If you are looking to prepare for the CAT without breaking the bank,
then look no further—this page is your one-stop shop for all the resources you’ll need. Here,
you’ll find a compendium of all the free CAT study material we have to offer.
Every year, we receive numerous emails from students sharing their success stories—how they
secured admission to top B-schools using our free resources. These messages bring us immense
joy. At some point, we thought, "Why not make our resources even more accessible and make
aspirants’ lives a little easier"? And so, this page was born.
We hope you’ll find great value in these materials and ace the CAT. Enough talk—let’s get
started!
All about CAT exam
Before we dive into the free resources, many of you
may be new to the CAT and might not know heads or tails about it. Below are a few pages that
will help you understand what the CAT is all about.
To learn about the CAT pattern, eligibility, selection process, and more, head over to this
page – What is the CAT exam?
– What is CAT exam?
To understand the CAT syllabus, visit this page – CAT Syllabus – CAT Syllabus
To get guidance on how to prepare for the CAT, check out this page – How to Prepare for the
CAT Exam? – How to prepare for CAT
Exam?
2IIM's Free CAT Study Material
Above is a list of free CAT study materials that 2IIM
offers without requiring a signup (for the most part). Watch the video above, where Bharathwaj
(IIT-M) walks you through how to access these resources.
Go through this page to understand what you’ll be getting from these resources and how to
extract the maximum value from them.
Free CAT Study Material #1: 2IIM’s CAT Previous Year Paper Solutions
To access this page - Click here
Anyone who has seriously prepared for the CAT will wholeheartedly endorse the utility of
previous years' CAT papers, calling them the best free study material available. Solving
these papers will give you a strong sense of the difficulty level and the types of
questions that appear in the CAT.
Additionally, they help you structure your preparation by identifying the topics that
require the most focus. 2IIM’s CAT Question Bank provides previous years' CAT papers in
an ergonomic format, along with detailed video and text solutions. You can also download
CAT 2017 to CAT 2021 papers as PDFs and solve them.
Free CAT Study Material #2: 2IIM’s Question Bank (Topic wise)
To access this page - Click here
As an aspirant, you might want to focus on a specific topic in Quants, practice only
Reading Comprehension (RC), or solve a pie-chart-based DILR set. This page helps you do
just that.
We have provided a selection of our own content with detailed solutions across all
sections, neatly categorized. In addition, this page also includes previous years' XAT
and IIFT question papers, each with detailed solutions.
Free CAT Study Material #3: Bharath’s Reading List
To access this page - Click here
The key to preparing for VARC is simple—read, read, and read some more. Many aspirants
struggle with CAT RCs due to a lack of reading habit, and this is where Bharath’s
Reading List comes into play.
This page offers a compendium of curated, handpicked articles from various
genres—including philosophy, politics, science, and more—sourced from top magazines and
websites. We post a new article every day on all our social media platforms.
Additionally, we post questions related to each article on our Instagram story, helping
you gauge your understanding of the content.
The page above is updated weekly with all the articles posted throughout the week.
Follow us on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and Telegram. Subscribe to any or all of them
to stay updated on new articles and other important MBA-related updates.
Follow us on Instagram,
Youtube, Facebook page, Telegram group. Subscribe to any or all of them to get
notified when we post an article or to know about many other updates in the MBA World.
Free CAT Study Material #4: Blitzkrieg
To access this page - Click here
Solving good quality questions, topic-wise, in quant will help us understand our gaps in
the topic and also acts as a good practice to master the topic as well. What better way
to do that than solving questions from CAT previous year papers, right?
We pick one topic every week and collate questions that have come in the past CAT papers
and provide it as a pdf. You can download the pdf and solve them or take it as a 45 min
test inside our platform by signing up for free. Every week on Sunday, we’ll be having a
live session on our Youtube channel discussing the solutions in detail. Make use of this
and conquer quant one topic at a time!
Free CAT Study Material #5: Daily Quiz
To access this page - Click here
2IIM releases a daily quiz featuring a set of hand-picked questions across various
topics and sections. Each question comes with detailed solutions, and many also include
video explanations alongside text-based solutions.
Unlike other CAT coaching institutes, we provide access to the entire repository of past
quizzes—meaning you can select any date and take the quiz from that day. Essentially,
you’ll have access to tons of practice questions from all three sections at the click of
a button.
You can use this resource in multiple ways:
If you’re just starting your preparation, these quizzes can serve as a motivating daily
challenge to build consistency.
If you’ve already begun preparing, they offer an excellent way to reinforce concepts and
get additional practice.
Free CAT Study Material #6: 2IIM’s CAT Preparation Blog
To access this page - Click here
When preparing for the CAT, you’ll inevitably have many questions at different stages of
your journey. These could be about prep strategy, overcoming fear, improving mock
scores, and more. However, it's not always possible to reach out to someone and get all
your doubts resolved.
Fear not! At 2IIM, we understand this better than anyone—because all our employees take
the CAT every year. That’s why we’ve created 2IIM's CAT Blog, a comprehensive resource
covering every possible question about the CAT preparation journey.
