Best free MBA entrance notes and PDFs in 2027

Free MBA entrance notes and PDFs come from three kinds of source: tools that publish their own study notes, portals that host past papers and mock PDFs, and the exam bodies' official documents. MBA One Stop's notes page lists 14 original notes, each marked as a free PDF, for CAT, CMAT, GMAT Focus, IMAT, MAH-CET, NMAT, SNAP, XAT, group discussion and essays.

Last updated: 11 November 2026.

Where can you get free CAT notes in PDF?

Free CAT notes are available from MBA One Stop, which publishes four CAT notes as free PDFs, and from portals such as Careers360, Shiksha, MBAUniverse and Collegedunia, which link past papers, ebooks or mock PDFs. The official CAT 2026 documents on iimcat.ac.in carry dates, eligibility and process but no syllabus notes.

The ten sources below were each opened on 11 November 2026, and the order is not a ranking. Free here means free as the page states it, and pages change. The habit that matters most is checking every date, pattern and fee on the exam body's own page.

Which free sources give study notes and playbooks?

Three sources publish material written to be studied: MBA One Stop, Careers360 and Shiksha. They differ in whether the content is notes, practice packs or past papers.

MBA One Stop Notes

MBA One Stop's notes page lists 14 notes, each marked Free PDF and each open in the browser. The CAT set has a 90-day study plan (a 13-week plan with daily hours for students and working aspirants), a DILR playbook on choosing the 2 to 3 sets worth 40 minutes, a quant formula sheet and a VARC playbook. Other notes cover CMAT, GMAT Focus, IMAT, MAH-CET, NMAT, SNAP and XAT, plus GD and PI, SOP and essay writing and a mock analysis guide. The page describes them as original study notes that open in the browser or download as a PDF. The MBA One Stop notes and PDFs page lists them by exam. The limit is that these are a tool's own summaries and not official documents, so an exam body's notice decides in any conflict.

Careers360 free CAT ebooks

Careers360's download page is marked Free Download and offers the past 10 years' CAT question papers with solutions as an ebook, beside free sample papers on quant, DILR, reading comprehension, parajumbles, blood relations and functions. It suits a candidate who wants topic practice packs to attach to a notes routine. The limit is scope: the page lists practice material and not a full syllabus walk-through, so it is a supplement.

Shiksha CAT downloads

Shiksha's CAT mock page links the CAT 2025 and CAT 2024 question papers for download and shows download shortcuts for CAT question papers, the CAT exam structure and a CAT formula sheet. It suits a candidate who wants official past papers in one place. The limit is that the downloads sit inside a mock-test page, so they are papers and a reference sheet rather than worked notes on methods.

Which free sources give past papers and mock PDFs?

Three more sources are built around papers: the XAT site, MBAUniverse and Collegedunia. A past paper teaches what the exam asks, and the review of it is where notes get written.

XAT official question papers

The official XAT site run by XLRI Jamshedpur, xatonline.in, lists XAT 2027 on 3 January 2027 from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm and links question paper PDFs for 2018 to 2024 in its exam resources section. It suits a CAT candidate who also writes XAT, since the site lists a Decision Making section that CAT does not have. The limit is that the open papers stop at 2024: the site offers the XAT 2025 and 2026 papers with answer keys only to aspirants who complete the XAT 2027 application by 11 November 2026.

MBAUniverse mock PDFs

MBAUniverse's CAT mock page, updated on 11 November 2026, lists CAT mock tests 1 to 3 as PDF downloads with answers and solutions, alongside sectional mocks in VARC, DILR and QA. The page describes 10 free mocks based on recent CAT papers. It suits a candidate who wants to print and mark a paper by hand. These are mock papers with solutions and not concept notes, and the page's claim about how its papers match the real exam is its own.

Collegedunia CAT PDFs

Collegedunia's CAT mock page is titled Free PDF Download, Solutions and Performance Analysis and lists 18 previous year CAT question papers, 10 full syllabus mocks and sectional and chapter tests, with a PDF option on tests. It suits topic-wise drills, such as a chapter test on one DILR type. The limit is dates: the page says CAT registration closed on 15 September 2026, the date in the July information bulletin, while the IIMs extended it to 22 September 2026 and iimcat.ac.in now shows that date.

Which official documents explain the exam and the process?

Four official pages sit behind every set of notes: the CAT bulletin and eligibility notice, one IIM's admission policy, and GMAC's free practice pages for GMAT Focus and NMAT.

CAT 2026 information bulletin and eligibility notice

The IIMs' CAT 2026 information bulletin and eligibility notice are PDFs linked from iimcat.ac.in. The bulletin gives the date (Sunday, 29 November 2026, in three sessions), the participating IIMs, likely results in the first week of January 2027 and score validity till 31 December 2027. The eligibility notice sets a Bachelor's degree with at least 50% marks (45% for SC, ST and PwBD) and lists reserved seats. They suit anyone who wants to verify dates before trusting a blog. They contain no study content.

