The 150-Day CAT 2026 Study Plan, Day by Day

Published 1 July 2026 · 7 min read · Exam Preparation

A date-wise routine from 1 July to the 29 November exam, with the exact daily target on every day across three phases.

A five-month CAT 2026 calendar showing the exact daily question target, mock days and the 29 November exam. Preparing for CAT 2026? Solve 1000+ Free Questions on Percentyl

The last five months before CAT are won by a routine, not by random study days. Here's a complete date-wise plan from 1 July to exam day on 29 November, split into three phases. Each day in the calendar shows your exact target. July and August are for grinding the syllabus. September and October are for mocks and fixing weak areas. November is almost all mocks.

Read the month-wise summary first for the shape of each phase. Then follow the calendar day by day. The plan runs Monday to Sunday, so shift the days to fit your own week if you need to.

The Plan at a Glance

Phase

Daily target

Mocks

Formula book

July & August

Rotate the 3 combos: 30 Quant + 5 DILR / 30 Quant + 5 RC / 30 Quant + 2 RC + 30 VA

1 every Sunday

Every Sunday

September & October

50 Quant, or 5 DILR + 5 RC, alternating each weak day

2 a week: Wed + Sun

Before mocks + weekends

November

About 50 questions of your weakest topic

3 a week: Tue, Thu, Sat

Before mocks + weekends

Cell colours: orange = mock day, green = analysis day, grey = taper or rest, navy = exam day. Every other cell shows that day's exact target.

July & August: Grind the Syllabus

Grind days run Monday to Saturday, rotating the three combos shown in each cell. Every Sunday, take one full mock, then revise your formula book.

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

Sun

1 Jul
Quant 30
RC 2 + VA 30

2 Jul
Quant 30
DILR 5

3 Jul
Quant 30
RC 5

4 Jul
Quant 30
RC 2 + VA 30

5 Jul
Full mock

6 Jul
Quant 30
DILR 5

7 Jul
Quant 30
RC 5

8 Jul
Quant 30
RC 2 + VA 30

9 Jul
Quant 30
DILR 5

10 Jul
Quant 30
RC 5

11 Jul
Quant 30
RC 2 + VA 30

12 Jul
Full mock

13 Jul
Quant 30
DILR 5

14 Jul
Quant 30
RC 5

15 Jul
Quant 30
RC 2 + VA 30

16 Jul
Quant 30
DILR 5

17 Jul
Quant 30
RC 5

18 Jul
Quant 30
RC 2 + VA 30

19 Jul
Full mock

20 Jul
Quant 30
DILR 5

21 Jul
Quant 30
RC 5

22 Jul
Quant 30
RC 2 + VA 30

23 Jul
Quant 30
DILR 5

24 Jul
Quant 30
RC 5

25 Jul
Quant 30
RC 2 + VA 30

26 Jul
Full mock

27 Jul
Quant 30
DILR 5

28 Jul
Quant 30
RC 5

29 Jul
Quant 30
RC 2 + VA 30

30 Jul
Quant 30
DILR 5

31 Jul
Quant 30
RC 5

1 Aug
Quant 30
RC 2 + VA 30

2 Aug
Full mock

3 Aug
Quant 30
DILR 5

4 Aug
Quant 30
RC 5

5 Aug
Quant 30
RC 2 + VA 30

6 Aug
Quant 30
DILR 5

7 Aug
Quant 30
RC 5

8 Aug
Quant 30
RC 2 + VA 30

9 Aug
Full mock

10 Aug
Quant 30
DILR 5

11 Aug
Quant 30
RC 5

12 Aug
Quant 30
RC 2 + VA 30

13 Aug
Quant 30
DILR 5

14 Aug
Quant 30
RC 5

15 Aug
Quant 30
RC 2 + VA 30

16 Aug
Full mock

17 Aug
Quant 30
DILR 5

18 Aug
Quant 30
RC 5

19 Aug
Quant 30
RC 2 + VA 30

20 Aug
Quant 30
DILR 5

21 Aug
Quant 30
RC 5

22 Aug
Quant 30
RC 2 + VA 30

23 Aug
Full mock

24 Aug
Quant 30
DILR 5

25 Aug
Quant 30
RC 5

26 Aug
Quant 30
RC 2 + VA 30

27 Aug
Quant 30
DILR 5

28 Aug
Quant 30
RC 5

29 Aug
Quant 30
RC 2 + VA 30

30 Aug
Full mock

31 Aug
Quant 30
DILR 5

September & October: Mocks and Weak Areas

Two mocks a week now, on Wednesday and Sunday. The day after each mock, analyse it and note your weak areas. On the other days, drill those weak areas with the target shown, alternating Quant and DILR plus RC. Revise formulas before each mock and on weekends.

