CAT Exam 2026: 29 Nov, Admit Card, Result & Fees

CAT 2026 Exam: The Common Admission Test (CAT) 2026 is scheduled to be conducted by IIM Indore on 29 November 2026 (Sunday) for admission to MBA, PGDM, and other management programmes offered by IIMs and leading B-schools across India. The official CAT 2026 notification was released on 25 July 2026, while the online registration process commenced on 3 August 2026 at 10:00 AM. Candidates can submit the CAT 2026 application form until 15 September 2026 (5:00 PM) through the official website, iimcat.ac.in. The examination will be conducted in three sessions as a computer-based test across approximately 170 test cities in India. CAT remains one of the most competitive management entrance examinations, with scores accepted by 22 IIMs and more than 1,000 participating management institutes nationwide.

CAT Exam 2026 Trending Updates

• CAT 2026 will be conducted by IIM Indore on 29 November 2026 (Sunday).

• CAT 2026 registration started on 3 August 2026 (10:00 AM).

• The last date to apply is 15 September 2026 (5:00 PM).

• The exam will be held in three sessions across multiple test cities in India.

• Official notification was released on 25 July 2026.

The CAT 2026 Exam will be conducted in a computer-based test (CBT) mode with sections covering Quantitative Aptitude, Data Interpretation, Logical Reasoning, Verbal Ability, and Reading Comprehension. The student is a graduate with 50% (45% for reserved categories) can apply. The CAT scores are valid for one year and are widely accepted by over 1,200 management institutes across India. 

The exam allows qualifying students to secure admission in the top-tier colleges offering quality management programs like MBA and PGDM. Candidates applying for the CAT 2026 exam must note that the application fee for general category candidates is INR 2600, while for candidates belonging to SC/ST and other reserved category candidates, the application fee is INR 1300.

CAT Exam Highlights 2026 

CAT Exam 2026

The CAT Exam 2026 for MBA admissions will be conducted on 29 November 2026 (Sunday) by IIM Indore. The registration window for CAT 2026 opened on 3 August 2026 (10:00 AM) and will remain active until 15 September 2026 (5:00 PM). The exam assesses candidates across key sections, including Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Aptitude (QA). To perform well in CAT 2026, candidates should focus on concept building, daily practice, regular mock tests, and effective time management strategies.

Students appearing for the CAT 2026 examination should note that the test will be conducted in three sessions on the same day across multiple examination centres in India. The first session will begin in the morning, followed by the second and third sessions in the afternoon and evening, respectively. The detailed reporting time and shift allocation will be mentioned on the candidate's admit card. The CAT 2026 Admit Card is scheduled to be released on 4 November 2026 and will be available for download from the official website, iimcat.ac.in.

As per the official notification, CAT 2026 will be conducted as a Computer-Based Test (CBT) in English. The examination will include both Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) and Type In The Answer (TITA) questions. The exact date and session timings for the CAT 2026 exam are provided below.

Candidates planning to appear for CAT 2026 must hold a Bachelor's degree of at least three years' duration from a recognised university, with a minimum of 50% aggregate marks (45% for SC/ST/PwD candidates). Students in the final year of their bachelor's degree programme are also eligible to apply, provided they meet the prescribed eligibility requirements at the time of admission.

CAT Exam Dates 2026

CAT Exam 2026 Admit Card 

The CAT 2026 Admit Card is expected to be released on 04 November 2026. Candidates who successfully register for the examination will be able to download their hall ticket online through the official CAT website, iimcat.ac.in. To download the admit card, candidates need to visit the official website, log in using their CAT User ID and password, and click on the “Download Admit Card” option. The CAT 2026 examination is scheduled to be conducted on 29 November 2026 in three sessions. Candidates must carry a printed copy of their admit card along with the required documents to the examination centre for entry.

For the latest information about CAT 2026 Admit Card, important dates, download process, exam-day guidelines, and other updates, candidates can visit the link given below.

Read Also: CAT Admit Card 2026

CAT Exam 2026 Answer Key

The CAT Answer Key 2026 will be released after the CAT 2026 examination. The answer key is expected to be released in the first week of December 2026, shortly after the exam. Before the release of the final answer key, IIM will issue a provisional answer key on the official CAT website, iimcat.ac.in. Candidates will be able to download their provisional answer key and response sheets by logging in to the official CAT website using their User ID and password. Candidates will also be provided with an opportunity to raise objections against the provisional answer key within the specified period.

