tancet 2026 complete exam pattern marking scheme and last year insights
Home TANCET TANCET 2026 Exam Analysis: Latest Pattern, Difficulty & Key Changes Overview

TANCET 2026 Exam Analysis: Latest Pattern, Difficulty & Key Changes Overview

Sanjana Modi Jan 6, 2026 1K Reads

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TANCET 2026 is a state-level entrance exam conducted by Anna University for admissions to various postgraduate courses. There are three components to this exam, which assess your learning and knowledge. Understanding how the TANCET 2026 is structured is very important for everyone when preparing.

Part I consists of 20 business analysis questions, there are 20 reading comprehension questions in Part II, and there are 60 quantitative, logical, and verbal skill questions in Part III. By looking through the previous years' TANCET exam papers and the marks, you will get a better understanding of both the difficulty levels and cut-off marks; generally the cut-off for the General Category has been approximately 25-30 in recent years. 

Read this blog to the end for the TANCET 2026 exam analysis and more followed updates:

TANCET 2026 Important Dates

TANCET 2026 Exam Timeline

Event 

Date

Application Form

January 2026

Admit Card Release

February 2026

TANCET 2026 Exam

March 2026

Results Announcement

April 2026

Scorecard Download

April - May 2026

Key Highlights of TANCET 2026 Exam

TANCET 2026 Exam Details

TANCET Full Form

Tamil Nadu Common Entrance Test

Exam Conducted By

Anna University

Official Website 

https://tancet.annauniv.edu/tancet

Given For

MBA and MCA courses

Mode of Examination

Offline
(Pen and Paper Mode)

Duration of Exam

2 hours (120 minutes)

Registration Date of TANCET 2026 Exam

January 2026

Tentative Exam Date

March 2026

Tentative Admit Card Release Date

February 2026

Tentative Result Date

April 2026

No. of Questions

100

Number of Sections

5

Average Score

70-80 range

Marking Scheme

-⅓ for every wrong answer

TANCET Exam Analysis (Topic-Wise Breakdown)

Last year, the TANCET 2025 paper balanced out nicely with 20 marks per section for MBA, testing real-world smarts. Quant hit hard with problems on ratios, profits, and geometry that needed fast calculations, while business analysis asked you to pick the best choices from scenarios. Scores averaged 60-70 for good preppers, with fewer surprises than before—English was a score booster for many.

Subject Name 

Syllabus Topics

Quantitative Aptitude

Arithmetic (profit/loss, time/work), Algebra, geometry, mensuration, probability, and number systems.

Data Sufficiency

Data Interpretation (Charts, Tables), Logical Evaluation of Data.

Business Situations

Case Analysis, Decision Making, Business Graphs, Analysis of Business Situations

Reading Comprehension

Passages (Business, Logical), Fact vs. Opinion, Author's Tone

English Usage

Grammar, Vocabulary (Synonyms, Antonyms), Sentence Correction, Idioms, Cloze Test, One-Word Substitution

Exam Pattern and Marking Scheme Overview of TANCET 2026 Exam

TANCET is a test consisting of 100 multiple-choice questions in 120 minutes, broken into five sections:

Section

No. of Questions

Quantitative Aptitude:

20

Data Sufficiency:

20

Business Situations:

20

Reading Comprehension

20

English Usage:

20

Each section contains 20 questions worth 1 point each for a total score of 100 points and a ⅓ deduction for every wrong answer:

Section

Difficulty Rating

No. of Questions

Business Analysis & Reasoning

Moderate

22-25

Reading Comprehension

Easy to Moderate

20-22

Quantitative Aptitude

Moderate to Difficult

18-22

Data Sufficiency

Moderate to Difficult

22-25

English Language

Moderate

20-22

Additionally, it is a pencil-and-paper test, where candidates will mark their answers in black or blue ink on an answer sheet, & there are four choices for each question.

Key Points to Remember for TANCET 2026 Exam

The following are suggestions for things that you should avoid when trying to improve your exam scores:

  • If you ignore the syllabus and the exam pattern, then you are wasting your time. You need to know how the exam is set up and have a study plan based on it.
  • Preparing for any test thinking that you can fail to prepare for it will hurt you in the long run, so prepare consistently and never miss an opportunity to do well on your exams.
  • Every year, TANCET revises or duplicates some of the same questions from previous exams; therefore, make sure that you are using the questions from the previous exam's question bank to aid in securing your future.
  • Every question that you answer incorrectly comes with a negative marking and will hurt your chances of passing; therefore, make sure that you only answer questions that you are absolutely certain that you will get right.
  • Finally, if you have great knowledge of the material but do not possess the speed to answer the questions, you will not perform well; therefore, practice as many mock tests as you can.

Just in case you fail to pass the TANCET exam, there's no need to give up or worry about your future. Make sure you shortlist an online MBA degree for future reference so that if anything goes wrong, you can still continue to pursue your education as per your initial plan.

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

Yes, lose 1/4 mark per wrong answer, so think before marking.
 

No, separate papers on the same day with different focuses.
 

Sure, they overlap on quant and verbal, but TANCET is simpler—use it for extra practice.
 

100 marks total, scaled for ranks later.
 

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By Sanjana Modi

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