CAT

Common Admission Test

India's most prestigious MBA entrance exam — gateway to all 20 IIMs, FMS Delhi, MDI Gurgaon, SPJIMR, IIFT, and 500+ other B-schools. CAT tests Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Aptitude (QA). A 99+ percentile is required for IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore, or Calcutta calls.

Scaled score 0–100 + percentile rank

2 hours (40 minutes per section)

2.5 lakh+ aspirants/year

Valid: Scores valid for 1 admission cycle

Exam sections

VARC (Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension)

40 minutes

24 questions • +3 correct, −1 wrong (MCQ only)

RC passages (3–4 passages, 4–6 questions each)Para-jumblesOdd sentence outPara-summarySentence completion

DILR (Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning)

40 minutes

20 questions • +3 correct, −1 wrong (MCQ only)

Bar charts + scatter plots combinedSeating arrangementsBlood relations with constraintsGames and tournamentsSet-based puzzles

QA (Quantitative Aptitude)

40 minutes

22 questions • +3 correct, −1 wrong (MCQ only)

Arithmetic (profit/loss, percentages, TSD)Algebra (quadratics, inequalities)Geometry (circles, triangles, mensuration)Number theoryModern maths (P&C, probability, functions)

Score needed for which colleges

IIM Old (A/B/C/L/K/I)98–99.9+ percentile

IIM AhmedabadIIM BangaloreIIM CalcuttaIIM LucknowIIM KozhikodeIIM Indore

IIM New + Top Non-IIM90–98 percentile

IIM ShillongFMS DelhiMDI GurgaonSPJIMR MumbaiIIFT Delhi

Good B-schools80–90 percentile

XIMBIMT GhaziabadTAPMIGIM GoaFORE School

Core preparation principles

1CAT is a selection exam, not a knowledge exam — speed and accuracy under 40-minute section constraints matter more than total knowledge.

2DILR has no fixed formula — each set is a new puzzle. Practice sets, not topics. 30 minutes per set, 5 days per week.

3VARC RC comprehension is the biggest differentiator at 99+ percentile — read quality non-fiction daily (The Economist, Hindu editorial, essays).

4QA syllabus is 10th standard Maths — the difficulty is speed, not complexity. Target 80% accuracy, not 100%.

5Never skip a full mock in the final 3 months — analysis time must equal test time (2 hours test → 2 hours analysis).

6Section-level strategy matters: you can skip a hard set in DILR and still score 95%ile if you solve 3 sets perfectly.

Preparation timeline

FoundationWeeks 1–8

Focus: Build QA fundamentals; start reading for VARC

Solve 50 QA questions daily (accuracy 70%+). Read 2 long articles daily.

Skill BuildingWeeks 9–16

Focus: DILR set practice; RC passage speed

Attempt 1 DILR set per day (time-bound). RC: complete 1 passage + questions in 10 minutes.

Mock SeriesWeeks 17–24

Focus: Full mocks every 2 weeks; analyse each mock deeply

Score consistent 85+ percentile across all sections before switching to weekly mocks.

Intensive Mock PhaseWeeks 25–32

Focus: Weekly full mocks + deep analysis + targeted weak area work

Score 95+ percentile in 3 consecutive mocks. Identify and fix the specific error pattern that caps your score.

Common mistakes and fixes

Attempting all questions in 40 minutes

CAT rewards smart selection. In QA, skip the 3–4 hardest questions and perfect the remaining 18 — this scores higher than attempting all with 60% accuracy.

Preparing only QA for months, neglecting VARC

VARC RC is not improvable in 2 months — it requires 6+ months of consistent reading. Start VARC preparation day one.

Taking mocks but not analysing them

A mock without 2 hours of analysis is wasted. Map every wrong answer to: careless error / conceptual gap / time pressure. Fix the most common category first.

Targeting a percentile instead of a score in each section

IIMs have section-level percentile cutoffs (usually 70–80%ile per section). A 99.5 overall with 50%ile in VARC gets rejected. Balanced preparation is mandatory.

Frequently asked questions

When should I start preparing for CAT?

For a target of 95+ percentile: 9–12 months before the exam (November target = start January/February). For 99+ percentile: 12–18 months. CAT preparation is not a sprint — VARC improvement requires consistent reading over months, not weeks.

Is coaching necessary for CAT preparation?

Not mandatory. Many 99%ile scorers are self-taught using official IIM mock papers, free sectional tests, and quality study material. However, a mentor who has cleared CAT and is an IIM alumnus provides personalised error analysis that accelerates improvement significantly.

How important are academics (10th, 12th, graduation) for IIM calls?

Very important — all IIMs include academics in their shortlisting formula. IIM Ahmedabad and Bangalore have strict minimum cutoffs (usually 80% in 10th and 12th). A strong CAT score partially compensates for average academics, but cannot fully override below-70% marks.

Can engineers do well in VARC without an arts background?

Yes. The RC passages are from economics, psychology, philosophy, and science — not specifically arts subjects. The key is reading speed and inference ability, not subject knowledge. Start reading The Economist or long-form essays 6 months before CAT.

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