India’s best faculty from iQuanta CAT online coaching centre have recently shared an insightful video on smart preparation tips for CAT 2026. Mr Amit Panchmatia, a CAT 100%iler who teaches Quantitative Analysis and Mr. Raj Kumar Jha who is also a CAT 100%iler (teaches DILR and QA) started their conversation with how difficult CAT papers are helpful for students who prepare well.
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CAT Previous Year Papers – A Brief Analysis for Strategy Making
Through their discussion, CAT papers from 2025, 2023, and 2022, i.e., the last three years were analysed. On recalling CAT 2023 past paper, Amit Sir pointed out that the exam was unexpectedly difficult with Quant questions especially from the Algebra topic being of the IIT or JEE level. DILR also had difficult questions in CAT 2023. For CAT 2024, students started preparing IIT/JEE level questions focusing on advanced mathematics and high-level problems.
CAT 2024 paper was simple as per Amit Sir. Quant and DILR in CAT 2024 were manageable. Since CAT 2024 and CAT 2023 papers have varying difficulty levels, students were confused on how to prepare. In CAT 2025, Amit Sir’s analysis reveals that the DILR section was slightly difficult. Some of the DILR sets were lengthy and tricky. Quant was easy but most students found CAT 2025 Quant difficult. The VARC segment of the CAT exam has remained constant, neither too difficult nor too easy.
CAT Preparation 2026- How to Begin Preparation
The CAT exam has been taking place for more than 26 years. IIMs conducting the CAT exam have made changes in its pattern, structure and difficulty level of the questions over the years. CAT papers in the past were difficult from 2000 to 2015. This fact reveals that the CAT paper may be set on a difficult level and therefore, students must prepare accordingly as per Raj Sir.
Phase 1- Initial Preparation Months Remain the Same
Your first few months of CAT 2026 preparation or about 60 to 70% of your preparation will be the same as previous years or will follow the general preparation scheme.
- Start preparation with Numbers (few numbers questions).
- Move on to Arithmetic questions after completing Number System basics.
- Cover Algebra questions after studying Arithmetic fundamentals.
- Go through the CAT 2025 paper from all the 3 slots and analyse the questions.
- Take the difficult or tricky questions for practice from Quant and SILR segments.
The basic understanding of the concepts will remain the same whether you have to solve a difficult question or an easy one. You must thoroughly understand the concepts not just at the surface level. Know the basic formulas and how to apply them in Verbal, DILR and Quant.
Phase 2- Practice Difficult Papers for Good Preparation
You must know how to solve all kinds of questions based on their merit. When attempting questions in the CAT 2026 paper, don’t let your ego capture your intelligent mind. You must know when to skip a question even if you have the title of an IIT graduate or JEE aspirant. Good preparation is knowing when to skip and when to attempt regardless of a student’s academic or personal background.
To be able to build a good practice, you need to learn to identify doable from the non-doable questions. Both kinds of questions are spread across the paper and someone with an intelligent planning or strategy will be able to solve more doable questions rather than being stuck on the difficult ones.
- Save your energy for the more doable questions.
- Wasting time on difficult questions impacts confidence levels.
- If you identify a difficult question, don’t sit with it, within 5 to 6 seconds, skip it and start reading the next question.
Skip Difficult Questions For A Higher Sectional Score
Mr Raj who knows all about the DILR and Quant sections states that if you get the feeling that a certain CAT question may be solvable if you can try, you must not attempt it. There is no time to try and succeed in the CAT exam. Wrong answers will lead to negative marking thereby reducing your overall score. What to do with difficult questions? Don’t try to solve them, leave them. Even if you leave 10 to 14 questions, you will still be able to get 24 to 27 marks with only 8-9 questions which may lead to a 99%ile in the Quant section.
How to Prepare Well for CAT 2026?
To prepare well for the CAT 2026 exam, you must practice previous year papers and learn to solve easy questions in less time. Your objective should not be to attempt all questions in the CAT exam as they come. If you do this, you will lose a lot of your time on tricky or lengthy questions in the DILR/Quant segments. You need to save time for review and simple questions which will give you marks throughout all the sections.
- Learn to let go of the difficult questions to save time.
- Manage your time for all the doable questions.
- Build both speed and accuracy through consistent practice daily.
VARC Preparation Strategy for CAT 2026
You must prepare all kinds of questions such as para jumbles, odd ones out, vocabulary, grammar, etc. Do not skip a single topic in the VARC preparation for CAT 2026. Although every year, the VARC segment of the CAT exam is manageable, it is important to understand the basics and types of questions asked. Mr Amit and Mr Raj observed that the VARC section has slight changes in the questions asked every year. Some past papers saw more Vocabulary questions while others saw more Para Jumbles.
All topics in the VARC section are connected to one another. You will need to cover vocabulary basics to answer RC type questions. Grammar practice is important for para jumbles, sentence completion or summary questions in the CAT VARC section. iQuanta CAT experts suggest comprehensive preparation for all sections of the CAT 2026 exam. For the VARC section, there is no list of chapters to cover.
- Similar to students having prepared their own syllabus based on previous year papers for the Quant section, the VARC topics are easily found in the CAT PYQs.
- Start preparing for VARC through research on topics, common syllabus and recurring themes.
How to Prepare for CAT 2026 DILR Section?
Both Quant and Verbal may have a list of topics based on past papers. But with the DILR section, students often find it challenging and ask how to prepare for the CAT 2206 DILR section? Where to start with and what are the main topics? To prepare for the DILR section, you must start slowly. Start by building a simple plan to figure out the repeating themes and different topics which you can find in the segment.
