CAT Marking Scheme 2025: Negative Marking, Total Marks, Sectional Weightage
The CAT Marking Scheme exam 2025 explains how many points will be given for each correct answer and how many points will be removed if the applicant provides an incorrect response.
There are three sections: Verbal and Reading Comprehension, Quantitative Aptitude, and Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning. All three sections have sectional time limits. However, read the blog below to learn more about the CAT Marking Scheme.
How are Marks Distributed in the CAT Examination?
For every correct answer, +3 marks are awarded, and -1 negative marking is implied only in MCQ-type questions. Incorrect attempts in TITA questions are marked as zero.
| Sections | Number of Questions | Total Marks | Marking Scheme |
| Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) | 24 Questions | 72 Marks | +3 marks for correct answering
-1 for incorrect answering No negative marking for TITA questions  Total Marks – 204 |
| Quantitative Aptitude (QA) | 22 Questions | 66 Marks | |
| Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR) | 22 Questions | 66 Marks | |
| Total | 68 Questions | 120 Minutes |
Know more: CAT cutoff – CAT exam cutoff for IIMs and other top MBA colleges
CAT Marking Scheme: Exam pattern
| Section | MCQs | Non-MCQs | Total No. of Questions | CAT Exam Duration |
| Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) | 22 | 2 | 24 | 40 min |
| Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DI & LR) | 12 | 10 | 22 | 40 min |
| Quantitative Ability (QA) | 14 | 8 | 22 | 40 min |
| Total | 48 | 20 | 68 | 120 (2 hours) |
Is Any Extra Time Given for PWD students?
160 minutes are allotted for all differently abled candidates, and 53 minutes and 20 seconds are allotted for all three sections.
CAT Section-wise Weightage and Questions Distribution
The weightage of all three sections with the number of MCQs and TITA questions asked is tabulated below:
| Sections | Number of MCQs | Number of TITAs | Weightage of Questions |
| Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) | 22 | 2 | 36% |
| Quantitative Aptitude (QA) | 14 | 8 | 32% |
| Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR) | 12 | 10 | 32% |
How Does the CAT Marking Scheme Compare to Other Management Entrance Tests?
| Exams | Total Questions Asked | Marks Allotted | Negative Marking Implies? | Time Allotted | Sectional Time Allotted? |
| CAT | 66 | 204 | Yes (33.33%) | 2 Hours | Yes |
| SNAP | 60 | 60 | Yes (25%) | 1 Hour | No |
| CMAT | 100 | 400 | Yes (25%) | 2 Hours | No |
| XAT | 102 | 101 | Yes (25%) | 3.5 Hours | Yes |
| NMAT | 108 | 360 | No | 2 Hours | Yes |
| IBSAT | 140 | 140 | No | 2 Hours | No |
| MAT | 200 | 200 | Yes (25%) | 2.5 Hours | No |
Read More – CAT Syllabus
What Topics are Included in the CAT Syllabus?
| Sections | Topics Included |
| Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) |
|
| Quantitative Aptitude (QA) |
|
| Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR) |
|
How CAT Marking Scheme and Exam Pattern Changed Over the Years?
Over the years, we saw significant changes in the exam pattern in the year 2020 at first. Till 2020, 100 questions were asked, which was reduced to 76 questions in the said year. This was again reduced from 76 to 66 questions in 2021. From then no change was introduced in the number of questions.
| Years | Number of Questions | VARC Questions | QA Questions | DILR Questions |
| 2024 | 68 | 24 | 22 | 22 |
| 2023 | 66 | 24 | 22 | 20 |
| 2022 | 66 | 24 | 22 | 20 |
| 2021 | 66 | 24 | 22 | 20 |
| 2020 | 76 | 34 | 26 | 24 |
| 2019 | 100 | 34 | 34 | 32 |
| 2018 | 100 | 34 | 34 | 32 |
| 2017 | 100 | 34 | 34 | 32 |
| 2016 | 100 | 34 | 34 | 32 |
| 2015 | 100 | 34 | 34 | 32 |
| 2014 | 100 | 34 | 34 | 32 |
Is the CAT Exam Difficult to Crack?
Since the last two years, the overall difficulty of the CAT’s question paper has been reported to be moderate. The VARC and QA sections were reported to be moderate to difficult in 2023 exam.
| Sections | Number of Good Attempts | Difficulty Level |
| VARC |
|
Moderate to Difficult |
| QA |
|
Moderate to Difficult |
| DILR |
|
Moderate |
| Overall | 35-49 | Moderate |
How Much Time is Required for Completing the CAT Syllabus?
For CAT preparation, students should ask themselves how much time they can spend completing the syllabus. Next, they should figure out their strengths and weaknesses. By following these points, students can complete the syllabus within 3-4 months.
- In the VARC section, students should not skip any chapters. However, they should also focus on para jumbles, para completion, para summary, and reading comprehension.
- For the DILR section, practising different sorts of questions is mandatory for increasing time management skills.
- The QA section focuses more on the Arithmetic section, followed by the Algebra portions.
CAT Marking Scheme: Conclusion
The CAT Marking Scheme 2025 is the only method for assessing every student’s performance in the CAT exam. It, along with the CAT Syllabus, is useful for teachers and students to estimate their final scores even before the results are out.
Understanding the CAT marking scheme is crucial for candidates to formulate an effective exam strategy, determining which questions to attempt and which to skip. The total marks for CAT 2025 will be 204, with each question carrying three marks.
For every incorrect answer in the multiple-choice questions (MCQs), a negative marking of -1 will be applied. However, the TITA-based questions do not carry negative markings. Additionally, there is no penalty for skipping questions.
