The CAT 2026 is the next milestone for the candidates who wish to pursue MBA program from the top IIMs or B-Schools in the country. Candidates have an ample time left to prepare for the Common Admission Test 2026 but targeting such a competitive examination is not only a term of thinking instead a structured CAT preparation with a right strategy is the complete factor to succeed. Every year, approx. 3,00,000 candidates registered for the CAT exam but few are able to make it to the top IIMs. Have you ever though what are the effective strategies they follow to prepare for CAT?
This is one of the difficult management entrance examinations that require a proper understanding of exam pattern along with a detailed syllabus. Competing among the pool of aspirants is not a game of following someone’s lead that few candidates chase, instead they have to follow consistency towards the planned structure for targeting CAT preparation. CAT 2026 is the main focused pillar not only for candidates who are new to the exam but also for those who wish to target 99+ percentile. Planning for such a competitive percentile, candidates should follow right resources to cover detailed syllabus across VARC, DILR & QA in an ample period of time. iQuanta is better know for the best CAT preparation platform among students. Also have launched an extensive CAT 2026 course for structured preparation with effective strategies and specialized modules. This blog is a comprehensive guide for a great start to target CAT 2026.
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CAT 2026 Exam Pattern
When any candidate starts preparing for Common Admission Test then they should first understand the complete structure about what are the major sections that CAT 2026 should cover?
By analyzing the previous year trends, it is clear that CAT exam consists of three major portions aligned in the respective order where Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension comes first followed by the Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning and Quantitative Ability. Time duration to be focused to solve the exam paper is another important context where 40 minutes are equally divided. The complete information about the CAT exam pattern 2026 is specified in the table mentioned below which stated as the first phase to cover CAT preparation.
| CAT Exam Pattern 2026 | Sectional Time Allotted |
| Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC) | 40 minutes |
| Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) | 40 minutes |
| Quantitative Ability (QA) | 40 minutes |
| Total | 120 minutes |
Also Cover – CAT Exam Pattern 2026 – Number of Questions, Marking Scheme & Download PDF !
CAT 2026: Why Early CAT Preparation is Crucial?
Early CAT preparation is always advantageous for the candidates to focus completely on a detailed syllabus. Covering CAT syllabus requires at least 3-4 months or more as per the speed of a candidate. This examination is a balance of speed and accuracy by solving good amount of questions within a specified time limit where VARC requires the proper understanding of Reading Comprehensions by covering daily reading habits of newspapers, AEON essays and more. Now the question arises – “Why I have mentioned VARC in the beginning?“
Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension is the important section that will appear first in the aligned order of Common Admission Test and attaining good head start will be a part of motivation for the rest two sections of CAT 2026. DILR stands for Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning is another important phase in the order of CAT preparation that covers complex sets across various important topics. As per the survey, candidates find the DILR sections to be the most trickiest part of CAT exam. Lastly, Quantitative Ability is the mathematical portion with various disciplines like Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, Number System and Modern Maths.
Just completing the CAT 2026 syllabus is not the sufficient part of preparation but in the mean time, candidates should well focused towards solving PYQs, covering good number of mock test paper series and revision of the weaker sections. This can be highly possible through the early preparation of CAT 2026.
CAT 2026: Most Important Topics & Weightage to Cover CAT Preparation
This section covers the detailed overview about most important topics and weightage across Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension, Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning and Quantitative Ability. Check the detailed CAT Syllabus 2026 mentioned below.
