The Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Kozhikode will publish the final answer keys for the Common Admission Test (CAT) today, December 17, 2025, followed
by the scorecards. Once released, candidates who appeared in the admission test on November 30 can access both on the official website: iimcat.ac.in. After the publication of the CAT 2025 provisional answer keys, IIM Kozhikode opened the challenge window between December 8 and 10, 2025. During this period, candidates were allowed to raise objections against any sort of error or discrepancy found. 180+ Challenges Posed by Candidates: IIM Kozhikode According to the reports, as many as 187 objections were raised across the three sections, such as Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Ability (QA), covering all three shifts. As per the rule, subject experts went through the objections looking for accuracy and validity. Post-thorough examination, only one objection, pertaining to the Quantitative Ability section in Shift 1, was accepted. The remaining ones had no merit, and hence, they remain unchanged. How to Download CAT 2025 Final Answer Key Follow the steps below to download the answer key:
- Visit the official website: iimcat.ac.in.
- On the homepage, look for the revised answer key link and click on it.
- Submit the login credentials, if required.
- A PDF will be displayed on the screen.
- Download and save it for future reference.
CAT 2025 Marking Scheme
Check out the marking criteria set by the authorities below:
- Correct Answer: +3 marks
- Incorrect Answer: -1 mark
- Unattempted Question: 0 marks (No penalty)
How Many Candidates Appeared for CAT 2025
CAT 2025 was held on November 30, 2025, at 339 test centres spread across 170 cities in India. Of the total 2.95 lakh candidates who applied for the exam, around 2.58 lakh candidates appeared for it. The overall attendance was recorded at around 86 per cent, as per the media reports.
CAT 2025: Slot 1, 2 & 3 Analysis
Refer to the table below to check out the brief analysis of CAT 2025:
| Slot | Overall Difficulty | VARC | DILR | QA |
| Slot 1 | Manageable; slightly more difficult than CAT 2024 Slot 1 | Similar to previous year | Marginally more difficult | Similar to previous year |
| Slot 2 | Mixed opinions; similar to Slot 1; more difficult than CAT 2024; similar to CAT 2022 & 2023 | Moderate | Moderate to difficult | Moderately difficult |
| Slot 3 | Moderate to difficult; close to CAT 2024 but slightly more difficult | Easy to moderate | Moderate to difficult | Difficult (toughest section) |
