It's Official: IIM Indore Is Conducting CAT 2026 - CAT 2020 vs Expected CAT 2026 Pattern Comparison & Cutoff

CAT Conducting IIM 2026: IIM Indore to Conduct CAT 2026

In the latest CAT 2026 Notification, IIM Indore is the CAT 2026 conducting IIM. Prof. Aditya Billore is the CAT 2026 convener . Earlier, IIM Indore Conducted CAT exam in 2013, 2014 and in 2020. In this list below look at the CAT Conducting IIM for the last 5 years.

CAT 2026 Exam Pattern

The CAT 2026 exam pattern will be based on the three sections: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR) and Quantitative Ability (QA). Candidates will get 40 minutes to work on each section, and the exam will most likely be conducted in both multiple-choice questions (MCQ) and non-MCQ formats.

Below is the CAT exam pattern 2026, which will be helpful for all the candidates.

CAT 2026 VARC : Detailed CAT Exam Analysis of CAT 2020 (IIM Indore) Paper

The last time when IIM Indore conducted the CAT exam, Reading Comprehension comprised with 18 question with 8 questions bifurcated among the Verbal Ability (parajumbles) as 3 questions, Verbal Ability (summary) as 3 questions and Verbal Ability (Odd One Out) as 2 questions.

We are not expecting the same pattern for the CAT 2026 exam, but the difficulty level of CAT 2020 VARC can be concluded by the aspirants as per IIM Indore.

CAT 2026 DILR: Detailed CAT Exam Analysis of CAT 2020 (IIM Indore) Paper

This section covers the detailed CAT exam paper analysis of CAT 2020 of the DILR section, which was conducted by IIM Indore. Aspirants can conclude the same difficulty level in CAT 2026 too.

The CAT exam paper conducted by IIM Indore in 2020 covers various topics in the slot 1 of the Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning sections, such as Driver and Rating (DI), Student and Exam (DI), Set on Patients (DI), Institute Vendors (LR) and Musicians (LR).

CAT 2026 QA: Detailed CAT Exam Analysis of CAT 2020 (IIM Indore) Paper

The Quant sections are widely categorized in the major sections in the CAT exam, such as Number System, Algebra, Arithmetic, Modern Math, Geometry and Mensuration. In the CAT 2020 paper, it is noticed that 5 questions came in Number System, 8 questions in Algebra, 10 questions in Arithmetic, 0 from Modern Maths and 3 questions from Geometry and Mensuration.

Out of all these metrics, it was 3-4 questions were doable in Number System, 5-6 questions in Algebra, 7-8 questions were doable in Arithmetic and 1-2 questions were from Geometry and Mensuration. It is expected that the arithmetic section will carry good weightage in the CAT 2026 exam too. So candidates can focus the high-weightage topics in their CAT exam preparation.

What to Expect in CAT 2026? Overall Paper Analysis (IIM I CAT 2020 Paper)

Well, if we are analyzing the CAT 2020 exam pattern, it is noticed that the VARC section covers 26 questions with a total of 22 MCQs and 4 non-MCQs, and it was of a moderate-to-difficult level set by IIM Indore in CAT 2020, whereas the DILR section consists of 24 questions with the distribution of 19 MCQs and 5 non-MCQ questions and is remarked as moderate to difficult.

Finally, the Quant section covers a total of 26 questions with the distribution of 18 MCQs and 8 non-MCQs and is remarked as moderate difficulty level.

We can’t expect the same CAT exam pattern in CAT 2026 but can conclude the equivalent difficulty level, so candidates can focus more on the DILR and VARC sections, followed by the Quant.

CAT Exam 2026: Last Time IIM Indore Conduct CAT Paper (Section-Wise) Analysis

Here we break down the section-wise analysis of the CAT 2020 paper conducted by IIM Indore so that candidates can conclude the structured CAT 2026 preparation.

CAT Exam VARC Section

CAT Exam DILR Section

CAT Exam QA Section

Will CAT 2026 Exam Paper Difficulty Level Same As CAT 2020?

No one will give you the exact analysis of this question. The difficulty level of the CAT exam paper depends on various parameters such as the number of candidates registered for the exam, slots, which IIM will conduct the exam in, variation in questions and more. Candidates can expect the equivalence in the CAT 2026 paper.

So we can’t exactly predict the difficulty level of the exam paper, but we can expect the equivalence from the past year’s trend of the same IIM when conducting the CAT exam paper.

Last time IIM Indore conducted the CAT 2020 exam, and it was concluded that the VARC and DILR sections were both emphasised as moderate to difficult, whereas the Quant section was at a moderate level.

In between CAT 2020 and CAT 2025, the exam pattern also changed, which gives the clear sign of the unpredictability of the CAT exam.

CAT 2026 Cutoff (Expected)

While we are waiting for the CAT 2026 registration to start around August 01, 2026 here is the IIM CAT cutoff from the previous years. This will give the candidates an idea about the expected CAT 2026 cutoff