Can I prepare for CAT and GMAT together in 2025?

Question

B.K Sharma · Accepted Answer

Yes, you can prepare for CAT and GMAT Focus together in 2025, but you need a clear plan from the start. If you&rsquo;re applying to global B-schools, try to take GMAT Focus by July or August so you can fully focus on CAT after that.
If July and August have already passed, aim for a September GMAT Focus date,  any later and it&rsquo;ll start affecting your CAT prep.
Quant and RC are the common areas. CAT Quant covers more topics and is tougher on calculations. GMAT Focus sticks to fewer areas but asks cleaner, logic-based questions. Once you&rsquo;re good at CAT QA, GMAT Focus Quant is easier to manage, just practice Data Sufficiency separately.
In Verbal, GMAT Focus is all about Reading Comprehension and Critical Reasoning. CAT also tests logic, but in a different way. Make sure to set aside time every week for CAT-specific verbal like para jumbles and odd-one-out , GMAT doesn&rsquo;t cover these at all.

D. Aarav · Answer

Studying for both CAT and GMAT Focus in 2025 isn&rsquo;t impossible, but it gets messy fast if you don&rsquo;t set boundaries early. The tests look similar on paper but train your brain in very different ways.
&bull; Build a 6-month plan where GMAT Focus prep finishes by August, so you get at least 3 months for pure CAT focus. &bull; Use Critical Reasoning practice (GMAT-style) to sharpen logic,  this directly helps with CAT summary and inference-based RCs. &bull; Schedule weekly practice for CAT-specific Verbal,  para jumbles, odd-sentence out, para summaries ,  none of these show up on GMAT Focus and need their own strategy. &bull; For Quant, CAT goes wider, GMAT goes deeper. After building CAT-level accuracy, switch to Focus-style questions ,  especially Data Sufficiency. &bull; Don&rsquo;t reuse study material across exams. Keep mocks and prep content separate. Mixing formats messes up your timing and mindset. &bull; The reasoning asked in GMAT Focus is more structured and rule-based, while CAT relies more on intuition and quick elimination. Practicing both will build sharper thinking, but don&rsquo;t mix their methods ,, solve each with the style the test expects.
Treat them like two different languages ,  the logic overlaps, but how you speak it has to change.