CAT 2026 Toppers: Result Expected December 2026, 100 Percentile and State Wise Category Wise List

CAT 2026: Expected 100 Percentile Toppers

The CAT 2026 100 percentile scorers will be officially identified after the result is declared in the third week of December 2026. The table below presents the CAT 2025 100 percentile profile as the most recent reference for understanding what CAT 2026 toppers might look like:

CAT 2025 — 100 Percentile Scorers Profile (Most Recent Reference)

Note: IIM Kozhikode did not officially release a named toppers list for CAT 2025. The data below is based on coaching institute disclosures and media reports following the December 24, 2025 result declaration.

The CAT 2025 result marked a striking trend reversal: for the first time in recent years, non-engineers outnumbered engineers in the 100 percentile cohort by a ratio of 9:3. This contrasted sharply with CAT 2024, where 13 of the 14 100 percentilers held engineering degrees. The shift reflects the improving competitiveness of commerce, arts, and science graduates — driven partly by evolving preparation strategies for the VARC and DILR sections, where non-engineers have a structural advantage.

Note: The official CAT 2026 toppers data will be published here after the result is declared at iimcat.ac.in in the third week of December 2026.

CAT 2026 Toppers: State-Wise Distribution

The state-wise distribution of CAT 2026 100 percentile scorers will be known after the result is declared in December 2026. As a reference, the table below shows the CAT 2025 state-wise distribution. Delhi dominated in CAT 2025 with 3 candidates achieving 100 percentile — reversing the Maharashtra-led trend that held through both CAT 2023 (4 toppers) and CAT 2024 (5 toppers).

CAT 2025 — State-Wise 100 Percentile Distribution (Reference)

Note: Data compiled from coaching institute records and media reports following CAT 2025 result declaration. CAT 2026 state-wise distribution will be updated after result announcement in December 2026.

While Delhi led in CAT 2025, Maharashtra has been the most consistently represented state over the past three years, producing top-percentile scorers across all three cycles. The broader North India vs South India distribution in the 100 percentile cohort has also been shifting — CAT 2023 saw representation from Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Telangana, reflecting how CAT competition has become genuinely national.

CAT 2026 Result: Important Dates and Statistics

IIM Indore released the official CAT 2026 notification on July 26, 2026, confirming the exam date as November 29, 2026 and the registration window as August 3 to September 15, 2026. The result — along with the toppers data — is expected in the third week of December 2026. The table below lists all key CAT 2026 cycle events, with upcoming dates listed first:

CAT 2026 Important Dates

CAT 2025 Result Statistics (Reference)

Source: IIM CAT Official Website

CAT 2026: Female Toppers Trend

Female representation among CAT 100 percentile scorers has historically been low, but CAT 2025 signalled an upward turn. 2 female candidates achieved 100 percentile in CAT 2025, the highest count in the past three years and a significant improvement over CAT 2023 when no female candidate reached the 100 percentile mark. Several IIMs actively address this imbalance through gender diversity bonus points in their shortlisting process.

The three-year trend — 0, 1, 2 female 100 percentilers — suggests a gradual but genuine improvement. Even so, a 16.7% share in CAT 2025 remains far below women’s overall share of CAT registrations. Gender diversity initiatives at IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, IIM Calcutta, and others award shortlisting bonus points to female candidates regardless of their absolute percentile, recognising that the 100-percentile bar alone does not reflect the full quality of female applicants.

How to Check CAT 2026 Result

Candidates will be able to check the CAT 2026 result by following the steps below once it is declared in the third week of December 2026:

1. Visit the official CAT website at iimcat.ac.in.
2. Click on the CAT 2026 Result / Score Card link displayed on the homepage.
3. Log in using your User ID and Password registered during the CAT 2026 application process.
4. Your CAT 2026 scorecard will display percentile scores for VARC, DILR, QA, and the overall percentile.
5. Download and save the scorecard — it is valid for one admission cycle and is required for all IIM and MBA programme applications.

Note: The CAT 2026 scorecard does not show raw marks or All India Rank; it shows only percentile scores. Candidates wishing to verify their raw score can use the official answer key released prior to the result.

CAT Toppers: Previous Year Trends

The table below summarises CAT topper data across the three most recent cycles. The consistent pattern — results in the third week of December, 12 to 14 100 percentilers, Maharashtra or Delhi as the leading state — gives CAT 2026 aspirants a benchmark for what to expect after November 29, 2026:

Note: Topper names are sourced from coaching institute records and media reports. IIMs do not officially publish a named toppers list for CAT.

A notable pattern across the three-year window: CAT results have consistently been declared between December 19 and December 24, a five-day window that has held across IIM Kozhikode (2025), IIM Calcutta (2024), and IIM Lucknow (2023). The number of 100 percentilers has shown no predictable upward or downward trend — it is purely a function of how the performance distribution falls across normalised slots each year. The dramatic engineer-to-non-engineer swing between 2024 (13:1) and 2025 (3:9) also underscores that no single academic background dominates CAT year after year.

What to Do After CAT 2026 Result

• Download and save your CAT 2026 scorecard from iimcat.ac.in immediately after the result is declared — the scorecard is required for all IIM and MBA programme applications and remains valid for one admission cycle.
• Check the sectional cut-offs published individually by each IIM, as most IIMs require a minimum percentile in all three sections (VARC, DILR, QA) in addition to the overall percentile — missing a sectional cut-off can disqualify an otherwise high-scoring candidate from shortlisting.
• Register for the IIM Common Admissions Process (CAP) and for each IIM’s individual shortlisting portal within the application window that opens after the result, typically running through January 2027.
• Prepare for Written Ability Test (WAT) and Personal Interview (PI) rounds, which IIMs typically conduct from January to March 2027 — performance in these rounds, combined with academic profile and work experience, determines the final merit list alongside the CAT score.
• Explore the 1,200+ non-IIM MBA programmes across India that also accept CAT scores; many have overall cut-offs in the 80–90 percentile range and hold their own admission processes independent of the IIM CAP calendar.