- Plan to solve two sets cleanly and attempt a third only if it is clearly easy. This is a planning rule, not an official number.
- The official CAT 2026 pages do not state how many sets or questions DILR has. The fixed fact is the clock: exactly 40 minutes, with no switching between sections.
- A working budget: 4 minutes to scan, 12 for each of two sets, up to 10 for a third, 2 to enter and check answers.
- Drop a set if you have no forced deduction after 6 to 8 minutes of real work.
- No official marks figure maps to any DILR percentile. Track your own marks per set and your accuracy instead.
The most useful answer to how many DILR sets to attempt in CAT is two sets solved cleanly, plus a third only if it is clearly easy. That is a planning rule, not an official figure. The CAT 2026 pages do not say how many sets DILR contains or how many questions each set carries. What is fixed is the clock: DILR gets exactly 40 minutes and you cannot move to another section.
This post gives a time budget for those 40 minutes, rules for scanning, committing and abandoning, a way to score a half-solved set, and a drill for practice. How to solve each set type is in the DILR playbook. Marking is +3 for a correct answer and -1 for a wrong MCQ, with no negative marks for non-MCQs.
How many DILR sets to attempt in CAT: the 40-minute budget
Start from minutes, not from a set count. Because you cannot borrow time from QA or VARC, every minute in DILR must either find a set or finish one.
| Block of the 40 minutes | Minutes |
|---|---|
| Scan and rank all sets | 4 |
| Set 1, fully solved | 12 |
| Set 2, fully solved | 12 |
| Set 3, as far as time allows | 10 |
| Buffer to enter answers and re-check | 2 |
Why two clean sets beat four half-done ones
Every set has a fixed cost (reading and building the grid) and a variable cost (each question). Spreading your time across many sets pays the fixed cost again and again.
- Three full sets: 3 x (6 + 4 x 1.5) = 3 x 12 = 36 minutes. With the scan that is 40 minutes and 12 questions.
- Four sets, setup only: 4 x 6 = 24 minutes, plus the 4-minute scan = 28. The remaining 12 minutes buy 12 / 1.5 = 8 questions.
Answer: 12 questions against 8, which is 36 marks against 24 if every answer is right. The set-up cost is what the partial approach keeps paying.
The scan, the 90-second rule and the abandon line
Scan every set first, but give each one only 40 to 60 seconds and cap the whole scan at about five minutes. Tag each set easy, medium or hard. Good signs are a clean table or short rule list, clues that fix a position or value outright, direct questions and a format you have solved before.
Then commit to your best set. If you have not made one forced deduction after six to eight minutes, drop it. A forced deduction is a cell, a seat or a value you are certain of. Ninety seconds is the most you should spend reading any one uncertain set before you decide to keep it or drop it.
How to score a partly solved set
Count questions you can answer with the grid you have now, not questions in the set. Then compare marks per minute with what a fresh set offers.
| State after about 8 minutes | What to do |
|---|---|
| Grid complete, all questions answerable | Finish the set and enter the answers |
| Grid half built, 2 of 4 questions answerable | Answer those 2, then compare rates before going on |
| No forced deduction | Drop the set and move to the next |
- Current set: 2 x 3 = 6 marks in 10 minutes = 0.6 marks a minute.
- Fresh set: 4 x 3 = 12 marks in 12 minutes = 1.0 marks a minute.
Answer: Take the answers you have, then move to the fresh set.
Mark every deduction as forced or assumed in your rough work. Never answer from an assumption you have not tested.
What to do when every set looks hard
Some papers have no easy set. Pick the two with the cleanest data and the clearest anchors, and cap each at about 14 or 15 minutes. Aim for a few solid questions from each rather than a full set.
- Always enter an answer to a non-MCQ question: there is no negative marking.
- Guess an MCQ only after you can remove at least one option.
- Remember that a percentile is relative. A hard DILR paper lowers many scores, not only yours.
The accuracy bar before you add a third set
Add a third set only when two sets are already reliable. Use a metric you set yourself, such as accuracy above 75% on attempted DILR questions across your last three mocks, with two sets complete by about minute 28.
If your two sets take 35 minutes, a third set will only add wrong answers. Work on set selection and speed in the first two instead. There is no official benchmark, so treat 75% as a starting example, as in the mock analysis guide.
Time per set by difficulty
| Set type | Target time | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Easy | 8 to 10 minutes | Finish it and bank the marks |
| Medium | 12 to 14 minutes | Commit only after a forced deduction |
| Hard | 6 minute probe | Drop unless a forced deduction appears |
These are practice targets, not official figures. The point is a ceiling you set before the mock begins, so that you decide on a set by the clock and not by hope.
A practice drill for set selection
- Take four or five sets from your practice material and start a 4-minute timer.
- Rank the sets without solving them, using the signs listed above.
- Solve them in your order with a 12-minute cap on each.
- Afterwards, note which set you would have picked with hindsight. Log any mismatch as a 'selection' error.
The free CAT Compass diagnostic is a quick way to see your DILR accuracy, but it is shorter than the real paper and lets you switch sections. For selection practice, use full-length mocks with section locks.