CAT Exam Previous Year Question Papers PDF

Below are the CAT previous year question papers with detailed solutions from CAT 2017-2025 for your practice.

CAT Previous Year Paper PDF 2025

CAT 2025 was considered moderate to tough in difficulty level. It was slightly on the tougher side when compared to CAT 2024, especially DILR, which was make or break section in CAT 2025. Here is the CAT 2025 previous year question paper with solutions.

CAT 2025 Slot 1 question paper

VARC DILR QA Take Test

CAT 2025 Slot 2 question paper

VARC DILR QA Take Test

CAT 2025 Slot 3 question paper

VARC DILR QA Take Test

Watch the CAT 2025 Question paper video analysis with our top MBA experts for all the slots, with detailed comparative evaluation

CAT 2024 Question Paper With Solutions

CAT 2024 is overall considered moderate in difficulty level. It was easier than the CAT 2023 but a little harder than 2022. Here is the CAT 2024 question paper PDF with solutions.

CAT 2024 Slot 1 question paper PDF

VARC DILR QA Take Test

CAT 2024 Slot 2 question paper PDF

VARC DILR QA Take Test

CAT 2024 Slot 3 question paper PDF

VARC DILR QA Take Test

Watch the CAT 2024 Question paper video analysis with our top MBA experts for all the slots with detailed comparative evaluation.

CAT 2023 Question Papers PDF With Solutions

CAT 2023 was considered moderate to difficult. It was tougher than both CAT 2022 and CAT 2024. The DILR section was the most challenging. Check out the CAT 2023 question paper with answers.

CAT 2023 Slot 1 question paper PDF

VARC DILR QA Take Test

CAT 2023 Slot 2 question paper PDF

VARC DILR QA Take Test

CAT 2023 Slot 3 question paper PDF

VARC DILR QA Take Test

CAT 2022 Question Paper PDF Download With Solutions

CAT 2022 was considered a balanced paper where slot 1 had a student-friendly QA. It was moderate to easy in terms of difficulty level. You can check out the CAT 2022 PYQ with solutions here.

CAT 2022 Slot 1 question paper PDF

VARC DILR QA Take Test

CAT 2022 Slot 2 question paper PDF

VARC DILR QA Take Test

CAT 2022 Slot 3 question paper PDF

VARC DILR QA Take Test

CAT 2021 Question Paper With Solutions

CAT 2021 was on the tougher side, with a difficult VARC in the 2nd slot and a complicated QA in 3rd slot. Here is the CAT 2021 PYQ with solutions.

CAT 2021 Slot 1 question paper PDF

VARC DILR QA Take Test

CAT 2021 Slot 2 question paper PDF

VARC DILR QA Take Test

CAT 2021 Slot 3 question paper PDF

VARC DILR QA Take Test

CAT 2020 Question Paper With Solutions

CAT 2020 was comparatively easier than the recent CAT exams that were held. Due to COVID, the CAT exam was reduced to 120 minutes instead of 180, with only 76 questions (24 VARC, 26 QA, 26 DILR). Each section had 40 minutes.

CAT 2020 Slot 1 question paper PDF

VARC DILR QA Take Test

CAT 2020 Slot 2 question paper PDF

VARC DILR QA Take Test

CAT 2020 Slot 3 question paper PDF

VARC DILR QA Take Test

CAT 2019 Question Paper With Solutions

CAT question paper for 2019 was trickier than CAT 2018. CAT 2019 was a balanced yet challenging exam, with DILR as the toughest section and QA as the scoring one. Check out the CAT 2019 PYQs here.

CAT 2019 Slot 1 question paper PDF

VARC DILR QA Take Test

CAT 2019 Slot 2 question paper PDF

VARC DILR QA Take Test

CAT 2018 Question Paper With Solutions

CAT PYQ 2018 was more student-friendly because of its VARC and QA sections. DILR proved to be the challenge, hence the overall difficulty was considered moderate. Check out the CAT previous year paper with answers.

CAT 2018 Slot 1 question paper PDF

VARC DILR QA Take Test

CAT 2018 Slot 2 question paper PDF

VARC DILR QA Take Test

CAT 2017 Question Paper With Solutions

CAT 2017 was one of the toughest CAT exams in recent memory. Both DILR and QA were challenging, making it difficult for many test-takers to clear sectional cutoffs. Here is the CAT question paper for 2017 with solutions.

CAT 2017 Slot 1 question paper PDF

VARC DILR QA Take Test

CAT 2017 Slot 2 question paper PDF

VARC DILR QA Take Test

How To Solve CAT Previous Year Question Papers?

Attempting the CAT previous year papers makes you well-versed with the exam pattern, developing preparation tricks, time taken, and identifying the areas of improvement. It will help you get familiar with the exam, and you will be able to gauge the difficulty level of the actual CAT exam.

Below are the steps on how you can attempt these CAT papers online:

To crack the CAT, the most significant step is to practice from the previous year's CAT questions and test yourself, as the actual exam will be conducted in a computer-based format.


Who Should Attempt CAT Previous Year Question Papers?

CAT Previous year papers are extremely beneficial for aspirants preparing for CAT 2026. They are a necessary step in an aspirant's journey to get familiar with the exam pattern, but also to understand the trends and changes throughout the years.

Actual CAT exam questions are different from mock tests, which can be either too easy or too challenging. The real exam focuses more on testing your logical thinking and problem-solving abilities.

