CAT 2025 Preparation Strategies By Sudhanshu Sir | CAT 99.7 | IIM Lucknow

Sudhanshu Sir, co-founder of MBA Litmus and an IIM Lucknow alumnus, with a CAT 2018 score of 99.7 percentile, and over 11 years of experience in CAT preparation mentoring. Having trained 8,000+ aspirants across CAT, NMAT, SNAP, GMAT, and more, his approach focuses on personalized, small-group coaching, where doubt resolution, clarity, and confidence-building take center stage.

Many of his students have scored 99+ percentiles, with several achieving significant percentile jumps, like NMAT 284 and CAT 99.97.

In this article, we have discussed Sudhanshu Sir’s preparation strategies for CAT and how he has managed his preparation for CAT while working full-time.

Also Read

• CAT Preparation Strategies 2025
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Ques. As IIM Kozhikode is conducting CAT this year, what will be the expected difficulty level?

Ans. Starting with DILR, IIM Kozhikode conducted the CAT in 2019. The DI sets included topics like scheduling, grouping, number puzzles, set theory, radar charts, stacked bar graphs, and more.

• The paper leaned more towards a traditional pattern than an unconventional one. So the takeaway is that the CAT paper usually stays within its traditional pattern. The DI section difficulty was moderate and should remain so this year.
• A key tip: Aspirants should focus on mastering around 30–35 common DI set types since DI questions tend to repeat with variations.
• Many students solve sets randomly, which is ineffective. For example, the students need to practice all types of bar graphs: simple, composite, stacked, and deviation bar graphs.

For QA, in 2019 at IIM Kozhikode, about 40-45% of questions were arithmetic, and 25% algebra, totaling 65-70%. So arithmetic and algebra form the backbone of QA. This trend is likely to continue this year.

Regarding VRC, 2019’s IIM Kozhikode paper had relatively easier RCs but more indirect questions within each set. Some parajumble questions allowed multiple combinations, making them tricky.

“Overall, the paper difficulty was moderate, unlike IIM Lucknow 2023, which was the toughest in a decade.”

Ques. For working professionals preparing for CAT, what preparation strategy would you suggest to manage full-time work and CAT studies?

Ans. I can relate well because I was a working professional preparing for the CAT myself. Here are some key points:

• Prioritize your MBA preparation: It’s a serious mental commitment. If MBA prep is not in your top two priorities, you won’t succeed. Balancing a job with CAT prep means cutting down on distractions and making the MBA your main focus besides work.
• Optimize leave and time: Plan your leaves strategically around weekends to get long stretches of study time. For example, take Friday or Monday off to create a 3-day study window.
• Utilize office downtime: Instead of casual walks or chats, use short breaks at work to read. You don’t have to solve problems, but focus on reading articles, about 500–550 words at a time.
• Structured study slots: The CAT exam has 40-minute slots for each section, QA, DILR, and VRC. Your preparation should mirror this structure: daily, dedicate one 40-minute slot per section. For example, 40 minutes on arithmetic, 40 on DI sets, and 40 on reading comprehension and verbal ability questions.
• Reading diversity: Reading varied sources daily improves vocabulary and comprehension.

“In total, two hours daily with focused 40-minute study blocks is the minimum for working professionals. Increase focus on weaker areas by adding extra slots if possible.”

Ques. What advice do you have for students taking a drop year?

Ans. Gap years do not affect shortlisting or interview calls if your CAT score is strong.

• Surround yourself with a peer group or join a coaching program to stay motivated.
• Connect with achievers who had gap years, like Anshita Sharma (4 years gap, IIM Kozhikode, 98.51 percentile) and Vikas Yadav (5 years gap, NMIMS Mumbai).
• Speak with parents or mentors during low phases.

Ques. Which is better, self-study or Coaching?

Ans. The candidate should not ignore the self-study in CAT preparation, whether or not they join a coaching class. No coaching institute will study for you; you have to put in the hours yourself. That said, the choice between pure self-study and joining coaching depends on two main factors:

• Time Availability: If you have ample preparation time (e.g., you start 12–18 months before CAT), self-study can be a good option. You can design your plan, source materials, and work at your own pace.
• If you have limited time (e.g., you start less than 6–8 months before CAT or you are a working professional), a structured coaching program can help you cover the syllabus faster and more efficiently.
• Need for Guidance: Coaching provides external discipline, accountability, and study plans.
• In MBA Litmus, for example, batches are small, approximately 50 students, ensuring that doubts are resolved in each session. This personal attention often accelerates the learning compared to large-batch generic classes.

Also Read

• CAT 2025 Latest Updates
• CAT 2025 Syllabus
• CAT 2025 Exam Pattern

Ques. Who has the advantage, Engineers or Non-engineers?

Ans. Engineers generally excel in Quant and DILR, non-engineers in VARC and LR.

