CAT 2026 Study Plan: 30-Day Timetable to 29 November

CAT 2026 is on Sunday, 29 November 2026. From today, 31 October, you have exactly 30 days. Every year around now, students in our Sector 34A classroom ask me: “Sir, just give me a timetable.”

So here it is: the 30-day CAT 2026 study plan I give my own students. Weekly focus, mocks per week, revision topics, and how a study day and a mock day should look, hour by hour. For the thinking behind the last month, read our CAT 2026 last month strategy; this post is the day-to-day plan that goes with it.

CAT 2026 Key Dates (Official)

Put these on your wall before anything else. All of them are from the official CAT website, iimcat.ac.in.

Source: CAT 2026 Information Bulletin and Press Release (26 July 2026) and the official FAQs on iimcat.ac.in, checked on 30 October 2026.

CAT 2026 Exam Pattern and Marking Scheme

CAT is a 120-minute computer-based test with three sections. Each section gets exactly 40 minutes, the order is fixed and the same for everyone, and you cannot switch between sections.

• No personal calculator. An on-screen calculator is available throughout the test.
• Rough work goes only on the scribble pad you are given at the centre. Writing on the admit card counts as unfair means.
• The number of non-MCQs per section is not disclosed by the IIMs, so do not plan around a fixed count.

The one number to remember: three wrong MCQs cancel one right answer. A type-in question costs nothing to attempt, so if you have worked out an answer, enter it.

Section-wise Strategy for the Last 30 Days

With each section locked at 40 minutes, the skill you are training now is selection: the right questions, three times in a row.

VARC: choose passages, then read for the argument

• Read the first paragraph, then decide. If you cannot say what the author is arguing after the first paragraph, move that passage to the end of your order.
• Set a time budget per passage from your own mocks. Past it, mark the passage and move on.
• Type-in VA questions carry no negative marking. Attempt them when you have a reasoned answer, but cap each at about 2 minutes.
• Daily: 3 timed RC passages, 1 verbal ability set and 20 minutes of editorial reading.

DILR: scan every set, commit to two

• Spend the first 4–5 minutes scanning every set. Rank them by how clear the data is and how few conditions you have to track.
• Commit to the best two and solve them fully. Two complete sets beat four half-done ones.
• Use a 4-minute exit rule. If your table or grid is not taking shape after about 4 minutes, leave the set and take the next one on your list.
• Daily: 3–4 sets from past CAT papers, and after each one write down why you picked it.

QA: accuracy first, then speed

• Two rounds. In round one, solve everything you can finish in about 2 minutes and mark the rest. In round two, go back to the marked ones.
• Arithmetic and Algebra first. Percentages, ratio, TSD, time and work, equations and inequalities must be fast and clean before anything else.
• Use the options in MCQs: plug in values, check the extreme cases, eliminate. Do not solve fully when you do not need to.
• Daily: 25 mixed questions in 50 minutes, then review every wrong one before you close the book.

For deeper section guides, see our articles on VARC, LRDI and Quant.

The 30-Day CAT 2026 Study Plan: Week by Week

Four phases and a short taper. The table is the summary; the notes under it are the day-level detail.

Week 1 (31 October – 6 November): Diagnose

• Mocks: full mocks on Sunday 1 Nov and Thursday 5 Nov, plus one sectional test in your weakest section.
• Analysis: the same day. Every wrong or doable-but-skipped question goes into your error log.
• Admin: download your admit card on 4 November. Check your name, photo, session and centre, and print two copies.
• End of week: list your top five recurring errors. They are your syllabus for Week 2.

Week 2 (7 – 13 November): Fix and Lock

• Mocks: three full mocks (Sunday 8, Wednesday 11 and Friday 13 Nov).
• Analysis: about 2.5–3 hours per mock (see the mock-day timetable below), never less than the test itself.
• Official mock: the link opens on 12 November. Take it once to learn the real interface, the on-screen calculator and how type-in answers are entered.
• Lock your section plan. Write it down, for example: “DILR: scan 5 minutes, commit to two sets, exit rule 4 minutes.” Use the same plan in every mock from now on.

