How Many TITA Questions in CAT 2026? Section-Wise
Published 28 August 2026 · 6 min read · Common Admission Test
Expect roughly 20 to 23 TITA questions out of 68 in CAT 2026. On the CAT 2025 pattern that is 4 in VARC, 11 in DILR and 8 in QA. The IIMs never announce the count in advance. It has differed between slots of the same year.
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Expect roughly 20 to 23 TITA questions out of 68 in CAT 2026. On the CAT 2025 pattern that is 4 in VARC, 11 in DILR and 8 in QA. The IIMs never announce the count in advance. It has differed between slots of the same year.
TITA means Type In The Answer. There are no options and you key the answer in, which matters for one reason above all others. A wrong TITA answer costs you nothing.
CAT 2026 TITA expectation at a glance
Section | Total questions | TITA expected |
|---|---|---|
24 | 2 to 5 | |
22 | 10 to 11 | |
22 | 7 to 8 | |
Total | 68 | 20 to 23 |
Source: slot analyses and reconstructed question papers for CAT 2021 to CAT 2025, compiled 20 August 2026. CAT 2026 counts are a projection from that record, not an announcement.
What the paper has looked like each year
The section split has moved twice in recent memory, so a pattern quoted from an old article will be wrong.
Year | VARC | DILR | QA |
|---|---|---|---|
CAT 2021 | 24 | 20 | 22 |
CAT 2022 | 24 | 20 | 22 |
CAT 2023 | 24 | 20 | 22 |
CAT 2024 | 24 | 22 | 22 |
CAT 2025 | 24 | 22 | 22 |
The paper ran to 66 questions from 2021 to 2023, then became 68 in 2024 when DILR grew from 20 questions to 22. Duration has been 2 hours with 40 minutes a section, in the fixed order VARC, DILR then QA, since 2020.
How many TITA questions in each section, year by year
Year | VARC TITA | DILR TITA | QA TITA |
|---|---|---|---|
CAT 2021 | 5 | 5 | 8 |
CAT 2022 | 3 | 5 to 6 | 8 |
CAT 2023 | 4 | 6 to 8 | 8 |
CAT 2024 | 2 | 10 | 6 to 8 |
CAT 2025 | 4 | 11 | 7 to 8 |
Ranges appear where slots differed or where reconstructed papers and coaching analyses disagree. CAT 2023 is the clearest case of real slot variation. DILR carried 6 TITA in slot 1 and 8 in slots 2 and 3.
The trend that matters: TITA share is rising
Year | Total questions | TITA | Share of paper |
|---|---|---|---|
CAT 2021 | 66 | 18 | 27% |
CAT 2022 | 66 | 16 to 17 | 25% |
CAT 2023 | 66 | 18 to 20 | 27 to 30% |
CAT 2024 | 68 | About 20 | 29% |
CAT 2025 | 68 | 22 to 23 | 32 to 34% |
A third of CAT 2025 carried no negative marking. That is the highest share on record in the two hour format. It changes how the paper should be attempted.
Section by section, what changed
DILR: from a quarter to half the section
DILR TITA went 5, then 6, then 6 to 8, then 10, then 11. In CAT 2025 exactly half of the 22 DILR questions were TITA, verified across all three slots.
This is the single most useful fact in the post. In DILR you are now guessing for free on roughly half the section, so a partially cracked set is worth entering answers for rather than abandoning.
QA: unchanged for five years
Quant has carried 8 TITA in almost every slot since 2021, with a few slots showing 6 or 7 in reconstructed papers. It is the most predictable number in the paper.
Those 8 tend to sit in Arithmetic and Algebra, where the answer is a clean integer. If you can set up the equation, keying a value in is safer than picking from options you were never shown.
VARC: small and volatile
VARC TITA fell from 5 in 2021 to 2 in 2024, then returned to 4 in 2025. They are almost always the para jumbles and odd one out questions, never reading comprehension.
Para jumbles vanished entirely from CAT 2024 across all three slots and came back in 2025, which is why the VARC TITA count moves around. Practise both types at percentyl.in/practice.
