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How to Prepare if CAT Percentile Is Not Up to the Mark

Worried about a low CAT percentile? Learn how to boost your score, manage time effectively, and make the most of your MBA dreams.

Sat Feb 22, 2025

How to Prepare if CAT Percentile Is Not Up to the Mark

Do you want to establish your career in the management field? Ok, not bad. I have finished my MBA, and I have faced every roadblock you will face.
Here we will discuss the CAT exam, its significance, tips to crack this tough entrance exam, and how to manage in case you have a bad CAT percentile.
So, read the article till the end wisely for your career.

What is the CAT exam?
CAT is a computer-assisted test to assess a candidate's management capability. It is a national-level examination conducted for admission to the graduate programs offered at the institutes of the best management colleges of India, i.e., Master of Business Administration.
It assesses verbal ability, reading comprehension, quantitative ability, data interpretation, and logical reasoning.
An Indian Institute of Management (IIM) administers the Common Admission Test (CAT) every year.

CAT Exam Pattern: 2025

The aspirants have to put a lot of time and labor into practicing for CAT. They will be provided with 120 minutes to complete a cumulative total of 68 objective-type questions, including MCQs and TITA for the CAT 2025. Each section is allotted 40 minutes, with a candidate being prevented from revisiting questions from earlier sections if that section requires they do not complete by the given timeframe.
The CAT Exam Question Pattern consists of:
Verbal Ability
Data Interpretation
Quantitative Aptitude(QA)

CAT 2025 Syllabus
There are three sections on the CAT exam, each with a different weight. 
Below is a detailed illustration of the CAT 2025 syllabus:
VARC Section
VARC is an important part of the CAT exam. It is separated into two parts: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension. Here are some important points discussed in this section:
Fill in the blanks: verbal reasoning, sentence completion, grammar, syllogisms, jumbled paragraphs, parts of speech, and phrase modifiers.
DILR Section
The DILR section is essential for CAT preparation. It is further separated into two categories: logical reasoning and data interpretation.
This section includes- blood relation, series, critical reasoning, direction sense, coding, assumptions and puzzles.
QA Section
When it comes to CAT preparation, the QA sections are essential. It includes algebra, arithmetic, geometry, and trigonometry. The detailed list is given below:

  1. Geometry
  2. Trignometry
  3. Algebra
  4. Mensuration
  5. Profit and Loss
  6. Mean, Median and Mode
CAT 2024 Exam Analysis
 By using the test analysis, candidates can gain a better understanding of the format of the CAT 2025 exam.
They can refer to the CAT 2024 exam analysis for a comprehensive overview of the test.
Passing Marks for CAT exam
Sorry, there is no specific answer to this query. The CAT exam cutoff varies by college and category. The general category cutoff is typically higher than the reserved category cutoff.
Eligibility criteria for CAT
  • Obtaining a bachelor's degree with at least 50% of the possible points is a prerequisite for taking the CAT exam.

  • Candidates who are SC/ST/PWD must receive a minimum score of 45%
Elements that influence the CAT cutoff
Difficulty level
The difficulty of the exam affects the cutoff. If the exam is more difficult, the cutoff will be lower.
Number of applicants
The number of students who take the exam affects the cutoff. If more students take the exam, the cutoff will be higher.
Number of seats
The number of seats available at a college affects the cutoff. If there are fewer seats, the cutoff will be higher.
How Can I Deal with a Poor CAT Percentile and Get Better?
I would like to offer some advice based on my experience to help you improve your CAT score.
  • Recognize the format and syllabus for the exam:
Learn the various question formats and the relative importance of each CAT exam section.
  • Develop strong basics:
You have a solid grasp of the foundational ideas in logic, grammar, and mathematics—these are essential for every section.
  • Extensive reading practice:
To improve your reading comprehension, read articles, editorials, and newspapers regularly.
  • Practice with mock tests:
Regularly take lengthy practice exams to mimic real exam circumstances, then evaluate your performance to pinpoint areas that need work.
  • Time management:
Use time management techniques to ensure that each question and section of the test has the appropriate amount of time.
  • Focus on your strengths:
Determine your areas of strength in each section, then give priority to answering questions from those sections first.
  • Learn shortcuts and calculation techniques:
To save time on the test, especially in the Quantitative Ability section, become familiar with fast calculation techniques.
  • Analyze your mistakes:
After every practice test, go over the questions you answered wrongly in detail and note the reasons why.
  • Previous year papers:
Solve CAT question papers from prior years to get a sense of the questions' format and degree of difficulty.
  • Vocabulary building:
Continue to work on expanding your vocabulary to perform better in the Verbal Ability section.










Sambhavi Prakash