CAT 2026 AMA With Maruti Sir: Frequently Asked Questions

CAT 2026 AMA With Maruti Sir & Sayali Mam

With CAT 2026 getting closer, aspirants are facing several questions about mock scores, VARC accuracy, DILR set selection, Quant preparation, time management and the strategy to follow in the final weeks.

To address these concerns, Maruti Sir & Sayali Mam interacted with CAT aspirants in a live AMA and answered some of the most common questions students are facing during their preparation.

From “Why are my mock scores falling?” and “How can I improve my VARC accuracy?” to “How many mocks should I attempt?” and “What should I study in Quant with limited time?”, the AMA covered several practical CAT preparation concerns.

Here are some of the most frequently asked questions and key takeaways from the session.

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Watch the CAT 2026 Live AMA With Maruti Sir & Sayali Mam

Watch the complete CAT 2026 Live AMA with Maruti Sir, where he answers real questions from CAT aspirants on mock scores, VARC, DILR, Quant, time management, 99+ percentile strategy, PYQs, and last-minute preparation.

CAT 2026 Mock Test & Score-Related Questions

Why are my CAT mock scores dropping despite regular preparation?

Several aspirants reported that their scores had fallen despite consistent preparation. Some students who were previously scoring 35–50 marks were suddenly getting 25–30, while others reported much larger fluctuations.

The key takeaway from the AMA was to avoid judging your preparation based on one or two mock scores. A bad mock does not necessarily mean that your preparation has deteriorated.

Instead, analyse what went wrong:

• Which questions took too much time?
• Which questions were incorrectly selected?
• Where did accuracy fall?
• Were you unable to solve questions you normally know?
• Did time pressure affect your decision-making?

The focus should be on identifying the specific problem and working on it through further practice and mocks.

I can solve questions after the mock but cannot solve them during the mock. What should I do?

This was one of the most common concerns raised by aspirants.

Maruti Sir explained that many students know how to solve CAT questions but struggle to do so quickly under pressure. The solution is not simply learning more concepts. Students need to become comfortable solving questions under timed conditions.

His advice was to solve more questions and take more mocks and sectionals, particularly in the final phase of preparation.

How many CAT mocks should I attempt before CAT 2026?

Maruti Sir strongly emphasised the importance of mocks and sectionals.

He mentioned that high-performing students often take a large number of mocks and that aspirants should make full use of the available DashCATs, Head Start mocks, sectionals and CAT previous-year papers in mock format.

The important point is not simply to complete mocks. Use every mock to identify your weaknesses and improve your performance under pressure.

What should my weekly CAT preparation schedule look like?

For students looking for a simple routine, Maruti Sir recommended taking one sectional on every weekday and one full mock every weekend, while continuing to solve as many questions as possible.

This approach helps students build both consistency and exam temperament.

For a more structured CAT preparation plan schedule, check out our CAT Study Planner Tool and create your customized CAT study plan based on your current preparation level and available time.

CAT 2026 VARC Preparation Questions

How can I improve my VARC accuracy in CAT 2026?

VARC accuracy was one of the biggest concerns raised during the AMA.

The recommended approach was to focus strongly on comprehension and understand exactly where mistakes are happening.

For RCs, students should focus on:

• Active reading
• Understanding the main point of each paragraph
• Identifying the author's central argument
• Analysing incorrect answers
• Understanding why an option was tempting but incorrect
• Maintaining an error log

Students should also identify whether their mistakes come from specific option traps such as scope or focus distortions.

I can eliminate two options in VARC but get confused between the remaining two. What should I do?

If you consistently reach the final two options but choose the wrong one, the problem may not be basic comprehension. It can be an option-elimination issue.

The AMA recommended analysing the type of traps that repeatedly influence your choices.

After every RC, don't just check whether your answer was right or wrong. Ask:

Why did I choose this option?

Then compare your reasoning with the passage and the correct answer.

Over time, this can help you identify recurring patterns in your mistakes.

For a more detailed breakdown on how to eliminate close options in CAT RC questions check out this video: How to Choose Between 2 Close Options in VARC | Sayali Ma’am’s Strategy

How can I improve my RC comprehension?

For students spending several hours on VARC without seeing improvement, the AMA recommended improving comprehension through active reading.