Non-engineers receive academic diversity points, allowing them to get calls at slightly lower percentiles.

Both backgrounds have top performers, e.g., Ronak (non-maths background) scored 99.69th percentile in Quant.

Preparation focus should match your weakness:

• Non-engineers: Start QA & DILR basics with NCERT (Class 6–10).
• Engineers: Build reading habit, vocabulary, and LR puzzle-solving skills.

Ques. What patterns do 99+ percentile scorers share?

Ans. From mentoring hundreds of CAT aspirants who have achieved 99+ percentiles, I’ve seen some clear, repeated behaviour that sets them apart from others. These are not just about intelligence; they are about mindset, discipline, and strategy.

Scoring 99+ percentile in CAT is less about IQ and more about being a better self-manager, managing emotions, time, and resources effectively.

These candidates treat every test as a learning opportunity, maintain consistency even if they have setbacks, and constantly improve their performance based on data.

• Consistency: They show up for every session, every mock test, even if they have scored less in the previous test.
• Mental state: They handle low mock scores with calmness and focus.
• Mocks: Most take 30–40 mocks. Some succeed with as few as 12 (like one of my students who got into FMS Delhi), while I personally took 100 during my prep.
• Analysis Time: 99-percentilers spend 6–8 hours analyzing each mock, 2 hours to take it, 4–6 hours to break down errors, note patterns, and re-solve missed questions.
• Self-Awareness: They know exactly which questions to attempt and which to leave in the actual exam.

Ques. What resources should aspirants use without falling into “resource paralysis”?

Ans. One of the most common mistakes CAT aspirants make is collecting too many books, PDFs, Telegram materials, and YouTube playlists, which can make them feel overwhelmed and aimless. This is what I call resource paralysis. The key is to streamline and curate your preparation resources so that you can focus on practice and improvement rather than finding multiple study resources.

Foundation Stage – Build Basics First

• I would suggest starting with NCERT Mathematics (Class 6–10) for QA basics.
• These are readily available and cover fundamental Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, and Number Systems at a very cheap price.
• Why NCERT? Because it ensures conceptual clarity, ideal for both engineers brushing up and non-engineers starting from scratch.
• Tip: If you can’t source them, reach out to mentors or peer networks; many coaching institutes, including ours, share these freely with aspirants.

Topic-wise Video Lectures and Practice

• Choose the faculty you connect with in terms of teaching style (YouTube or paid platforms).
• Avoid jumping between multiple teachers for the same topic, stick to one consistent source for each subject area.
• Example: If you find a VARC mentor whose explanations click for you, follow their entire module rather than mixing multiple incomplete playlists.

Structured Program for the Advanced Stage

• Once you’ve covered the basics, join a structured coaching program, offline or online, for:
• Full-length mocks (at least 30–40 before CAT)
• Sectional tests to drill weak areas

Detailed analysis and feedback: Students at MBL Litmus who committed to this stage improved their percentile significantly, 44 students jumped from <75 percentile to >95 percentile in a single year.

Avoiding Resource Overload

• Limit your QA material to 1 book for theory (NCERT/Arun Sharma) + 1 for practice/mocks.
• For VARC, pick 2–3 reliable RC sources + 1 VA question bank.
• For DILR, master 30–35 recurring set types (from previous years + mocks) rather than hoarding 200 random puzzles.
• Track completion—don’t move to a new resource until you’ve finished and reviewed the previous one.

Smart Use of Online Platforms

• Use YouTube, Telegram, and free portals selectively:
• Look for targeted workshops (e.g., “Arithmetic in CAT – Full Workshop”).
• Avoid the trap of “watching” without active practice.

Ques. Final message for CAT 2025 and CAT 2026 aspirants?

Ans. CAT 2025: With only 4 months left, focus on Mocks + Analysis. Mocks reveal your weak spots; work on them without fear of low scores.

CAT 2026: Spend 2025 building basics, then ramp up to mocks and advanced prep in 2026.

For both: Success needs smart, hard work, not just “hard work.” Many fail because they give up before the exam, don’t be that person.

Key Takeaways for CAT 2025 Aspirants:

• DILR (Focus on Frequent Set Types): Master 30–35 common DI/LR patterns like scheduling, grouping, number puzzles, set theory, and standard graphs (bar, pie, radar) instead of random practice.
• QA (Arithmetic & Algebra Dominate about 65–70% Weightage): Prioritize averages, ratios, time & work, profit & loss, equations, and inequalities; these make up most of QA.
• VARC (Easy RCs, Tricky VA): RCs are simpler, but VA (parajumbles, summaries, odd-sentence-out) demands extra care. Keep practicing nuanced question types.
• Difficulty (Moderate Level Expected): Pattern similar to IIM Kozhikode 2019; tougher than average but easier than CAT 2023 Lucknow.
• Practice in 40 minutes: Simulate CAT’s sectional time limits daily to improve speed, accuracy, and stamina.