CAT Exam Slot 1 Ends: Paper Moderate, DILR Most Time-Consuming

The first slot of the CAT 2025 exam has officially concluded across centres, with thousands of candidates walking out and sharing mixed reactions. Early student feedback indicates that the paper followed the usual pattern, but question selection and time management played a crucial role in performance.

According to candidates, the overall difficulty level was moderate, with a few tricky elements in each section. While VARC was considered manageable by many, DILR emerged as the most challenging and time-consuming section.

CAT Slot One Difficulty Level: What Students Say

As per first reactions, CAT Slot One maintained a balanced approach with a mix of easy, moderate, and difficult questions. Candidates reported that:

• VARC was lengthy but doable
• DILR required strong logic and patience
• Quantitative Aptitude had a mix of arithmetic and algebra problems
• No major surprise in question pattern

Several test-takers stated that attempts between 15 to 18 questions with high accuracy could be considered a safe strategy in each section.

Section-Wise Feedback from Test-Takers

VARC (Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension)

Students shared that reading comprehension passages were slightly lengthy but not confusing. Para-jumbles and critical reasoning questions demanded careful reading.

DILR (Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning)

This section stood out as the most demanding. Many candidates said that sets were calculation-heavy and time-consuming. Selecting the right set was the key to scoring.

Quantitative Aptitude

Quantitative Aptitude was described as moderately difficult. Arithmetic questions dominated the section, followed by algebra and a limited number of geometry problems. Candidates with strong fundamentals found the section manageable.

Expected Impact on Cut-Offs

Education experts believe that if the remaining slots maintain a similar difficulty level, overall cut-offs may remain stable with slight variations based on normalization. However, if Slot Two and Slot Three turn out to be significantly tougher or easier, percentile ranges could see movement.

A common sentiment among candidates was that accuracy mattered more than attempting a high number of questions, especially due to negative marking in MCQs.

What’s Next for Remaining Slots

With Slot One completed, all eyes are now on Slot Two and Slot Three. Candidates scheduled for later slots are advised to remain focused, manage time wisely, and avoid panic based on feedback from earlier shifts.

Authorities are expected to release response sheets and answer keys in the coming days, after which candidates will be able to estimate their scores before the final results.

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