CAT 2026: A Last-30-Days Plan With Mock Schedule, Analysis and Slot Routine

From 27 October there are 33 days to CAT 2026 on 29 November. That is not enough time to learn new topics well, and it does not need to be. In the last month, marks come from three things: picking the right questions, not losing marks to careless errors, and staying sharp for 120 minutes in three locked 40-minute sections.

The shape of the month

That adds up to 10 to 12 full mocks. On the days without a mock, do the review and the drills described below.

How many mocks before CAT?

The count matters less than the review. A CAT mock takes 2 hours. A proper review takes another 2 to 3 hours. Three mocks a week is 12 to 15 hours, which is most of the study time a working aspirant has.

So set the number by what you can review:

• If you can review every mock properly, 3 a week is a good ceiling.
• If you cannot, take 2 a week and review both. An unreviewed mock mostly tells you what you already knew.
• Stop full mocks 3 to 4 days before the exam. A bad score on 27 November teaches you nothing you can use in time, and it can shake your confidence.

Signs you are taking too many: the same mistakes appear in your log week after week, and your sectional accuracy is flat.

The analysis routine

Review each mock within 24 hours. Our guide on how to analyse a mock has the full method. For CAT, add these section-specific checks:

Then pick two fixes for the next mock and write them down. Examples: "In DILR, spend the first 4 minutes reading every set before solving any." "In QA, leave any question I cannot start within 30 seconds."

Section-wise priorities

VARC (40 minutes; 24 questions in CAT 2025)

In CAT 2025, 16 of the 24 VARC questions came from 4 reading passages, as reported by IMS. RC is where the marks are.

• Read two passages a day under time: about 7 minutes per passage including questions. That matches the pace you need if verbal ability takes about 10 minutes.
• Para jumbles and odd-sentence-out were TITA in CAT 2025. No negative marking, so attempt every one you have read.
• Cap each para jumble at 2 minutes. If no pair of sentences links clearly, move on.
• Do not start new vocabulary lists. They will not move your score in four weeks.

DILR (40 minutes; 22 questions in CAT 2025)

CAT 2025 had 5 sets (two of 5 questions, three of 4), and half the questions were TITA, as reported by IMS.

• Spend the first 4 to 5 minutes reading every set. Rank them by how quickly you can draw the table or grid, not by order on screen.
• Two sets solved fully and correctly are worth more than four sets half-done. Practise finishing.
• Daily drill: three sets, 10 minutes each, then review what made the hard one hard.
• With half the section TITA, guessing helps little here. Accuracy is the lever.

QA (40 minutes; 22 questions in CAT 2025)

• No new topics. Revise arithmetic (percentages, ratios, time-speed-distance, time and work), algebra and geometry formulas from your own notes.
• Use two passes. In the first 25 minutes, do every question you can start within 30 seconds. Use what is left for the rest.
• Enter an answer for every TITA you have solved, even if you are unsure.
• For an MCQ, guess only if you can rule out at least one option. A blind guess has zero expected value with +3/−1 marking.

The slot routine

Your admit card (from 4 November) shows your session. In CAT 2024 and 2025 the sessions ran 8:30 to 10:30 am, 12:30 to 2:30 pm and 4:30 to 6:30 pm. Check your own card.

1. From the day you know your slot, take every full mock at that time of day. Your brain should be used to solving DILR at 9:10 am or 5:10 pm.
2. In the last week, move your sleep and meals to fit the slot. For the forenoon slot, that means waking about 2.5 hours before the start for at least five days.
3. Two days before, check the route to your centre at the same time of day. Print the admit card and affix the same photo you uploaded.
4. The day before, revise only your formula sheet and error log. No mock.
5. At the centre, you get one scribble pad and a pen, and an on-screen calculator. Bio-breaks are not allowed except in emergencies, and lost time is not given back, so plan water and food accordingly.
6. During the test, each section closes when its 40 minutes run out and the next one opens. Use the first 30 seconds of each section to read the question list and plan, not to start solving.

What to avoid this month

• Buying a new book or test series. Finish what you have.
• Reading percentile predictions after every mock. A mock percentile compares you with that mock's takers, not with CAT candidates.
• Changing your approach on exam day. Use the plan your mocks tested.

Start with one full mock this week

If you have not taken a CAT mock in the last few days, take one now to set your baseline. The CAT Full Mock 1, free follows the official 40-40-40 structure with TITA questions and an on-screen calculator. More practice is on the CAT page and in our MBA entrance mocks. For the exam rules and slot details, see the CAT 2026 exam pattern.