| Direct Link to Register for CAT 2026 (Link Activated) |
The CAT 2026 exam is scheduled for Sunday, November 29, 2026. IIM Indore will conduct it as a computer-based test in three sessions. Your score opens admission to MBA and PGDM programmes at 22 IIMs and more than 1,000 other B-schools.
- You need a Bachelor's degree with at least 50% marks, or 45% if you belong to SC, ST or PwD categories.
- The admit card will be available from November 4 until exam day.
- The application fee has gone up by Rs. 100 this year for general category students.
Related Links:
- CAT Registration 2026: How to Apply and Document Guidelines
- CAT Previous Year Question Papers with Solutions
- CAT Preparation 2026: Study Plan, Mock Tests and Topper Tips
Key Summary
- IIM Indore conducts CAT 2026 on November 29, 2026.
- Registration runs from August 3 to September 15, 2026.
- The paper has 68 questions across VARC, DILR and QA in 120 minutes.
- Marking is +3 for a correct answer and -1 for a wrong MCQ, with no penalty on TITA questions.
- Results are expected in the first week of January 2027.
CAT 2026 Highlights
| Parameter | Details |
|---|---|
| Exam Name | Common Admission Test (CAT) 2026 |
| Conducting Institute | IIM Indore |
| Exam Date | November 29, 2026 (Sunday) |
| Exam Mode | Computer-Based Test |
| Duration | 120 minutes, 40 minutes per section |
| Questions | 66 to 68, MCQ and TITA |
| Sections | VARC, DILR, QA |
| Slots | 3 (morning, afternoon, evening) |
| Slot Timings | 8:30 AM, 12:30 PM and 4:30 PM |
| Official Website | iimcat.ac.in |
| Score Validity | One academic year |
CAT 2026 Conducting Body
IIM Indore handles the full cycle this year, from the notification and registration to the admit card, exam, answer key and result. The older IIMs take turns conducting CAT, and Indore last held this responsibility in 2020.
| Year | Overall Difficulty | Key Point |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Moderate | Duration cut to 120 minutes, 76 questions across three sections |
| 2014 | Moderate to Difficult | Balanced paper with heavy logical reasoning and quant |
| 2013 | Moderate | Mix of conceptual and application-based questions |
Note: No structural change is expected this year. The paper should stay at 66 to 68 questions across three sections in 120 minutes.
CAT 2026 Exam Dates
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Notification Release | July 26, 2026 |
| Registration Begins | August 3, 2026 (10:00 AM) |
| Registration Ends | September 15, 2026 (5:00 PM) |
| Admit Card Release | November 4, 2026 |
| Exam Date | November 29, 2026 (Sunday) |
| Response Sheet | To be announced |
| Answer Key | To be announced |
| Result Declaration | First week of January 2027 (likely) |
Also Check: CAT 2026 Full Schedule and Slot Details
CAT 2026 Eligibility Criteria
The bar is simple. You need a completed Bachelor's degree in any stream with the minimum required marks.
- A Bachelor's degree with 50% marks, or 45% for SC, ST and PwD students.
- Final-year students and those awaiting results can apply provisionally.
- CA, CS, CMA and FIAI holders qualify if they meet the marks requirement.
- There is no age limit and no cap on attempts.
Also Check: CAT Eligibility 2026: Age Limit, Qualification, Reservation Policy
CAT 2026 Reservation
Seat reservation at the IIMs follows central government policy.
| Category | Reservation |
|---|---|
| Scheduled Caste (SC) | 15% |
| Scheduled Tribe (ST) | 7.5% |
| NC-OBC | 27% |
| EWS | Up to 10% |
| PwD | 5% |
CAT 2026 Registration and Application Fee
You register online at iimcat.ac.in by creating an account, filling personal and academic details, uploading documents, and paying the fee.
| Category | Application Fee |
|---|---|
| General, EWS, NC-OBC | Rs. 2,700 |
| SC, ST, PwBD | Rs. 1,350 |
Registration Trend from Last Year
Roughly 2.95 lakh students registered for CAT 2025 and about 2.58 lakh appeared, an attendance rate near 87%.
| Category | Registered | Appeared |
|---|---|---|
| General | 65.76% | 65.32% |
| EWS | 5.26% | 5.59% |
| NC-OBC | 17.82% | 18.52% |
| SC | 8.75% | 8.34% |
| ST | 2.38% | 2.22% |
| PwD | 0.49% | 0.49% |
CAT 2026 Exam Pattern and Marking Scheme
You get 40 minutes per section and must attempt them in the fixed order. Switching back to a previous section is not allowed.
| Section | Questions | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension | 24 | 40 min |
| Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning | 22 | 40 min |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 22 | 40 min |
| Total | 68 | 120 min |
| Parameter | Marks |
|---|---|
| Correct answer | +3 |
| Wrong MCQ | -1 |
| Wrong TITA | No negative marking |
| Unattempted | 0 |
What the Last Ten Years Show
- Arithmetic carries the highest weightage inside Quant across recent papers.
- Algebra shows up in application-heavy formats rather than direct formula questions.
- Reading comprehension dominates VARC, so daily RC practice matters more than vocabulary drills.
- DILR rewards smart set selection over attempting every set.
Also Check:
CAT 2026 Syllabus
Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension
Reading comprehension, para jumbles, para summary, para completion, vocabulary, idioms, error spotting and critical reasoning.
Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning
Bar graphs, line charts, pie charts, tables, Venn diagrams, data sufficiency and caselets on the DI side. Seating arrangements, puzzles, blood relations, direction sense, games and tournaments, and binary logic on the LR side.
Quantitative Aptitude
Percentages, profit and loss, ratio and proportion, averages, time speed and distance, interest, mixtures, equations, logarithms, geometry, mensuration, permutations, probability and progressions.
CAT 2026 Admit Card
- The admit card will be downloadable from November 4 until exam day, November 29, 2026.
- You log in with your registration ID and password on the official website.
- Carry one printed copy to the centre. Colour or black and white both work.
Also Check: CAT 2026 Admit Card: Direct Download Link
CAT 2026 Preparation Strategy
You have close to four months from today. Five to six focused hours a day is enough if you stay consistent.
- Give 1.5 hours each to VARC, DILR and QA.
- Keep one hour for revising what you already covered.
- In November, shift to two hours of mock tests daily and analyse every mock properly.
| Month | Focus |
|---|---|
| August | Build basics in arithmetic, start daily RC reading, two DILR sets a day |
| September | Algebra, number system and geometry, three to four DILR sets daily |
| October | Three to four full mocks per week plus sectional tests |
| November | Previous year papers, formula revision, final mocks |
Recommended Books
| Section | Resource |
|---|---|
| Quantitative Aptitude | Arun Sharma, sorted by difficulty level |
| DILR | Nishit K. Sinha, strong on modern logic-based sets |
| VARC | Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis, plus daily editorials |
| Practice | Previous year papers from the last ten years |
Related Links:
CAT Score to Percentile Estimator
Move the slider to your expected raw score out of 204. The estimate uses percentile trends from recent CAT sessions.
Also Check:
CAT 2026 Expected Cutoff
Official cutoffs usually land in late December or the first week of January, once results are out.
- For a general category call from Ahmedabad, Bangalore or Kozhikode, keep your target at 98 to 99 percentile and above.
- Sectional cutoffs matter as much as the overall figure. Newer IIMs may sit near 70 to 75 percentile per section.
CAT 2025 Category-Wise Qualifying Percentile
| IIM | Gen | EWS | OBC | SC | ST | PwD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ahmedabad | 95+ | 95+ | 90+ | 85+ | 75+ | 85+ |
| Bangalore | 85+ | 75+ | 75+ | 70+ | 65+ | 60+ |
| Calcutta | 75+ | 65+ | 65+ | 60+ | 55+ | 45+ |
| Lucknow | 90+ | 82+ | 82+ | 65+ | 60+ | 60+ |
| Mumbai | 85+ | 75+ | 75+ | 70+ | 65+ | 65+ |
| Indore | 90+ | 90+ | 80+ | 60+ | 45+ | 45+ |
| Kozhikode | 85+ | 75+ | 75+ | 65+ | 65+ | 55+ |
| Shillong | 75 | 75 | 75 | 60 | 50 | - |
| Udaipur | 95 | 81 | 81 | 66 | 42 | 42 |
| Tiruchirappalli | 90 | 75 | 75 | 50 | 30 | 30 |
These are qualifying percentiles for shortlisting, not final selection scores. Actual converts usually sit well above these numbers.
Also Check: CAT Previous Year Cutoffs
IIM Shortlist Matcher
Enter your percentile and profile to see which IIMs are realistic for a call this season.
Non-IIMs Accepting CAT 2026 Scores
More than 90 non-IIM institutes use CAT scores for admission. Here are the ones students target most.
| Institute | Percentile Range |
|---|---|
| FMS Delhi | 98-99+ |
| DMS IIT Delhi | 97-99+ |
| IIFT Delhi | 95-98+ |
| JBIMS Mumbai | 95-99+ |
| SJMSOM IIT Bombay | 94-98+ |
| MDI Gurgaon | 94-97+ |
| SPJIMR Mumbai | 85-97+ |
| VGSoM IIT Kharagpur | 90-95+ |
| XIMB Bhubaneswar | 90-95+ |
FAQs on CAT 2026
Ques. I am in my final year. Can I apply for CAT 2026?
Ans. Yes. You can apply provisionally. You only need to finish your degree with the required marks by the time admissions begin.
Ques. When exactly is the CAT 2026 exam?
Ans. Sunday, November 29, 2026, in three slots starting at 8:30 AM, 12:30 PM and 4:30 PM.
Ques. Is the exam pattern changing this year?
Ans. No major change. The bulletin confirms the same three-section, 120-minute structure with 68 questions.
Ques. I am not from a commerce background. Am I still eligible?
Ans. Yes. Any bachelor's degree in any discipline works as long as you meet the marks requirement.
Ques. Does the conducting IIM change the difficulty level?
Ans. Every IIM has its own paper-setting style, but overall difficulty has stayed broadly similar regardless of the institute in charge.
Ques. Is there a limit on the number of attempts?
Ans. No. There is no attempt cap and no age limit for CAT.
Ques. How is the percentile calculated?
Ans. Raw scores from all three slots are normalised first, then converted to a percentile that reflects your standing against everyone who appeared.
Ques. Do I need work experience for an IIM admission?
Ans. No. Freshers and working professionals both get admission, though some IIMs award a few points for relevant experience.
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