MBA expert Patrick Dsouza tells you how to modify your study time and strategy so that you can be ready for the Common Admission Test 2026.
One of the most frequent questions asked by those considering taking the Common Admission Test 2026 is whether May is the right time to start preparing for it: Are we late for CAT 2026? Do we have enough time to prepare? What about the time that we have lost out on?
The answer is straightforward.
A lot of students do start preparing for CAT between May and July.
Like undergraduates who are moving into their final year after interning in companies. Those who have finished taking their boards. And those who are working.
In my opinion, with proper preparation, an average student can crack CAT in four months if you study for four hours a day. Even if you start in August, an average student can still crack CAT. But it makes sense to start preparing as early as possible.
In case you have made some mistakes while preparing for CAT or have taken a gap or have devoted fewer hours a day for your study, you can still recover.
So, how should you go about preparing for CAT? Let's divide this into five practical steps.
Step 1: Take a mock
Taking a mock helps you understand the paper pattern. When you take a mock, especially with any past CAT paper, you get an idea about the type of questions that feature in the exam.
You can also identify your strong and weak areas.
Tips
- You can take any previous CAT paper.
- During the first stage, it is advisable to devote more time to your weak areas.
Step 2: Talk to people who have taken CAT
Talking to those who have taken the exam will help you understand what worked or what did not work for them.
You can learn from their mistakes so that you avoid repeating them.
Step 3: Identify your study material
The key is to identify the notes or study material that you will need for syllabus completion, which is your first stage of preparation.
It is advisable to refer to one set of notes; referring to too many sources will lead to confusion.
In the second stage of your preparation, you can refer to other sources; here too, it is advisable to limit your number of sources.
Step 4: A written plan
As you are starting from May, it is advisable to try and complete your syllabus in three months.
Make a monthly and weekly plan. This will help you track your progress.
Step 5: Start actual preparation for CAT
You will need to modify your plan based on your progress.
More helpful tips:
- Read for at least half an hour daily. Reading is the most important part of your preparation. It helps in the verbal section. Also, if you can read well, you will be able to understand the LRDI (Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation) sets and Quant sums better.
- Solve one puzzle every day. This helps you think faster.
- Study for a minimum of two or a maximum of five hours a day. If you cannot give two hours a day due to other commitments, then catch up by putting in extra hours during the weekend.
- Try and keep one day for revision during the week to go through whatever you have covered in the last six days.
To summarise, here's what I want to tell all MBA aspirants:
- You can definitely begin your preparation for CAT in May. It is not late.
- If you are appearing for CAT 2026, it's time to make a detailed plan and stay committed to being consistent.
- You must prepare for a minimum of two hours daily.
- You must always track your progress.
Good luck to all of you.
Patrick Dsouza is the founder of Patrick100. Along with his wife Rochelle, he mentors students for MBA entrance exams like CAT, XAT, CMAT and CET, besides training them for group discussions and interviews.
A six-time CAT 100 percentiler, Patrick has also topped XAT twice and CET thrice. He has mentored students from leading institutes such as the IIMs, JBIMS and SPJIMR for campus placements, and has served as a panellist for GD and interview rounds at top management colleges in Mumbai.
- If you have CAT and MBA-related questions, you can ask rediffGURU Patrick Dsouza HERE.
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