CAT 2026 Test Series

About CAT

CAT is the entrance examination for the Indian Institutes of Management and is accepted by several hundred other business schools across India. It is conducted by the IIMs on a rotating basis, normally on a Sunday in late November, across multiple slots.

The paper is 68 questions for 204 marks in 120 minutes, delivered as three sectionally time-locked blocks of 40 minutes each in a fixed order: Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (24 questions), Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (22) and Quantitative Ability (22). You cannot choose the order and cannot return to a section once its timer ends.

Scoring is on a percentile basis after normalisation across slots, which means you are competing against the field rather than against a syllabus. A basic on-screen calculator is provided, so CAT rewards structural insight considerably more than arithmetic speed.

What a good score unlocks

• A CAT percentile drives admission to the two-year MBA and PGP programmes at all IIMs, and is accepted by FMS, SPJIMR, MDI, IMT, IMI and a large number of other business schools.
• Most institutes shortlist on a composite score that also weights academic record, work experience, gender and academic diversity, so the percentile is necessary rather than sufficient.