CAT Last Week Preparation: What to Do and What to Skip

CAT last week preparation is revision, light practice and logistics, not new learning. Take at most one full mock early in the week, revise your error log and formula sheet, protect your sleep, and go into each locked 40-minute section with a plan for the first five minutes.

The dates below are for CAT 2026, held on Sunday 29 November 2026, so day 7 is Sunday 22 November. For another year, shift them to that year's exam date. Published advice on final-week mocks ranges from none to several, so each choice here comes with its reason.

Days 7 to 4: revision, not new topics

New topics need days of practice before they stick, and in a week they only displace revision of things you already half know. Use the time to remove errors you already make.

• Go through your error log and pick the top three error types. Re-solve the questions behind them.
• Revise the formula sheet once a day.
• Read for about 30 minutes a day to keep your VARC rhythm. This duration is our suggestion.
• Do one easy DILR set a day, to stay warm without tiring yourself.

Our CAT 90-day study plan takes the same line: learn nothing new, and no mock on the last two days.

CAT last week preparation: how many mocks, and when to stop

Take one full mock on day 7, review it on day 6, and take at most one sectional on day 5. Then stop. A full mock plus its review costs about 3.5 hours, so it fits early in the week and nowhere near the exam.

• Why one. It keeps your timing sharp. In a week, it cannot build stamina you do not already have.
• Why not more. A poor score in the last days cannot be fixed, but it can dent your confidence. A good score can make you careless.
• Why a sectional. It practises selection under a 40-minute lock without the cost of a full paper. The free CAT Compass mock offers single-section tests.
• Why none at the end. You need rest more than a score.

Use the mock analysis guide for the day-6 review and keep it to the usual 90 minutes.

The night before: logistics and sleep

• Read the instructions printed on your admit card. It shows your test centre and can be downloaded until 29 November 2026.
• Confirm the route and travel time to the centre, and plan to arrive early.
• Pack what the admit card instructions list, and nothing you have to look up in the morning.
• Stop studying in the evening. Set a normal bedtime and keep it.

First five minutes of each locked section

CAT 2026 is held in three sessions on one day. Each section is exactly 40 minutes and you cannot switch between sections. The official FAQ lists them as VARC, DILR and QA, so follow the order on your screen.

These values are starting points from mock practice, not rules. Use the numbers you tested in your own mocks.

What to do when a set or passage goes wrong

1. Notice it. A set that has not moved by your time rule is a sunk cost, not an investment.
2. Leave it. Time you have spent does not come back by spending more.
3. Move to the next-easiest set or passage without second-guessing.
4. If two in a row fail, assume the section is hard for everyone. Percentile is relative, so protect accuracy rather than chase attempts.

Between sections: reset routine

You cannot go back, so anything left in the earlier section is gone. Take two slow breaths, drop your shoulders and start the next section's first five minutes as if nothing happened. Do not replay questions from the last section. Whatever is done is done.

After the exam: what not to do

• Do not work out a percentile from unofficial answer keys and decide on colleges.
• Do not compare raw scores with friends who sat another session. The sessions have different papers.
• Do not take another mock out of habit.
• Do not wait for the result without a plan. The result is likely in the first week of January 2027, and XAT is on 3 January 2027.

Check the dates for the other exams open in the same weeks, such as SNAP and XAT, on the MBA deadline tracker.

A printable final-week table