CAT 2026 Last 45 Days Strategy: 320-Hour Study Plan, Admit Card Slot Tips and CATROX 2.0 Bootcamp

CATKing is a Mumbai-based MBA entrance exam coaching company founded by Sumit Singh, offering preparation for CAT, XAT, NMAT, SNAP, CET, GMAT, and GRE through online and offline classes. CAT 2026 is on November 29, 2026, and registration is closed, so the focus now is execution. With 43 days left today, you can still follow almost all of CATKing's last 45 days plan. This guide gives you the 320-hour study blueprint, the week-by-week plan for Quant, DILR and VARC, the five high-yield Quant concepts, the admit card and slot strategy, and details of the CATKing CATROX 2.0 bootcamp.

What Is the Best Last 45 Days Strategy for CAT 2026?

The best plan is simple: fixed daily study blocks, a week-by-week topic schedule, weekend mocks and a firm lock-in date. The table gives the full picture at a glance.

 

Note: This is CATKing's last-mile framework. See also our CAT 2026 40-question strategy, CAT DILR score vs percentile guide and CAT 2026 60-day study plan.

Which Dates Matter in the Final Weeks Before CAT 2026?

 

What are the CAT slots and how should you prepare for each?

There are three slots, starting at 8:30 AM, 12:30 PM and 4:30 PM. Once your admit card shows your slot, give your mocks at that time, so that your brain is active in the same hours as the real exam.

 

How Do You Use 320 Hours in the Last 45 Days?

Many aspirants panic, thinking 45 days is too short. CATKing's rule is simple: 8 hours a day for 40 days is 320 hours. Keep it to Monday to Friday, with a 4-hour morning block and a 4-hour evening block. That means no reels, no streaming and no distractions for these weeks.

 

What are the three rules for the CAT 2026 exam?

• Accuracy beats attempts: attempting everything without doing it well sends easy questions wrong. Never miss the easy ones.

• Control your negatives: do not spend 5 minutes on one hard question while others are solving easier ones.

• Treat CAT as three 40-minute sections: finish a section, close it and move ahead without carrying its hangover.

What Is the Week-by-Week Plan for Quant, DILR and VARC?

 

Note: The week-wise split of DILR and VARC is CATKing's suggested rhythm. Practise two RCs every day until November 29.

Week 1: Arithmetic

• Quant: solve 15 to 20 questions a day, building up 100 unique questions on Time, Speed and Distance, Time and Work, and Mixtures and Alligations.

• DILR: start a targeted week on traditional DILR alongside Arithmetic.

Week 2: Algebra

• Quant: Arithmetic and Algebra together carry 16 of the 22 Quant questions, so pick up Algebra next.

• DILR: move to the newer-style sets: Routes and Networks, Games and Tournaments, and Scheduling.

Week 3: Admit card week

• On November 4: your admit card arrives. Check your slot and adjust your routine.

• Mocks: from now on, give every mock at your slot time.

Week 4: Geometry, Number Systems and Modern Maths

• Geometry: memorise about 10 core concepts for Triangles and about 10 for Circles, including their variants. Geometry questions are formula-based and usually not very difficult.

• Number Systems: HCF and LCM questions are rare. Focus on the Remainder theorem, Fermat's theorem and Euler's theorem.

• Modern Maths: one or two questions come, mostly Permutations and Combinations. A question on Bayes' theorem came two years ago.

• Time: give it one week and no more, since this is revision.

Week 5: Revision and the November 15 lock-in

• No new things: after November 15, do not start anything new.

• Revise and test: revision, revision and revision, along with mocks at the same time.

Which Revision Notebooks Should You Make?

CATKing mentors recommend making your own notebooks, because the effort of making them is what builds your command.

 

Which 5 Quant Concepts Are Most Likely in CAT 2026?

Based on CATKing's review of the last ten years of CAT papers, these five concepts are the most repeated. Where CATKing gives a frequency, it is shown below.

 

How Should You Prepare VARC and DILR in the Last 45 Days?

VARC: 2 RCs a day plus Verbal Ability

• Reading Comprehension: solve two RCs every day until November 29, reading from one reliable source. RC carries 16 of the 24 VARC questions.

• Verbal Ability: practise Para Jumbles, Para Summary and Para Completion for the other 8 questions. Reaching 4 or 5 correct out of 8 is a good accuracy level.

• Practice tip: take out all the Para Jumbles and practise them over two weekends.

DILR: know your syllabus

DILR has about 22 questions across four or five sets. CATKing splits the syllabus into two parts.

 

Tables and pie charts appear almost every year, and Games and Tournaments, Scheduling or Routes and Networks have turned up regularly over the last ten years. Give one week to each part and note down the types of questions asked. There are only about 20 to 30 types in traditional DILR.

Why Does Accuracy Matter More Than Attempts in the Last 45 Days?

Papers in recent years have had one hidden easy RC, one easy DILR set and 4 to 5 easy Quant questions. Here, easy means you have practised similar sets and concepts. Getting these right with no negatives is CATKing's benchmark for the 80th percentile.

 

According to Sumit Singh, this is the level at which good institutes such as Welingkar and IMI Delhi start to call. The key is to pick the right RC and DILR set first, rather than staring at the wrong one.

What Daily Output Should You Aim for?

