CAT
Gateway to MBA/PGP programmes at the 21 IIMs and is also accepted by FMS Delhi, SPJIMR, MDI Gurgaon, IIT schools of management and several hundred other B-schools.
Eligibility
Bachelor's degree with at least 50% marks or equivalent CGPA (45% for SC/ST/PwD); final-year students may apply. There is no upper age limit and no cap on the number of attempts.
Age limit: No age limit
Exam pattern
Computer-based test of 120 minutes in three sections, each with a fixed 40-minute sectional timer and a fixed order: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Ability (QA). Recent papers have 68 questions (about 24 VARC, 22 DILR, 22 QA), mixing MCQs and Type-In-The-Answer (TITA) questions. Each correct answer earns +3; a wrong MCQ costs -1, while wrong TITA answers carry no penalty. Three slots are held on the same day, and scores are normalised into percentiles.
Syllabus at a glance
VARC covers reading comprehension passages (about 16 questions), para-jumbles, para-summary and odd-sentence-out. DILR consists of 4-5 caselet sets on arrangements, games and tournaments, tables, charts and Venn-type puzzles. QA is roughly Class 8-10 level mathematics: arithmetic (percentages, ratios, time-speed-work, averages), algebra, geometry and mensuration, number systems, and modern maths (P&C, probability, progressions, logs).
Upcoming dates
| Event | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Admit card release | From early Nov 2026 (around 4 Nov) | expected |
| CAT 2026 exam (three slots) | 29 Nov 2026 (Sunday) | confirmed |
| Provisional answer key and response sheet | Early Dec 2026 | expected |
| Result | Late Dec 2026 - early Jan 2027 | expected |
Expected dates follow the usual calendar; confirm on the official notification before planning.
Free prep material
Standard books
- How to Prepare for Quantitative Aptitude for the CAT - Arun Sharma
- How to Prepare for Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning for the CAT - Arun Sharma
- How to Prepare for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for the CAT - Arun Sharma and Meenakshi Upadhyay
- Quantitative Aptitude for the CAT - Nishit K. Sinha
- Quantum CAT - Sarvesh K. Verma
- Word Power Made Easy - Norman Lewis
How toppers play it
- Each section has its own 40-minute lock, so you need a balanced profile: IIM calls require sectional cut-offs, often 70-85 percentile per section, as well as the overall percentile.
- In DILR, spend the first 4-5 minutes scanning every set and pick the 2-3 most solvable ones. Fully solving 2-3 sets beats half-solving all of them.
- Attempt every TITA question where you have a reasonable estimate, since wrong TITA answers carry no negative marking.
- Reading comprehension carries about two-thirds of VARC marks. Read 1-2 dense editorials daily and practise 3-4 passages a day under time pressure.
- In the final weeks, take full mocks in the real slot timing and analyse each one for longer than it took to write.