CAT 2026 Tips and Tricks by 99 Percentilers: Section-Wise Strategy to Score 99+ Percentile

Can You Score 99 Percentile in CAT 2026

Only 1 or 2% of the CAT aspirants achieve this milestone with the right preparation strategy, consistency, and exam-day execution. It requires mastering high-weightage topics in Quantitative Aptitude, VARC, and DILR, while balancing speed and accuracy. Regular mock tests, detailed performance analysis, and focused improvement on weak areas are essential. Time management plays a critical role, as does staying calm under pressure. With disciplined study, targeted practice, and a strategic approach, aspirants can significantly boost their chances of securing a 99 percentile and admission to top IIMs and B-schools. CAT-2026 is very near, and to achieve 99 percentile, you need to brush up all the basic concepts, all the related formulas, tips, and tricks.

CAT Exam Tips and Tricks for Quantitative Aptitude Section

The quant is often the most challenging section for the CAT aspirants. Also, this section has the largest number of questions. Let us see what past toppers have to say about acing this section.

Soumyajeet Ghosh, a CAT topper, emphasizes the importance of practice. He says, "This requires a lot of consistent practice. Speed is very important for it, and candidates can improve their speed by practising more and more. One should adopt all small and simple tactics to increase their practice and reduce their errors.”

Rahul Gupta, another topper, says, "I was not good at Quant. But practicing with the CAT mock test, I eventually got better and had a strong grasp on this section. And I scored better in this section."

Shikhar Mathur, 99.68 percentiler, says – one should note down the weak areas in each topic (say it’s Permutations and Combinations, or DI) after two to three tests. Pinpoint the errors made and also what kind of errors they were. Sometimes, many errors in the same topic are because of a pre-held mental fallacy that will be cleared after one reading, but sometimes it’s a conceptual roadblock.

Ankit Desai got 99.91 percentile in CAT, he shared his experience handling the Quant section and said, "I was weak in Geometry and Numbers. So, first, I revised all the formulas and wrote them down. After that, I solved around 50 more questions on these topics to understand the concepts better."

Most Important MCQs for CAT Quant Syllabus 2026

Practising MCQs from the CAT Quantitative Aptitude syllabus is crucial for mastering concepts and improving speed. The most important MCQs that we have decided by analyzing previous years' CAT question papers are listed below:

Best Books for Quant, DI & LR, and VARC by Experts

Selecting the right study material is essential for effective CAT 2026 preparation. For Quantitative Aptitude, opt for books that provide a strong conceptual foundation, ample solved examples, and graded practice exercises. For Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DI & LR), choose resources that focus on analytical thinking, data sets, and time-based problem solving. For VARC, pick books that enhance vocabulary, grammar, comprehension skills, and critical reasoning through targeted practice and mock tests

CAT Exam Tips and Tricks for DI & LR by 99 Percentilers

The Data Interpretation (DI) and Logical Reasoning (LR) section in the CAT exam is there to test your decision–making ability within the given time. To ace this section, 99 percentiler Kumar advises, “You must bound your time for solving the questions of this section. I did not give more than 8 minutes to any puzzle questions, irrespective of the fact that I got stuck in some questions that seemed to be easier."

CAT 100 Percentiler Rahul Gupta shares his DI & LR preparation strategy. He quoted - "I used to practice many questions from particular topics and focused a lot on them while taking the mock test."

Master Set Selection

The biggest difference between an average score and a 99+ percentile is choosing the right DILR sets. Before solving, spend the first few minutes scanning all the sets. Pick those with fewer conditions, clear data, and familiar formats. Avoid getting stuck in a difficult set just because you started it.

Practice Complete Sets

DILR is not about solving one question at a time. Every CAT set contains linked questions that depend on the same data. Solve complete sets during practice to improve logical thinking, reduce repeated calculations, and learn how information connects across multiple questions.

Improve Data Organisation

A clean rough sheet saves valuable time in the CAT exam. Draw tables, grids, and diagrams to organise information before solving the questions. Following the same note-making method for every practice session reduces errors and makes it easier to spot patterns in complex DILR sets.

Analyse Every Mock

Do not check only the final score after a CAT mock test. Review the time spent on each DILR set, identify where you made incorrect assumptions, and find out why you skipped certain sets. This analysis helps improve both accuracy and question selection in future mocks.