CAT 2026 – Important Topics for VARC & Weightage
Understanding important topics for VARC is the initial step to carry streamlined CAT preparation where different genres covered such as Science & Technology, Business & Economics, Arts, Society & Culture, History & Politics, Philosophy & Psychology and more.
| Reading Comprehension Genres | Verbal Ability |
| Science & Tech. | Para Summary |
| Business & Economics | Para Completion |
| Arts, Society & Culture | Odd One Out |
| History & Politics | Para Jumbles |
| Philosophy & Psychology | — |
| Mixed | — |
Talking about the weightage across Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension where RCs covers 16 questions, Para Summary & Para Jumbles both cover 3 questions each and Odd One Out carries 2 questions. The table specified below help aspirants to manage CAT preparation by understanding the weightage distribution across important topics.
| Topics | Weightage |
| RCs | 16 Questions (4 sets) |
| Para Summary | 3 Questions |
| Para Jumbles | 3 Questions |
| Odd One Out | 2 Questions |
CAT 2026 – Important Topics for DILR & Weightage
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning is one of the trickiest part which is aligned as a second section of CAT exam followed by VARC. The important topics are tables and charts, games and tournaments, scheduling and blood relations, Venn diagrams & hybrid sets, Puzzle and seating arrangements which need to be covered during CAT preparation. The sub-topics under these session is specified in the table mentioned below.
| DI & LR Topics | Key Topics Covered |
| Tables and Charts | Tabular Data Mixed Sets Bar Charts Line Charts Pie Charts |
| Games and Tournaments | Scoring-System Round-Robin Knockout |
| Scheduling and Blood Relations | Direct Reasoning Task Allocation Family Trees |
| Venn Diagrams & Hybrid Sets | Logical Deduction Set Theory |
| Puzzle and Seating Arrangements | Linear Arrangements Circular Arrangements Grid-Based Arrangements Complex Arrangements |
Understanding the weightage distribution for DILR topics is crucial for achieving high scores where maximum weightage is covered by Puzzle and Seating Arrangements as 50-60%. Distinguish topics along with respective weightage help in covering overall DILR syllabus with proper and streamlined strategy.
| DI & LR Topics | No. of Questions | Approximate Weightage (%) |
| Tables and Charts | 4-6 | 40–50% |
| Games and Tournaments | 4-5 | 10-20% |
| Scheduling and Blood Relations | 3-4 | 5-10% |
| Venn Diagrams & Hybrid Sets | 2-3 | 5-10% |
| Puzzle and Seating Arrangements | 3-4 | 50-60% |
CAT 2026 – Important Topics for QA & Weightage
Quantitative Ability is another important subject to be covered in the CAT preparation where the detailed syllabus include – Average, Ratio, Mixture & Alligation, Profit & Loss, Simple Interest, Compound Interest, Percentages, TSD, Time & Work, Geometry, Quadratic, Polynomials, Simple Equations, Progression & Series, Inequalities, Modulus & Functions, Logarithms, Surds & Indices, Probability, PnC, Number System and Venn Diagrams. The Quantitative Ability is an integral part of CAT preparation which boost accuracy and speed that leads to overall increase in exam scores. Now, the detailed distribution of weightage among these topics are specified in a detailed manner.
| Important topics for Quantitative Ability | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 (Expected) |
| Average, Ratio, Mixture & Alligation | 3–5 | 4–6 | 3–5 | 4–6 |
| Profit & Loss, SI–CI, Percentages | 1–3 | 2–3 | 2–3 | 2–3 |
| TSD & Time and Work | 3–5 | 2–3 | 2–3 | 2–4 |
| Geometry | 3 | 3 | 2–3 | 2–3 |
| Quadratic, Polynomials & Simple Equations | 1–3 | 3–4 | 1–2 | 1–3 |
| Progression and Series | 1–3 | 2 | 1–2 | 1–2 |
| Inequalities, Modulus & Functions | 3–4 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 1–2 |
| Logarithm, Surds & Indices | 0–1 | 1–3 | 2 | 1–2 |
| Probability & P&C | 1 | 1 | 0–1 | 0–1 |
| Number System | 1 | 1–2 | 2–3 | 1–2 |
| Venn Diagrams | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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CAT Preparation – Download Detailed Time-Table PDF (Week-Wise) !
Hey CAT 2026 Aspirants !
