CAT — sectional strategy
Fixed 40-minute sectional timers, so choosing questions matters more than speed.
CAT has three sections (VARC, DILR, QA), each with its own 40-minute timer, so time can't be moved between sections.
VARC
- Read RC passages actively and tag each sentence as claim, evidence or qualifier (see the RC guide).
- Para-jumbles and odd-one-out questions are usually TITA, so there's no negative marking. Always attempt them.
DILR
- Set selection is the whole game. Spend the first 4–5 minutes scanning every set and rank them by how structured they look (grids and tables first, open-ended puzzles last).
- Two fully solved sets often beat four half-solved ones.
QA
- Arithmetic and algebra make up most of the section, so harvest those in pass 1.
- A blind guess on an MCQ has an expected value of zero (+3/−1 with 4 options). Guess only after eliminating at least one option.
- TITA has no negative marking, so make an estimated attempt even when unsure.
Percentile thinking
IIM calls depend on sectional cut-offs and the overall percentile. Don't drop one section completely to max out another.