CAT DILR Analysis 2025: Difficulty Level & Slot-wise Details

Get a detailed CAT DILR Analysis 2025 with slot-wise difficulty levels, question trends, and expected scores. Understand which slots were toughest and plan your preparation smarter.

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The CAT 2025 exam was successfully finished in all slots, and the DILR section was once again one of the most challenging sections of the paper. The section required logical thinking, interpretation of data, and time management. Although the general pattern was similar to the past years, there were differences in the level of difficulty.

This article gives the CAT DILR analysis 2025, including the level of difficulty, the evaluation of the section in comparison with the previous year and the score vs percentile analysis.

Overview of CAT DILR 2025

The DILR section in CAT 2025 assessed the candidate's ability to interpret data, see patterns and make logical conclusions within a time limit. This section consisted of a combination of sets based on data, logical puzzles, along reasoning questions.

The CAT DILR gives marks based on clear thinking, systematic ability to solve problems and confidence in dealing with question types unfamiliar to candidates. The table below gives an overview of the CAT DILR 2025.

Particulars	Details
Total Questions in DILR	20–22
Total Marks	60–66 marks
Number of Sets	4 sets
Questions per Set	4–6 questions
Type of Questions	MCQs + TITA
Difficulty Level	Moderate to Difficult
Time Limit	40 minutes
Key Skills Tested	Logical reasoning, analytical thinking, data-based decision making
On-Screen Calculator	Allowed
Negative Marking	-1 for MCQs, No negative marking for TITA

Also Read: CAT Exam Analysis 2025: Slot 1 Section-wise Difficulty Level and Good Attempts

Difficulty Level of CAT DILR 2025

According to the recent patterns, CAT DILR 2025 continues being fairly challenging, and one set atleast was challenging to the majority of candidates. The exam has always emphasized logic-based sets over calculation-based data interpretation, and thus, the students needed to use deeper analysis.

Difficulty changed according to the slot, but there was a mix of easy, medium, and challenging sets in the paper. The table below shows the difficulty level of the CAT DILR section in 2025.

Particulars	Details
Number of Questions	20
Number of Sets	4 sets
Questions per Set	4–6 questions
Overall Difficulty	Moderate to Moderate-High
Easy Sets	1
Moderate Sets	2
Difficult Set	1
Time Required per Set	12–15 minutes
Good Attempts	8–12 questions
Accuracy for Good Percentile	70–80%
Likely Score for 95+ Percentile	30–35 marks

Also Read: How Many Attempts are Allowed in CAT Exam?

Previous Year DILR Difficulty Comparison

The varied pattern of DILR Section in the past CAT examinations has not been predictable, with some years appearing to be of moderate difficulty and some of greater difficulty. Nevertheless, it has been seen that there will be a set or two that are far more challenging than the others. Thus, the general format is the same, but the number of details in separate sets is different. The table below gives a year-wise comparison of the difficulty level of the DILR section.

Year	Overall DILR Difficulty	Key Highlights
2024	Moderate to Difficult	Sets were lengthy, only 2 sets were easily solvable, high weightage on logical puzzle-type sets.
2023	Difficult	Very challenging sets; time-consuming; many students could attempt only 1–2 sets accurately.
2022	Moderate	Mix of easy and tricky sets, better balance between data interpretation and logical reasoning, and more student-friendly.
2021	Moderate to Difficult	Logical reasoning-heavy section, data interpretation sets involved complex data, and accuracy was more important than the number of attempts.
2020	Difficult	Reduction in total exam time increased pressure, sets were calculation-heavy and lengthy.

Previous Year Slot-Wise DILR Analysis

The slot-wise analysis of the DILR section is important to understand. All the slots in the former year exam were characterized by a unique pattern of questions, configurations of sets, and the level of difficulty. Slots-based review will assist in determining what kind of sets were used more often, how the complexity varies between the slots, and what questions can be expected by the aspirants.

