Understanding the CAT 2025 Structure Before Setting Attempt Targets
Before deciding how many questions to attempt in CAT 2025, it is essential to understand the paper structure and difficulty flow.
CAT 2025 will follow the same pattern—68 questions in total, divided into VARC (24 questions), DILR (22 questions), and QA (22 questions), each with a 40-minute sectional time limit.
Because candidates cannot switch sections, your attempt strategy must be customized for each segment. CAT also uses normalisation across slots, meaning your raw score may scale up or down depending on difficulty.
Therefore, identifying how many questions to attempt in CAT 2025 depends heavily on accuracy, time management, and the relative toughness of your slot.
Attempt Targets for 90–99 Percentile (Overall Breakdown)
Aspirants often assume that a higher percentile requires attempting maximum questions, but the real strategy is knowing how many questions to attempt in CAT 2025 with high accuracy.
Based on recent CAT patterns (68 total questions), the following attempt ranges usually align with 90–99 percentiles when maintaining 85–90% accuracy.
Ideal Attempts vs Percentile (Overall)
| Percentile Range | Ideal Attempts | Expected Correct |
| 80 percentile | 20-22 | 15-16 correct |
| 85 percentile | 22-24 | 18-20 correct |
| 90 percentile | 28–32 | 20–22 correct |
| 95 percentile | 34–38 | 25–27 correct |
| 97 percentile | 40–45 | 30–32 correct |
| 99 percentile | 48–55 | 40–43 correct |
These ranges vary slightly depending on slot difficulty and normalisation. Still, they offer a reliable benchmark for planning how many questions to attempt in CAT 2025 across all three sections.
Section-Wise Attempt Targets for VARC, DILR & QA
To decide how many questions to attempt in CAT 2025 realistically, you must understand the difficulty pattern and weightage of each section. CAT follows a predictable structure—VARC (24 questions), DILR (22 questions), QA (22 questions)—but the difficulty level is not uniform. Below is a precise section-wise attempt plan for the 90–99th percentile.
- VARC Attempt Strategy (24 Questions)
Reading Comprehension forms 70% of VARC, while Verbal Ability covers the remaining 30%. Your target percentile determines how many questions to attempt in CAT 2025 from RC vs VA.
Recommended VARC Attempts
| Percentile Target | Ideal VARC Attempts | Expected Correct |
| 80 percentile | 9-10 | 7-8 correct |
| 85 percentile | 11-12 | 8-9 correct |
| 90 percentile | 13-14 | 9-10 correct |
| 95 percentile | 15-16 | 11-12 correct |
| 97 percentile | 16-17 | 13-14 correct |
| 99 percentile | 19-20 | 15-16 correct |
Strategy Notes:
- Attempt 2 manageable RC passages fully.
- Pick 2–3 VA questions (Odd-One-Out, Para Summary) carefully.
- Attempt TITA parajumbles (no negative marking) only when confident.
- DILR Attempt Strategy (22 Questions)
DILR remains the most unpredictable section, with 4–5 sets of varying difficulty. According to the CAT syllabus file, DI and LR each hold roughly 50% weightage, making smart selection critical when deciding how many questions to attempt in CAT 2025.
Recommended DILR Attempts
| Percentile Target | Ideal DILR Attempts | Expected Correct |
| 80 percentile | 9-10 | 7-8 correct |
| 85 percentile | 11-12 | 8-9 correct |
| 90 percentile | 13-14 | 9-10 correct |
| 95 percentile | 15-16 | 11-12 correct |
| 97 percentile | 16-17 | 13-14 correct |
| 99 percentile | 18-19 | 15-16 correct |
Strategy Notes:
- Spend the first 2 minutes scanning all sets.
- Choose sets with clear structures (tables, simple arrangements).
- Avoid highly inferential caselets or tournament puzzles unless easy.
4.3 QA Attempt Strategy (22 Questions)
QA heavily tests Arithmetic, Algebra, and Geometry—together forming 60–70% of the section. Your familiarity with these topics will determine how many questions to attempt in CAT 2025 for your target percentile.
Recommended QA Attempts
| Percentile Target | Ideal QA Attempts | Expected Correct |
| 80 percentile | 7-8 | 5-6 correct |
| 85 percentile | 9-10 | 7-8 correct |
| 90 percentile | 12-13 | 9-10 correct |
| 95 percentile | 14-15 | 11-12 correct |
| 97 percentile | 16-17 | 13-14 correct |
| 99 percentile | 18-20 | 15-16 correct |
Strategy Notes:
- Prioritise Arithmetic first—fastest scoring area.
- Take TITA questions only when confident (no negative marking).
- Skip lengthy Geometry & Number System questions initially.
How Accuracy Impacts Percentile More Than Attempts?
While deciding how many questions to attempt in CAT 2025, accuracy remains the biggest differentiator between an 85th percentile and a 99th percentile scorer.
CAT’s marking scheme (+3/–1) makes even a few incorrect attempts extremely costly. Top scorers consistently maintain 85–90% accuracy, even with moderate attempts.
With normalisation applied across slots, 30–35 correct answers can comfortably cross the 97th percentile.
Therefore, instead of chasing high attempts, focus on selecting the right questions, avoiding guesswork, and maintaining accuracy to maximise percentile gain.
Realistic Attempt Plan Based on Difficulty
Your final decision on how many questions to attempt in CAT 2025 must adapt to the actual slot difficulty. CAT is known for dramatic variations across slots, especially in DILR. In an easy–moderate paper, targeting 50–55 attempts is feasible.
For a moderate paper, aim for 40–45 attempts. However, in a tough slot, as seen in past CAT papers, even 30–35 high-accuracy attempts can deliver a 95–99 percentile.
The key is: stay flexible and avoid attempting uniformly across all difficulty levels.
Tips to Identify “Doable” Questions Quickly
A major part of deciding how many questions to attempt in CAT 2025 is spotting the easiest, most score-friendly questions in the first 2–3 minutes.
- Begin by scanning the entire section quickly. In VARC, choose RC passages with a straightforward tone.
- In DILR, pick sets with clean data tables or simple arrangements.
- In QA, start with Arithmetic and Algebra.
Avoid time traps, long calculations, and overly inferential sets. The more efficiently you identify “doable” questions, the higher your percentile.
Final Recommended Attempt Strategy for 99 Percentile
If your goal is the 99th percentile, your approach to how many questions to attempt in CAT 2025 must prioritise accuracy, not speed. A solid high-percentile strategy includes: 15–18 attempts in VARC, 12–15 in DILR, and 14–16 in QA, with at least 85–90% accuracy.
Overall, 48–55 well-selected attempts are enough to touch or cross the 99th percentile in CAT 2025
Want to instantly verify whether your attempt plan matches your target percentile?
Use Tarkashastra’s Free CAT 2025 Score Calculator to check your raw score, scaled score, and predicted percentile within seconds.
Conclusion
Understanding how many questions to attempt in CAT 2025 is the foundation of scoring a high percentile, but the real game lies in accuracy, smart selection, and adapting to difficulty.
With a balanced strategy across VARC, DILR, and QA, even moderate attempts can deliver exceptional results.
At Tarkashastra, we help you refine these strategies through expert mentorship, mock analysis, and proven exam-day planning—ensuring you perform at your peak on CAT day.
