Which CAT Section has Highest Weightage in 2026?
Common Admission Test 2026 ( CAT )
CAT 2026 admit card download
4 Nov '26 - 29 Nov '26
Don't know how to prioritise CAT topics in limited time?. Know which section has the highest weightage in CAT 2026 to optimise performance in the exam.
Which Section Has Highest Weightage in CAT Exam?
Preparing for the CAT 2026 exam in limited time requires candidates to strategise their overall prep, especially with only few days remaining. To approach the preparation effectively, it's important for candidates to understand the syllabus and the sectional weightage. Since sectional cutoffs play a significant role in admissions via CAT, candidates must pay equal attention to all three sections: Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR), Quantitative Aptitude (QA), and Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC).
With limited time available for the exam day, it’s important for candidates to strategise their preparation properly. Knowing the weightage of each section will help candidates focus on maximising their scores. Additionally, it's important to identify which section carries the highest weightage to score better in the CAT exam.
The sectional cutoff is important for achieving a high percentile and gaining admission to a top B-school, so candidates need to prepare thoroughly for every section. In the CAT exam, VARC has the highest weightage, comprising 24 questions worth 72 marks. Following VARC, the QA and DILR section also has a weightage of 22 questions each.
Also Read:
- Which Section has Highest Weightage in 2026?
- CAT VARC Weightage
- CAT DILR Weightage
- CAT Quantitative Aptitude Weightage
Which Section has Highest Weightage in 2026?
All three sections of CAT exam have approximately equal weightage, with VARC having 2 extra questions. The Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) section carries the highest overall sectional weightage at 72 marks (24 questions. Reading Comprehension (RC) part of the CAT exam has a total of 16 questions.
Passage topics across all slots (2018-2025) and predicted themes for CAT 2026.
Commonly asked questions
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.
In CAT exam, each candidate gets 120 minutes to solve the paper. There are three sections, all three sections have a fixed sectional time limit of 40 minutes.
There is no difference between slot 1, 2 and 3 of CAT exam paper in terms of structure and patten. The sectional break up, marking scheme and time limit are the same in all slots. However, due to unique sets of questions in each slot leads to difference in difficulty levels. There is usually a slight difference in the CAT question papers of different slots. Sometimes, topic wise weightage of the questions also vary. To negate advantage or disadantage to candidates due to difference in difficulty level of slots, CAT scores are normalised for result preparation.
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.
CAT VARC Weightage
VARC has the maximum weightage in CAT exam and it is also the first section of the CAT question paper that candidates have to solve within 40 minutes. Within the VARC section of CAT, reading comprehension has maximum weightage. So, candidates need to focus on RCs during the preparation. Given below is the break up of CAT 2024 VARC section. Usually, there are Parajumble questions in CAT VARC, but in 2024, there wasn't any. In CAT 2026, parajumbles questions many be asked, but they will not be more than 4-5.
| VARC sections |
No. of questions |
Type |
Difficulty Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 |
MCQ |
Medium |
|
| Paragraph completion |
3 |
MCQ |
|
| Summary |
3 |
MCQ |
|
| Odd Sentence Questions |
2 |
TITA |
CAT DILR Weightage
In the DILR section of CAT 2026, there were 22 questions. CAT DILR questions are on the tougher side and also time-consuming. They must target at least 12-15 questions in the DILR section with 100 per cent accuracy, to score well.
| Area |
No. of Questions |
Question Type |
Level of Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 |
3 MCQ, 1 TITA |
Easy |
|
| Data Interpretation | 4 |
2 MCQ, 2 TITA |
Moderate |
| Data Interpretation |
5 |
4 MCQ, 1 TITA |
Moderate to Difficult |
| 4 |
5 TITA |
Moderatre |
|
| Logical Reasoning |
5 |
3 MCQ, 1 TITA |
Easy to moderate |
| Overall |
22 |
-- |
Moderate |
Also Read:
Commonly asked questions
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.