To ace this section, you need to work on building your logic for solving DI problems. You can use games, puzzles, word problems, or any other kind of problems which require data analysis and logical reasoning. A master tip to work on the basics is to use old (90s) CAT papers for CAT LRDI preparation 2026. Start slowly but remain consistent for LRDI. Build your logical reasoning skills through small steps daily.
- Understand the importance of practicing simple questions first.
- Don’t stretch LRDI preparation with an impractical target like 2 sets daily from Phase 1.
- Set a practical target to practice simple questions first then pick up the difficult LRDI sets which have been asked in the CAT PYQ papers.
- Start with basic arrangements, family relations, directions and similar sets.
- Build logic slowly, as your energy improves start solving CAT level sets.
How to Read CAT LRDI Questions?
Solving CAT LRDI questions comes later. First, you must know how to read the question. To build the skills of reading a DILR section question, you must practice simple straightforward sets first then move to higher level sets. The first 200 sets may seem easy as you are only working on building your logic and learning to read the questions. As you move ahead, you will be able to have a deeper understanding of the type of set.
- You need to learn how to read DILR sets by practicing 200+ sets over a period of time.
- The second step after identifying how to read is to learn how to categorize data into smaller sets.
- The next step is to learn how to summarize a lot of data and create short notes.
- You will need lots of practice to master the 3 steps above.
Learn to Represent LRDI Sets’ Data on Your Rough Sheet
Set a minimum target of at least 400 sets by the month of September, 2026. This is not a definite number. The 400 set target is for beginners or if you have already cleared this goal, you will need to fulfill the 1000 sets target by the end of your CAT 2026 preparation journey. Your LRDI preparation is not limited to clearing the CAT 2026 exam. Logical reasoning or data comprehension abilities are useful on a professional level as well.
When you join big companies and handle large scale projects, you will require precision with data organizing and structuring. To learn to properly represent the data, you must work on sets with difficult reasoning requirements as well as straightforward LRDI questions. The quantum of your CAT LRDI preparation is also important. Between 1000 to 400 sets, your practice level determines your ability to represent data on your rough sheet in the most accurate or simple method depending upon the question and its requirements.
CAT 2025 slot 1 DILR section was not easy, even students who have been good at this section, found the test results disappointing. Therefore, it is neither a given that you need to practice DILR daily nor set a specific limit only then you will master the section. Your ability to solve DILR sets depends on your familiarity with the pattern and structure of the section as well as the type of reasoning skills required to solve a question of the CAT level.
Strengths and Weaknesses in CAT 2026 Preparation
CAT 2026 will have questions based on your strong areas and your weak areas too. You will have to practice for both and attempt all kinds of questions which you feel are doable as per your preparation level. It is important to know the time required to cover your weak areas. Most of the students find the CAT Quant section difficult. There is fear of math which is present in most candidates preparing for CAT 2026. If you are one of those who fears math, you’ll have to give it more time.
- Those who do not fear math and find the Quant section easy may require 3-4 hours but you, who struggles with math concepts and finds Quant difficult, you’ll need to give CAT 2026 Quant preparation at least 8-9 or more hours.
- Don’t compromise the preparation part or get confused on where to start or how to turn your weakness (Quant) into your strength as fast as possible.
- You cannot use shortcuts to build Quant confidence.
Be Fierce for CAT 2026 Quant Preparation
The CAT exam is not easy and one cannot expect it to be easy especially if you have a weak base in mathematics. Build your Quant basics without any questions asked. Work on numbers, count 1 to 1000, if you can do that then work on tables, learn as many tables as possible, if you overcome the fear of tables, then work on squares and so on. Learn to mentally calculate squares from 1 to 20, then work with 1 to 100, then move to 1 to 1000. Don’t stop here. This position is good to begin advancing your math skills.
Work on cubes from 1 to 1000 then work on fractions. Use pen and paper to build your basic calculator skills in the beginning then with some time, you’ll be good with the basic concepts like percentages, ratios, numbers, etc. Make a few formulas or tables or any other math basics sheet and place it at different corners in your house. Whenever you have some free time at hand, go through these notes and freshen up your basics.
CAT Quant Efforts Must Be Proportional to Your Weaknesses
The weaker you are in Quant, the harder you need to work. Gradually practice more and more questions of a particular topic which you find difficult. There is 100% need for efforts to be made. Without making efforts in proportionality to your weakness, you cannot progress in CAT Quant preparation. You will have to take CAT Quant basics preparation classes online whether on Youtube or through CAT online coaching platforms like iQuanta, and prepare with a pen and paper in hand. Take these classes 3-4 times to strengthen your learning.
Use online videos, when learning through CAT quant video lectures, where faculties solve problems online, pause multiple times. Pause 5-6 times or more to note each and every detail, the step taken, the elimination done, the trick used and more. Start the video and pause on the question, try to solve it on your own. If you are not able to solve it, follow these simple tips.
- Pause the video until a step which you are comfortable solving.
- After that step, try to solve it on your own.
- If you don’t get it right, repeat the same process.
- Don’t see the entire question and its solution at once.
Take Time for CAT Preparation 2026 and Make Good Efforts
Not all students find success in the CAT 2026 exam. Only about top 1 to 2% students achieve 100% success. CAT preparation must be balanced with the amount of work you need to do in a particular area. Top IIMs in the country will choose you only if you land in the top 1-2%. If you feel you are in this category, or your efforts will put you in the cream category, then CAT 2026 success is bound to reach you. Understand your current ability and work on your preparation strategy accordingly.
