CAT 2026 Mock Test: How Many Mocks to Take and When to Start

CAT 2026 exam

29 Nov '26

Senior Manager - Content

Updated on Mar 25, 2026 14:09 IST

CAT preparation is incomplete without mock test practice. But how many CAT mock tests to attempt for a good score? This is a common question among CAT 2026 aspirants. Most of the CAT toppers would recommend practicing mock tests in a good number. Let’s understand.

CAT 2026 preparation will be incomplete without mock test practice. But how many CAT mock tests to attempt for a good score? This is a common question among CAT aspirants. Let’s understand how many and what type of CAT mock tests to practice for scoring high.

CAT Mock Test practice is an integral part of exam preparation. That is why, every CAT 2026 preparation plan that you will come across, will have dedicated time and number for CAT Mocks practice. For a candidate it is critical to master all the topics included in the CAT exam syllabus, not only theoretically but also practically. CAT being a time bound exam, requires aspirants to arrive at the solution quickly. Thus, the need for CAT mock test practice.

Most of the CAT toppers would recommend practicing mock tests in a good number so that you have the experience of all types of questions asked and nothing comes as a surprise to you in the actual exam.

Table of contents

How Many CAT Mock Tests to Take
When to Start CAT Mock Series Practice
CAT Mock Test by Shiksha
Importance of Practicing CAT Mock Test
IIMCAT Mock Test

How Many CAT Mock Tests to Take

There is no definite number of CAT mock tests for all candidates. Some of the previous years' toppers practiced 80-100 mocks, while some practiced only 25 to 30. The key is to learn from every mock performance and improve. On an average, practicing about 30-40 CAT mock tests is recommended, but candidates can increase or decrease the number according to their progress. Keep the following in mind, while making CAT mock test plan.

Try to solve a minimum of 30-34 mock tests for CAT 2026 preparation.
Every CAT mock test should be followed by detailed analysis to understand strengths and weakness.
After every mock test, note down the gaps and try to fill them in consecutive attempts.
Evaluate and analyse your performance to define a number. It can be high or low, depending on how fast your start getting the desired result.
It is not necessary to practice a large number of CAT exam mock tests. A small number with different difficulty levels can be equally effective.
The CAT 2026 mock test plan should include sectional mocks as well. Practice a good number of sectional mock tests for VARC, DILR and QA.
It is critical to attempt CAT mock tests of various difficulty level - easy, medium and high. Start with easy and aim to score 99+ percentile in tough mock tests

When to Start CAT Mock Series Practice

The ideal time to start CAT mock test practice is after completing the exam syllabus. However, one can attempt a couple of mock tests at the beginning of CAT preparation too, in order to see where they stand vis a vis CAT topics.

By August, CAT 2026 aspirants should start solving a mock tests to see how much of the theory they understand.
In September and October 2026, they should practice CAT mock tests every alternate day and analyse the performance to measure progress. These two months are critical for CAT mock series practice. If one doesn’t utilize these two months in mock test practice, they will struggle in November.
Once you’ve started scoring as per your target score, you can start building on your strengths.
By November 2026, slow down and focus on getting used to the exam process. Practice mocks at the time same as your CAT session to simulate the actual exam environment.

CAT Mock Test by Shiksha

Staying updated about the latest educational events is just a click away

Enter Mobile Number

Check below CAT Mock Test (Free) by Shiksha
CAT Mock Test 1	CAT Mock Test 1 Solutions
CAT Mock Test 2	CAT Mock Test 2 Solutions

Importance of Practicing CAT Mock Test

Practicing CAT mock tests series has several advantages. It not only prepares you for online exam, but also helps you in scoring high without cramming or mugging up. Here’s why you should practice a CAT mock tests of varied difficulty levels.