Build Topic-Wise Strength

Cover one DILR topic at a time before moving to mixed practice. Start with arrangements, distribution puzzles, bar graphs, tables, and games & tournaments. Once you are comfortable with individual topics, solve mixed CAT-level DILR sets to improve adaptability and overall performance.

CAT Exam Tips and Tricks for VARC Section

The VARC sections may prove to be the easiest section to improve the sectional and overall score, says CAT topper Madhur Gupta. Further, while sharing his preparation strategy, he says – “this was not the area I was good at and consequently, I landed up in a conundrum about how I should deal with this section. Then I decided to look for some simple tactics to ace this section. I adopted the strategy of eliminating the wrong options to help me decide on the right one. This helped me later.”

99 percentiler in CAT, Naman Singhal, while sharing his preparation tips, stated that he solved RCs and Para jumbles as much as he could during his preparation for CAT and used them to analyse the VARC section after taking mock tests. He used to practice the questions of Verbal Ability (VA) and Reading Comprehension (RC) from the modules of different coaching institutions.

Read Every Day

Reading Comprehension carries the highest weightage in the VARC section. Read editorials, business articles, science journals, and opinion pieces every day. Regular reading improves comprehension speed and helps you become comfortable with the diverse topics that appear in CAT Reading Comprehension passages.

Focus on Reading Comprehension

Most questions in the VARC section come from Reading Comprehension. Instead of solving only vocabulary or grammar questions, spend more time practising RC passages. After every passage, review why each option is correct or incorrect to improve your answer selection.

Learn Verbal Logic

Questions such as Para Jumbles, Para Summary, and Odd One Out test logical sequencing rather than English grammar. While practising these topics, focus on sentence flow, connecting words, and the overall idea instead of looking for grammar clues alone.

Track Accuracy

Maintain a record of your accuracy separately for Reading Comprehension and Verbal Ability. If you score well in one area but struggle in another, adjust your study plan accordingly. Tracking section-wise accuracy helps you identify weaknesses much earlier.

Review Wrong Answers

Do not move to the next passage immediately after checking the score. Re-read the passage and compare your reasoning with the official solution. This helps you understand common traps used in CAT VARC questions and improves your decision-making in future practice sessions.

Common Mistakes to Avoid in the CAT Exam

Many CAT aspirants lose valuable marks due to common yet avoidable mistakes during the exam. Here is a list of common mistakes that should be avoided during the CAT exam to boost your percentile in CAT-2026.

Mistake 1: Spending Excessive Time on a Single Question
Many candidates get stuck on tricky problems, wasting valuable minutes. Since CAT is time-bound, it’s important to quickly decide whether to attempt or skip a question.

Mistake 2: Neglecting Easy Questions
In a rush to solve difficult problems, test-takers sometimes skip or overlook easier ones. This results in lost marks that could have been scored quickly. Scanning the paper first to spot low-hanging fruit is a smart approach.

Mistake 3: Poor Time Management
Attempting questions without a section-wise time allocation can lead to incomplete sections. Allocate fixed time blocks for Quantitative Aptitude, VARC, and DILR, and stick to them strictly to maximise attempts in all areas.

Mistake 4: Ignoring Negative Marking
Random guessing often leads to a drop in percentile due to CAT’s negative marking scheme. Only attempt questions when reasonably confident in the answer to avoid unnecessary penalty.

Mistake 5: Not Practicing Under Exam Conditions
Practising without time limits or in a distraction-free environment fails to replicate the actual exam stress. Simulating real CAT conditions through timed mocks helps build mental endurance and adaptability.

Mistake 6: Failing to Review Mistakes
Many aspirants take mocks but don’t analyse them thoroughly. Reviewing incorrect and skipped questions helps identify conceptual gaps and recurring errors, which can then be corrected before the final exam.

CAT 2026 Ebooks by Careers360

CAT 2026 eBooks by Careers360 offer comprehensive preparation resources for MBA aspirants aiming for top scores. These expertly curated eBooks cover the entire CAT syllabus, including Quantitative Aptitude, VARC, and DILR, with detailed concepts, solved examples, and practice questions.