There are two types of the CAT exam 2025 answer keys officially released by the authorities. IIM Kozhikode released the provisional answer key on 4 December 2025. Candidates will be able to download it using their login credentials, which are the registration ID and password. For every three slots, the answer key will be released separately.
The provisional answer key, released before the official answer key, allows candidates to calculate their expected scores based on their CAT response sheet. If students find any discrepancies in their provisional answer key, they can raise objections for corrections through the official CAT website from 8 to 10 December 2025. Once all the discrepancies are resolved, the authorities release an official answer key before the result declaration. It is important to take a printout of the answer key for future reference.
Both the provisional and final CAT Exam answer keys will be released after the exam for the three slots. The expected time of the release of the final one is in the last week of December 2025. Students are encouraged to check the Collegehai.com News Section for the latest updates regarding answer key release dates and other information:
Candidates can access the provisional answer key for the CAT exam 2025 from December 4, 2025, onwards and the final answer key on December 17, 2025. It will be available on the official CAT website. The provisional answer key will help students calculate their overall marks for the VARC, LRDI, and QA sections. If candidates find any discrepancies within the provisional answer key, they can raise objections from December 8 to December 10, 2025. The final result was published on December 24, 2025.
CAT Exam 2025 Answer Key PDF Direct Link
How to Download the CAT Exam 2025 Answer Key?
Step 1: Visit the official CAT website www.iimcat.ac.in
Step 2: Log in to the website using the registration ID and password that you set up at the time of filling out the application form.
Step 3: Go to the homepage and locate the section with the link to download the provisional answer key.
Step 4: Download the PDF of the answer key and review your answers.
Step 5: Take a printout of the answer key for future reference for calculating the probable score and raising objections in case of discrepancies with the provisional answer key.
CAT Exam 2025 Marking Scheme
In the CAT exam, there are 3 marks for each MCQ, and for the right one, positive marks will be given. Otherwise, if any question is incorrect, 1 mark will be deducted. All the questions in the CAT EXAM 2025 are optional, and there is no compulsory question. The marking scheme provided by the IIMs is as follows:
How to Object to the CAT Exam 2025 Answer Key?
The steps for objecting to the provisional CAT Exam 2025 answer key are as follows:
Step 1: Go to the official CAT website www.iimcat.in
Step 2: Log in using your registration ID and password.
Step 3: Visit the homepage and select the CAT objection form tab.
Step 4: Select the section, question number, and its respective answer choice.
Step 5: You will find the following 3 choices on your screen:
More than one of the MCQs is a correct answer
None of the MCQs is a correct answer
The answer key provided is incorrect
Step 5: After selecting your desired choices, add your remarks within 500 words in the remarks section.
Step 6: Pay a fee of INR 1200 for submitting the CAT Exam 2025 Objection Form.
Step 7: Select the submit option to finally submit the CAT Exam 2025 Objection Form.
How to Calculate Marks with Answer Key
To calculate your probable scores from your response sheet using the official answer key, first download the official answer key and your respective CAT response sheet from the official CAT website. Then, match your responses with the official answer key. Finally, apply the exam's marking scheme (which is +3 marks for a correct answer, -1 mark for an incorrect answer, and 0 marks for no attempts) to calculate your aggregate score.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, the IIMs do release the official answer key for CAT.
You can download your respective response from the official CAT website. www.iimcat.in
Yes, Every correct answer is awarded with +3 marks.
Yes, a CAT response sheet is accurate and provides the list of your responses.
No, an answer key and a response sheet are not the same.