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CAT Previous Year Question Papers with Solutions

Written by Nilesh Jangid, Founder · Quant & DILR mentor · CAT 99.84 %ile · Last checked: 31 Oct 2026

Download CAT previous year papers for 2025 and 2024, all three slots, with an answer key and solutions. Use them as timed tests, then study the structure of each year to see what the paper asks for.

Download Papers → Free CAT Mock Tests

CAT Papers At a Glance

Years 2025 and 2024 · 3 slots each

Questions 68 per slot

Sections VARC 24 · DILR 22 · QA 22

In each PDF Questions, answer key, solutions

Cost Free

These papers are memory-based reconstructions prepared by Thinkoraa mentors and students. They are not official IIM papers, and the wording or order of some questions may differ from the actual exam.

Please read before you download: these are memory-based reconstructions prepared by Thinkoraa mentors and students. They are not official IIM question papers, and the wording or order of some questions may differ from the actual exam. Use them for practice.

Papers by Year

CAT Question Papers: 2025 and 2024

Pick a year for the three slot papers, the paper structure and the themes of each slot.

Paper Structure

CAT Paper Structure Across the Years

Counted from the answer keys and section headings of the booklets.

Paper	Questions	VARC	DILR	QA	RC passages	DILR sets	PDF pages
CAT 2025 Slot 1	68	24	22	22	4	5	30
CAT 2025 Slot 2	68	24	22	22	4	5	29
CAT 2025 Slot 3	68	24	22	22	4	5	31
CAT 2024 Slot 1	68	24	22	22	4	5	28
CAT 2024 Slot 2	68	24	22	22	4	5	32
CAT 2024 Slot 3	68	24	22	22	4	5	30

The pattern is the same in every slot and year here: 24 VARC questions (16 from four reading comprehension passages and 8 verbal ability questions), 22 DILR questions in five sets, and 22 Quantitative Ability questions. What changes from slot to slot is the content, which you can see below.

How To Use

How To Use CAT Previous Year Papers

Attempt it timed

Pick one slot, set a timer and attempt a section at a time, as in the exam.

Check the answer key

Score yourself section by section, and note how many questions you attempted and got right.

Read the solutions

Go through the solution for every wrong or skipped question, and for the right ones where you were unsure.

Keep an error log

Write down the topic and why you lost the marks: concept gap, calculation slip, misread question or time.

Next steps: the CAT guide (syllabus, pattern, dates), the score vs percentile table, free CAT mock tests and the CAT daily quiz.

FAQs

CAT Previous Year Papers: FAQs

Where can I download CAT previous year question papers?+

On this page. Each year has its own page with the Slot 1, Slot 2 and Slot 3 papers as PDFs: CAT 2025 question paper, CAT 2024 question paper.

Are these the official CAT papers?+

These papers are memory-based reconstructions prepared by Thinkoraa mentors and students. They are not official IIM papers, and the wording or order of some questions may differ from the actual exam.

Do the PDFs include solutions?+

Yes. Every booklet has the questions, an answer key and solutions at the end.

How many questions are there in each CAT slot paper?+

Each slot paper here has 68 questions: 24 in Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension, 22 in Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning and 22 in Quantitative Ability.

How should I use previous year papers?+

Attempt one slot as a timed test, check the answer key, read the solutions for every wrong or skipped question, and note the topic and the reason you lost marks. Then repeat with the next slot. See the CAT preparation strategy.

Are previous year papers enough to prepare for CAT?+

No. They show the pattern and difficulty level, but you also need syllabus coverage, sectional tests and full-length mocks. Try the free CAT mock tests.