 

If you are a working professional with less time, start with 1 RC, 1 DILR set and 5 Quant questions a day and then increase. Also take one sectional test every day. CATKing's mock package includes Sprint Tests, where the number of questions stays the same and the time is reduced, for example 10 questions in 40, then 30, 25 and 20 minutes.

What Is the CATKing CATROX 2.0 Bootcamp?

Learn the Hyrox way

CATROX 2.0 is the second batch of CATKing's athlete-style bootcamp, held on Sunday, October 18, 2026, after strong feedback on the first edition. It is six hours with no break, built to train you like an athlete for exam day.

 

• Athlete-style training: 6 continuous hours with no break.

• 6-member faculty panel: faculty from IIMs, SPJIMR, NIT and ISB.

• Seats: open to CATKing students, with 100 seats for aspirants from other coaching classes.

Last 45 Days Strategy: Quick-Reference Rules

 

What Should CAT 2026 Aspirants Do Now?

• Today: fix your 8-hour timetable and start your notebooks for Arithmetic and Algebra.

• This week: start with Arithmetic, 15 to 20 questions a day, and solve 2 RCs and 2 DILR sets daily.

• Every weekend: take a mock on Saturday and analyse it on Sunday.

• On November 4: download your admit card and move all mocks to your slot timing.

• From November 15: stop new topics and revise.

• Stay on track: join CATKing's mentor-led preparation, including mocks with Sprint Tests and the CATROX 2.0 bootcamp.

Frequently Asked Questions About the CAT 2026 Last 45 Days Strategy

How many hours should I study daily in the last 45 days before CAT 2026?

CATKing's rule is simple: 8 hours a day for 40 days is 320 hours. You can keep it to Monday to Friday, with a 4-hour morning block and a 4-hour evening block, and use the weekend for a mock on Saturday and its analysis on Sunday.

When is the CAT 2026 admit card released and what are the slot timings?

CAT 2026 is on November 29, 2026, conducted by IIM Indore. The admit card comes out on November 4, at around 10:00 AM, and shows your slot. The slots start at 8:30 AM, 12:30 PM and 4:30 PM. From that day, take every mock at the time of your assigned slot so that your brain is active at the right hours.

What score is needed to reach the 80th percentile in CAT 2026?

CATKing's benchmark is to get one easy RC (4 questions), one easy DILR set (4 questions) and 4 to 5 easy Quant questions right, which is about 12 to 13 correct answers or roughly 36 marks or more. According to Sumit Singh, this is the level at which good institutes such as Welingkar and IMI Delhi begin to call. Easy here means you have practised similar sets and concepts.

What are the three rules for performing well in the CAT 2026 exam?

First, accuracy matters more than attempts, so never miss the easy questions. Second, control your negatives: do not spend 5 minutes stuck on a difficult question while others solve easier ones. Third, treat CAT as three separate 40-minute sections and do not carry the hangover of one section into the next.

Which Quant topics should I prioritise in the last 45 days?

Arithmetic and Algebra together make up about 16 of the 22 Quant questions. The five high-yield concepts are Time, Speed and Distance, AP and GP series, Alternate Workers and Pipes and Cisterns, Triangles, and Profit and Loss with Successive Discounts. Also memorise about 10 core concepts each for Triangles and Circles.

What should I study week by week in the last 45 days?

Week 1 is Arithmetic with 15 to 20 questions a day, week 2 is Algebra, week 3 is the admit card week when you align your routine to your slot, week 4 covers Geometry, Number Systems and Modern Maths, and week 5 is revision. Keep November 15 as your lock-in date after which you learn nothing new.

What should I do after November 15?

Learn nothing new. Use the remaining days for revision and mocks. Revise your own notebooks of 100 must-solve Arithmetic and 100 must-solve Algebra questions, your DILR notebook, and take mocks in your slot timing.

How should I prepare VARC in the last 45 days?

Solve two RCs every day until November 29 from one reliable source. For Verbal Ability, practise Para Jumbles, Para Summary and Para Completion, and aim for 4 or 5 correct out of the 8 questions. CATKing suggests taking out all the Para Jumbles over two weekends and practising them.

Which DILR topics should I cover?

DILR has about 22 questions across four or five sets. Roughly two to two and a half sets come from traditional DILR such as tables, pie charts, bar graphs and mixed charts, and about two sets come from Routes and Networks, Games and Tournaments and Scheduling. Give one week to traditional sets and one week to the newer-style sets, and note down the question types you meet.

What is the CATKing CATROX 2.0 bootcamp?

CATROX 2.0 is the second batch of CATKing's 6-hour athlete-style bootcamp on Sunday, October 18, 2026, with the tagline "Learn the Hyrox way". It runs from 12 PM to 6 PM with Quant, DILR and VARC taught back to back with no break, and VARC is taken by Sumit Singh. Six faculty members from IIMs, SPJIMR, NIT and ISB teach. It is open to CATKing students, with 100 seats for aspirants from other coaching classes.

Is 45 days enough to improve my CAT percentile?

Yes, when the time is structured. With 8 focused hours a day, a week-by-week plan, daily practice of 20 Quant questions, 2 RCs and 2 DILR sets, and a mock every weekend with analysis, 45 days is enough to raise your accuracy and score.