CAT 2026: How Many Questions Should You Attempt for 95, 98 and 99 Percentile?

A 99 percentile in CAT 2026 can be targeted with around 35–38 attempts at 85% accuracy, based on the CAT 2025 score range. CAT 2025 estimates placed the 99 percentile at 83–90 marks, while the 98 percentile was around 75–81 marks and the 95 percentile around 65–70 marks.

The exact number of questions to attempt will depend on accuracy, question selection and the difficulty of the paper. Candidates should therefore use these figures as preparation targets rather than fixed requirements.

Based on the CAT 2025 score vs percentile analysis:

• A 99 percentile was estimated at 83–90 marks across the three slots.
• A 98 percentile was estimated at 75–81 marks.
• A 95 percentile was estimated at 65–70 marks.
• At around 85% accuracy, candidates can use 35–38 attempts as a practical 99-percentile target.
• CAT 2025 had 68 questions, with 24 in VARC and 22 each in DILR and QA.
• Candidates should increase attempts only when mock-test accuracy remains stable.

Related Links:

• CAT Topic Wise Weightage for QA, VARC and DILR
• How to Score 99+ Percentile in 90 Days? Week-wise Study Plan, QA Score Target and Mock Test Strategy
• CAT Study Material 2026: Download Free CAT Study Material PDF for VARC, DILR, and Quant

How Many Questions Should Be Attempted in CAT 2026?

At 85% accuracy, a candidate targeting 95 percentile can plan around 27–29 attempts, while a 99-percentile target requires roughly 35–38 attempts. The important point is that increasing attempts without maintaining accuracy may not increase the final score.

Check: CAT Total Marks 2026: Section-wise Marks and the Question Count

CAT 2026 Marks vs Percentile: What 95, 98 and 99 Need

As per the CAT 2025, the estimated 99 percentile score ranged from 83 to 90 marks, while the 95 percentile ranged from 65 to 70 marks.

The variation shows why candidates should not treat a particular raw score as a guaranteed percentile. CAT uses normalisation across slots, so marks and percentile varies from one year to another.

For example, Collegedunia's historical analysis places the 99-percentile score around 76–78 marks in CAT 2023, compared with around 95–97 marks in CAT 2024 and 83–90 marks in CAT 2025

Also Read:

• CAT Marks vs Percentile Trends for the Last 4 Years
• CAT Scaled Score and Normalisation: How Raw Scores Convert Across Slots
• What is a Good Score in CAT? Cutoff Scores for IIM Ahmedabad and IIM Bangalore

CAT 2026 VARC: How Many Questions to Attempt

VARC carries 24 questions for 72 marks, and 16 of them come from four Reading Comprehension passages.

• The exact attempt count depends on the number of incorrect answers. For example, 14 attempts with 12 correct and 2 incorrect gives 34 marks, while 16 attempts with 14 correct and 2 incorrect gives 40 marks.

Also Read: How to Attempt the VARC Section for a 99+ Percentile

CAT 2026 DILR: How Many Sets to Attempt

DILR carries 22 questions in four or five sets, and about eight of them are TITA questions.

• A set left half-solved returns nothing, since the questions share one grid.
• Eight TITA questions in DILR make an unsure attempt free of cost.

Check: Download the 15+ Sample Paper of CAT: Quantitative Aptitude & DILR with Solutions PDF

CAT 2026 QA: How Many Questions to Attempt

• QA has 22 questions carrying 66 marks in the recent CAT pattern. CAT 2025 has 22 QA questions, with Arithmetic and Algebra among the major areas tested.
• Arithmetic and algebra together cover about 70 percent of the QA paper.

Also Read: CAT 2026 QA Chapter-Wise Weightage and High-Priority Topics

How Accuracy Changes the CAT 2026 Attempt Count

• At 70% accuracy, a candidate may need around 45–50 attempts to reach the same score that can be targeted with 35–38 attempts at 85% accuracy. This is why improving accuracy can be more useful than simply increasing attempts.
• Using the 99-percentile reference range of 83–90 marks, candidates with lower accuracy need more attempts to reach the same score. by improving accuracy can be more useful than simply increasing attempts.

Also Read:

• How to Analyze CAT 2026 Mock Test Performance
• 90 Marks in CAT Percentile: Expected Percentile and Accepting Colleges
• 70 Marks in CAT Percentile: Expected Percentile and Accepting Colleges

CAT 2026 Marking Scheme: What One Attempt Costs

• CAT 2025 had 68 questions, and its TITA distribution varied by section, with around 22–23 TITA questions overall.
• Therefore, the earlier assumption that only around 16 questions carry no negative marking should not be used.

Also Check:

• CAT Exam Pattern 2026: Section-wise Pattern, Marking Scheme and Question Paper
• CAT Syllabus 2026: Topics, Section-wise Weightage and Important Chapters

CAT 2026 Attempts: What Candidates Are Reporting on Reddit

A candidate posted on r/CATpreparation on September 6 with a first mock at minus 5 marks. One RC passage was attempted and answered wrong, and one DILR set ran out of time.

An August 28 post described being stuck at three RC passages and five VA questions. The same candidate lost accuracy every time a fourth passage was added.

A diagnostic mock posted on August 17 recorded 12 VARC attempts with nine correct. DILR ran to four attempts with one correct, and that candidate set accuracy as the next target.

Collegedunia Tip: Count the attempts in the last three mocks before setting a target. A 95 percentile needs 27-29 attempts across the paper, not 45.

Read More:

• CAT 2026 99 Percentile Month-by-Month Preparation Plan
• CAT 2026: Score 99+ Percentile with a 5-Month Study Plan and Section-wise Strategy
• CAT 2026 99 Percentile: IIMs That Will Shortlist You and College List

CAT 2026 Attempts: How to Fix Your Target in Mock Tests

A mock test should be used to improve accuracy, question selection and time management, not just to track the number of tests completed. For a 99 percentile target, analyse every mock and use the results to decide which topics and question types need more practice.

• Analyse each mock on the same day, including every correct, incorrect and unattempted question.
• Maintain an error log with the topic, question type, mistake and reason for the error.
• Add a new Quantitative Aptitude topic only after your performance in the currently prepared topics becomes consistent across mocks.
• If you attempt 5 questions with 5 correct answers, gradually increase attempts to 6–7 while maintaining accuracy.
• Take mocks with the 40-minute sectional timer to replicate the CAT format, where candidates cannot switch between sections.

Check Out:

• CAT VARC Mock Test: Free Mock Test Series
• CAT DILR Mock Test: Free Mock Test Series
• CAT QA Mock Test: Free Mock Test Series

Free CAT 2026 Practice Material

Preparing for CAT 2026?

An attempt target is tested on a full paper under the 40-minute sectional clock.

Sectional papers test one attempt target at a time.

Tip: Log the attempts, the correct answers and the incorrect answers after every sectional test.

CAT 2026 Attempts FAQs