CAT Study Notes
Study notes and revision material for CAT, with a guide on how to organise notes for VARC, DILR and QA.
Good CAT study notes are short, organised and built from your own mistakes. With the CAT 2026 exam scheduled for 29 November 2026, notes matter most as a revision tool for the last few weeks, not as a replacement for practice.
This guide shows what to include in your CAT notes for each section, how to organise them and how to revise from them. The CAT notification does not publish a topic-wise syllabus, so build your notes from sample papers on iimcat.ac.in and the questions you get wrong in practice.
What to Include in CAT Notes
Section | What to note down |
|---|---|
VARC | New words with meaning in context, passage themes, reasons you missed a question and rules for para jumbles |
DILR | Set types, setup methods, tables and diagrams that worked, and the clues you missed |
QA | Formulas, shortcuts, number properties and the exact step where a solution went wrong |
How to Organise Your Notes
Formula sheet: Keep one page per topic in arithmetic, algebra, geometry and number system, with a worked example for each formula.
Error log: After every practice test, write down each wrong or skipped question, the reason and the correct approach. This is the most useful page you will make.
Vocabulary and reading notes: Write the passage topic, the author's main point and any new words in a few lines.
Set-type notes for DILR: Record how each set type is best set up, so you can start quickly in the exam.
Revision Schedule
Revise on a fixed cycle so that notes turn into memory. Review a new note the next day, then after one week, then after one month. In the last two weeks, go through your formula sheets and error log every day for 30 to 45 minutes, and avoid learning new topics.
Reliable Sources for Notes
Official sample papers: The best guide to question style is the sample papers on the official CAT website.
Previous-year questions: Use them to see which topics repeat and how questions are worded.
School mathematics books: For QA fundamentals, Class 8 to Class 10 mathematics books give a clear base.
Where Notes Fit With Practice
Notes only work when they come from practice. Attempt timed sets and full-length mocks, update your error log the same day and revise from your notes before the next test. You can also use CAT study notes on Testkart to revise concepts and formulas quickly, and pair them with your own error log for the topics that need more work.