Are CAT PYQs enough?

By Ninetynine team · Updated 25 October 2026

CAT previous year papers are the most accurate practice there is, but on their own they run out: 24 papers since 2017 give about 24 full mocks. Use them to learn what CAT asks (143 concepts recur in three or more questions), then add fresh questions written the same way and more timed mocks.

What do PYQs give you that nothing else does?

The real difficulty, the real mix of topics and the real traps. Coaching material often drifts harder or easier than CAT; the papers can't. They also show what CAT keeps testing: 143 concepts appear three or more times since 2017 (list).

Where do PYQs fall short?

Quantity and freshness. Once you've solved a question you can't take it again cold, and 24 papers is about 24 full mocks. Recent papers are also the ones most aspirants have already seen. You need more questions that behave like CAT's: same concept, same method, new numbers.

How many mocks should I take for CAT?

Most aspirants who score well take 20–40 full mocks in the last three to four months, with a full review after each. Fewer mocks reviewed properly beat many mocks taken and forgotten. Real papers count: a recent CAT paper is the best mock there is.

How Ninetynine fills the gap

Ninetynine is a CAT preparation platform built on every CAT paper since 2017: 1,830 previous-year questions with worked solutions, topic-wise analysis, and unlimited mocks cut from the real papers. After every PYQ you can try a similar question solved the same way, and mocks are cut from all 24 papers so you can take far more than 24. It's a one-time payment of ₹99.

Method: counted from all 24 CAT papers 2017–2025 (1,830 questions), each tagged with one topic. How the data is built.