CAT 2026 Strategy: An Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Bangalore alumna who later joined Google has shared some common traps that Common Admission Test (CAT) aspirants fall into. In a video message shared on Instagram, the user noted that these mistakes silently lower the percentile by 10 to 15 points. The instagram user said that she cleared the CAT exam in her first attempt and got shortlisted by 25 B-schools. She further stated that she pursued her MBA degree from IIM Bangalore.
The CAT 2026 exam will be held on November 29 this year, in three sessions. The CAT exam remains the primary gateway to Master of Business Administration (MBA) courses at IIMs and is used by several other business schools for admission.
Five Mistakes To Avoid
1. Giving Mocks At The Wrong Time
The IIM Bangalore alumna advised CAT aspirants to take mock tests at the same time as given on their CAT 2026 admit card. Applicants should start this practice as soon as they receive their hall tickets. This process will help candidates to train their brain for the actual exam.
2. Attempting Too Many Questions
“CAT rewards accuracy,” the MBA student said. She further noted that she attempted 38 out of 66 questions and scored above 99 percentile.
3. Practising RCs In The Last Moment
According to the top scorer, reading comprehension carries 24 out of 40 marks and if candidates fail to read fast enough and retain the passage, they lose time and marks.
4. Not Analysing Mock Results
The top scorer stated that the difference between a 90 percentiler and a 99 percentiler is giving mock tests and not analysing them.
5. Weak DILR Strategy
The IIM Bangalore graduate noted that most people try to solve everything. This is a wrong practice, she said. She suggested that aspirants spend the first five minutes reading and picking the right sets, asserting that this is the correct strategy.
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The duration of the test will be 120 minutes, as per the official test structure. Candidates will be given 40 minutes for answering questions in each section, and they will not be allowed to switch from one section to another while answering questions in a section, the exam conducting body noted.
