CAT at a glance
The Common Admission Test (CAT) is the entrance exam for the MBA/PGDM and doctoral programmes of the Indian Institutes of Management, and its score is also accepted by a large number of other business schools. It is a computer-based test held once a year, usually in the last week of November, in several sessions on the same day. CAT 2026 is scheduled for Sunday, 29 November 2026 and is being conducted by IIM Indore; the application window ran from 3 August to 15 September 2026, so if you are reading this in October 2026 registration has closed and admit cards are expected from 4 November. The previous edition, CAT 2025, was conducted by IIM Kozhikode on 30 November 2025 in three sessions. The conducting IIM changes from year to year, and dates are announced on the official CAT website.
| Detail | What recent editions have looked like |
|---|---|
| Conducted by | One of the IIMs, on a rotation (IIM Indore for CAT 2026, IIM Kozhikode for CAT 2025) |
| Mode | Computer-based test at test centres, in multiple sessions |
| Duration | 120 minutes: three sections of 40 minutes each |
| Questions | 68 in CAT 2025: VARC 24, DILR 22, Quantitative Ability 22 (reported to be unchanged for CAT 2026) |
| Question types | Multiple-choice (MCQ) and type-in-the-answer (non-MCQ) questions |
| Marking | +3 for a correct answer, −1 for a wrong MCQ answer, no negative marking for non-MCQ |
| Section switching | Not allowed: each section has its own 40-minute clock |
These figures describe the CAT 2025 notice, and reports on the CAT 2026 notice say the pattern is unchanged. The IIMs publish the pattern for each year with the CAT notification, and it has changed in the past (the exam was 100 questions in 180 minutes until 2019, then 76 questions in 120 minutes, and has since settled on the current shape). Always check the current notice on the official CAT website before you plan around any number on this page, including ours.
Who takes CAT and who is eligible
CAT is taken mostly by final-year undergraduates and by working professionals with a few years of experience, and it feeds into a wide range of programmes, from full-time two-year MBAs to executive and fellow programmes. The eligibility rule in recent notices is a bachelor's degree with at least 50% marks or an equivalent CGPA (45% for reserved categories and candidates with disabilities), and students in the final year of their degree can also apply. Individual IIMs and other schools add their own criteria on top: work experience, academic cut-offs in Class 10 and 12, and weightage for the interview and group exercise. CAT scores alone do not get you in; they get you shortlisted.
The three sections and what each really tests
Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC)
VARC is dominated by reading comprehension passages, followed by verbal ability questions such as para-jumbles, para-summary and odd-sentence-out. The passages draw on social science, economics, philosophy, science and literature, and the answer options are written to be close. This section rewards reading speed, the ability to follow an argument and the discipline to eliminate options with evidence from the passage. Our detailed guide is on the CAT VARC page.
Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR)
DILR is built from sets: a scenario, table or graph followed by several questions. A set can be solved completely or not at all, so the key skill is choosing the right sets in the first few minutes. The DILR page explains the common set types and how to judge solvability.
Quantitative Ability (QA)
QA draws on arithmetic, algebra, geometry, number system and modern maths (permutation-combination, probability). Difficulty is uneven: a few questions are quick, many are moderate and a handful need real insight. See the CAT Quantitative Aptitude page for topic priorities.
Syllabus areas to prepare
The IIMs do not publish a detailed syllabus for CAT, so any list is an inference from past papers. The areas below reflect what recent papers have drawn on; treat it as a working map, not an official boundary.
| Section | Areas that recent papers have drawn on |
|---|---|
| VARC | Reading comprehension (inference, tone, main idea, application); para-jumbles; para-summary; odd sentence out; sentence placement |
| DILR | Arrangements and selections; games and tournaments; tables, bar and line charts; caselets; networks and routes; Venn-style set logic |
| QA | Percentages, ratios, profit and loss, interest; time, speed, distance and work; averages and mixtures; linear and quadratic equations; inequalities, functions, logarithms, progressions; number system; geometry and mensuration; permutation-combination and probability |
How a CAT score is computed: a worked example
Because the scheme is +3 for a correct answer and −1 for a wrong MCQ answer, two candidates who attempt the same number of questions can finish far apart. Here is an illustrative example for one section (the numbers are made up to show the arithmetic, not taken from any real result):
| Candidate | Attempted | Correct | Wrong MCQ | Wrong non-MCQ | Section score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A: selective | 14 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 12 × 3 − 2 × 1 = 34 |
| B: aggressive | 20 | 13 | 6 | 1 | 13 × 3 − 6 × 1 = 33 |
| C: scattergun | 22 | 11 | 9 | 2 | 11 × 3 − 9 × 1 = 24 |
Candidate A attempted eight fewer questions than C and still scored ten more marks, because every wrong MCQ answer costs a mark and also removes the three you could have earned if you had spent that time on a question you could solve. Candidate B shows how a high attempt count can tie with a careful approach: B's extra attempts earned only a single net mark. The practical lesson is that attempts matter only as long as the questions at the margin are ones you can answer correctly more than about one time in four.
