The full CAT syllabus 2026 with the exam pattern, marking scheme and section-wise topics for VARC, DILR and QA: 68 questions, 204 marks, 120 minutes, sectional timing.
The CAT syllabus 2026 covers three sections: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Aptitude (QA), tested in a single computer-based test of 68 questions worth 204 marks in 120 minutes. CAT (Common Admission Test) is the national MBA entrance exam conducted by the IIMs for admission to the IIMs and 1,200+ other B-schools, with CAT 2026 conducted by IIM Indore and applications made through the official portal iimcat.ac.in. Unlike many government exams, CAT does not have a fixed factual syllabus you can memorise; it tests aptitude across reading, reasoning and mathematics, so the smart move is to understand exactly what each section asks and how it is marked. This guide breaks down the CAT exam pattern, the marking scheme and the section-wise topics for VARC, DILR and QA so you can plan your prep with no guesswork.
CAT 2026 is scheduled for Sunday, 29 November 2026 in three slots, with registration open from 3 August to 15 September 2026 on iimcat.ac.in. The exam is conducted in English only, so there is no Hindi or Marathi question paper.
The CAT 2026 exam pattern is a single computer-based test of 120 minutes with three sections that must be attempted in a fixed order under hard sectional timing. There are 68 questions for 204 marks, and each section runs for exactly 40 minutes; once a section's 40 minutes end you cannot go back to it. Every question carries 3 marks, and the paper mixes MCQ (with options) and TITA (Type In The Answer, no options) questions.
| Section | Questions | Time | Marking |
|---|---|---|---|
| VARC (Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension) | 24 | 40 min | +3 correct, -1 wrong MCQ |
| DILR (Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning) | 22 | 40 min | +3 correct, -1 wrong MCQ |
| QA (Quantitative Aptitude) | 22 | 40 min | +3 correct, -1 wrong MCQ |
| Total | 68 | 120 min | 204 marks |
The sections always appear in the order VARC, then DILR, then QA, and the hard 40-minute limit per section means time management is built into the format rather than left to you. There is no sectional cutoff to simply qualify; final selection is by percentile, both overall and sectional, set by each IIM after the exam.
CAT has negative marking, but only for MCQs: a correct MCQ earns +3 and a wrong MCQ costs -1, while TITA (Type In The Answer) questions earn +3 for a correct answer and carry NO penalty for a wrong answer. This split is the single most important thing to internalise about the CAT marking scheme, because it changes how you should attempt each question type. Roughly a quarter to a third of the paper is TITA, concentrated in DILR and QA.
| Question type | Correct | Wrong | Unattempted |
|---|---|---|---|
| MCQ | +3 | -1 | 0 |
| TITA (non-MCQ) | +3 | 0 (no penalty) | 0 |
The practical rule follows directly: on MCQs, respect the -1 and avoid blind four-option guesses, but on any TITA question you have a reasonable method for, always attempt it, because a wrong TITA answer costs nothing. Leaving a solvable TITA blank out of caution simply throws away free marks.
The VARC syllabus has 24 questions built around Reading Comprehension and Verbal Ability. Reading Comprehension dominates, typically about 16 of the 24 questions across four passages of 4 questions each, and the remaining 8 questions are Verbal Ability. In our CAT question analysis of recent exam cycles, RC alone accounts for roughly two-thirds of the section, so reading is where VARC is won.
The DILR syllabus has 22 questions arranged as roughly 4 to 5 sets of 4 to 5 questions each, mixing Data Interpretation with Logical Reasoning. Nothing in DILR is standalone; every question sits inside a set, which is why set selection, choosing which sets to solve, is the section's most important skill. DILR carries a high share of TITA (about 6 to 8 questions), so cracking a set banks several marks with no negative risk.
The QA syllabus has 22 mostly standalone questions and is heavily weighted towards Arithmetic. In our CAT question analysis of recent exam cycles, Arithmetic alone makes up roughly 40 percent of QA, and Arithmetic with Algebra together account for about 70 percent of the section, so these two areas give you the biggest return on effort. The maths is at a school level, but the questions are multi-step and trap-heavy, and QA carries about 6 to 8 TITA questions you can attempt freely.
Plan your CAT preparation section by section, because each of the three sections rewards a different habit and IIMs shortlist on sectional percentiles as well as an overall percentile. A very strong QA score cannot rescue a weak VARC percentile, so no section can be neglected.
For a deeper plan and a phase-by-phase timeline, see our CAT preparation strategy guide, and confirm the exam window in our CAT 2026 exam date and registration guide.
Ready to practise the real pattern? Take full-length CAT mock tests on Quiz4Exam in the exact 68-question, 40-minute sectional format, with sectional and topic tests to drill VARC, DILR and QA, plus All-India live mocks that give you a percentile and rank so you know exactly where you stand. Always confirm the latest syllabus, pattern and dates on the official portal iimcat.ac.in.
The CAT syllabus 2026 has three sections: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) with 24 questions, Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR) with 22 questions, and Quantitative Aptitude (QA) with 22 questions. Together they make 68 questions for 204 marks in a single 120-minute computer-based test conducted by the IIMs, in English only.
CAT 2026 is a single computer-based test of 120 minutes with three sections attempted in a fixed order: VARC, DILR, then QA. Each section runs for exactly 40 minutes with hard sectional timing, so you cannot return to a section once its 40 minutes end. There are 68 questions for 204 marks, and every question carries 3 marks.
Yes, but only for MCQs. A correct MCQ earns +3 and a wrong MCQ costs -1. TITA (Type In The Answer) questions, which have no options, earn +3 for a correct answer and carry no penalty for a wrong answer. Because a wrong TITA answer costs nothing, you should attempt every TITA question you have a reasonable method for.
CAT has 68 questions in total for 204 marks. These are split as 24 questions in VARC, 22 in DILR and 22 in QA. Every question carries 3 marks. The paper mixes MCQ and TITA (Type In The Answer) questions, with TITA making up roughly a quarter to a third of the paper, concentrated in DILR and QA.
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CAT has a hard sectional time limit of 40 minutes per section, for a total of 120 minutes. The three sections are attempted in the fixed order VARC, DILR and then QA, and once a section's 40 minutes end you cannot go back to it. This built-in timing makes section-wise time management essential to a good CAT score.
