How to Prepare for TANCET 2026 in 6 Months?
Tamil Nadu Common Entrance Test 2026 ( TANCET )
TANCET 2026 will be a crucial exam for students seeking admission to MBA and MCA courses in Tamil Nadu colleges. Here we share a few tips that will help candidates, appearing for the exam, prepare better.
Six-Month TANCET Preparation Plan
TANCET Preparation in Six Months: Anna University conducts TANCET exam every year for state-level admission to MBA and MCA courses in Tamil Nadu. TANCET exam is a two-hour offline test held across 15 cities. The upcoming TANCET 2026 is expected to be held in March. Candidates need around three to four months for TANCET preparation. Candidates devoting six months to TANCET 2026 preparation will have enough time to revise after they complete the syllabus. Refer to this article to gain some insights on how to prepare for TANCET exam in six months.
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How to Prepare for TANCET 2026 in 6 Months?
Candidates planning to appear for TANCET 2026 must start their preparation at least 6 months in advance to ace the exam. Since the time is limited, candidates must chalk in a perfect plan to devote to the TANCET 2026 preparation.
Know the TANCET exam pattern: TANCET pattern for MBA and MCA differs from other programmes. While MBA and MCA papers will carry 100 questions, MTech, MArch, MPlan and M.E papers will consist of 115 questions divided into three parts.
TANCET Exam Pattern Highlights
| Programmes |
MBA |
MCA/MCA (LE) |
|---|---|---|
| Mode of TANCET Exam |
Offline |
Offline |
| Duration of test |
2 hours |
2 hours |
| Number of sections |
5 (Business Situations, Reading Comprehension, Quantitative Ability, Data Sufficiency and English Usage) |
4 (Quantitative Ability, Analytical Reasoning, Logical Reasoning, Computer Awareness |
| Sectional Weightage |
20 marks allotted to each section |
25 marks allotted to each section |
| Total Marks |
100 |
100 |
| Negative Marks |
1/3 |
1/3 |
Also Check: How to Fill TANCET Application Form?
Hi, TANCET sections include Questions from Business situations, Comprehension Passage, Graduate level Mathematics, Determining Data Sufficiency, English Language. The important topics to focus while preparing for TANCET are same as CMAT. Here are few tips which you should consider while preparing for TANCET.
1) Try preparing all the topics listed in the official syllabus. Leaving any topic will risk your chances of obtaining a high score. However, at the last minute, avoid picking up a new topic.
2) Candidates should choose or select the appropriate study material so that they can easily understand it and it will help them to understand the structure of the exam. Negative marking is applicable in the test.
3) Therefore, another TANCET MBA preparation tip is to avoid guesswork. Mark the answers which you are sure of else leave them unanswered. The candidates must concentrate on enhancing their vocabulary as they will have to answer different questions in this section of the exam. Read the newspaper on a daily basis, it will help you prepare for the further rounds of admission. Hope it helps.
Curate a study plan: One must plan their TANCET preparation once they know important details of the exam such as sections, syllabus, pattern, and more.
Set achievable goals: Candidates must set achievable goals. Achieving target will act as a confidence booster. Candidates who try to cover the TANCET syllabus in a rush without getting into the basics often end up scoring low in exam. Therefore, it’s better to take one step at a time and to assess what has been achieved at the end of the day.
Don’t run away from weaknesses: To obtain a good score in TANCET exam, candidates must know their strengths and weaknesses. Candidates need to focus on their weak areas to overcome any scope of negative marking or opportunity loss in the exam. Candidates must focus on strong as well as weak areas under TANCET syllabus.
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Practice mock tests: Candidates preparing for TANCET 2026 must go through the previous year's question papers to know details of the TANCET exam pattern and test structure. Once the candidates know the pattern they must practise using TANCET mock tests. After practising multiple mock tests, candidates will gain confidence to answer questions in the TANCET exam. Practising TANCET mock tests will also help candidates improve the speed and accuracy.
Books for TANCET 2026 Preparation
Here are a few books that could be used for TANCET preparation
For TANCET MBA
| Books |
Author |
|---|---|
| TANCET MBA (Anna University) |
V V K Subburaj |
| A Comprehensive Study of Data Interpretation Analysis and Sufficiency |
Ashok Gupta |
| TANCET MBA Exam Book |
E.S. Ramasamy |
For TANCET MCA
To improve RC skills in TANCET, candidates need to read regularly. Candidates can use sample papers and previous exam papers to practise RC questions.