Explore colleges based on CAT

IIM Ahmedabad - Indian Institute of Management institute image

Ahmedabad

#1 NIRF

Courses Offered3 courses4.6

Total Fees₹27.50 L

IIM Bangalore - Indian Institute of Management institute image

Bangalore

#2 NIRF

Courses Offered4 courses4.8

Total Fees₹26.00 L

Symbiosis Skills and Professional University institute image

Pune

Courses Offered4 courses

Total Fees₹13.39 L

IIM Kozhikode - Indian Institute of Management institute image

Kozhikode

#3 NIRF

Courses Offered4 courses4.4

Total Fees₹14.00 L

Want better recommendations?

There is a 90% more chance of getting best college recommendations by sharing preferences.

+ Add preferences

Department of Management Studies, IIT Delhi institute image

Delhi

#4 NIRF

Courses Offered2 courses4.5

Total Fees₹12.00 L

Symbiosis University of Applied Sciences institute image

Indore

Courses Offered3 courses4.4

Total Fees₹12.50 L

IIM Lucknow - Indian Institute of Management institute image

Lucknow

#5 NIRF

Courses Offered1 course4.6

Total Fees₹12.60 L

Shri Vishwakarma Skill University institute image

Gurgaon

Courses Offered2 courses3.6

Total Fees₹86.00 K

Indian Institute of Management Mumbai institute image

Mumbai

#6 NIRF

Courses Offered3 courses4.6

Total Fees₹14.00 L

IIM Calcutta - Indian Institute of Management institute image

Kolkata

#7 NIRF

Courses Offered1 course4.3

Total Fees₹27.00 L

Confused about which college or exam to opt for? assitentRcpRhsImage

Chat with our counselor
Get your personalised list of colleges & exams matching your preferences

View allCollections

Helps you understand application of theory. In LR and RC, there are no formulas to understand and no theorems to remember, so CAT mock test practice is the only way to prepare.
CAT mock tests practice and performance analysis helps you to track your progress.
It helps you to improve speed and accuracy in solving MCQs. Time management is critical for a good performance in CAT.
Practicing CAT mocks help to you identify your strengths and weaknesses.
Since CAT mock tests are replica of actual CAT exam with sectional time limit, test flow and difficulty levels, practicing it in a good number builds confidence and stamina.

IIMCAT Mock Test

Explore more MBA exams with upcoming dates

MAT

MAT May 2026 Registration CBT

1 Apr '26 - 8 Jun '26

ATMA

ATMA 2026: Last Date of Fee Pa...

28 Jun '26

PAT

Last date for PAT 2026 Registr...

1 Dec '25 - 30 Jun '26

SRMHCAT

SRMHCAT 2026 Exam Phase 4

9 May '26 - 5 Jun '26

TSICET

TGICET Answer Key Objection Fa...

30 May '26 - 5 Jun '26

OJEE

OJEE result 2026

7 Jun '26

PIM-MAT

PIM MAT 2026 Exam

9 Jun '26

HPU MAT

HPU MAT 2026 Exam

10 Jun '26

KIITEE Management

KIITEE MBA 2026 GD and PI

8 Jun '26 - 14 Jun '26

AIET

DPU AIET/CET 2026 Exam

28 Jun '26

Apart from unofficial CAT mock tests, provided by coaching centres and online platforms, aspirants must attempt the official IIMCAT mock test too, at least once before the exam. The official CAT mock test is released a few days before the exam. Candidates can access it at the iimcat.ac.in website. It is crucial to attempt the official CAT mock test to know the latest CAT pattern and sectional weightage. CAT 2026 mock test will be released by the second week of November. Aspirants must not miss the chance to attempt it.

Commonly asked questions

Q: Which CAT slot has the toughest question paper?