We know that you all are excited to start CAT preparation journey but planning for such a competitive examination comes with a detailed strategy but many candidates get confused about – “How will I start my preparation?”.
To understand the concern, we have prepared a detailed study time-table PDF to streamlined your beginning for CAT 2026 with full of confidence. Please find the button specified below.
iQuanta’s CAT 2026 Course for Early CAT Preparation
iQuanta is launching their CAT 2026 full course for the aspirants to cover early preparation. This course defines the extensive features where you will be covering 3 CAT basic modules, 3 CAT advance modules, 250+ live and application classes, 200 topic-wise assignments, free crash course, 35 mocks + 45 sectionals, rigorous practice, 24*7 doubt solving, 6 days a week classes, 5 months syllabus over and covered 3 times till CAT. Now let’s go through expert mentors that will be an amazing bridge towards your CAT 2026 preparation and exam.
Introducing expert CAT faculty to cover preparation
| Expert faculty to target CAT 2026 | Achievements |
| Amit Panchmatia | CAT QA 100%iler |
| Shabana ma’am | CAT VARC 99.56%iler |
| Raj Kumar Jha | 6 Times CAT QA 100%iler |
| Kamal Lohia | CAT 99.99%iler QA, LRDI Expert |
| Sajjan Baranwal | CAT 99.8%iler, 11+ Years of Experience |
CAT 2026 Courses by iQuanta
- CAT 2026 Full Course
- CAT 2026 Full Course + Books
- CAT 2026 Pro Course
- CAT 2026 + IIM ABC Batch
- Maha MBA 2026 Course
These courses are well designed to cover your early CAT 2026 preparation with expert CAT faculty backed with an amazing achievement of covering 99.9 & 100 percentiles. Getting a structured CAT preparation strategy in your early phase help you to stand out among other competitors to slay with extended resources like solving Previous Year Questions, Mock Test Series, Revision before sitting in CAT 2026 exam.
Important Features to Cover in iQuanta’s CAT 2026 Course
As an aspirant what are the unique features that you should cover while preparing for CAT 2026 ? This is pursue to be an important question to start with the early and structured preparation because without going for the aligned approach will definitely cost you a year. Let’s cover the important features that you should focused on to target the successful CAT preparation.
Dual-Pedagogy Approach
Candidates offered with a unique feature of dual-pedagogy approach where you will be covering the live + application classes both. The live classes are providing you with the in-depth approach by covering syllabus across VARC, DILR & QA. Alongside you will be covering detailed video solutions of concepts to understand the essence behind.
24*7 Doubt Solving Support
Preparing for competitive examinations requires one to comprehensively cover the syllabus. However, during the course of our preparation, we face many doubts about strategy, guidance or any other query like numerical problem-solving. As an aspirant, anyone would want their doubts to be cleared immediately as they arise at any time of the day. This is the ideal situation. Immediate doubt clarification could be a great addition to your CAT 2026 preparation.
Assignments, 35 Full Length & 45 Sectional Mock Tests
Completing assignments, full length mock test series and sectional test helps you to reflect the actual exam-like conditions. This will cover your preparation while focusing on both stronger and weaker sections. The full length mock test series will help candidates to solve sections within a specified time limit as they will do in the CAT exam. This reflects the actual exam pattern, number of questions asked in the actual exam, CAT-level questions to judge your performance accordingly.
Guaranteed CAT-Level Questions by iQuanta’s QA 250 Series
There are many aspirants who really start wondering by hearing this statement “Guaranteed CAT-level questions”. But is not just a hypothetical fact instead iQuanta’s QA 250 series by Indra is a real gift to the CAT aspirant which guarantees CAT-level questions that you will definitely face in the actual exam. Giving such competitive examination where candidates are competing from diverse background carries weightage of even a single mark.