One suggestion was to read two articles every day and actively identify the main point of each paragraph. This exercise is intended to improve comprehension rather than simply increase reading speed.

Maintaining an error log alongside this practice can help students understand their recurring weaknesses.

Students can use Cracku CAT Daily Articles to read latest CAT level articles daily.

How many RCs and VARC questions should I attempt?

The session discussed an approach involving four RCs, two para-summary questions and two para-completion questions.

However, the broader message was not to blindly chase a fixed number of attempts. Accuracy should remain the priority.

The discussion suggested targeting more than 80% accuracy in RC and para-summary, while para-completion accuracy should be at least around 60%.

CAT 2026 DILR Preparation Questions

Why can I solve DILR sets in practice but not during mocks?

This was another recurring problem among CAT aspirants.

Students reported being able to solve one or two DILR sets during practice or sectionals but struggling to solve even one set during a mock.

The AMA highlighted timer pressure as a major factor.

If you already know how to solve a set but cannot execute it during the test, increasing your exposure to timed practice, sectionals and mocks can help you become more comfortable with pressure.

How can I improve DILR set selection?

Set selection is crucial because spending too much time on an unsuitable set can affect the entire section.

For aspirants with limited preparation time, the AMA recommended focusing on areas such as:

• Puzzles
• Arrangements
• Tables
• Charts

The idea is to become comfortable with commonly encountered structures and improve your ability to identify sets that are worth attempting.

Also Read: CAT DILR Set Selection Strategy 2026: How to Pick Right Set?

What should I do if my DILR score fluctuates heavily?

If you solve two sets in one mock but cannot solve even one in another, don't immediately conclude that your CAT DILR preparation has failed.

Analyse:

1. Which sets did you select?
2. How much time did you spend before abandoning a set?
3. Did you identify the easier set early enough?
4. Were you able to understand the structure of the set?
5. Did you spend too long trying to force a difficult set?

Regular timed practice can help reduce this variation.

CAT 2026 Quant Preparation Questions

Which Quant topics should I prioritise with limited time?

This was one of the most important CAT questions for students who had limited time remaining.

For students struggling with Quant, Maruti Sir recommended prioritising:

• Arithmetic
• Algebra
• Number Systems
• Logarithms
• Selected areas of Modern Mathematics

He suggested leaving Geometry if the student had very limited time and had not built sufficient familiarity with it, because mastering Geometry could require significant time.

Also Read: CAT 2026 Quant Important Topics: Check Topic-Wise Weightage

Should I leave Geometry for CAT 2026?

For students who had to choose between Number Systems and Geometry at this stage, Maruti Sir recommended prioritising Number Systems over Geometry.

The reasoning was that some areas of number systems, such as divisibility, HCF and LCM, can be covered relatively quickly, whereas Geometry can take longer to master.

What should I do if I can solve Quant questions without a timer but struggle during the mock?

This is fundamentally a speed-and-pressure problem.

If you can solve a large number of questions when you have unlimited time but struggle within the CAT time limit, more concept learning alone may not solve the problem.

The focus should shift towards:

• Timed practice
• Mixed-question practice
• Sectionals
• Full-length mocks
• Faster decision-making
• Learning when to leave a question

The aim is to turn knowledge into timed execution.

What should I study in Algebra if I am starting late?

The AMA suggested focusing on simpler, high-return areas rather than attempting to master every difficult topic.

For example, students could prioritise:

• Linear equations
• Quadratic equations
• Logarithms
• Basic Number Systems concepts such as divisibility, HCF and LCM

The recommendation was to build a strong base in manageable areas before attempting more difficult topics such as inequalities.

CAT 2026 Preparation Strategy for the Last 50 Days

What should I do if I have only 50 days left for CAT 2026?

For students with limited time, the AMA focused on prioritisation rather than trying to complete everything.

The suggested approach was to strengthen areas that can realistically contribute to the score.

For Quant, the focus should be on important and manageable areas of Arithmetic, Algebra and other selected topics.

For DILR, students should practise frequently occurring structures such as puzzles, charts, tables and arrangements.

For VARC, the focus should remain strongly on RC comprehension and accuracy.

The key is to practise these areas repeatedly rather than constantly jumping from one topic to another.

