CAT 2025: How to master the 40-minute race per section

Now that the Common Admission Test (CAT 2025) will be held in two weeks, candidates must be wondering how to master the 40-minute race. CAT will have the following three sections – Section I: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension, Section II: Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning and Section III: Quantitative Ability. Candidates will be allotted exactly 40 minutes for answering questions in each section and they will not be allowed to switch from one section to another while answering questions in a section.

Also Read | CAT 2025: How to progress by analysing mock test results

The 40-minute race plan: Strategies that work

Here’s that race plan— the same one I share with students facing CAT, XAT, and other high-stakes tests.

1) Spend two minutes not solving but scanning

When the timer starts, don’t dive in. Spend 120 seconds to see the terrain: question types, section spread, and obvious quick wins. Decide a realistic target: “I’ll attempt 12 with accuracy above 85%.” This small “warm-up lap” lowers anxiety and prevents early sunk-cost mistakes.

2) Run the section in two passes

Treat it like triage.

– Pass 1 (2–18 min): Attempt only A-grade questions – short, familiar, and clean. Move fast; don’t wrestle.
– Pass 2 (18–30 min): Come back to B-grade questions – doable with a little effort. Leave C-grade items – the long, novel, or word-heavy ones – unless time remains. If you can’t see a path in 30 seconds, tag it and move. Accuracy beats volume.

Also Read | CAT 2025: Common mistakes aspirants make and how to avoid them

3) Slice the 40 into five mini-blocks

Break the race into five sets of eight minutes, with a two-minute buffer at the end.

– 0–2: Scan and plan
– 2–18: First sweep
– 18–30: Second sweep
– 30–36: Smart review
– 36–40: Bubble/submit

Inside each eight-minute block, set micro-targets—“four questions in eight minutes.” You’re not racing the paper; you’re racing each block.

4) Use the ABC tags

On your rough sheet (or screen flags), mark each question:

A = Attempt now, B = Bring back later, C = Cut.
This quick shorthand keeps working memory clear and decision-making calm.

5) Read stems before options

Understand the stem – unit, sign, direction – before seeing choices. This one habit slashes silly errors: wrong sign, wrong unit, wrong decimal.

Also Read | CAT 2025: Daily reading habits to boost VARC score for MBA admission

6) Accuracy rituals (the free marks)

Quick, high-yield checks:

– Convert units first, not last.
– Order-of-magnitude sense check.
– Reverse check only if ≤10 seconds.
– Confirm sign/ direction.

10 seconds here saves heartache later.

7) Know when to quit

The hardest skill is walking away. When a problem becomes a wrestling match, it’s no longer about logic — it’s about ego. The exam rewards selection, not stubbornness. Tag B or C and move to cheaper marks.

Also Read | CAT 2025: How to master DILR for MBA admission

8) Review like a hawk (30–36 min)

Target known error zones: copied numbers, look-alike options (0.031 vs 0.013), unit conversions, and “None of the above.” Don’t re-solve; re-read and re-validate the critical step.

9) Respect the last four minutes

Make a firm rule: stop solving at 36 minutes.
– OMR: Bubble in small batches, but do a final sweep here.
– CBT: Ensure every intended answer is saved; scan for blanks. One unchecked question can cost a percentile

Read More | Cracking VARC for CAT: Reading Comprehension vs Verbal Ability

10) Train for the clock, not just content

In mocks, rehearse time-boxing and two-pass triage. Track:
– Skip rate: 20–35% on Pass 1 is healthy.
– Time leaks: Which type steal minutes?
– Accuracy under pressure: Where do errors spike?

You can’t control difficulty, but you can master rhythm.

Tear-out Playcard

– 0–2 minutes: Scan, target, ABC tags
– 2–18 minutes: A-grade sweep
– 18–30 minutes: B-grade returns
– 30–36 minutes: Smart review
– 36–40: Bubble/ submit + blank sweep

Read More | CAT 2025: Section-wise strategy for VARC, DILR and QA

Beyond the Exam

When I entered XIM Bhubaneswar for my MBA, I saw the same rule outside exams: careers are won by pacing. The best leaders move first to where impact is highest and time is cheapest. Master the 40-minute race, and you’ll master a habit that outlives the exam hall.

(Dr Swapnil Sahoo is an Assistant Professor at Great Lakes Institute of Management, Gurgaon)