CAT Marking Scheme 2025 Negative Marking & Section wise Weightage

Overview: The CAT exam 2025 will be conducted on 30 November 2025 in three slots across 170 cities. Knowing the CAT marking scheme 2025 will help you calculate your CAT scores and percentile and choose your college accordingly!

Important Updates of the CAT exam 2025!

• IIM Kozhikode will conduct the CAT 2025 exam on 30th November 2025.
• The CAT 2025 registration began on 1st August 2025 and will continue till 13th September 2025.
• The CAT 2025 consists of 68 questions with (MCQs + TITA), with +3 marks for every correct answer and -1 mark deducted for a wrong answer.

Download FREE Study Material for CAT Exam 2025 by Supergrads

• Knowing the CAT 2025 marking scheme and CAT exam pattern will help you get an idea about the exam.

Let's explore more for a deeper understanding of the CAT marking scheme 2025

Read More | CAT Admission Process 2025 

CAT Exam Marking Scheme 2025: Overview

The CAT marking scheme 2025 outlines the number of points awarded for each correct answer and the points deducted for an incorrect response.

• The CAT 2025 exam pattern is expected to be similar to the CAT 2024 exam, which consisted of 68 questions in total, divided into three sections: VARC, DILR, and QA. 
• Marks for the correct answer in the CAT exam: +3 marks
• Marks deducted for incorrect answers in the CAT exam: -1 mark
• Marks for unanswered questions in the CAT exam: No marks awarded

Note* There is no negative marking for the TITA question.

Check | CAT Exam Colleges Accepting CAT Score

The CAT Marking Scheme 2025 is listed in the following table:

S.no	Type of Questions	CAT Exam Marking Scheme	CAT Negative Marking Scheme
1.	MCQ	+ 3 marks will be awarded for the correct answer	-1 mark will be deducted for a wrong answer
2.	Non-MCQ	+ 3 marks will be awarded for the correct answer	No negative marking
3.	Unattempted Questions	0 marks	No negative marking

CAT Percentile Predictor 2024 [Check your Score Here]

CAT Marking Scheme 2025: Sectional Weightage

The sectional weightage of the CAT exam is as follows: 

S.no	CAT Exam Sections	Number of Questions asked as CAT 2024	Sectional Weightage
1.	Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension	24	37%
2.	Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning	22	30%
3.	Quantitative Ability	22	33%

Read More: Supergrads CAT Toppers Interview

How does the CAT Marking Scheme Affect Test-Taking Strategy?

The CAT exam marking scheme, which awards +3 marks for a correct answer and deducts -1 for an incorrect answer to a Multiple-Choice Question (MCQ), significantly influences a test-taking strategy.

Since there's no penalty for unattempted or Type-in-the-Answer (TITA) questions, the CAT marking scheme encourages a strategic, selective approach rather than blind guessing.

Key Takeaways for Strategy

The core of the strategy is to prioritize accuracy over attempts. With a 3:1 ratio for correct versus incorrect answers in MCQs, a single wrong answer can negate the benefit of a correct one. This makes it crucial to:

1. Try to Avoid Guesswork

Don't attempt a question if you're not confident. A guess that turns out wrong can hurt your score more than simply leaving the question unanswered.

2. Target TITA Questions

Since there's no negative marking for TITA questions, you should try to answer them even if you have to guess. This is a low-risk, high-reward opportunity to gain marks.

3.  Have a Good Time Management Practice

The sectional time limit of 40 minutes means you must quickly decide which questions to attempt and which to skip. It's often better to solve a few questions with high accuracy than to rush through many and make costly mistakes.

The CAT marking scheme essentially tests a candidate's ability to make quick, sound decisions under pressure. It's a key reason why candidates are advised to take multiple mock tests to find a personal strategy that balances speed and accuracy effectively.

Use SuperGrads Free Resources 2025 Strategically

CAT VARC Mock Test 2025	Attempt a Free Mock test
CAT DILR Mock test 2025	Attempt a Free Mock test
CAT QA Mock Test 2025	Attempt a Free Mock test
CAT VARC Prep Videos 2025	Watch Now
CAT DILR Prep Videos 2025	Watch Now
CAT QA Prep Videos 2025	Watch Now
CAT Syllabus 2025	Download Now
CAT PYQs	Download Now
CAT VARC Questions	Download Now

Impact of CAT Exam Marking Scheme on CAT Cut Offs

The CAT marking scheme for the Common Admission Test (CAT) significantly impacts the exam's cut-offs. The cut-off is the minimum score required to be eligible for the next stage of the admission process at a particular institute, and several factors influence it.

How does the CAT marking scheme 2025 impact the Cut-offs?

The CAT exam marking scheme, with some other factors, influences the cut-offs in the following ways:

1. Difficulty Level and Negative Marking

The negative marking system encourages test-takers to be cautious and strategic in their attempts. If an exam is tough, students might attempt fewer questions to avoid negative marks, which can lead to a lower raw score required to achieve a certain percentile. 

Conversely, in an easier exam, more students may attempt more questions and score higher, pushing the raw score needed for a high percentile upwards.

2. TITA Questions

The absence of negative marking for TITA questions means candidates can attempt these questions without fear of penalty, potentially leading to higher scores if they can guess correctly. This can also affect the raw score needed for a specific percentile.

3. Normalization and Scaling

The CAT exam is conducted in multiple sessions, and to ensure fairness across all slots, a normalization or scaling process is applied to the raw scores. 

This process adjusts scores based on the difficulty level and performance of candidates in each session. The final CAT cut-offs are based on these normalized scaled scores and not the raw scores.

Read More | CAT Exam Marks vs Percentile 

Changes in the CAT Marking Scheme Over the Years

The CAT exam pattern and marking scheme have been changing over the years. Here is a detailed analysis of the past year's trends for the CAT marking scheme, including the maximum marks in CAT and how they have evolved.

S.no	Years	Number of Questions	VARC Questions	QA Questions	DILR Questions
1.	2024	68	24	22	22
2.	2023	66	24	22	20
3.	2022	66	24	22	20
4.	2021	66	24	22	20
5.	2020	76	34	26	24
6.	2019	100	34	34	32
7.	2018	100	34	34	32
8.	2017	100	34	34	32
9.	2016	100	34	34	32
10.	2015	100	34	34	32
11.	2014	100	34	34	32

Also Check: CAT 2025 Total Marks

What is the marking system in CAT exam 2025?

In the CAT exam, each correct answer gives +3 marks, while every wrong MCQ deducts 1 mark; TITA (type-in-the-answer) questions have no negative marking.

Unattempted questions get 0 marks. The final score is then normalized across different exam slots to ensure fairness.

CAT Exam Pattern 2025

The CAT exam consists of three sections: VARC, DILR, and QA. Each section has its own sectional timing and weightage. This CAT exam pattern is according to the CAT exam 2024(Slot 1):

CAT Exam Sections	Total No. of Questions	MCQs	Non-MCQs	Marks	Duration
Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC)	24	22	2	72	40 min
Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DI & LR)	22	14	8	66	40 min
Quantitative Ability (QA)	22	16	6	66	40 min
Total	68	52	204		120 (2 hours)

Check | CAT Previous Year Papers

Conclusion

CAT Marking Scheme 2025 is the only method to assess every student's performance in the CAT exam. It, along with the CAT Syllabus, is useful for both teachers and students to estimate their final scores, including the maximum marks in CAT, before the results are announced.

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