CAT exam pattern 2026

What are the sections in CAT and in what order?

The three sections are Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR) and Quantitative Ability (QA). The order is the same for every candidate: VARC, then DILR, then QA.

How much time do you get in CAT?

Each section is timed at 40 minutes, and the total is 120 minutes. When the 40 minutes end, the clock stops, the section locks, your answers are submitted and the next section starts by itself.

You cannot go back to a section once it is submitted. The official mock says that in the real exam a candidate can move to the next section only after 40 minutes. You also cannot leave the hall before the 120 minutes are over.

What is the extra time for PwBD candidates?

PwBD candidates get 20 extra minutes per hour, so the paper is 160 minutes. The time is split equally: 53 minutes 20 seconds per section. A PwBD candidate may submit a section any time after the first 40 minutes. At 53:20 the section submits on its own.

How many questions are there in CAT?

The official FAQ says the number of non-MCQs in a section varies and cannot be disclosed. The official 2026 mock says it is not meant to reveal the 2026 pattern. So the numbers below for 2023, 2024 and 2025 come from coaching analyses and reproductions of the slot papers. They are not official files. All three slots in a year had the same split.

Coaching analyses disagree with each other on the TITA count in some years, by one to three questions per section. For 2025, IMS agrees with the slot papers (45 MCQ and 23 TITA). Treat these as close, not exact.

The official CAT 2026 mock has 68 questions: 24 in VARC (22 MCQ, 2 TITA), 22 in DILR (12 MCQ, 10 TITA) and 22 in QA (14 MCQ, 8 TITA). That matches the 2024 split, and the mock says it is only indicative.

What is the difference between MCQ and TITA?

An MCQ has four options and exactly one is correct. A TITA (type in the answer) question has no options. You type a whole number on the on-screen keypad, for example 50, not 50.0 or 050. Some VA questions are TITA too, where you key in a number such as the sequence of a para jumble or the odd sentence out.

What is the marking scheme in CAT?

The maximum is 68 x 3 = 204 marks in the official mock, with section totals of 72, 66 and 66. Because wrong TITA answers cost nothing, a guess on a TITA has no penalty. A wrong MCQ costs one mark.

What do the colours in the CAT question palette mean?

The question palette on the right of the screen has five states.

One rule catches people. If you jump to another question by clicking its number in the palette, your current answer is not saved unless you first click Save and Next or Mark for Review and Next. You can change an answer any number of times until the section ends. To remove an answer, open the question and click Clear Response.

Is there a calculator in CAT?

Yes. Your own calculator is banned. The FAQ says an on-screen calculator is available throughout the exam. It is a basic calculator that works by mouse only, with memory keys, square root, 1/x, % and +/-. The % key is binary, so 250 + 15 % 250 = gives 287.5.

The official 2026 mock has the calculator switched off. CAT points candidates to a separate calculator demo page instead. We could not test the calculator in the real exam. Practise on the demo page before test day, or use our sample mock, which follows the same screen layout.

Did the CAT exam pattern change for 2026?

We found no change to the pattern. The 2026 Press Release repeats the same three sections, 40 minutes each, 120 minutes in all, no switching. The question count and the TITA split are not disclosed. The changes that were announced are administrative: the fee went up by 100 rupees (2,700 for the general category), and face matching and mobile jammers at select centres are new security measures.

CAT 2026 is on Sunday 29 November 2026, in three sessions, and IIM Indore is conducting it. You cannot choose your session. Results are expected in the first week of January 2027 (tentative).

What to read next

• CAT syllabus

  What is asked, section by section.

• CAT preparation

  How to plan your months.

• CAT percentile predictor

  Turn marks into an estimated percentile.

Take free CAT mock 1 (full length)

Last checked 8 Nov 2026. Found an error? Tell us and it goes on the errata page.