- The CAT 2027 date, pattern and registration window are not announced as of 6 November 2026. CAT 2026 is on 29 November 2026.
- A 12-month plan should move through four phases, each with an exit gate based on accuracy, not on hours or the calendar.
- Start full mocks only after topic accuracy is steady, and spend the last 90 days on the mock and analysis loop.
- The CAT 2026 pattern (three sections of 40 minutes, +3 and -1 marking) is a working assumption for 2027, not a confirmed rule.
CAT 2027 preparation can start now, but it should be built on milestones and not on a fixed exam date, because the CAT 2027 date has not been announced as of 6 November 2026. CAT 2026 is on 29 November 2026. If CAT 2027 falls in late November too, you have about 12 months, and the plan below splits them into four phases with an exit gate for each.
Gates, hours and months here are our planning suggestions, not research results. Everything that depends on the official notice is marked as unannounced.
CAT 2027 preparation: what is known and what is not
| Item | Status on 6 Nov 2026 |
|---|---|
| CAT 2026 exam | Sunday 29 Nov 2026, three sessions |
| CAT 2026 pattern | Three sections of exactly 40 minutes, 120 minutes in all, no switching, +3 for a correct answer and -1 for a wrong MCQ |
| CAT 2026 timeline | Registration 3 Aug to 22 Sep 2026; result likely in the first week of January 2027 |
| CAT 2027 date | Not announced |
| CAT 2027 pattern, fee and eligibility | Not announced. Treat CAT 2026's as a working assumption |
| CAT 2027 registration window | Not announced |
Plans that name an exact 2027 date are projecting. Use 'late November' as an assumption and replace it with the official date when the notice is out.
Phase 1: foundations without mocks
| Phase | Roughly when, if you start now | Exit gate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Foundations | Months 1 to 4 | Topic accuracy steady at 70% or better on untimed sets |
| 2 Timed practice | Months 5 to 7 | Accuracy 75% or better when timed, no question over 2.5 minutes |
| 3 Sectionals and first mocks | Months 8 to 9 | Three full mocks within a 5-point percentile band |
| 4 Mock-analysis loop | Last 90 days | A stable band and a clear section plan |
Learn the topics in each section with no timer and no mocks. In QA, work through arithmetic, algebra, number systems, geometry and counting with a formula sheet at hand. In VARC, build a daily reading habit. In DILR, solve sets untimed until you can explain why a set works.
- Exit gate. Each major topic reaches 70% accuracy on 20 untimed questions, and you read every day for several weeks.
- Do not do yet. Full mocks. A score taken before the basics are in place only discourages.
Phase 2: timed practice and an error log
Add a timer and an error log. Practise in sets of 10 to 20 questions with a per-question time ceiling. Log every wrong, skipped and slow question with an error type: concept, formula, calculation, misread, time sink, selection or guess.
- Exit gate. About 75% accuracy under the timer, no question over 2.5 minutes, and an error log that shows fewer concept errors each month.
- Do not do yet. Chasing speed before accuracy holds.
Phase 3: sectionals and the first full mocks
Take single-section tests at 40 minutes, then full 120-minute mocks. The free CAT Compass mock is a baseline before you pick a series. A mock should follow the CAT 2026 pattern as a working assumption, with a hard lock on each 40-minute section.
- Exit gate. Three full mocks whose percentiles sit within 5 points of each other, and no section more than about 10 points below the others.
- Do not do yet. Judging yourself on the first mock. It is a diagnostic.
Phase 4: the mock-analysis loop
In the last 90 days, run a weekly cycle: mock, a 90-minute review within 24 hours, an error-log update and three actions for the week. The mock analysis guide explains the routine. The CAT 90-day study plan shows its week-by-week form, which you re-count from the official CAT 2027 date once it is announced.
Plans for college students, working professionals and repeaters
- College students. CAT 2026 allowed final-year Bachelor's candidates, who need at least 50% marks (45% for SC, ST and PwBD) and a completion certificate to join. CAT 2027 rules are not announced. Use college terms for Phase 1 and 2 and keep vacations for Phase 3.
- Working professionals. Budget weekly hours. The 90-day plan's working track runs 18 to 27 hours a week. At lower budgets, begin earlier and stretch each phase.
- Repeaters. If you sit CAT 2026, wait for the result, likely in the first week of January 2027. Then rebuild from your section percentiles and start at the earliest phase whose gate you have not passed.
Student weekly hours in the same plan run 25 to 34, so a student can finish each phase sooner.
How to use XAT, SNAP and MAT dates as checkpoints
The 2026-27 calendar shows the usual order: SNAP in December (13, 19 and 26 December 2026), XAT on 3 January 2027, and CMAT tentatively on 7 February 2027. AIMA says MAT runs four times a year, in February, May, September and December. Check the 2027 dates when published and track them in the MBA deadline tracker.
Treat these as optional checkpoints, not substitutes. The patterns differ: XAT has -0.25 negative marking and a Decision Making section, SNAP is 60 questions in 60 minutes, and MAT has 150 questions in 120 minutes. Each costs an application fee, so sit one only if it tells you something your mocks do not.
Mistakes in month-wise plans
- Assigning fixed topics to fixed months and moving on even when accuracy is low.
- Starting full mocks in month 2 and drawing conclusions from them.
- Planning backwards from a guessed exam date.
- Copying a daily-hours target that assumes a student's day.
- Leaving no buffer for illness, work peaks or a failed phase gate.