CAT 2026 by IIM Indore: Notification Date, Registration Window and November 29 Exam

IIM Indore is the convening body for CAT 2026 and is expected to release the official notification around July 26, 2026, with registration opening from August 1, 2026 for the exam scheduled on November 29, 2026.

The Common Admission Test (CAT) rotates its conducting responsibility among the Indian Institutes of Management each year. For the 2026 cycle, IIM Indore takes charge — managing everything from the notification release and registration to admit cards and result declaration on the official portal iimcat.ac.in. With the notification window approaching fast, students planning to apply should finalise eligibility checks and keep their documents ready well before August.

• CAT 2026 convening body: IIM Indore
• Official notification expected: Around July 26, 2026
• Registration expected to open: August 1, 2026
• Registration expected to close: Around September 20, 2026
• Admit card download: Expected around November 5, 2026
• CAT 2026 exam date: November 29, 2026
• Official portal: iimcat.ac.in

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CAT 2026 Official Notification: What to Expect

IIM Indore is expected to publish the CAT 2026 official notification at iimcat.ac.in around July 26, 2026. In recent years the convening IIM has released the notification on the last Sunday of July — a pattern that has remained consistent. The notification document is a detailed PDF covering every aspect of the exam cycle, and students should download and read it in full before starting their application.

When the notification goes live, it will carry the following information:

• Confirmed exam date and session timings for November 29, 2026
• Registration start and end dates with the direct application link
• Detailed eligibility criteria and the full list of participating institutions
• Application fee details and accepted payment modes
• Test city list and the city-preference selection process
• Admit card download schedule and exam-day reporting instructions
• Exam pattern, sectional time limits and marking scheme

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CAT 2026 Expected Key Dates

The table below lists the expected dates for each milestone in the CAT 2026 cycle based on the CAT 2025 timeline and past-year trends. All dates will be confirmed in the official notification released by IIM Indore.

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How to Register for CAT 2026

CAT 2026 registration will take place entirely online at iimcat.ac.in. The window is expected to open on August 1, 2026 and close around September 20, 2026 — roughly a seven-week period. Students should complete registration well before the deadline to avoid last-minute technical difficulties. The process below is based on the CAT 2025 registration flow.

1. Visit iimcat.ac.in and click the new registration link once it activates in August 2026.
2. Create a fresh account using your email address and mobile number and verify both with OTPs.
3. Log in and fill in the application form covering personal details, academic qualifications and work experience.
4. Upload a passport-size photograph and your signature in the prescribed format and file size.
5. Choose up to three test cities in order of preference from the list provided in the portal.
6. Pay the application fee online via net banking, credit card or debit card.
7. Review all entries, submit the form and save the confirmation page and payment receipt.

Expected CAT 2026 application fee (based on CAT 2025 fee structure; subject to change in official notification):

The fee is payable once regardless of the number of institutes selected and is non-refundable once submitted.

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CAT 2026 Exam Pattern at a Glance

CAT 2026 will be a computer-based test (CBT) with three separately-timed sections. The total exam duration is 120 minutes with 40 minutes per section and no carry-forward of unused time. The pattern below is expected based on the CAT 2025 structure and is subject to change in the official notification.

Marking scheme (expected): +3 marks for each correct MCQ answer; -1 mark for each incorrect MCQ answer; no negative marking for TITA (non-MCQ) questions. CAT uses a scaled equating process — the final score is expressed as a percentile, not a raw marks total, and this percentile is used by IIMs and other business schools for shortlisting.

Eligibility at a glance: Bachelor’s degree with at least 50% aggregate marks from a recognised university (45% for SC, ST, and PwD students). Students in the final year of graduation are eligible to apply.

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What Students Should Do Now

With the CAT 2026 notification expected in the last week of July and the exam on November 29, 2026, students have approximately five months to prepare and apply. Here is a focused action list for this window:

• Bookmark iimcat.ac.in now and check it daily from July 20 onward for the official notification PDF.
• Confirm eligibility — check that your aggregate percentage meets the 50% threshold (45% for SC/ST/PwD). Final-year students are eligible but must declare their provisional status during registration.
• Keep documents ready — graduation marksheets, category certificate if applicable, a recent photograph and a clear signature image file to upload during registration.
• Begin full-length mock tests — sectional accuracy and time management across VARC, DILR and QA improve significantly with consistent timed practice under exam conditions.
• Register early in August — do not wait until the September deadline. Server load peaks near the last date and can cause form submission failures.
• Research target institutes — different IIMs and top business schools have varying sectional cutoffs. Identifying your target list now helps you set realistic percentile benchmarks for each section.