Can I still improve my CAT percentile in the final weeks?

Yes, improvement is possible, but the final phase should be used strategically.

Instead of trying to learn everything from scratch, students should:

• Take regular mocks
• Analyse every mock
• Identify recurring mistakes
• Strengthen high-return topics
• Practise under time pressure
• Work on accuracy
• Improve question selection

The AMA repeatedly emphasised solving questions and gaining experience under timed conditions.

CAT 2026 99+ Percentile Questions

What is a good mock score for 99 percentile in CAT 2026?

There is no single fixed raw score that guarantees a 99 percentile in CAT.

Maruti Sir explained that the score corresponding to a particular percentile can change significantly depending on the difficulty level of the CAT paper.

Therefore, aspirants should avoid becoming overly dependent on a single target score or fixed number of attempts.

Also Read: CAT Score vs Percentile 2026, 2025, 2024 Detailed Analysis

Should I target a fixed number of questions in each CAT section?

Not necessarily.

The number of questions you should attempt depends on the difficulty of the paper and your accuracy.

If the paper is difficult, a lower number of correct attempts may still result in a strong percentile. If the paper is easier, students may need to attempt more questions.

The important thing is to assess the paper and adapt your strategy instead of entering the exam with a rigid number in mind.

I am scoring around 65–70 in mocks. Is 99 percentile possible?

A score in this range can be a useful indicator of preparation, but it should not be treated as a guaranteed CAT percentile.

The AMA's broader advice was to avoid fixating on one score because the relationship between raw marks and percentile changes with paper difficulty.

Instead, focus on improving your accuracy, question selection, speed and consistency.

CAT 2026 PYQs vs Study Room

Should I practise CAT PYQs or Study Room questions?

This was directly discussed during the AMA.

The answer was that both have their own advantages.

CAT PYQs help students understand the actual style and nature of CAT questions. Getting questions right from previous CAT papers can also build confidence because students know they are solving questions that have appeared in the actual examination.

Study Room, on the other hand, is adaptive. As students perform better in a particular topic, the questions can become more challenging.

Therefore, students do not necessarily have to choose only one.

Use both where appropriate, but keep solving questions consistently.

CAT 2026 Mock Pressure & Exam Anxiety

How can I maintain composure during CAT mocks?

Many students know the concepts but struggle to perform because of pressure.

One important point discussed during the AMA was that increasing the psychological pressure around CAT can make students more likely to underperform.

Instead of treating CAT as a complete “do or die” situation, students should try to maintain perspective and trust the preparation they have already put in.

What should I do if I start panicking during a mock?

If you get stuck on a question or set, avoid allowing one difficult question to affect the rest of the section.

A difficult question does not mean that the entire section is difficult.

Move on when required, look for a better opportunity and return if time permits.

Regular mock practice can also make the exam environment feel more familiar and reduce the amount of mental pressure associated with it.

Key Takeaways From Maruti Sir's CAT 2026 AMA

The AMA covered a wide range of questions, but a few key themes stood out:

• Don't judge your preparation from one bad mock.
• Use mocks and sectionals to build speed and pressure-handling ability.
• Analyse mistakes instead of simply counting your mock scores.
• Prioritise high-return topics when time is limited.
• Focus on RC comprehension and accuracy in VARC.
• Practise DILR under timed conditions to improve execution.
• Don't fixate on one raw score or number of attempts for 99 percentile.
• Use CAT PYQs to understand actual CAT-level questions.
• Use adaptive practice to strengthen topic-wise performance.
• Avoid creating unnecessary psychological pressure around CAT.

CAT 2026 AMA With Maruti Sir: Frequently Asked Questions

The questions discussed in the AMA show that many CAT aspirants are facing similar challenges fluctuating mock scores, difficulty performing under pressure, VARC accuracy issues, DILR set selection and uncertainty about what to study in the final weeks.

The most important takeaway is that knowing how to solve a question and being able to solve it under CAT conditions are two different skills.

With the exam approaching, aspirants should focus on converting their preparation into timed performance through regular practice, mocks, sectionals and detailed analysis.

Maruti Sir's AMA addressed these concerns directly through questions submitted by CAT aspirants, making the session particularly useful for students who are currently struggling with the same issues.