CAT Last-Minute Preparation Tips 2025
As CAT 2025 is around the corner, aspirants now enter the most important phase of their preparation, where the emphasis is on smart revision, planning pragmatically, and practicing with focus, as opposed to learning. At this point, the goal is fairly obvious: boosting your performance by getting more accurate, improving speed, creating sectional balance, and instilling confidence. You will find detailed last-minute exam strategies with section-wise tips, and a plan for the last week, to help candidates start getting exam-ready.
Why Last-Minute Preparation Matters
The few days prior to CAT can actually greatly affect your percentile. Instead of starting brand new topics, you should be focusing your time on:
- Reviewing the things you know
- Removing low aspects of testing habits
- Practicing challenging problems that use your strengths
- Keeping speed and accuracy
- Building a positive testing mindset
Also Read, CAT Revision Strategy 2025, Revision Videos, Study Materials
CAT Section-Wise Last-Minute Preparation Tips 2025
| CAT 2025 Expected Questions PDF (With Video Solutions) | ||
| 100+ CAT VARC Questions PDF | 100+ CAT DILR Questions PDF | 100+ CAT Quant Questions PDF |
VARC Last-minute Preparation Tips for CAT 2025:
- Time Management: In the CAT VARC section, try not to spend too much time on the first few RCs. Aim to solve each RC in under 10 minutes. If you find yourself stuck, move to the next one.
- Prioritize Reading Speed: Train yourself to read faster without losing comprehension. This can be practiced by reading newspapers, articles, or even CAT-level passages at a faster pace to improve your speed.
- Avoid Panic in Last Minutes: When the clock starts running down, don't panic. Maintain a steady pace and avoid getting fixated on difficult questions or passages. Keep an eye on the timer and manage your attempts accordingly.
Important Tips for Revision:
- Consistently solve 3-4 RCs and 10 VA questions daily.
- If you are weak in VARC, make sure you give 1 sectional daily till CAT to improve your strategy and speed. see exactly where you are lacking, is it confusing between 2 options or you didn't understand the passage. You will find these things in sectional only.
- Use "elimination" methods to select correct RC options and focus on accuracy, avoiding excessive guesswork to prevent negative marks.
LRDI Last-minute Preparation Tips for CAT 2025:
- Practice Logical Problem Solving: For LRDI, it’s crucial to keep practicing problem-solving strategies, especially for sets you previously found difficult. Analyze mistakes made in past mocks and make sure you know the right approach to solve similar sets.
- Section Switching Strategy: After completing one set in LRDI, take a quick 30-35 second break to clear your mind before moving to the next set. This helps to avoid carrying over any mental fatigue from the previous set.
- Choose Your Sets Wisely: Don't attempt every set in LRDI. Choose the ones you feel comfortable with and avoid spending too much time on complex sets. Quick, easier sets can fetch you more marks.
Important Tips for Revision:
- Try as many different kinds of sets as possible in these last couple of days. The best way to go about the LRDI revision is by solving at least 3-4 years of CAT Previous papers even if you have solved them earlier, I would strongly advise you to do them again. If possible, give them as sectionals. You can easily get them on Cracku's official website.
- Start each revision session by seeing what sets there are; the types that you have practiced and are sure about should be the first priority.
- The categories to try: circular arrangements, bar/line graphs, tables with missing values.
- Practice by pretending to be in an examination - solve each set during the time allocated to you and don’t spend too long on any set. You can build the habit of giving in the real exam format I.e you can take the last year's LRDI sets in the sectional test format.
Quant Last-minute Preparation Tips for CAT 2025:
- Formula Revision: Revise key formulas for Arithmetic, Algebra, and Geometry in the last few days. Ensure you have a formula sheet handy to go through the essential concepts, especially for areas like percentages, ratios, and algebra.
- Accuracy Over Speed: While it's important to be fast, focus on accuracy first. Don't rush through questions. If you feel uncertain about a question, skip it and come back later if time permits. Avoid silly errors.