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

Sun

1 Sep
Quant 50

2 Sep
Full mock

3 Sep
Analyse mock

4 Sep
DILR 5
RC 5

5 Sep
Quant 50

6 Sep
Full mock

7 Sep
Analyse mock

8 Sep
DILR 5
RC 5

9 Sep
Full mock

10 Sep
Analyse mock

11 Sep
Quant 50

12 Sep
DILR 5
RC 5

13 Sep
Full mock

14 Sep
Analyse mock

15 Sep
Quant 50

16 Sep
Full mock

17 Sep
Analyse mock

18 Sep
DILR 5
RC 5

19 Sep
Quant 50

20 Sep
Full mock

21 Sep
Analyse mock

22 Sep
DILR 5
RC 5

23 Sep
Full mock

24 Sep
Analyse mock

25 Sep
Quant 50

26 Sep
DILR 5
RC 5

27 Sep
Full mock

28 Sep
Analyse mock

29 Sep
Quant 50

30 Sep
Full mock

1 Oct
Analyse mock

2 Oct
DILR 5
RC 5

3 Oct
Quant 50

4 Oct
Full mock

5 Oct
Analyse mock

6 Oct
DILR 5
RC 5

7 Oct
Full mock

8 Oct
Analyse mock

9 Oct
Quant 50

10 Oct
DILR 5
RC 5

11 Oct
Full mock

12 Oct
Analyse mock

13 Oct
Quant 50

14 Oct
Full mock

15 Oct
Analyse mock

16 Oct
DILR 5
RC 5

17 Oct
Quant 50

18 Oct
Full mock

19 Oct
Analyse mock

20 Oct
DILR 5
RC 5

21 Oct
Full mock

22 Oct
Analyse mock

23 Oct
Quant 50

24 Oct
DILR 5
RC 5

25 Oct
Full mock

26 Oct
Analyse mock

27 Oct
Quant 50

28 Oct
Full mock

29 Oct
Analyse mock

30 Oct
DILR 5
RC 5

31 Oct
Quant 50

November: Mock Month

Now it's mostly mocks: three a week, on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Analyse each one the same day or the next. On the rest, do 50 questions of your weakest topic. Ease off in the last two days before the exam.

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

Sun

1 Nov
50 Q
weak topic

2 Nov
50 Q
weak topic

3 Nov
Full mock

4 Nov
50 Q
weak topic

5 Nov
Full mock

6 Nov
50 Q
weak topic

7 Nov
Full mock

8 Nov
50 Q
weak topic

9 Nov
50 Q
weak topic

10 Nov
Full mock

11 Nov
50 Q
weak topic

12 Nov
Full mock

13 Nov
50 Q
weak topic

14 Nov
Full mock

15 Nov
50 Q
weak topic

16 Nov
50 Q
weak topic

17 Nov
Full mock

18 Nov
50 Q
weak topic

19 Nov
Full mock

20 Nov
50 Q
weak topic

21 Nov
Full mock

22 Nov
50 Q
weak topic

23 Nov
50 Q
weak topic

24 Nov
Full mock

25 Nov
50 Q
weak topic

26 Nov
Full mock

27 Nov
Revise

28 Nov
Rest

29 Nov
EXAM

How to Use This Plan

That's the whole stretch, mapped out. The targets look heavy on paper, but they're built to be repeatable. The point isn't a perfect day. It's a consistent week, so if you miss a day, make it up across the others.

Adjust the mock days to your own schedule if needed. The phases matter more than the exact weekday: grind first, then mocks with weak-area work, then mocks almost daily. Hold that shape and you walk into 29 November ready.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many hours a day does this CAT plan need?

It's built around question targets, not hours. In July and August, expect three to four focused hours for the daily combo. The mock-heavy months need 2-3 hours for mock plus analysis time.

How many mocks does this plan add up to?

The cadence builds up: one a week in July and August, two a week in September and October, three a week in November. That lands you at around 35 to 40 mocks by exam day.

When should I start taking mocks?

From the first week, but lightly. One mock a week through July and August teaches you the format without derailing your syllabus grind. Ramp up only once the syllabus is covered.

What if I fall behind the plan?

Don't scrap the week. Your target is weekly, not daily, so absorb a missed day into the rest. If you fall behind on syllabus, protect the mock days and trim the grind, never the other way round.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many hours a day does this CAT plan need?

It's built around question targets, not hours. In July and August, expect three to four focused hours for the daily combo. The mock-heavy months need 2-3 hours for mock plus analysis time.

How many mocks does this plan add up to?

The cadence builds up: one a week in July and August, two a week in September and October, three a week in November. That lands you at around 35 to 40 mocks by exam day.

When should I start taking mocks?

From the first week, but lightly. One mock a week through July and August teaches you the format without derailing your syllabus grind. Ramp up only once the syllabus is covered.

What if I fall behind the plan?

Don't scrap the week. Your target is weekly, not daily, so absorb a missed day into the rest. If you fall behind on syllabus, protect the mock days and trim the grind, never the other way round.


Shweta Arora
MBA, IIM Ahmedabad · Founder, Percentyl

CAT mentor and educator helping thousands of aspirants crack the CAT with free, structured prep on Percentyl.