Strategy & execution notes
for serious aspirants.
Study plans, exam strategy and lessons from the daily drill data — written by the GRADSCALE & GRADSKOOL team.
CAT 2026 Notification Is Out: Exam Date, Eligibility, Fees and Everything Else You Need to Know
CAT 2026 will be held on November 29, 2026, across 22 participating IIMs. Here is everything from the official notification, exam date, eligibility, fees, reservation policy and registration, in one place.
The FYQ Challenge: 792 Free CAT Daily Practice Questions, Every 3 Hours, Until CAT 2026
Starting today, GRADSKOOL is releasing one original CAT-level question every 3 hours, six a day, until CAT. 792 questions total, each with a detailed video solution, completely free.
IPMAT's Sectional Time Limits: Why Speed Matters More Than It Does on CAT
IPMAT locks you out of a section the moment its 40 minutes are up, with no way back, on top of being written right after Class 12. That combination makes time pressure the real thing to train for.
IPMAT Syllabus 2026: QA, QA Short Answer and VA Explained
IPMAT Indore actually runs three separately timed sections, not two, and one of them asks you to type in answers instead of picking from options. Here is what each one really tests.
The XAT Unattempted Question Penalty, Explained
Skip more than 8 questions on XAT and every additional blank costs you marks. Most aspirants find out about this rule the hard way. Here is how it actually works and what it should change.
XAT Score vs Percentile 2026: What the Numbers Actually Mean
XAT is scored out of 100, but the score that actually gets you into XLRI is your percentile, and the gap between the two surprises a lot of aspirants.
NMAT Scaled Score Explained: Why It's Not a Percentile
NMAT doesn't score you on a percentile the way CAT and XAT do. It uses a scaled score, and NMIMS sets its own minimum thresholds. Here is what that actually means for you.
NMAT Syllabus 2026: Sections, Time Limits and Marking
NMAT locks you into each section separately, with no negative marking and no way back once time runs out. That single design choice changes how you should prepare for every topic in it.
SNAP Score vs Percentile 2026: What the Numbers Actually Mean
SNAP runs multiple slots across different days, and normalization decides your percentile more than your raw score does. Here is what that actually means for you.