There is no pattern to which CAT question paper can be the toughest. The CAT question paper of every slot has unique questions. The examination body strives to maintain the same difficulty level of the paper across all slots but it may happen that a question can be more difficult from another. It is seen that, to keep the uniqueness of the question paper intact, the examination authority also changes the topic wise weightage a little bit across the exam slots. In most of the previous years, it is seen that the morning slot of the CAT exam is tougher than the rest two. However, candidates must not worry about the difficulty level of the slots as, the scores of all the candidates are normalised on a common scale to root out the possibility of advantage or disadvantage to any student due to difference in difficulty level. To know how the CAT scores are normalised, read this article: https://www.shiksha.com/mba/articles/understanding-cat-normalization-process-blogId-9386.

Q: From where can I download CAT question papers?

CAT question papers are released within a week of the exam in the form of a PDF as a response sheet and answer key. Candidates who have appeared for the test are able to access the CAT question paper and answer key. The question paper of every slot is released on the same day along with candidate response sheet and official answer to all question. If any candidate needs previous year CAT question papers for preparation purpose, then they can download them from Shiksha website. We have hosted last five years' CAT question papers for aspirants to download and practice. These official CAT question papers are available for download free. You can download the CAT question paper PDFs at this link: https://www.shiksha.com/mba/cat-exam-question-papers Candidates must check and practice the latest CAT question paper to know the latest exam pattern and difficulty level.

Q: What's new in CAT exam?

In CAT 2025, the following changes were seen:

The fee amount increased from INR 2,500 to INR 2,600 for General category candidates and from INR 1,250 to INR 1300 for Reserved category candidates.
In DILR section, number of questions increased from 20 to 22.
Total marks of CAT DILR section increased from 60 to 66.
Total marks of CAT exam increased from 198 to 204.
Candidates can select five cities instead of six.

Q: What is the marking scheme of CAT?

CAT has 68 questions. Each question carries three marks. There is negative marking of minus one for incorrect attempts. There is no deduction of marks for unanswered questions. Total marks in 204.

Commonly asked questions

Q: What is the sectional time limit in CAT?

In CAT exam, each candidate gets 120 minutes to solve the paper. There are three sections in CAT Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension, Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning and Quantitative Aptitude. For each section 40 minutes are allotted as sectional time limit. For PwD candidates, the sectional time limit is 53.20 minutes per section. Candidates have to complete each section within the given time limit. Since the CAT is an online mode exam, the test screen will move from first section to the next section automatically as soon as the time limit gets over. Thus candidates have to be mindful of the on-screen timer and pre-decide the number of questions to solve in each section. The Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension section of CAT has 24 questions, Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning section has 22 questions and Quantitative Aptitude section has 22 questions. It is not mandatory to solve all the questions in CAT so candidates can devise a strategy to use 40 minutes per section as per their strength and weakness.

Q: Is the structure of CAT mock test same as the actual exam?

CAT mock tests are a replica of the actual CAT exam. It is so because the purpose of the mock test is to prepare the candidate for a speed based test which requires quick decision making and quick calculation with 100 per cent accuracy. This can be achieved only if the candidates has been in such an environment multiple times. In the CAT mock test, candidate has to solve equal number of questions as the CAT exam, in the same time limit. This, helps them in mastering the art of solving 66 questions in 120 minutes with much ease and confidence. The CAT mock tests have questions of same or higher difficulty level than the actual exam. In many unofficial mock tests, the questions are of previous CAT exams. Candidates must solve a variety of mock tests so that they are well versed with CAT questions of all types and varieties.

Q: What is the best time to practice CAT mock test?

Candidates should practice CAT mock test during the day. Once, CAT admit card is released, they should practice CAT mocks at the same time as their exam slot. This will help them align their mind and body to 2 hours of rigorous test so that they can utilize their time in the CAT exam well. For example, CAT exam starts are early as 8:30 am. So, those who are not used to studying early morning will face difficulty in performing optimally if they get morning slot.

Videos you may like

About the Author

Vipra Shrivastava

Senior Manager - Content

Vipra Shrivastava is MA in English Literature from Delhi University with extensive experience in content writing of over 14 years. She has been handling content for Management, Accounting and Commerce streams for 8

Read Full Bio

Download Important Dates for MBA/PGDM Exams