CAT
The gateway to MBA/PGP admission at the 21 Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and over 1,000 other B-schools, including FMS Delhi, MDI Gurgaon and SPJIMR Mumbai.
Eligibility
A bachelor's degree with at least 50% marks (45% for SC/ST/PwD candidates), in any discipline; final-year students may also apply. There is no age limit and no cap on the number of attempts, though the exam is held only once a year. Professional qualifications such as CA/CS/ICWA are also accepted in lieu of a degree.
Age limit: No age limit
Exam pattern
Computer-Based Test (CBT) of 120 minutes with three sections in fixed order — Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC, 24 questions), Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR, 22) and Quantitative Ability (QA, 22) — 40 minutes per section, with no switching between sections. The recent papers carry 68 questions for a total of 204 marks. Questions are a mix of Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQs) and Type-In-The-Answer (TITA) questions; marking is +3 for a correct answer and −1 for a wrong MCQ, with no negative marking for TITA. The test runs in three slots on exam day and scores are normalised into percentiles.
Syllabus at a glance
VARC covers reading comprehension passages, para-jumbles, para-summary and odd-sentence questions. DILR tests caselet-based data sets, tables, graphs, puzzles, arrangements and games. QA spans arithmetic (the largest chunk), algebra, geometry and mensuration, number systems and modern maths. There is no prescribed syllabus document — difficulty is calibrated at a demanding graduate aptitude level.
Upcoming dates
| Event | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Official notification (CAT 2026) | 26 Jul 2026 (last Sunday of July, expected) | expected |
| Registration window | 1 Aug – mid-Sep 2026 (expected; CAT 2025 window closed 13 Sep) | expected |
| Admit card release | Late Oct / early Nov 2026 (expected) | expected |
| Exam date | 29 Nov 2026 (last Sunday of November, expected) | expected |
| Result | Early Jan 2027 (expected) | 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 Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for the CAT — Arun Sharma & Meenakshi Upadhyay
- How to Prepare for Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning for the CAT — Arun Sharma
- Quantum CAT — Sarvesh K. Verma
- Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation for the CAT — Nishit K. Sinha
- Word Power Made Easy — Norman Lewis
How toppers play it
- The 40-minute sectional lock means you cannot borrow time between sections — build all three to at least the 85th-percentile level, because IIM shortlists require sectional cut-offs, not just an overall percentile.
- Type-In-The-Answer (TITA) questions carry no negative marking — always enter something for every TITA question in all three sections.
- In DILR, spend the first 3-4 minutes scanning all sets and commit to the two or three most doable ones — set selection decides the section.
- Take 25-30 full mocks from August onwards, but spend as long analysing each mock as taking it; track accuracy percentages, not just attempt counts.
- A wrong MCQ costs 1 mark against 3 for a correct one — skip genuine 50-50 guesses; top percentiles are built on accuracy at this ratio.