How to use TITA in the exam
- Attempt every TITA question you have any grip on. There is no penalty, so a considered guess is free money.
- On a DILR set you have half solved, enter values for the TITA questions before leaving. Half a set is worth marks in 2025 style papers.
- Do not confuse free with easy. TITA questions are often harder, because the setter removed the options to stop back solving.
- Enter numbers only, no units, no commas, no rupee symbols. A correct answer typed as 1,250 can be marked wrong.
- Check the on screen instructions at the start of your slot. The count is not announced beforehand and can differ from the slot before yours.
The marking scheme
Question type | Correct | Wrong | Unattempted |
|---|---|---|---|
MCQ | Plus 3 | Minus 1 | Zero |
TITA, non MCQ | Plus 3 | Zero | Zero |
This scheme is shown in the on screen instructions at the start of the exam and in the official mock on iimcat.ac.in. Every major coaching institute reports it the same way. Read the instruction screen on the day rather than relying on any article, including this one.
One official line is worth knowing. The IIMs attach a disclaimer to the official mock stating that the number, type and pattern of questions are indicative only and subject to variation from year to year. That is why no honest article can promise you an exact TITA count for CAT 2026.
What to do with this before 29 November
Sit past papers and count the TITA questions yourself as you go, so the shape stops being a surprise. All 18 papers from CAT 2020 to 2025 are free with worked solutions at percentyl.in/pyq.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many TITA questions will there be in CAT 2026?
Between 20 and 23 out of 68 on recent form, which is roughly 4 in VARC, 10 or 11 in DILR and 7 or 8 in QA. The IIMs do not announce the count in advance and it has differed between slots of the same year.
Is there negative marking for TITA questions in CAT?
No. A correct TITA answer earns plus 3 and a wrong one costs nothing. MCQs carry minus 1 for a wrong answer. This makes every TITA question worth attempting if you have any basis for an answer.
How many TITA questions were there in CAT 2025?
Between 22 and 23 out of 68, the highest share on record. The verified split for slot 1 was VARC 4, DILR 11 and QA 8. DILR carried 11 TITA in all three slots.
Which CAT section has the most TITA questions?
DILR, by a wide margin since 2024. It carried 10 TITA in CAT 2024 and 11 in CAT 2025, which is half of the 22 question section. Quant has held steady at about 8 for five years.
Are TITA questions easier than MCQs?
No, often harder. Removing the options removes back solving and elimination, so you have to reach the answer properly. What makes them attractive is the absence of a penalty, not the difficulty.
How do I type answers in TITA questions?
Enter the number alone using the on screen keypad, with no units, commas or symbols. Where the answer is a decimal, follow the rounding the question asks for. A right value typed in the wrong format is marked wrong.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many TITA questions will there be in CAT 2026?
Between 20 and 23 out of 68 on recent form, which is roughly 4 in VARC, 10 or 11 in DILR and 7 or 8 in QA. The IIMs do not announce the count in advance and it has differed between slots of the same year.
Is there negative marking for TITA questions in CAT?
No. A correct TITA answer earns plus 3 and a wrong one costs nothing. MCQs carry minus 1 for a wrong answer. This makes every TITA question worth attempting if you have any basis for an answer.
How many TITA questions were there in CAT 2025?
Between 22 and 23 out of 68, the highest share on record. The verified split for slot 1 was VARC 4, DILR 11 and QA 8. DILR carried 11 TITA in all three slots.
Which CAT section has the most TITA questions?
DILR, by a wide margin since 2024. It carried 10 TITA in CAT 2024 and 11 in CAT 2025, which is half of the 22 question section. Quant has held steady at about 8 for five years.
Are TITA questions easier than MCQs?
No, often harder. Removing the options removes back solving and elimination, so you have to reach the answer properly. What makes them attractive is the absence of a penalty, not the difficulty.
How do I type answers in TITA questions?
Enter the number alone using the on screen keypad, with no units, commas or symbols. Where the answer is a decimal, follow the rounding the question asks for. A right value typed in the wrong format is marked wrong.