Week 3 (14 – 20 November): Simulate

• Mocks: three full mocks (Sunday 15, Wednesday 18 and Friday 20 Nov), with one or two of them being actual past CAT papers from our CAT previous year papers.
• Timing: start every mock at the same time as your CAT session on your admit card, so your brain is used to doing DILR at that hour.
• Analysis: track accuracy per section. Attempting 15 and getting 9 right is a selection problem, not a speed problem.

Week 4 (21 – 25 November): Sharpen

• Mocks: two full mocks, on Sunday 22 Nov and Wednesday 25 Nov. The 25th is your last full mock.
• Analysis and revision: look only for repeating patterns in your error log, read it twice, and condense your formula sheet to one or two pages.

Taper (26 – 28 November): Stay sharp, do not cram

• No full mocks. Daily: 2 RC passages, 1 easy DILR set and 15 easy Quant questions to keep your hand moving.
• Read only your formula sheet and error log. No new books.
• Visit your centre once if the area is new to you, and sleep at the same time every night. On 28 November, stop studying by early evening.

Sample Daily Timetables

Weekday timetable (full-time aspirant)

Weekday timetable (working professional)

Mock-day timetable

Start the mock at the same time as your CAT session (it is printed on your admit card). This example assumes a morning start; shift every row if your session is later.

How to Analyse a CAT Mock: Our 4-Step Method

The mock gives you a score; the analysis gives you marks. Spend at least as long analysing as you spent on the test.

1. Score sheet per section: attempts, correct, wrong, accuracy and net score, plus time spent on questions you finally left.
2. Re-attempt before reading solutions. Any skipped question you now solve in under 3 minutes, without a clock, is a selection problem.
3. Tag every wrong or doable-but-skipped question with one reason (concept, calculation, misread, selection or time) and log it with the topic.
4. Choose one fix per section for the next mock and write it on top of your rough sheet, for example: “QA: leave any question at 3 minutes.”

Judge the trend over three or four mocks, never one score. Our free CAT mock tests and sectional tests give section-wise results, so you can fill this sheet straight away.

Common Mistakes in the Last 30 Days

• Two mocks a day. Without analysis, the second one only adds tiredness.
• A new section plan every mock. Lock one by 13 November so you can tell whether it works.
• Blind guessing on MCQs. Guess only when you have cut it to one answer; each wrong MCQ costs a mark.
• 10 minutes stuck on one DILR set. That one set usually costs you two easy questions elsewhere.
• Skipping the official mock. It is your only practice on the real interface before exam day.

CAT 2026 Exam-Day Checklist

• Printed admit card with the same photograph you uploaded at registration affixed, and the photo ID it asks for. Read its instructions the night before.
• Leave early and eat something light and familiar.
• No calculator or rough paper of your own. You get one scribble pad and the on-screen calculator.
• Technical issue? Tell the invigilator. Per the official FAQs, you move to a new system with the timer paused. Bio-breaks are for emergencies only, and lost time is not given back.
• Reset after every section. Each one is a fresh 40 minutes. A tough VARC says nothing about your DILR.

Prepare the Final 30 Days with Amit Sir at Aptitude360

A plan works best when someone checks it with you. At Aptitude360, Amit Sir and our team review your mock analysis with you, fix your section plan and clear doubts daily, in our Sector 34A, Chandigarh classroom or online.

• Book a free demo class: aptitude360.online/book-free-demo
• Take a free CAT mock test: aptitude360.online/prep/cat/mock-tests
• Call: +91-7888714123
• Email: [email protected]
• Visit: 3rd Floor, SCO 80–82, Sector 34A, Chandigarh

Thirty days is enough to add real marks if you use them well. Take the mock, analyse it honestly, fix one thing, and repeat. All the best for 29 November.