Cut-Short By Indra – Smart Way to Reach 99%ile
The Cut-Short module by Indra is the smartest way to prepare for the CAT examination where you will be finding the best possible collection of shortcut methods to attempt questions in a lesser time. The CAT exam provides 40 minutes to complete Quantitative Ability section and getting 13 – 14 questions correctly will be easily helpful for the candidates to score 99%ile. The early CAT preparation is crucial for the candidates to explore other alternative options to complete Quants within a specified time limit that leads to an overall accuracy.
What’s Unique to the CAT Preparation 2026?
Common Admission Test is a diverse exam that acts as a gateway to top IIMs like IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore & IIM Calcutta. CAT aspirants belong to the diverse academic backgrounds whether it is engineering or non-engineering. During CAT preparation, many doubts appear which requires good explanation to solve and to address the same problem, iQuanta has designed three extensive modules to streamline CAT 2026 journey. Specialized modules include Non-Engineer’s Quant, Engineer’s VARC and LRDI essentials. The detailed information about their varied features is specified below.
Non-Engineer’s QA Module for CAT 2026
QA section is completely based on practicing the good amount of questions and especially across high-weightage topic which includes Arithmetic and Algebra which are non-negotiable and later move to other topics. Many students who are especially coming from the non-engineering background may face difficulties in the QA section and for the same iQuanta has designed the Non-Engineer’s QA module which helps them practice concepts and track their progress. The Non-Engineers’ Quant module for CAT 2026 aspirants are covering 70+ videos of basic mathematics to focus on the fundamental skills, 300+ important questions covering the most essential concepts.
Engineer’s VARC Module for CAT 2026
VARC section is very important when it comes for building the CAT 2026 strategy and for the same candidate need to start daily reading of editorials, articles as well as fiction. Solving RCs of various genres and para jumbles regularly is important. Many candidates who are coming from the engineering background may fear from the VARC section and to tackle the same, iQuanta has built a perfect CAT 2026 strategy for preparing the VARC section with Engineer’s VARC module that help candidate in streamlining their VARC section. This module covers following important features:
- 60+ Videos / 30 hrs. of CAT focused VARC content.
- 12 VA Videos with 10 Questions Solved per Video.
- 7 Strategy Video Covering all Key Topics.
- 40 in-depth RC Videos across All Genres.
LRDI Essentials Module for CAT 2026
LRDI stands for Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation where different concepts covered like Tables, Charts, Caselets, Puzzles, Seating Arrangements, Blood Relations and more. LRDI is one the very important section for CAT 2026 and requires focusing on learning shortcuts and solving more sets of different patterns. To help you with the LRDI section, iQuanta has especially designed an amazing LRDI essential module which helps you build a solid CAT 2026 strategy to cover LRDI section so that you will get maximum percentile across Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation. The LRDI Essentials module covers 35+ Videos, 15 hrs. of LRDI basics along with you will be covering various important concepts, cases & practice sets.
Cover CAT Preparation 2026 & Download PDF !
Get everything covered in the single space whether it is about the exam pattern, syllabus, most important topics across Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension, Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning and Quantitative Ability by downloading the PDF mentioned below. This is a complete roadmap to start the CAT 2026 preparation.
Conclusion – CAT 2026
CAT preparation 2026 demands not just syllabus coverage but also the mastery of important pillars like consistent practice, conceptual clarity, time management and mock analysis. Early starting for CAT 2026 helps aspirants build a strong command over Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension, Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning and Quantitative Ability that balance both accuracy as well as speed. Following the right preparation resources like consistent practice of PYQs, daily reading habit, and revision creates a solid competitive edge. With iQuanta’s CAT expert mentors, specialized modules like Engineer’s VARC, Non-Engineer’s QA, LRDI Essentials and 24*7 doubt-solving, candidates get the proper guidance they need at every step towards CAT 2026. These unique features require a disciplined approach aligned with the CAT-level preparation. With a proper strategy and right resources, cracking CAT 2026 exam with a 99+ %ile becomes an achievable goal to the aspirants.
