The Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Kozhikode will hold the Common Admission Test (CAT) 2025 exam on November 30, 2025 . This exam is important for students who want to get admission into top MBA programs in India, including the IIMs. The CAT exam has three main parts: Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Aptitude (QA).
A special type of question in the VARC section is called Odd One Out . These questions test how well a student can find a sentence that does not fit with a group of other sentences. It is important to understand these questions well to do better in the VARC section of CAT 2025.
What are Odd One Out Questions?
In an Odd One Out question, you will get five sentences . Four of these sentences will be related to each other and form a clear paragraph or talk about the same idea. One sentence, however, will be different. Your job is to find this one sentence that does not fit with the others.
These questions are often Type in the Answer (TITA) questions. This means you do not choose from options. Instead, you need to type the number of the sentence you think is the 'odd one out' into the computer. You will not need to arrange the remaining sentences in any order.
Key Topics in Odd One Out Questions
To help you prepare, here are the subjects that most Odd One Out questions have focused on in past CAT exams. Knowing these topics can help you read more about them and practice similar questions.
| Name of the Topics | Count | Percentage |
| Psychology | 11 | 25.58% |
| Business and Economics | 8 | 18.60% |
| Science and Technology | 8 | 18.60% |
| Culture and Society | 5 | 11.63% |
| Art and Culture | 4 | 9.30% |
| Environment | 3 | 6.98% |
| History | 2 | 4.65% |
| Philosophy | 2 | 4.65% |
| Total | 43 | 100% |
As you can see from the table, topics like Psychology , Business and Economics , and Science and Technology appear most often. These three areas make up more than 60% of all Odd One Out questions asked so far. Students should spend more time reading articles and understanding ideas related to these subjects.
How to Answer Odd One Out Questions
Solving Odd One Out questions requires a clear method. Follow these steps to improve your chances of getting them right:
Step 1: Find the Main Idea. Read all five sentences carefully. Try to understand what topic or idea they generally talk about. Look for keywords or common themes that link some of the sentences together.
Step 2: Look for Connections. After reading, see if you can find four sentences that naturally connect to each other. These four sentences should form a smooth flow, as if they belong together in a small paragraph. They might follow a sequence, support a single argument, or describe different parts of the same idea.
Step 3: Identify the Different Sentence. The sentence that breaks this flow or introduces a completely new idea is likely the odd one out. It will not fit logically or thematically with the other four sentences.
Step 4: Double-Check Your Choice. Once you think you have found the odd sentence, mentally remove it. Then, read the remaining four sentences together. If they make a complete and sensible paragraph on their own, then your choice is probably correct.
Step 5: Remember TITA Format. Do not try to rearrange the remaining four sentences. Your task is only to identify the number of the sentence that does not belong. For example, if the third sentence is the odd one out, you will type '3' as your answer.
Practicing these steps with different types of passages will help you become faster and more accurate. Understanding the main idea and finding logical connections are key skills for these questions. Regular reading of various articles, especially on the topics listed above, can also help you prepare better for the CAT 2025 exam.