The provisional answer key is released to allow the candidates to raise objections to the answers they feel are incorrect. The objections can be raised after the candidates are logged in and the link to ‘Candidate Login for Raising Objection’ is displayed. Once the candidates have downloaded the answer key and their response sheet, they can start with the comparison and raise objections within the limited time window via the online portal. IIM CAT will be reviewing all the objections, and after the completion of the review process, the final answer key will be released.

CAT Exam 2026 Result 

The CAT 2026 result is expected to be released in December 2026 or January 2027 (tentative). The exact date for the CAT Result 2026 will be announced on the official CAT website, iimcat.ac.in. Candidates who appear for the CAT 2026 examination will be able to download their scorecards by logging in to the official portal using their CAT User ID and password. The CAT 2026 scorecard will be available online through the official website, and no physical or mailed copy of the scorecard will be provided. Candidates can use their CAT 2026 scores for admission to MBA/PGDM and other management programmes for the applicable admission cycle.

CAT Exam Counselling Process 2026

The CAT 2026 admission and selection process will begin after the CAT 2026 results are declared. The CAT 2026 examination is scheduled to be conducted on 29 November 2026, while the CAT 2026 result is expected to be announced in the first week of January 2027. Candidates who qualify the required CAT cut-offs will be considered for the subsequent selection rounds conducted separately by the participating IIMs.

The selection process may vary from one IIM to another. Generally, the process may include:

• Shortlisting: IIMs will shortlist candidates based on their CAT 2026 percentile, sectional performance, academic profile, work experience and other institute-specific criteria.

• Written Ability/Analytical Writing Test: Some IIMs may conduct a Written Ability Test (WAT) or Analytical Writing Test (AWT) as part of their selection process.

• Group Discussion (GD): Some participating institutes may conduct a Group Discussion round, depending on their individual admission policy.

• Personal Interview (PI): Shortlisted candidates may be called for a Personal Interview to assess their communication skills, knowledge, personality and overall suitability for the programme.

• Final Selection: The final admission decision is generally based on a combination of CAT performance, performance in WAT/AWT and PI (where applicable), academic record, work experience and other institute-specific parameters. Each IIM follows its own admission and selection criteria.

Candidates should therefore check the individual IIM's official admission policy after the CAT 2026 result is announced for details regarding shortlisting, WAT/AWT, GD, PI, final selection and admission offers.

CAT Exam Pattern & Marking Scheme

The CAT 2026 exam will be conducted in 3 sections, and students will have 40 minutes to answer each section. The order of the sections is as follows: VARC, DILR, and QA. Students have to follow the order and can’t choose to solve any section first. There will be MCQs and TITA-type questions, and the test will be conducted in an online CBT format. No toggling or juggling between sections is allowed, and all the sections are to be attempted in the fixed order only. For every question answered incorrectly, there is a negative marking of -1.

CAT Exam 2026 Syllabus

As the CAT 2026 exam will be held in three sessions, the syllabus comprises Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension, Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning, and Quantitative Aptitude. There will be a total of 24 questions in VARC, 22 questions in DILR, and 22 questions in QA. 

CAT Exam 2026 Eligibility Criteria 

The CAT Exam Eligibility Criteria 2026 require candidates to hold a Bachelor’s degree with at least 50% marks or equivalent CGPA (45% for candidates belonging to the SC, ST, and PwD categories). Candidates appearing in the final year of their Bachelor’s degree or those who have completed their degree requirements and are awaiting results can also apply. Candidates from any academic stream can appear for CAT, subject to meeting the prescribed eligibility requirements. There is no age limit for appearing in the CAT examination.

General Eligibility

• A student must hold a bachelor’s degree.
• The minimum accepted score for the bachelor’s program is 50% for General candidates and 45% for SC/ST/PwD.
• Applicants must maintain a valid and unique mobile phone number and email account throughout the selection procedure. 

Educational Qualification

• Final-Year Students: Students currently appearing in the final year of their graduation degree or equivalent qualification, or who are waiting for their results, are eligible to apply for CAT exam. If they qualified for CAT, they can join the program provisionally, provided they submit a certificate from the University’s Principal.

Reservation

• A total of 15% seats are reserved for SC candidates.
• For ST candidates, the seat reservation stands at 7.5%.
• For OBC candidates, 27% of the seats are reserved.
• For candidates belonging to the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS), the seat reservation is 10%.

