What is the best mock test series for CAT preparation targeting IIM ABC?

For CAT targeting IIM ABC, IMS SIMCAT and Career Launcher (CL) mocks are the two strongest series, and the honest answer is that personal preference separates them more than quality does. Three Reddit toppers who scored 99.93, 99.93, and 99.94 put it plainly: "One says IMS and one says CL, but that is just personal preference." The strategic move is to take one full series and supplement with select mocks from the other.

Why Both Series Work, and How They Differ

IMS SIMCAT tilts toward trickier VARC and comparatively gentler QA. CL mocks lean the opposite way: tougher QA and a slightly more forgiving verbal section.

Neither is objectively harder overall. If your weak spot is VARC, start with IMS as your primary series.

If QA is where you bleed percentile points, CL gives you more reps on difficult quant. The cross-coverage you get from mixing both is genuinely useful because CAT's difficulty mix shifts every year.

One hard rule: only use series with a taker pool above 50,000 students. Below that threshold, percentile calibration breaks down and your mock score stops predicting real CAT performance.

IMS and CL both clear this bar comfortably. Smaller boutique mocks, regardless of question quality, fail on this dimension.

Mock Targets by Month

Hit 25-30 full mocks across the four months before CAT. That volume isn't optional if you're targeting IIM Ahmedabad (CAT cutoff above 99 percentile), IIM Bangalore, or IIM Calcutta, where a single bad section can eliminate you regardless of your overall score.

Analysis Matters More Than Volume

Every mock deserves 90+ minutes of post-exam analysis, minimum. The Reddit toppers stressed this point repeatedly.

Review every error, every skipped question, and every lucky correct answer. Patterns across 10 mocks tell you far more than raw scores.

Tracking sectional percentiles separately for VARC, DILR, and QA is non-negotiable because IIM ABC shortlists on sectional cutoffs, not just overall.

Supplement your mock series with Anastasis Academy for DILR (aim for at least one set per day through practice), and use Arun Sharma or Nishit Sinha for QA concept revision when your mock analysis reveals specific gaps.

The Investment Case

A full IMS or CL mock subscription costs roughly ₹10,000-20,000. Against the ₹35.22 LPA average placement at IIM Ahmedabad (on ₹27.5 lakh total fees), the mock spend is rounding error. The real cost is the 90-minute post-mock analysis sessions you might skip when life gets busy. Don't skip them. That analysis is the actual preparation. The mock is just the diagnostic.

This path is narrow. IIM ABC collectively admits under 1,500 students from over 300,000 CAT takers. Treating mock preparation as a checkbox rather than a feedback loop is where most 98-percentile aspirants stop improving.