Slot 1 DILR 2024 Difficulty Level

The CAT 2024 slot 1 had a combination of logical questions and sets of data interpretation with moderate variability in the level of difficulty. Although some of them were very simple, others had many layers and took much time to compute. In general, the level of difficulty was regarded as moderate, but accuracy and selection of sets were the primary concerns of students who attempted in this slot.

Parameter	Details
Overall Difficulty	Moderate to Difficult
Type of Sets	Mixed sets with logical sequencing, games, and data grids
Number of Sets Attemptable	2 sets comfortably
Tough Areas	Data-heavy sets, multi-layer conditions
Student Feedback	Time-consuming, required high accuracy
Good Attempts	9–11 questions
Expected 95+ Percentile	23–27 marks

Slot 2 DILR 2024 Difficulty Level

Slot 2 was comparatively harder than Slot 1, and this was particularly in terms of the complexity of the logical sets of reasoning. Some of the students perceived the reasoning-based questions to be longer and more complex, which contributed to the time pressure. The table below shows the slot 2 DILR difficulty level.

Parameter	Details
Overall Difficulty	Moderate
Type of Sets	More balanced; one easy set, one moderate set, one tough set
Number of Sets Attemptable	2–2.5 sets
Tough Areas	Arrangement-based sets
Student Feedback	Manageable if sets were chosen wisely
Good Attempts	10–12 questions
Expected 95+ Percentile	24–28 marks

Slot 3 DILR 2024 Difficulty Level

Slot 3 had the same degree of difficulty as Slot 2, but was based on tricky sets of reasoning and specific data interpretation tasks. Nevertheless, the section remained solvable with the appropriate approach, especially for students who used systematic reasoning and analytical problem-solving. The table below shows the difficulty level of the Slot 3 DILR section.

Parameter	Details
Overall Difficulty	Moderate to Difficult
Type of Sets	Calculation-heavy Data Interpretation and tricky Logical Reasoning sets
Number of Sets Attemptable	1.5–2 sets
Tough Areas	Complex data interpretation tables and logical sequencing
Student Feedback	Most sets looked doable, but had tricky questions
Good Attempts	8–10 questions
Expected 95+ Percentile	22–25 marks

Previous Year DILR Score vs Percentile

Knowing the score vs percentile trend of the past years can help you be certain about the number of marks you need. The percentile of the CAT is based on the level of overall difficulty of the paper and the performance of other students. When you look at past data on DILR scores- percentile, you get a certain idea of what can be regarded as a strong, average, or low score. The table below provides the previous years’ DILR score vs percentile data.

Year	Score for 99 Percentile	Score for 95 Percentile	Score for 90 Percentile	Score for 80 Percentile	Difficulty Trend
2024	26–28	20–22	16–17	11–12	Moderate–Difficult
2023	30–32	22–24	18–19	12–13	Moderate
2022	27–29	20–22	16–17	10–11	Moderate–Difficult
2021	29–31	21–23	17–18	11–12	Moderate

Also Read: CAT 2025 Difficulty Level: Section-Wise Analysis & Good Attempts

What Is a Good Score in CAT DILR 2025?

As the level of difficulty varies every year, the marks required to score 90 or 95th percentile vary as well. But we can make a few predictions based on the trends in the past that ought to enable students to make a good percentile in the DILR section. The table below shows the score range and expected percentile for the CAT DILR section.

Performance Level	Estimated Score Range (DILR)	Expected Percentile
Excellent	32 – 40	98–99+ percentile
Very Good	26 – 31	95–97 percentile
Good	20 – 25	90–94 percentile
Average	15 – 19	80–89 percentile
Below Average	Below 15	Below 80 percentile

Also Read: List of MBA colleges accepting 90+percentile in CAT 2025

Conclusion

The CAT DILR section again followed the same trend and was tricky, with some sets requiring efficient analytical and rapid decision-making skills. The difficulty level was slightly different in each slot; however, the general trend was typical of the previous years. It was examined that accuracy and good set selection were important in the determination of scores and percentiles. This review offered students an improved insight into how the test proceeded and the way their performance corresponded to the overall tendencies of CAT 2025.