Head over to this page, and you’ll surely find an article that addresses your concerns.
Free CAT Study Material #7: 2IIM’s Preparation Schedule
To access this page - Click here
Starting your CAT preparation can feel overwhelming. You might be unsure where to begin
or how to structure your study plan. Worry not!
We have designed a detailed yet flexible schedule that adapts to your needs—whether
you’re a fresher or a working professional. You can use this framework as is or
customize it to fit your routine.
Head over to this page, download your personalized schedule, and kick-start your CAT
preparation today!
Free CAT Study Material #8: 2IIM’s Youtube Channel
To access this page - Click here
Our YouTube channel is one of the best platforms to access tons of free CAT study
material. At 2IIM, we offer 400+ live sessions, 1,700+ videos, 100 playlists, and a
vibrant community to support your CAT preparation.
We have videos covering everything a CAT aspirant needs—from why online preparation is
effective to how to structure your study plan, live mock attempts by Rajesh Sir (a
4-time CAT 100%iler), and tons of questions across all three sections, taught by IIT-IIM
graduates. We also provide guidance on interview preparation and MBA applications.
Head over to our YouTube channel, and you’ll surely find a video that addresses your
questions and preparation needs. While you’re there, hit the subscribe button and tap
the bell icon to get notified every time we post a new video.
Free CAT Study Material #9: Mocks [Free Sign-up Required]
To access this page - Click here
Mock tests are an essential part of your CAT preparation. They help you get comfortable
with the test environment and ensure you are exam-ready.
At 2IIM, we offer two previous years' CAT papers as mocks—one from the 2-hour format and
one from the 3-hour format—along with one free XAT mock.
Click the link below, sign up as a trial user, and take a mock test today!
This is Great! I'm interested to enroll
If you’ve found our free resources
helpful and are interested in joining us for your CAT preparation, click the button below to
sign up as a trial user and explore 40 hours of course content—for free!
Signing up takes less than 30 seconds, and you can start your first free lesson in under a
minute.
The proof is in the pudding—try it out for yourself before choosing an online CAT
preparation platform.
Important facts that you should know about Online CAT Coaching
CAT DI LR started becoming markedly tougher from CAT 2015 onwards. Till CAT 2014, we knew where DI ended and LR began. These days, we find two growth rates with percentages and suddenly we have missing numbers in a grid that we have to puzzle out. 13-14 correct answers would have fetched one a score of ~99.5th percentile in CAT 2015, CAT 2016, 2017, CAT 2018 or CAT 2019. We saw a pattern change in CAT 2020 and CAT 2021 due to the pandemic. 10-11 questions correct will fetch you 99+ percentile.
Check out this page - 2IIM
Philosophy
We strongly believe on the Quote by Abraham Lincoln “If I had nine hours to chop a
tree, I’d spend the first six sharpening the axe.” We start from scratch giving a
stubborn focus on fundamentals so that the student gets the opportunity to learn by
discovering ideas. The plan is to provide a framework for students to handle tougher
questions.
We demystify this exam and break every idea into small digestible chunks which is
categorised as theory, exercise and CAT-level questions. The basic idea is to
provide a structure with simple questions and 'push' students to discover some
thought processes while handling CAT-level questions. We would always love to ensure
that the students have enough fun and enjoyment, preparing for CAT Exam.
i. Consistency is a vital plus where all the teaching is done by a narrow set of
teachers in an online course. The teacher and the pedagogy matters the most.
ii. The Teaching in a classroom course could vary from City to City and week to week
whereas it isn’t in the case of Online.
iii. In Classroom, Travel and specific timings won’t be suitable for all but in an
online course you have an option to learn anywhere, at any time, at your own pace
and in order that you would like to learn.
iv. There are three components for actual teaching part - the material, the pedagogy
and the teacher. In a good online course, the designing and teaching are done by the
same person or group. In a classroom course, the question is created, the idea
transmitted are by different groups and then the teacher usually delivers to this
script.
P.S: This does not necessarily mean that all online courses are good. You must do a
thorough research on the following to find a good Online Course:
1) It has to be modularized so that you can learn at your pace.
2) It has to be on a very good LMS (Learning Management System) that will give you
sound analytics and helps you both to learn and to assess where you are.
3) A chance to check out large sections of the course that is available in the
course UI, not merely on Youtube channel.
Check out this Quora link for more details: Quora
Answer
One more Quora Answer: Quora
Answer
Youtube Link - Watch
Video
Youtube Link - Watch
Video
Of course, the answer is YES and you can crack CAT by preparing from
August onwards. And it’s even possible when you begin from September 15ᵗʰ too.
Always remember that the Quality matters more than Quantity. Finding 400 hours from
somewhere and prepare feverishly in those 400 with good quality will suffice which
will end up getting a decent percentile.
P.S: Get out of Quora, Facebook etc. for 4 months and most of them can find their
400 hours. Cheers!
Check out this Quora link for more details: Quora
Answer
This Question can be answered in 2 parts:
Making CAT Preparation Enjoyable:
• First of all remember that CAT exam tests basic intelligence of class VIII, IX and
X level in a standardized format.