CAT is a national level exam for MBA admission, while TANCET is a state level exam for MBA admission. Syllabus for both CAT and TANCET are on a similar lies with slight changes in the sections. TANCET exam includes an additional section for Business Situation analysis. Candidates who have prepared for CAT exams section, including DILR, VARC, and QA, need a minimal study plan to prepare for TANCET. Candidates who took the CAT exam must drive deeper into the section for analysis of business situations. Study material, including books, question type remains similar for CAT and TANCET exam.
Practising mock tests for CAT and TANCET must be done individual as the difficult standards, exam duration, number of questions and other elements of test pattern will vary. Mock test will provide a better understanding of taking TANCET and CAT exam.
| Books |
Author |
|---|---|
| A Complete Package for MCA Entrance Guide |
Amit M Agarwal |
| TANCET MCA Exam Book |
V.V.K. Subburaj |
| Popular Master Guide MCA Entrance examination |
R Gupta |
For TANCET M.Tech/ME/M.Arch/M.Plan
| Books |
Author |
|---|---|
| TANCET (M.E. / M.Tech. / M.Arch. / M.Plan) |
V.V.K. Subburaj |
| TANCET M.E., M.Tech, M.Arch, M.Plan Exam Book |
Sura Books |
| TANCET M.E. Computer Science and Engineering and Information Technologies – I |
Amit Gupta |
| TANCET M.E Entrance |
M. Preshnave |
Check TANCET cut offs and predict calls from colleges accepting TANCET scores for admission. Check Fees, Placement Reviews, Admission, Shortlist Criteria and Eligibility of all TANCET participating colleges by clicking the link below:
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 2 months ago
TANCET counselling is conducted by GCT Coimbatore. DTE, Tamil Nadu has allocatted the responsibility for TANCET counselling to GCT, Coimbatore. Candidates will have to participate in the centralised counselling process for TANCET based admissions.
B
Beginner-Level 5
Answered 2 months ago
The last date for TANCET exam registration lie around 20-30 days after the start date. Therefore, registrations starting in January will last until February.
L
Beginner-Level 5
Answered 2 months ago
No, there is no facility for revaluation in TANCET exam. The results declared by Anna University are final and will be considered for admissions in Tamil Nadu. Anna University will not entertain any requests for revaluation and rechecking of the TANCET answer sheet.
R
Beginner-Level 5
Answered 2 months ago
TANCET exam has objective type questions, this means that each question will have four options. Candidates have to choose one correct answer option for the question in the TANCET exam.
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months ago
TANCET exam is conducted once every year. Candidates aiming for admissions via TANCET in current year must appear for the current cycle of the TANCET exam. In case of change in the TANCET exam frequency, Anna University will notify the details on teh official website and the infoirmation brochure.
A
Beginner-Level 5
Answered 2 months ago
TANCET scores remain valid for a period of one admission cycle. Candidates appearing for the TANCET exam in this year can only get admission in the current admission cycle.
S
Beginner-Level 5
Answered 2 months ago
Yes, TANCET exam consists of negative marking. For each incorrect response candidates face a penalty of 1/3 mark. Therefore, candidates must avoid guesswork while answering questions in the TANCET exam.
R
Beginner-Level 5
Answered 2 months ago
TANCET exam details are released around the month of January every year. Candidates find the start dare for the TANCET registration along with the TANCET syllabus, infomation brochure, and exam date. Additionally, the TANCET website mentions the notification release date beforehand. TANCET notificat
J
Beginner-Level 5
Answered 2 months ago
TANCET ranks are allotted based on the marks of the candidates. All candidates with a TANCET Bscore who get their documents verified before the counselling process will be placed in the TANCET rank list. the highest scorer in the TANCET exam who will get the documents verified will get first rank in
V
Beginner-Level 5
Answered 2 months ago
TANCET exam scores are accepted by more than 200 colleges in Tamil Nadu. TANCET scores help in admissioin toi MBA as well as MCA colleges in the state. DTE conducts centralised counselling process to fill the seats based on the TANCET scores.
N
Beginner-Level 5
TANCET MBA exam has 5 sections. All sections have an equal weightage. With a total of 100 questions, each section has 20 questions in MCQ format.