CAT 2025 Answer Key & Response Sheet: Complete Download Guide
The CAT 2025 examination has been successfully conducted by IIM Kozhikode across three slots. If you appeared for the exam, you'll soon be able to access your response sheet and the official answer key. This guide covers everything you need to know about downloading and using these resources to estimate your score.
📅 Quick Overview: Important Dates
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| CAT 2025 Exam Conducted | November 30, 2025 |
| Memory-Based Answers Released | November 30, 2025 |
| Official Response Sheet Release | To be announced |
| Official Answer Key Release | To be announced |
| Objection Window | To be announced |
Understanding CAT Response Sheet
What is the CAT Response Sheet?
Your CAT response sheet is a personalized document that displays:
- All questions from your exam slot
- The answer options you selected
- Questions you left unattempted
- Your marked responses for each section (VARC, DILR, QA)
This sheet is unique to each candidate and will be available in your login dashboard on the official CAT website.
How to Download Your Response Sheet
Follow these simple steps:
- Go to the official CAT website: iimcat.ac.in
- Click on the 'Login' button
- Enter your registration number and password
- Navigate to the response sheet section in your dashboard
- Download the PDF file
CAT 2025 Answer Keys: Unofficial vs Official
Memory-Based Answer Keys (Unofficial)
Leading coaching institutes release memory-based answer keys immediately after the exam. These are compiled based on questions recalled by students who appeared for the test.
Access Memory-Based Answer Keys:
| Slot | Availability |
|---|---|
| Slot 1 Answer Key | Available Now |
| Slot 2 Answer Key | Available Now |
| Slot 3 Answer Key | Available Now |
Note: While unofficial answer keys give you a quick estimate, they may contain errors. Use them for preliminary score estimation only.
Official Answer Key
IIM Kozhikode releases the official answer key in two phases:
1. Provisional Answer Key
Released first, open for objections from candidates.
2. Final Answer Key
Released after reviewing objections, used for final score calculation.
The official answer key will be available on iimcat.ac.in for all three exam slots.
How to Challenge the Answer Key
If you believe any answer in the provisional answer key is incorrect, you can raise an objection. Here's the process:
Objection Process:
- Visit iimcat.ac.in and log in with your credentials
- Navigate to the 'Objection Form' tab
- Click the plus (+) icon to add a new objection
- Select the question number and section
- Choose the issue type and provide detailed justification (up to 500 words)
- Upload supporting documents (if applicable)
- Pay the objection fee
Objection Fee
₹1,200 per question
Important Note
The fee is refundable only if your objection is accepted. Each submission is final and cannot be edited.
Calculate Your CAT Score
CAT Marking Scheme 2025
Understanding the marking pattern is crucial for score calculation:
Correct Answer
+3 marks
Incorrect Answer
-1 mark
Unattempted Question
0 marks
Score Calculation Formula
Raw Score = (3 × Correct Answers) - (1 × Incorrect Answers)
Example Calculation:
If you answered:
- 50 questions correctly
- 15 questions incorrectly
- 1 question unattempted
Your Raw Score = (3 × 50) - (1 × 15) = 150 - 15 = 135 marks
CAT Score vs Percentile: What to Expect
Based on previous year trends, here's how raw scores typically convert to percentiles:
| Raw Score Range | Expected Percentile |
|---|---|
| 120-125 | 99.9 |
| 105-110 | 99.5 |
| 95-100 | 99.0 |
| 80-85 | 97.0 |
| 70-75 | 95.0 |
| 58-62 | 90.0 |
Note: These are indicative figures based on historical data. Actual percentiles depend on overall performance and normalization.
Understanding Score Normalization
Since CAT is conducted in multiple slots, IIM Kozhikode normalizes scores to ensure fairness across all sessions. The normalization process accounts for variations in difficulty levels between slots.
How Percentile is Calculated:
- Total number of test-takers across all slots = N
- Your rank based on normalized score = r
- Percentile = [(N - r) / N] × 100
- The percentile is rounded off to two decimal places
Candidates with identical scores receive the same rank.
Tips for Using Response Sheet & Answer Key
✓ Download immediately
Save your response sheet as soon as it's available to avoid last-minute issues.
✓ Cross-verify carefully
Compare your responses with both unofficial and official answer keys for accuracy.
✓ Calculate section-wise scores
This helps identify your strong and weak areas for future preparation.
✓ Consider normalization
Your raw score will be normalized before percentile calculation across slots.
✓ Raise valid objections
Only challenge answers when you have strong supporting evidence.
✓ Track important dates
Don't miss the objection window deadline as it won't be extended.
What Happens After Answer Key Release?
1. Review Period
Candidates submit objections to the provisional answer key within the specified window.
2. Expert Analysis
IIM panel reviews all objections submitted by candidates with supporting evidence.
3. Final Answer Key
Released after incorporating valid objections raised during the review period.
4. Score Calculation
Your final score is computed using the final answer key and normalized across slots.
5. Result Declaration
CAT results are typically announced in January by IIM Kozhikode.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I challenge multiple answers?
Yes, you can raise objections for any number of questions, but each objection requires a separate fee of ₹1,200. Each question you challenge needs to be submitted individually with proper justification.
How accurate are memory-based answer keys?
They provide a reasonable estimate but may contain errors since they're based on candidate recall. Memory-based keys are compiled by coaching institutes from questions remembered by test-takers. Always wait for the official answer key for accurate assessment of your performance.
Will my objection fee be refunded?
Only if your objection is accepted by the expert panel. If the IIM review committee agrees with your challenge and updates the answer key accordingly, your ₹1,200 fee per question will be refunded. Rejected objections are non-refundable.
When will CAT 2025 results be declared?
Results are typically announced in the second week of January, though official dates will be announced by IIM Kozhikode. Based on previous years, results usually come out between January 10-15, but candidates should check the official website for exact dates.
How is the normalized score different from raw score?
The raw score is what you calculate based on correct and incorrect answers. Normalized score adjusts for difficulty variations across different exam slots. Since CAT has multiple sessions with different question sets, normalization ensures fairness by equalizing difficulty levels, and this normalized score is used for percentile calculation.
Final Thoughts
The CAT response sheet and answer key are valuable tools for evaluating your exam performance. Use them wisely to calculate your estimated score, but remember that your final percentile will depend on normalization and overall candidate performance across all slots.
Carefully review your response sheet when it becomes available, and if you find discrepancies in the provisional answer key, use the objection process judiciously with proper evidence. The objection window is typically short, so act promptly.
Stay updated with official announcements on iimcat.ac.in and prepare for the next steps in your MBA admission journey!