CAT 2026 Exam Strategy: A software engineer who scored 95 percentile with only a few days’ of preparation in the Common Admission Test (CAT) last year has shared a candid account of his preparation and exam-day experience, offering practical advice for aspirants in the final stretch before the test.
The candidate, Aryan Akhouri, is a BTech in Electrical and Electronics Engineering (EEE), from BIT Mesra, currently works as a Software Engineer 3 at Walmart Global Tech. He said his preparation was unusually short, about six to seven days, during which he primarily solved sample sets.
He added that his engineering background made the Quantitative Ability section more manageable, but stressed that strategy and calmness were equally important.
VARC: Read Questions Carefully
Speaking to NDTV, Akhouri mentioned that his biggest takeaway was for the Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) section. Although his Quant went well and LRDI turned out better than expected, he said confusingly worded questions made VARC difficult. “Even when I had the correct answer, deciphering what the options meant was difficult,” he said.
He particularly warned aspirants about negatively framed questions, such as: “Which of the options is not true if the given condition did not exist?” He said candidates can easily become unsure whether the question is asking them to identify the correct option or the incorrect one.
Akhouri advised candidates to be precise in VARC. Read the question stem and options slowly, identify exactly what is being asked, and avoid rushing through language-heavy questions, he asserted.
Quant: Play To Your Strengths
For Quantitative Ability, he described the section as “relatively easy” for candidates with a mathematics background and said it is generally predictable. His key advice was speed and selection.
“Try to be fast in that and choose your questions,” he said. “If you know you can solve something but need time for it, skip it and get back to it later if you have time.”
He recommended that candidates identify their strongest Quant topics early. For example, someone comfortable with geometry should ensure they are well versed in it, since those questions can often be solved quickly. Choosing algebra instead is not necessarily wrong, he added, provided the candidate is confident and efficient in it.
LRDI: Avoid The Wrong-Set Trap
Akhouri told NDTV that the Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (LRDI) section was where he faced his biggest exam-day challenge. He solved one set very quickly, but then selected the wrong set and ended up spending most of his time on it.
“Ultimately, I had to fluke on a few questions, and that worked in my favour, which is why LRDI went better than expected,” he said.
Sharing his message to the CAT 2026 aspirants, Akhouri stated: do not get emotionally attached to a set. If a set is taking too long or is not yielding progress, leave it and move to another. Smart selection can matter as much as solving ability, he added.
Final-Month Plan
For candidates preparing now, he suggested finishing the syllabus as soon as possible, then focusing on high-return strengths rather than trying to master every topic. Here are some final-month tips for CAT aspirants:
- Complete the syllabus quickly if it is still pending
- Identify and strengthen two or three Quant topics where you are naturally quick and accurate
- Solve previous year questions (PYQs) and sample sets until mid-November
- In the final 10 days, stop adding new question practice and revise only strong topics
Advising candidates to keep the last phase low-pressure; he said that he watched sitcoms daily during CAT 2025 to manage nerves.
For this 95-percentiler, CAT was less about solving every question and more about reading carefully, selecting wisely and staying calm. “Be chill,” he advised, especially in the final days before the exam.