• There is Myth that says “Engineers have an advantage in CAT exam” but the actual
scenario is that this exam gives Engineers absolutely no advantage and moreover the
discrimination is against Engineers at every stage. The Idea that non-Engineers (or
girls, or students from commerce background) have a disadvantage going into CAT Exam
is Pish Posh.
• Learn math with a sense of joy. Learn from the basics and retain a sense of wonder
about math as the way Archimedes did and who proved, “If learnt well, math is
endlessly fascinating”. [P.S: Learn about how Archimedes ended his life in the link
below and that story is perhaps apocryphal.
• Mathematics is considered to be the queen of the Sciences since it is a fabulous
brain-exercise tool kit and is endlessly fascinating.
• Reading is one of the most joyful activities one can always find. If you can find
the right set of books, you can lose yourself for days. It will make you realize
that reading can get you out of a funk, prevent you from going into a funk, recharge
you, inspire you and do many more wonderful things to the way you think. For a
glorious reading list, click here - Reading
List for CAT
Relevance of Entrance with Management:
A Simple correlation concept will make you understand. There are students who are
very smart but have not cracked CAT. And so we can say with reasonable certainty
that someone who scores 99th percentile will be reasonably intelligent. The second
0ne is more relevant as far as the IIMs are concerned. CAT scores and general
intelligence in most cases carry a high correlation.
Check out this Quora link for more details: Quora
Answer
There is famous saying, “There are no shortcuts to Success”. Shortcuts
give an illusion of preparation more often and so Run from shortcuts with all your
might.
Read more on Quora: Quora
Answer
• Math is most definitely not this thing that you need to have a phobia
about. Anyone afraid of math is someone who has not been taught math well.
• Learn math with a sense of joy. Learn from the basics and retain a sense of wonder
about math as the way Archimedes did and who proved, “If learnt well, math is
endlessly fascinating”.
• Mathematics is considered to be the queen of the Sciences since it is a fabulous
brain-exercise tool kit and is endlessly fascinating. Learn from basics, learn with
joy - the fear will go away.
[P.S: Learn about how Archimedes ended his life in the link below and that story is
perhaps apocryphal.]
Check out this Quora link for more details: Quora Answer
YouTube Video: Watch here
One should start your CAT preparation by starting to understand that CAT
tests at max high school math, common sense and reading habit.
• Prepare from first principles so that your basics become automated.
• Don’t just Wander around, don’t learn in a straitjacket.
• Be relentless - this is a marathon testing your temperament and not a sprint.
• Dont merely plan which is the easiest part, execute the damn thing.
• Read a lot with variety and read it all the time.
How to prepare for CAT 2023 - Youtube Video
There are students who attempted 29 questions out of 34 in Verbal
Section and ended with 77ᵗʰ percentile, while there have been also been students
with just 28 attempts ending upwards of 99.xxᵗʰ percentile. And the reason behind
this is accuracy, which matters a lot.
Speaking about accuracy and students often end up with the “The last two choices
problem”. That is students narrow it down to two choices in the VARC section and
then end up choosing the one which they think is the right one. In the similar way
they take chances in these questions but do not take sufficient effort to resolve
this. The common mindset we often see is “It will be either of the two. If I attempt
10 questions like this, I will get 5 right. Let me not waste any more time and mark
the one you think it’s right.” This line of thought in most of the cases is
incorrect. The guys setting the exam paper have planted something in either choice B
or choice D that will make it easy to eliminate that and locating that thing will be
the key. This is an objective paper with one correct answer per question. When you
practice mocks, fight against that last step resistance and work aggressively on
improving accuracy will help you master this section. It is a common myth that
reading speed and vocabulary are important for VARC while they both count for
nothing.
Check out this Quora link for more details: Quora Answer
YouTube Link - Watch Video
YouTube Link -
Watch Video.
YouTube Link -
Watch Video.
YouTube Link - Watch
Video
We all know that the DILR Section of CAT is becoming increasingly
difficult with each passing year. It gets to a point where it’s hard to distinguish
between DI and LR that appears in actual CAT, so we noticed that and chose to
address this. All of us at 2IIM takes the CAT exam every single year to keep us
updated and also to know where we stand. Every single year, we ensure that the
interface is user friendly allowing students to make navigate easily. We also take
one section and revamp that section by improving the Content, Video/Audio quality,
etc.
Last year, we are have doubled the content available under the DILR section of our
online course. Apart from that, we have also added a testing engine that will allow
you to just come and solve a ton of questions (5000+) for practice in the form of
tests. You will also have detailed solutions so that you can go back and fix your
mistakes.
Check out this Quora link for more details:
Quora Answer
2IIM has an Android App for CAT preparation. The app contains lessons,
videos, slides and tests put together by a team of faculties who take up the exam
year after year.
Read More about the App on Quora:
Quora Answer.
We have an elaborative list of books for improving your reading habit.
Check the links below.
For a glorious reading list, Check out this link - CAT
Verbal Reading List
YouTube Link -
Watch Video
YouTube Link -
Watch Video
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