moderate

Slot 2 mirrored Slot 1 in structure but felt slightly tougher, especially in DILR and QA.

Section-wise Review

1. VARC – Moderate

RCs were lengthier than Slot 1
Verbal questions required careful reading
Good attempts: 18–20

2. DILR – Moderate to Difficult

Multi-layered reasoning
At least one set required deep logical inference
Good attempts: 11–13

3. QA – Moderate to Tough

Algebra questions were tricky
Arithmetic manageable but calculation-heavy
Good attempts: 15–17

Verdict: Slightly more demanding than Slot 1, especially for QA-heavy aspirants.

Slot 3 Analysis (Evening Session)

Overall Difficulty: Toughest of the Day

Slot 3 was clearly rated the most difficult, mainly due to a challenging Quant section. DILR was doable but required strong reasoning.

Section-wise Review

1. VARC – Easy to Moderate

RCs well-balanced
Verbal section didn’t surprise candidates
Good attempts: 19–22

2. DILR – Moderate

Two doable sets, two lengthy ones
Time management was crucial
Good attempts: 10–12

3. QA – Difficult

Toughest Quant of all slots
Heavy Algebra
Many calculation-intensive problems
Good attempts: 12–15

Verdict: Slot 3 candidates may see normalization benefits due to higher difficulty.

🎯 Which Slot Was the Toughest?

Slot	Overall Difficulty	Notable Challenge
Slot 1	Easy–Moderate	DILR complexity
Slot 2	Moderate	Longer RCs + tricky QA
Slot 3	Toughest	QA difficulty spike

📉 How Difficulty Affects Percentiles (Normalization Insight)

CAT uses slot-wise normalization, meaning candidates are compared only with others in the same slot.

If Slot 3 QA was very tough, raw scores may be lower — but scaling will compensate.

Balanced performance across sections still increases percentile even if one section felt difficult.

📝 Key Takeaways

Slot 1 was the most student-friendly.

Slot 2 offered moderate difficulty with tricky reasoning parts.

Slot 3 challenged students the most — especially in QA.

Normalization ensures no slot faces disadvantage.

Accuracy > Attempts: focus on neat, error-free responses while evaluating your score.

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CAT Exam 2025 Slot-Wise Analysis: Difficulty, Section Insights & Expected Impact on Percentiles

CAT Exam 2025 Slot-Wise Analysis

CAT 2025 Exam Pattern at a Glance

CAT 2025 Slot-Wise Difficulty Analysis

Slot 1 Analysis (Morning Session)

Section-wise Review

1. VARC – Easy to Moderate

2. DILR – Moderate with a few tricky sets

3. QA – Moderate

Slot 2 Analysis (Afternoon Session)

Section-wise Review

1. VARC – Moderate

2. DILR – Moderate to Difficult

3. QA – Moderate to Tough

Slot 3 Analysis (Evening Session)

Section-wise Review

1. VARC – Easy to Moderate

2. DILR – Moderate

3. QA – Difficult

🎯 Which Slot Was the Toughest?

📉 How Difficulty Affects Percentiles (Normalization Insight)

📝 Key Takeaways

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