Why mock tests matter more for CAT than for most exams
In many exams, preparation is mostly about knowing more. In CAT, much of the score depends on decisions made in the moment: which of the 24 VARC questions are worth your time, which two or three of the DILR sets you will commit to, which QA questions to leave. Those decisions improve only through practice under the real constraint of a 40-minute clock and no way back to the previous section. A mock is the only way to practise them.
Mocks do three further jobs. They show your attempt rate and accuracy per section, which is where the improvements actually are. They surface gaps in topics you thought you had covered. And they build the stamina to concentrate for two hours without a break between sections.
Types of CAT mock tests and when to use each
| Type | Length | Best used for |
|---|---|---|
| Topic tests | 10-20 questions | Checking a topic right after you study it; repairing a weak topic |
| Sectional tests | One 40-minute section | Building section strategy: passage selection, DILR set selection, QA triage |
| Full-length mocks | 68 questions, 120 minutes | Stamina, sectional pacing and overall strategy, closer to the exam |
| Previous-year-style papers | Full or sectional | Calibrating difficulty and the style of recent questions |
Early in preparation, topic tests and untimed sectionals are more useful than full mocks because you do not yet have the material to apply under pressure. In the last three to four months, full mocks should become a weekly habit. Our step-by-step plan is in the CAT mock test strategy.
Free and paid CAT mocks: what to expect
Free tests are useful to find your baseline and to sample the question style of an institute before you commit to a series. Paid series usually offer more papers, a graded difficulty progression, detailed solutions and analytics. Neither is better by default: a free test with good explanations is worth more than an unreviewed paid one. You can see what is available on TestMint in the lists below, and read how to judge quality in what makes a good mock test. If you want to start without paying, the free CAT mock tests page explains how to use a free attempt as a baseline.
Test-taking strategy for each section
VARC. Skim the first and last lines of each passage before you decide the order. Attempt the passages you find most accessible first, and take the verbal ability questions (which are shorter) at a deliberate point in your sequence rather than leaving them to the end by accident. For each RC question, find the line in the passage that supports your answer before you mark it.
DILR. Spend the first five to six minutes reading every set and ranking it. Commit to a set only when you can see the first deduction. If after about eight minutes you have not made real progress, leave it, because the opportunity cost is a whole set elsewhere.
QA. Make one quick pass solving only questions where you can see the method immediately. Make a second pass on the questions that need a little thought. Leave the rest. Type-in questions need especially careful arithmetic because there are no options to check against.
Time management across the paper
Because each section is separately timed, you cannot borrow time from another. Divide each 40 minutes into a first pass, a second pass and a final two minutes for checking flagged answers. Practise stopping on the clock in every mock, even when you are in the middle of a solution. On the real day, the habit of leaving a half-solved question at the bell will keep you calm.
Negative marking: how it should change your attempts
A wrong MCQ costs one mark and a correct one earns three, so a guess is worthwhile only if your chance of being right is better than one in four. When you can eliminate two options, a guess is clearly profitable; when you cannot eliminate any, the expected value is slightly negative. Non-MCQ questions carry no negative marking, so always type in your best answer for those. Practise this with your own data using our accuracy versus attempts worked example.
How to analyse a CAT mock properly
Every wrong answer belongs in one of these categories, and each category has a different fix:
| Cause | What it looks like | What to do next |
|---|---|---|
| Concept gap | You did not know the method | Study the topic; solve 10-15 questions on it within a week |
| Calculation error | Right method, wrong arithmetic | Daily calculation drills; write intermediate steps |
| Reading error | Answered a different question, or missed a condition | Underline the ask and the constraints before solving |
| Selection error | Spent too long on a question or set that was not worth it | Set a time ceiling per question; practise abandoning |
| Guessing error | Marked an answer you were not sure about and lost marks | Define a rule for when to guess; check it against results |
| Pressure error | Knew it, but rushed in the last minutes of the section | Rehearse stopping on the clock; keep a two-minute buffer |
After sorting, redo the sets and questions you skipped, without a clock. The aim is to find out whether you skipped sensibly. If you find that you could have solved most of what you skipped, your threshold is too cautious. For a full routine see how to review incorrect questions and how to build an error log.
Common mistakes in CAT preparation
- Taking many mocks and reviewing few. A mock without a review gives you a score and no improvement. Spend at least as long reviewing as attempting.
