CAT 2026 Exam Pattern: Sections, Marks, Timing and Marking Scheme

The CAT 2026 exam pattern is built on three timed sections: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR) and Quantitative Ability (QA). The computer-based test is conducted by IIM Indore on Sunday, 29 November 2026, in three sessions.

This page explains the number of questions, marks, time limits and marking scheme, then turns them into practical advice on time and attempts. The pattern below follows the last two cycles and is indicative for CAT 2026, because we could not confirm the paper structure line by line on the official site. Verify it in the official notification and on your admit card at iimcat.ac.in.

Table of Contents

• CAT 2026 Exam Pattern at a Glance

• Section-wise Pattern

• Marking Scheme and Negative Marking

• What the Pattern Means for You

• Score and Percentile

• Time Management Strategy

CAT 2026 Exam Pattern at a Glance

Section-wise Pattern

Each section has its own 40-minute clock. You cannot move to the next section early and carry the saved time, and you cannot return to a section after its time ends. The number of TITA questions varies by session, so do not assume a fixed count. Reports on the CAT 2025 paper described about 21 to 23 TITA questions depending on the session.

Question mix by section

• VARC: Reading comprehension passages with several questions each, plus verbal ability questions such as para jumbles, para summary and odd sentence out.

• DILR: Sets of questions built on one data situation, such as a table, a game or an arrangement.

• QA: Standalone questions on arithmetic, algebra, geometry, number system and modern maths.

Marking Scheme and Negative Marking

Only wrong MCQ answers are penalised. Leaving a question blank costs nothing, and TITA questions have no negative marking. Confirm the marking rules in the official notification for CAT 2026.

What the Pattern Means for You

• About 100 seconds a question in VARC: 40 minutes for 24 questions leaves roughly 100 seconds each, and passages need reading time on top.

• About 109 seconds in DILR and QA: 40 minutes for 22 questions leaves roughly 109 seconds each, so drop slow questions early.

• A pure MCQ guess is break-even: With four options, a blind guess has an expected score of zero, so guess only when you can remove at least one option.

• TITA is free to attempt: With no negative marking, a TITA answer you can estimate sensibly is worth entering.

• Section balance matters: Institutes often apply sectional cut-offs, so a very weak section can hurt even with a high total.

Score and Percentile

The result is shown as scaled scores and percentiles for each section and overall. Because the paper runs in three sessions with different question sets, the scores are scaled so that sessions can be compared. Your raw marks are therefore not the same as your final scaled score.

Time Management Strategy

A simple structure works for most candidates. Spend the first 2 to 3 minutes of each section scanning questions and picking the easy ones. Attempt those first, then return to medium questions, and skip anything that has already taken more than twice its share of time.

• VARC: Read passages actively, and take para jumbles and odd sentence out questions when you want to save time.

• DILR: Spend the first few minutes judging which sets are workable, then commit to two or three sets rather than touching all of them.

• QA: Solve topics you know first and leave long calculations for the end.