MBA · Entrance Exams

CAT Exam Pattern

The structure is that of CAT 2024 and 2025, retained in the CAT 2026 notification; the exact MCQ/TITA split is confirmed on the day.

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CAT · checked 19 September 2026

CAT at a glance, from the official notices

The dates, vacancies and rules below are read on the conducting body’s own site and rewritten as each notice appears. The guide beneath carries the full pattern, syllabus, cut-offs and free mock tests.

Free CAT mock testCAT syllabusToday’s current affairs
22Sep 2026

Next deadline

CAT: the facts that matter now

  1. 01

    Notification 25–26 July 2026; registration 3 August, 10 a.m., to 22 September 2026, 5 p.m. (extended from 15 September); admit cards 4 November…

    2026 cycle

  2. 02

    IIM Kozhikode, 30 November 2025: about 2.95 lakh registered and 2.58 lakh appeared; result 24 December 2025; 12 candidates at 100 percentile

    CAT 2025

  3. 03

    The Indian Institutes of Management in rotation — IIM Indore for CAT 2026 (convener Prof. Aditya Billore) — once a year, computer-based, for the…

    Conducted by

  4. 04

    8:30 – 10:30 a.m., 12:30 – 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 – 6:30 p.m., at about 170 test cities; the slot and city are on the admit card

    Slots

Pattern

CAT — CAT exam pattern 2026: 68 questions, three 40-minute sections, marking and percentiles

CAT is a two-hour computer-based test of 68 questions in three sections of 40 minutes each, taken in a fixed order, with +3 for a correct answer, −1 for a wrong multiple-choice answer and no deduction on type-in-the-answer questions.

Structure.
SectionQuestionsTime
VARC2440 minutes
DILR2240 minutes
QA2240 minutes
Total68120 minutes
Scoring.
RuleDetail
MCQ+3 / −1 / 0
TITA+3 / 0 / 0
SlotsThree on one day; scores equated and scaled, then percentiles
Cut-offsSectional and overall percentiles set by each IIM at shortlisting
Maximum204 marks

Exam resources

Everything for CAT

Six resource pages, each kept in step with the latest official notification.

CAT SyllabusCAT syllabus — verbal ability and reading comprehension, data interpretation and logical reasoning, and quantitative ability topics.CAT Exam PatternCAT exam pattern 2026 — 68 questions in 120 minutes with 40 minutes per section, VARC 24, DILR 22, QA 22, +3/−1 on MCQs, no deduction on TITA, percentiles.CAT Previous PapersCAT previous year papers — learning set selection, reading comprehension patterns and the quantitative topics that recur.CAT Mock TestsCAT mock tests — sectionally timed full-length practice with analysis of selection, accuracy and pacing.CAT PreparationCAT preparation strategy — building reading speed, quantitative fundamentals and the selection judgement the test rewards.CAT Study MaterialCAT study material — quantitative, verbal and data interpretation notes with a focus on speed and application.

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