- Don’t Panic if You Get Stuck: If you get stuck on a question, move on. Take a deep breath, and focus on solving other questions instead of stressing over the tough ones. CAT is about smart work, not just hard work.
Important Tips for Revision:
- If possible try to solve as many questions as you can in the last couple of days. Take as many sectionals as possible to improve your attempt strategy. While attempting the sectionals make sure you are not ending up leaving easy questions and spending more time on hard questions. Remember CAT is not about attempting all the questions, it is about attempting 50% of the exam correctly.
- Daily revision of key formulas - maintain a formula notebook and review before every mock.
- Focus on high-weight topics (arithmetic, algebra, geometry), practicing mixed-level problems and previous year sets.
- Avoid new topics at this stage - consolidate existing knowledge, enhance speed and accuracy with Cracku’s Quant Rush and sectional tests.
Also Read, CAT Section-wise Preparation Strategy 2025, Study Material
What to Revise in the Final Week Before CAT 2025
The last 7 days are all about targeted revision. Here is what to focus on:
Component | What to Do |
Attempt 3–5 mocks (not daily), focusing on analysis | |
Topic Revision | Revise formulas, concepts, shortcuts, grammar rules |
Error Log Review | Study mistakes from earlier tests and ensure they are not repeated |
Take 1 VARC, 1 DILR, 1 Quant sectional every day if possible. | |
Mental Preparation | Reduce stress, improve focus, and maintain exam stamina |
Note: Make full use of Cracku's revision videos (Button given above). These videos contains not just questions but concepts also that are too topic wise and good quality questions by CAT 100 percentiler.
Also Read, CAT 2025 Expected Questions PDF with Video Solutions
How to Improve Speed and Accuracy in the Last Few Days
Performance enhancement at this stage will be tactical in nature given the limited timeframe:
1. Incorporate time-based practice
Solve questions with a time-bound system similar to exam pressure.
- RC Set: 8-9 minutes
- DILR Set: 10-12 minutes
- Quant questions: under 3 minutes each
2. Focus on accuracy first
Moderate attempts with high accuracy are often scored higher on the CAT than high attempts with wrong answers.
3. Develop strategy for question selection
Deciding on which questions to solve or skip saves the most time.
4. Learn techniques for mental calculations
Practice:
- Tables
- Squares
- Fractions to percentages
- Easy steps for simple calculations
5. Review mocks thoroughly
Rather than taking multiple mocks, learn from each one by paying attention to:
- Unproductive time
- Inconsistent choice
- Strengths and weak topics.
Also Read, CAT Study Material 2025, Questions, Test Series, Formula PDF
Last-Day Preparation Tips Before CAT Exam
The day before CAT exam should be peaceful, deliberate, and careful. Use the last 24 hours to:
Do:
Look over formulas, notes, and quick references.
Review the documents for the exam day:
- Admit Card
- Photo ID
- Reporting time & test center.
Don't:
- Don't complete a full mockup on the last day.
- Don't learn new topics.
- Don't go to bed late.
Keep a positive attitude,this exam is as psychological as it is academic.
Common Last-Minute Mistakes to Avoid for CAT 2025
Mistake | Why It Hurts | What To Do Instead |
Starting new topics | Reduces retention & confidence | Revise only what you know |
Taking too many mocks | Burns out the brain | Take fewer mocks but analyze deeply |
Trying to attempt all questions | Leads to low accuracy | Focus on high-scoring attempts |
Skipping rest & sleep | Declines cognitive performance | Maintain 6–8 hours of sleep |
Panic due to peer pressure | Disrupts concentration | Stay focused on your own plan |
CAT Last-minute Preparation Tips 2025: Conclusion
Last-minute study for the CAT is not about trying to learn everything. It is about performing at your best with what you already know. By employing smart practices, assessing errors, refining question choice, and managing stress, it is entirely possible to improve your percentile in late-game preparation.