CAT Application Form 2026

The CAT Application Form 2026 will be released on the official CAT website, iimcat.ac.in. Candidates who wish to appear for the CAT 2026 examination will be required to complete the online registration process within the specified application period. The exam is conducted every year by the IIMs. After registration closes, a CAT correction window may be provided for candidates to edit limited details, as permitted by the exam authorities. To fill out the application form, candidates should keep a valid email ID, mobile number, scanned photograph, signature, academic documents, and other required details ready in advance.

The official website for CAT 2026 applicants is iimcat.ac.in. Before filling out the application form, candidates should carefully check the CAT 2026 eligibility criteria and application instructions released by the IIMs. The CAT application fee must be paid online through the payment options provided on the official website. The successful submission of the CAT 2026 application form will be confirmed only after the application details are completed and the applicable fee payment is successfully processed.

Note: The official CAT 2026 registration dates, application deadline, conducting IIM, and application fee should be updated here after the official CAT 2026 notification is released.

CAT Exam Cutoff 2026

The CAT cutoff 2026 is released after the announcement of result. It specifies the minimum overall percentile the candidates must have in order to qualify for admission to mainly IIMs and other leading business schools. The CAT cutoffs are calculated based on certain factors such as the difficulty level of the exam, the total number of students who gave the exam, the total number of seats available, and reservations. Cutoffs are generally lower for candidates belonging to reserved categories such as SC/ST/PwD. Old, established IIMs will have a higher cutoff of 98-99%, as compared to newer IIMs, 93-94%.

Top IIM's Accepting CAT 2026 Exam Score

The CAT Exam 2026 offers admission into top IIMs across India. Students can pursue MBA, Business Analytics, HRM, Supply Chain, Digital Enterprise, Healthcare, and more. Each IIM provides unique specializations, helping students build strong careers in management.

IIM Selection Process for CAT 2026

The CAT IIM Selection Process 2026 involves several stages after CAT exam result are announced. Candidates who qualify the CAT 2026 cutoff are shortlisted by the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) for the next rounds, which include the Written Ability Test (WAT), Group Discussion (GD), and Personal Interview (PI). 

IIM follows its own selection criteria based on factors like CAT score, academic performance, work experience, and diversity check the official website. The final merit list is prepared after evaluating all these components. 

Frequently Asked Questions?

Q1. How many applications for CAT 2026?

Every year, over 3 lakh candidates register for the CAT exam. The exact number for 2026 will be confirmed after registration closes.

Q2. What is the age limit for MBA in 2026?

There is no age limit for appearing in CAT 2026 or applying to MBA programs at IIMs.

Q3. How many CAT attempts are allowed?

There is no restriction on the number of CAT attempts. Candidates can take it any number of times.

Q4. What is the maximum score in CAT 2026?

CAT is scored out of 300 marks (overall maximum score). However, the percentile ranking is more important for admission.

Q5. When can we apply for the CAT 2026 exam?

Students can start applying for the CAT 2026 exam from August 3, 2026.

Q6. What is the pass mark for the CAT exam?

There is no fixed pass mark. Admission depends on percentile scores. Generally, 90+ percentile is good for top IIMs.

Q7. When is the CAT 2026 exam scheduled for?

The CAT 2026 exam is scheduled for November 29, 2026.

Q8. What is the CAT cutoff for IIM?

The cutoff varies by IIM. For older IIMs, it’s usually 98–99 percentile, while newer IIMs may accept 90–95 percentile.

Q9. What is the result date for the CAT 2026 exam?

The results for the CAT 2026 exam will be out in the first week of January.

Q10. When can we download the admit cards for CAT 2026 exam?

The admit cards for the CAT 2026 exam will be available to download on November 4, 2026.

Q11. What is the application fee for the CAT 2026 exam?

The application fee for the CAT 2026 exam is INR 2600 for general category candidates and INR 1300 for students from the SC/ST/PwD category.

Read More about CAT 2026 Exam

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Cat Application Form 2026	CAT Result 2026
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CAT 2026 Exam Helpdesk

• Helpline Number: 1800-210-8720 (Toll-Free, available 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM, excluding holidays)
• Email: cathelpdesk@iimcat.ac.in
• Official Website: https://iimcat.ac.in