The CAT 2026 media release confirms the test will run for 120 minutes and have three sections, in this order: Section I Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Section II Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Section III Quantitative Ability (QA).
The IIMs have not yet released section-wise timings or question counts for 2026. Based on the CAT 2025 pattern, this is what students should expect (expected, not yet officially confirmed for 2026):
VARC: 40 minutes, 24 questions
DILR: 40 minutes, 22 questions
QA: 40 minutes, 22 questions
Total: 120 minutes, 68 questions
Session timings in CAT 2025 (past year, for reference only):
Session 1: 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM
Session 2: 12:30 PM to 2:30 PM
Session 3: 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM
CAT 2026 session timings will be printed on your admit card, out on 4 November 2026.
Why the order matters. Each section has its own clock, and you cannot switch between sections. Starting with VARC means your reading speed sets the tone for the paper. DILR in the middle is where most candidates lose time choosing sets. QA comes last, when you are most tired, so practise Quant at the end of your mocks, not the start.
Official website (type it in your browser): iimcat.ac.in
Key facts
| Duration | 120 minutes | ||||||||
| Section order 2026 | VARC, DILR, QA | ||||||||
| Minutes per section (expected) |
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| Questions in CAT 2025 |
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| Session times in CAT 2025 |
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| Pattern note | Section timings and question counts are expected, based on CAT 2025; not yet official for 2026 |
Source: IIM media release, 15 Sep 2026 (official notice) (official notice)