CAT PYQs must be utilised by everyone attempting the CAT exam. It assesses the real standing of all the aspirants, be it working professionals, first-time CAT aspirants, repeaters, self-study candidates, and students struggling with accuracy.


Benefits Of Solving CAT Last Year Question Papers

CAT PYQs are beneficial for your preparation for CAT 2026 because they inform you about the exam pattern and help you develop an exam-taking strategy. We are listing some advantages of solving these CAT question papers:


Why Choose Career Launcher for CAT preparation?


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Frequently Asked Questions

You can find year-wise and section-wise CAT previous year question papers with solutions and video solutions at Career Launcher website.

Yes, attempting CAT previous year papers is beneficial for aspirants and is actually a crucial part of preparation because it allows the candidate to familiarise themself with the latest CAT exam pattern and gives insight into crucial areas.

The best way to solve CAT previous year papers is to solve it like the actual CAT exam. Analysing the CAT PYQs, setting up a timer without any distractions will help you understand your weaker areas.

Yes, the major benefit of attempting previous years' CAT PYQs is that it helps you identify the main topics from which questions can be asked in the exam. It gives you a preview of the types of questions asked.

No, they are not enough for your CAT preparation, but they are very important as they will give you an idea of what the actual exam will look like and what it will demand from you.

One should at least practice 10 to 15 years of CAT previous questions before attempting the CAT exam 2026. This would help you identify areas of improvement and understand the exam pattern.

Yes, definitely. Practising the previous year's papers for CAT will help you identify your weaker areas, and you can work on them. It can boost your confidence and improve your sectional scores significantly, as they will familiarise you with the types of questions asked in the exam.

Yes, it has been observed that CAT exam contains 1-2 repeated questions exactly the same or in a similar pattern, especially for the QA and DILR sections from the CAT previous year papers, and thus it is extremely important to practice them.

Yes, you can access CAT previous year question section wise for free on Career Launcher website without any login.

What Our CAT Achievers Say About Us...

Bidhushi Roy

Bidhushi Roy

Convert - IIM Bangalore

 

 My name is Bidushi Roy. I scored a 99.97 percentile in CAT 2024 and received calls from all the BLACKI colleges, as well as ISB - PGPYL and FMS Delhi. I ended up converting most of my calls, and finally, I'm going to IIM Bangalore.
One of the major hurdles I faced was my struggle with math, as I hadn’t practiced it since graduating from school. I had to catch up with my peers over that long gap. What I found particularly helpful with CL was the classroom coaching, which divided every subject into manageable modules for practice and then went on to tests, including sectional tests, topic tests, and ultimately full-length mocks.
My key advice for anyone who is preparing is to give as many mocks as possible because that is what will help you on the day of the exam. No matter whether the exam is harder or easier than the mocks that you gave, just having that muscle memory of taking the test is something that will help you a lot.

Amanjot Kaur Shah

Amanjot Kaur Shah

Convert - IIM Bangalore

 

 My name is Amanjot Kaur Shah. I got a 99.47 percentile in CAT 2024, and I had calls from all IIMs except IIM Ahmedabad. I am really happy and proud of this achievement, and Career Launcher has been absolutely pivotal in this journey. I took the comprehensive test series from Career Launcher and completed exactly 35 mocks.
In addition to that, I also took around 20 sectionals because I was focusing on DLR, which was an area I needed to work on. I found Career Launcher extremely helpful in this regard as well. They constantly improve their content, and even if the patterns change, they adapt and provide us with more mocks. So it was very helpful.
My advice is to keep taking mocks every week, and as the exam date approaches, increase the number of mocks you take. This will help you become better prepared for the future.

Harshit Walia

Harshit Walia

Convert - IIM Ahmedabad

 

 My name is Harshad Walia. I am a computer science graduate from Delhi Technological University, and I scored a 99.49 percentile in CAT 2024. I converted IIM Ahmedabad.
The biggest hurdle in my preparation journey was the VARC section. To tackle this, I regularly practiced VARC, solving at least four passages per day from mid-August onwards. DILR and QUANT were my strongest sections because I am an engineer. I recommend starting your preparation early; begin writing mocks from day one to identify your weaknesses and then work on those areas. It's essential to clear the cut-off for all three sections instead of just focusing on the ones you're already good at.
Career Launcher played a significant role in helping me get into IIM Ahmedabad, which is my dream college, so I am extremely thankful to them for making my B-school dream come true.

Priya Patel

Priya Patel

Convert - KJ Somaiya

 

 My name is Priyal Patel, and I joined Career Launcher last year in June. My journey here has been fantastic. The best thing about Career Launcher was their mocks; the teachers were excellent and helped me prepare for interviews, but the mocks were truly the highlight for me—they were exactly at CAT level. Overall, it was a great experience, and Career Launcher helped me immensely.
I converted offers from Fore School, Great Lakes Gurgaon and IMT Hyderabad, and I finalized my admission at KJ Somaiya. I was in the offline program, which included classes four to five days a week, covering everything thoroughly. The teachers were incredibly nice and helpful, and they were always available to answer questions, even after class. If you had any doubts from the mocks, they were ready and open to help.
I encourage you not to question yourself or your decisions during your journey; it’s totally worth it. Give your 100%, stay consistent, and you will achieve your goals.

Meet Career Launcher's CAT Achievers