IIM Ahmedabad admission policy

IIM Ahmedabad's Admission Policy for the PGP 2027-29 batch is a free PDF that explains shortlisting and selection: a composite score weighted 35% on application rating and 65% on CAT percentile, then an Analytical Writing Test and Personal Interview with final weights of 50% for the interview, 10% for the writing test and 40% for the composite score. It suits a candidate planning GD, writing and PI preparation. It describes one IIM's process, and each IIM sets its own, as the CAT bulletin says.

GMAT Official Starter Kit

GMAC's GMAT Official Starter Kit on mba.com is marked free and includes two official adaptive practice exams and 70+ official questions across Quantitative Reasoning, Verbal Reasoning and Data Insights. It suits a candidate sending a GMAT Focus score to schools that accept it. It is practice and not notes, and extra official question sets on the page are sold separately.

NMAT by GMAC official prep

GMAC's NMAT by GMAC prep page offers a free practice exam of 108 questions in the same structure as the actual exam, with a score report, and sells two more exams as a bundle. It suits an NMAT candidate. The page headline says two free exams while the button names Practice Exam 1 as the free one, so check before relying on a second free attempt.

How do the ten sources compare?

The table shows the format, the exams each source serves and its main limit.

What should CAT notes cover?

CAT notes should cover the three timed sections, the methods that save time inside them, and an error log. The IIMs' official mock notice describes CAT 2026 as a 120-minute test with 40 minutes per section for non-PwBD candidates, so notes that are organised around 40-minute blocks match the exam.

A useful set has a formula and method sheet per section (for quant, formulas with worked examples), a set-selection rule for DILR, a reading routine for VARC, and a log that records every lost mark by topic and cause. MBA One Stop's notes list a quant formula sheet, a DILR playbook, a VARC playbook and a mock analysis guide with an error log, which is the same structure. Group discussion, writing and interview notes come later, since IIM Ahmedabad's policy shows those stages follow the shortlist.

How can a working aspirant study each week?

A week for a working aspirant needs fixed slots: short weekday blocks for one topic, one full mock, and one review. Exact hours depend on the job, and MBA One Stop's 90-day plan lists daily hours separately for students and working aspirants.

• Weekday evenings: one topic from the notes, then a short timed set on it.
• One weekend morning: a full mock at the same time as the real session.
• The next day: review the mock with an error log, then write the three topics to fix.
• Each week: re-solve the previous week's errors before new topics.

The mock side is covered in best free CAT mock tests, and a free CAT Compass mock of 20 questions in 25 minutes gives a short check of where the notes are working. For the IIM Mumbai executive route, IMAT for IIM Mumbai executive MBAs explains that test. After the result, best MBA college predictor tools cover the shortlist step, and how to work out MBA payback and break-even covers cost.

Are free MBA notes enough for CAT?

Free notes are enough to cover the syllabus and methods, and they are not enough on their own, because the score depends on timed practice and review. A note explains a method, while a mock shows whether it works in 40 minutes. A summary of an exam pattern in any set of notes is a secondary source, and the exam body's page decides in any conflict.

Format matters too. A PDF is easy to carry and cannot be searched or updated as an exam notice changes, so keep a date beside each note.

Where does an executive MBA fit in this?

Exam notes serve the entrance-test route. Executive MBA Technology is a postgraduate management degree from IIT Jodhpur for working professionals, taught in live online sessions by IIT Jodhpur faculty with on-campus immersions, covering core management, AI in business, and specialisation pathways in Analytics and AI or Digital Product Management. Its programme page lists its own entrance exam covering logical reasoning, verbal ability and numerical ability.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I get free CAT notes in PDF?

MBA One Stop's notes page offers four CAT notes as free PDFs: a 90-day study plan, a DILR playbook, a quant formula sheet and a VARC playbook. Careers360, Shiksha, MBAUniverse and Collegedunia link free past papers, ebooks or mock PDFs. Each page states its own terms, so check before downloading.

Are free MBA notes enough for CAT?

Free MBA notes can cover the syllabus and the methods, but they are not enough alone. The IIMs' mock notice says CAT 2026 has 120 minutes with 40 minutes per section, so timed mocks and a review of each one decide whether the methods work. Notes from any source should be checked against the exam body's page.

What should CAT notes cover?

CAT notes should cover quant formulas with worked examples, a rule for choosing DILR sets, a reading routine for VARC and an error log that records each lost mark by topic and cause. Notes for group discussion, writing and interview preparation matter after shortlisting, since IIM Ahmedabad's policy shows those stages follow it.

Are there free notes for XAT, GMAT Focus or NMAT?

MBA One Stop's notes page lists guides for XAT, GMAT Focus Edition and NMAT by GMAC, each as a free PDF. GMAC's own pages offer a free GMAT Official Starter Kit and a free NMAT practice exam, and the XAT site links past papers for 2018 to 2024. These are practice material beside the notes.

Is a PDF better than reading notes online?

A PDF is easier to print and carry, while an online page can be updated when an exam notice changes. MBA One Stop says its notes can be opened in the browser or saved as a PDF. A candidate who saves PDFs should write the date beside each one and recheck exam patterns and dates on the exam body's page.

Next step

Pick one structured note and one past paper, study the first and solve the second under a timer, then log every lost mark. Working professionals weighing a programme with its own entrance exam can read the Executive MBA Technology page for eligibility and curriculum.