CAT question papers are released within a week of the exam in the form of a PDF as a response sheet and answer key. Response sheet hosts CAT exam questions and answers.
Difficulty level in CAT exam is not specific to any of the three slots. The difficulty level across slots may vary every year. Know how the CAT scores are normalised: https://www.shiksha.com/mba/articles/understanding-cat-normalization-process-blogId-9386.
The CAT VARC section is dominated by RC questions. Out of 24 questions about 14-16 are based on Reading Comprehension passages and the rest of them are based on parajumbles, para completion, etc.
CAT has about 12-16 RC question. Since, it is not mandatory to solve all the questions, candidates can maximize their scores by leaving out the questions related to the passage they find the toughest. There is negative marking in CAT so candidates must ensure that they mark only the correct options or do not mark any option at all.
CAT Quantitative Aptitude Weightage
The weightage of Quantitative Aptitude in CAT is 66 marks. It has a total of 22 questions of moderate to high difficulty. This section of the CAT has traditionally been calculation-intensive; thus, there is no way out but to practice, practice and practice more. Within the section, Arithmetic has maximum weightage. Check the table below for CAT Quantitative Aptitude weightage.
| Area |
No. of Questions |
Question Type |
Level of Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arithmetic |
8 |
MCQ |
Moderate |
| Algebra |
7 |
MCQ |
Moderate |
| Geometry |
3 |
MCQ |
Moderate |
| Modern Maths |
3 |
MCQ |
Moderate |
| Numbers |
1 |
MCQ |
Moderate |
| Overall |
22 |
-- |
Moderate |
CAT 2026 aspirants must keep in mind that in this exam, it doesn’t matter how many questions they have solved, but what matters is how many questions they have solved correctly because for each incorrect answer, one mark is deducted. So, focus on the questions that you can solve accurately. So solve CAT questions of previous years and attempt 30-40 full-length CAT mock tests to improve your speed and accuracy in all the DILR, VARC and Quantitative Aptitude.
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 5 days ago
Yes, for some of them. Bahra lists scholarships based on JEE Main marks and CLAT rank, along with BUSET, CAT, MAT, and CUET percentile scores. I am not sure about NEET, so confirm that with the admissions office.
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In case of mistakes in the fields mentioned on the CAT admit card, candidates must contact the official CAT helpdesk via email or phone to get it rectified before the exam date.
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Candidates need to log in using their CAT User ID and Password to download CAT admit card. These login credentials are generated at the time of registration.
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No, the Common Admission Test (CAT) admit card cannot be obtained offline. Candidates have to download CAT 2026 admit card from the official website.
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Yes. Candidates must preserve their admit card safely. It is a mandatory document required for identity verification during the Writing Ability Test (WAT), Personal Interview (PI) rounds, and final admission stages at the institutes.
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No. The examination authorities do not accept any requests to change the allotted exam venue, test city, or timing slot. The details printed on your CAT admit card are final.
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Yes, you can download the PDF on your smartphone. However, it is better to use a laptop or desktop computer to prevent any layout errors and to ensure you can print a clean copy easily.
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Candidates can log back into the official CAT portal using your registered User ID and password to download the PDF again. The download link remains active until the exam day. Candidates are allowed to download a fresh copy whenever needed
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No. The CAT 2026 admit card release date remains the same irrespective of the slot. It is not split or delayed based on assigned slot or exam city.
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Contributor-Level 7
Answered 5 days ago
Yes, one can join an IIM without taking the CAT exam, but this alternative route depends entirely on the type of programme. CAT exam remains mandatory for the flagship two-year full-time MBA (PGP/PGDM) programs. However, some courses may not need a valid CAT score for IIM admission.
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Abhishek Dhawan is a content writer and editor with 7+ years of experience in education journalism. He holds a BA degree from the University of Delhi. At Shiksha, Abhishek primarily covers MBA and BBA entrance
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