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?
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.
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
TANCET exam preparation can be different for different aspirants. This is because of the difference in the strengths and weaknesses. Some candidates may find Quantitative Ability easy, whereas some might find English usage on an easier side. Most of the candidates prepare well for the TANCET exam in 2-3 month time duration.
Candidates must clear the concepts followed by appearing for mock test. One must focus on increasing speed as well as accuracy. Candidates can use TANCET books recommended by toppers and tutors to prepare for exam.
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.
| 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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Abhishek is a content writer and editor with 7+ years of experience in education journalism. He completed his graduation from University of Delhi with a BA Degree. At Shiksha.com, he handles content for MBA, BBA, an
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 4 days ago
TANCET exam notification has details like the registration dates, exam date, and type of colleges accepting TANCET scores. Exam notification also states the courses available for admission via TANCET.
R
Contributor-Level 6
Answered a week ago
Annamalai University MCA cutoff 2025 was released for General and OBC categories under the AI quota. For the students belonging to the General AI quota, the TANCET required cutoff score was 1811. In the OBC category, the cutoff score was 2523.
R
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
Annamalai University accepts the TANCET scores for admission to the MBA course. In 2025, the TANCET cutoff score was 3212 for getiing admission to the MBA course. This cutoff score is valid for the students belonging to the General AI quota. For the OBC category students, the TANCET last round cutof
R
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 3 weeks ago
No. Candidates are not allowed top carry calculators inside the TANCET exam centre. Calculations are to be done manually while taking the TANCET exam.
J
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 3 weeks ago
In case of errors on TANCET admit card, candidates must report the issue to Anna University admission desk. Errors on the TANCET hall ticket may create hassles on the exam day.
V
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 3 weeks ago
No. TANCET admit card is released in an online mode onlyu. Candidates have to login on the official exam website to download TANCET hall ticket.
D
Contributor-Level 6
Answered a month ago
JNN Institute of Technology admissions are held on the basis of entrance tests. Students wishing to take admissions can visit the official website and check the course-wise eligibility as well as specialisations. The accepted exams at the institute include TNEA and TANCET, etc. After obtaining valid
A
Contributor-Level 10
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.