- Chasing the mock percentile. A mock percentile compares you only with the people who took that mock. Track your own accuracy and attempts instead.
- Ignoring VARC until late. Reading speed takes months to build. Start reading long-form material early.
- Solving DILR sets without a clock. Untimed practice hides slow methods, which are what hurt you in the real test.
- Repeating the same section order every mock. Experiment, because the best order is individual.
A preparation timeline using mocks
Eight to six months before the exam: build fundamentals, with topic tests after each topic and one diagnostic mock to find your baseline. Six to four months: add timed sectional tests; begin a reading habit and a DILR routine. Four to two months: a full mock every week with a full day of review. The last two months: two mocks a week at most, focused on your strategy and your error log, and a lighter final week. The details are in the strategy guide, and a shorter schedule is in the 30-day plan.
A sample week in the mock-heavy phase
This is one way to arrange a week once full mocks have started, for someone with a job or classes during the day. Adjust it to your schedule and keep it fixed for a few weeks so you can compare results.
| Day | Task | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Review of the weekend mock: classify errors, update the error log | 90 min |
| Tuesday | VARC sectional (40 min) and verbal ability drill | 90 min |
| Wednesday | QA topic repair: three weak topics, 10 questions each | 90 min |
| Thursday | DILR sectional (40 min), then redo skipped sets untimed | 2 hours |
| Friday | Light day: reading practice and revision of formulas | 45 min |
| Saturday | Rest or light topic practice | Optional |
| Sunday | Full-length mock in the exam time slot | 2 hours plus a short debrief |
The structure to copy is the shape, not the details: one full mock, one review day immediately after it, two sectionals, one topic-repair day and one lighter day. If you find yourself skipping the review day, drop a mock rather than the review.
CAT compared with XAT and MAT
Many candidates prepare for CAT alongside other management entrance exams. The overlaps are large, but the formats differ in ways that matter for how you take mocks. The figures below are the most recent patterns published by the respective authorities and may change, so check each exam's notification.
| CAT (2025) | XAT (2026) | MAT | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conducted by | An IIM, on rotation | XLRI | AIMA |
| Duration | 120 minutes | 180 minutes (170 + 10 for the GK part) | 120 minutes |
| Questions | 68 | About 95 | 150 (5 sections of 30) |
| Sectional time limits | Yes, 40 minutes each | No sectional limit within the main part | As per the paper's instructions |
| Negative marking | −1 for a wrong MCQ (3 per correct) | −0.25 per wrong answer (1 per correct) | −0.25 per wrong answer (1 per correct) |
| Distinctive part | DILR sets; type-in questions | Decision Making section | Economic and business environment section |
If you are preparing for more than one, our pages for XAT and MAT describe their own formats, and our note on preparing for two exams at once shows how to share the common preparation without blurring the differences. In particular, do not train yourself on MAT-style pacing (about a minute per question) if CAT is your main exam, because the best CAT scores come from selective, not exhaustive, attempting.
The official CAT mock and why to take others as well
In recent years the IIMs have made an official mock test available on the CAT website to registered candidates a few weeks before the exam. It follows the format of the real paper, including section order and timing, and lets you try the exam interface and the on-screen calculator. It is worth taking once for that reason alone. However, a single paper cannot train selection and pacing, so you will still need many more mocks from institutes. Keep the official mock for the interface and instructions, and use institute mocks for volume.
Recent exam-day guidance reported by coaching sites says candidates are given a pen and a scribble pad at the centre and cannot bring their own rough sheets, and that the on-screen calculator is basic. Practise accordingly: do your mocks with a simple calculator window and a single sheet of rough paper, and read the admit card instructions carefully a few days before the exam.
Reading your result on TestMint
When you submit a test on TestMint, you get your score and an answer review. Use them in this order: first look at the section-wise breakdown to see where the marks came from, then open the questions you got wrong or skipped, then check the explanation for each. If the explanation shows a faster method than yours, write it down. Institutes decide how detailed their explanations are, so a sample from the same institute (a free test, for instance) is the best guide to what you will get in a paid series. The test page also shows who created the test, its duration and marking scheme, so you can check that it follows the pattern described above before you start.
Related reading and where to go next
Read the detailed exam pattern and marking scheme for the section-by-section breakdown, how to use mock tests for CAT preparation for a worked review example and section-wise time management for how to set time budgets. For topic practice, percentage, time, speed and distance and data interpretation sets help build speed.
Official information: the exam pattern, dates and eligibility for the current cycle are published by the IIMs on the official CAT website. Details on this page were checked in October 2026 and can change; please confirm them in the current notification.
