CAT 2026 Marking Scheme: TITA vs MCQ Negative Marking and Section-Wise Weightage

CAT 2026 awards +3 marks for every correct answer, deducts 1 mark for a wrong MCQ response, and applies zero negative marking on TITA (Type In The Answer) questions — making question selection the single most important skill for a high CAT score.

CAT 2026 will be conducted by one of the IIMs (Indian Institutes of Management), expected in November 2026. The exam has three sections — Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Ability (QA) — each with a strict 40-minute time limit. Understanding the marking scheme helps you decide which questions to attempt, which to skip, and where to take a calculated risk.

• Expected total marks: 198 marks (66 questions × 3 marks each, based on CAT 2023 and 2024 patterns).
• MCQ marking: +3 for correct, −1 for wrong, 0 for unattempted.
• TITA marking: +3 for correct, 0 for wrong, 0 for unattempted — no penalty at all.
• Section split: VARC (24 questions), DILR (20 questions), QA (22 questions).
• Time limit: 40 minutes per section; you cannot move to another section once time is up.

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CAT 2026 Marking Scheme Overview

The CAT marking scheme has remained consistent over the past several cycles and is expected to continue in 2026. Every question carries 3 marks. The key difference between question types is the penalty clause: MCQs attract a 1-mark deduction for a wrong answer, while TITA questions carry no negative marking whatsoever. A wrong MCQ attempt costs you 4 marks in net terms — you lose the 1 mark deducted plus the 3 marks you would have kept by skipping it.

The CAT 2026 exam is expected to have 66 questions in total, giving a maximum raw score of 198 marks. Raw scores are normalised across exam slots before the final percentile is computed, so your relative performance matters more than the absolute score.

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MCQ Marking Scheme and Negative Marking

MCQ (Multiple Choice Questions) make up the majority of the CAT 2026 paper. Each MCQ has four options with exactly one correct answer. A wrong MCQ response deducts 1 mark. Leaving an MCQ blank scores 0, which is always better than a random guess over a large number of questions.

To break even on MCQ attempts, you need at least 25% accuracy. At 33% accuracy you are net-neutral. The practical threshold: attempt an MCQ only when you can confidently eliminate at least two options.

Reading Comprehension (RC) questions in VARC are entirely MCQ-based. For well-prepared students who have read the passage carefully, RC is a high-accuracy zone and the best section to maximise MCQ attempts. Difficult standalone sentence-correction MCQs in VARC, on the other hand, are safer to skip.

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TITA Marking Scheme and Advantages

TITA stands for Type In The Answer. These questions require you to type a numeric or short-text response using an on-screen keyboard — there are no answer options to choose from. TITA questions carry zero negative marking: a wrong answer scores 0, identical to leaving it blank. This makes TITA questions a risk-free opportunity across all three sections.

In VARC, TITA questions typically cover Verbal Ability sub-topics: sentence rearrangement (para-jumbles), odd-sentence-out, and paragraph summary. In DILR and QA, TITA questions are usually calculation-heavy problems requiring an exact numeric answer. Because there is no penalty, you should always attempt a TITA question if you can narrow down the answer range even partially.

A partially solved TITA problem where you enter an educated guess always has a better or equal expected value compared to leaving it blank. The worst outcome is 0 either way, but a good estimate gives you a chance at +3. Never leave a TITA question blank unless you have not read it at all.

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Section-Wise Marks Distribution and Weightage

CAT 2026 has three sections, each carrying a 40-minute sectional time limit. Based on CAT 2023 and 2024 patterns, the expected section-wise distribution is as follows:

The above distribution is based on CAT 2023 and CAT 2024 patterns and is expected for CAT 2026. The exact MCQ/TITA split per section may vary. IIM will confirm the final exam pattern in the official CAT 2026 notification.

Each section score is normalised separately across slots before contributing to the overall CAT percentile. You must perform well in all three sections — a very high QA score cannot offset a weak VARC score at the IIM shortlisting stage, since many IIMs apply sectional percentile cutoffs.

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Attempt Strategy Based on the Marking Scheme

The CAT 2026 marking scheme directly determines how many questions you should attempt and in which order. Here is how to apply the marking scheme rules to your exam strategy:

• Always attempt all TITA questions you have read: With zero negative marking, even a structured guess on a partially solved TITA gives you a chance at +3 with no downside.
• Apply the two-option elimination rule for MCQs: Attempt an MCQ only when you can eliminate at least two of the four options. Below that threshold, skipping is better.
• Prioritise RC passages in VARC: RC questions are MCQ-based and reward careful reading with high accuracy — the best MCQ zone in the paper.
• In DILR, crack the set before attempting MCQs: Attempting individual DILR MCQs without understanding the underlying data set leads to cascading wrong answers and heavy negative marking.
• Use back-calculation on QA TITA: For arithmetic and algebra TITA questions, working backwards from answer ranges is a valid and safe strategy since there is no penalty.
• Skip difficult MCQs on first pass: A skipped MCQ scores 0. A wrong MCQ attempt scores −1 plus wastes time. Return to difficult MCQs only if time allows.