CAT Exam Date, Notification, Syllabus, Registration, & Exam Pattern

CAT 2026: Exam Date, Registration, Eligibility, Syllabus, Pattern & Latest Updates

The Common Admission Test (CAT) 2026 is the national-level management entrance examination conducted by the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) for admission to various postgraduate management programmes. IIM Indore is conducting CAT 2026.

CAT 2026 will be held on Sunday, November 29, 2026, in three sessions. The examination will be conducted in computer-based mode across approximately 170 cities in India.

The CAT 2026 registration process started on August 3, 2026. The registration deadline was initially September 15 but has been extended to September 22, 2026, up to 5:00 PM. As of September 22, candidates who have not completed their application should submit it before the extended deadline.

CAT scores are used for admission to management programmes at the IIMs and are also accepted by several non-IIM business schools.

CAT 2026 Highlights

The 2026 fee is ₹2,700 for General, EWS and NC-OBC candidates and ₹1,350 for SC, ST and PwD/PwBD candidates.

CAT 2026 Important Dates

Candidates should keep track of the following CAT 2026 dates:

The registration deadline was extended from September 15 to September 22, 2026. The latest reported schedule lists November 4 as the admit-card release date and November 29 as the examination date.

CAT 2026 Eligibility Criteria

Candidates planning to appear for CAT 2026 must fulfil the eligibility requirements prescribed by the IIMs.

Educational Qualification

Candidates must have a Bachelor's degree or an equivalent qualification from a recognised university or institution.

• General, EWS and NC-OBC candidates must have at least 50% marks or equivalent CGPA.

• SC, ST and PwD/PwBD candidates must have at least 45% marks or equivalent CGPA.

• Candidates appearing in the final year of their Bachelor's degree can also apply.

• Candidates with professional qualifications such as CA, CS, ICWA/CMA or Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries of India may also be eligible, subject to the prescribed requirements.

• There is no age limit for appearing in CAT.

Important: Meeting the minimum CAT eligibility criteria does not automatically guarantee admission or an IIM interview call. Individual IIMs follow their own shortlisting and selection criteria.

CAT 2026 Registration

CAT 2026 registration began on August 3, 2026, at 10:00 AM.

The application deadline was initially September 15, 2026, but IIM Indore extended it to September 22, 2026, at 5:00 PM.

Candidates need to complete the registration process online through the official CAT website.

Steps to Register for CAT 2026

1. Visit the official CAT website.

2. Create a new CAT registration account.

3. Enter personal and contact details.

4. Fill in academic qualifications.

5. Enter work-experience details, if applicable.

6. Upload the required photograph, signature and documents.

7. Select preferred test cities.

8. Select the IIM programmes as applicable.

9. Pay the CAT application fee.

10. Submit the application form.

11. Download and save the confirmation page.

Candidates were allowed to select up to five preferred test cities during registration.

CAT 2026 Application Fee

The CAT 2026 application fee is:

The fee is paid once during the CAT registration process and is non-refundable.

CAT 2026 Exam Pattern

The CAT 2026 exam pattern consists of three sections, with a total of 68 questions to be attempted in 120 minutes.

Each section has a separate 40-minute time limit. Candidates cannot freely move between sections after the sectional timer expires.

CAT 2026 Section-wise Pattern

CAT 2026 follows the 68-question structure used in recent CAT examinations.

CAT Marking Scheme

• +3 marks for every correct answer.

• -1 mark for an incorrect MCQ.

• No negative marking for unanswered questions.

• TITA/non-MCQ questions do not carry negative marking.

CAT 2026 Syllabus

The CAT syllabus broadly covers three areas: VARC, DILR and Quantitative Ability.

1. Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC)

Important topics include:

• Reading Comprehension

• Para Jumbles

• Para Summary

• Odd Sentence Out

• Sentence Completion

• Verbal Reasoning

• Vocabulary

• Critical Reasoning

• Sentence Structure

• Grammar and Usage

Reading Comprehension forms a significant part of the VARC section.

2. Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR)

Data Interpretation

Topics may include:

• Tables

• Bar Graphs

• Line Graphs

• Pie Charts

• Caselets

• Data Comparison

• Venn Diagrams

• Combination of graphs and tables

Logical Reasoning

Important areas include:

• Seating Arrangement

• Puzzles

• Blood Relations

• Coding-Decoding

• Syllogisms

• Calendars

• Clocks

• Rankings

• Selection and Distribution

• Logical Sequences

3. Quantitative Ability (QA)

Important CAT Quant topics include:

Arithmetic

• Percentages

• Profit and Loss

• Ratio and Proportion

• Averages

• Time, Speed and Distance

• Time and Work

• Simple and Compound Interest

• Mixtures and Allegations

Algebra

• Linear Equations

• Quadratic Equations

• Inequalities

• Functions

• Progressions

• Algebraic Expressions

Geometry

• Lines and Angles

• Triangles

• Circles

• Quadrilaterals

• Coordinate Geometry

• Mensuration

Number System

• Divisibility

• LCM and HCF

• Remainders

• Factors

• Number Properties

Modern Mathematics

• Permutation and Combination

• Probability

• Set Theory

Note: IIMs do not generally publish a chapter-by-chapter official CAT syllabus. The topics above are based on the established CAT syllabus and previous question-paper trends.

CAT 2026 Admit Card

The CAT 2026 admit card is scheduled to be available from November 4, 2026.

Candidates who successfully complete the registration process can download their admit card by logging into the official CAT website.

The admit card generally contains:

• Candidate name

• CAT registration number

• Photograph

• Exam date

• Exam session

• Test centre

• Test-centre address

• Reporting instructions

Candidates should carefully verify all details on the admit card before the examination.

CAT 2026 Exam Date and Sessions

CAT 2026 will be conducted on Sunday, November 29, 2026, in three sessions.

The expected session timings are:

Candidates should rely on the timing mentioned on their individual admit card for reporting and entry instructions.

CAT 2026 Exam Centres

CAT 2026 is being conducted across approximately 170 test cities in India. Candidates can select up to five preferred cities while completing the application form.

The final test centre is allotted by the examination authority based on availability and other administrative considerations.

CAT 2026 Result

The CAT 2026 result is expected to be announced in the first week of January 2027.

Candidates will be able to access their CAT scorecard through the official CAT website using their login credentials.

The CAT scorecard generally contains:

• Overall score

• Section-wise scores

• Overall percentile

• Sectional percentiles

• Candidate details

The CAT 2026 score is used as one of the components in the admission process of participating IIMs and other institutions.

CAT 2026 Admission Process

Qualifying CAT does not by itself guarantee admission to an IIM.

After the CAT result, individual IIMs and other participating institutes conduct their own shortlisting and admission processes.

Depending on the institute, the process may consider:

• CAT score/percentile

• Academic performance

• Class 10 and 12 marks

• Graduation performance

• Work experience

• Diversity factors

• Written Ability Test (WAT)

• Personal Interview (PI)

• Other institute-specific criteria

For example, IIM Ahmedabad states that its domestic MBA admission process uses CAT along with academic performance and subsequent selection components such as analytical writing and personal interviews.

Therefore, candidates should always check the admission criteria of each individual IIM or B-school they wish to apply to.

CAT 2026 Preparation Tips

A structured preparation strategy can help candidates improve their performance across all three CAT sections.

1. Understand the Exam Pattern

Start by understanding the 68-question, 120-minute format and the 40-minute sectional time limits.

2. Build Strong Fundamentals

Focus on core concepts in:

• Arithmetic

• Algebra

• Geometry

• Reading Comprehension

• Logical Reasoning

• Data Interpretation

3. Practise Reading Daily

Read newspapers, editorials, essays and long-form articles to improve comprehension and reading speed.

4. Solve Previous CAT Papers

Previous CAT question papers help candidates understand the question types, difficulty level and recurring concepts.

5. Take Mock Tests

Regular CAT mock tests can help improve:

• Time management

• Question selection

• Accuracy

• Sectional strategy

• Exam-day confidence

6. Analyse Every Mock

Simply taking mocks is not enough. Analyse incorrect and unattempted questions and identify recurring mistakes.

CAT Percentile Predictor

After completing the CAT examination, candidates can use a percentile predictor to estimate their expected percentile based on their score.

Predict Your CAT Percentile / Score:
CAT Percentile Predictor – BookMyColleges

CAT 2026 FAQs

When is CAT 2026?

CAT 2026 will be conducted on November 29, 2026.

Who is conducting CAT 2026?

IIM Indore is conducting CAT 2026.

What is the CAT 2026 registration last date?

The registration deadline has been extended to September 22, 2026, at 5:00 PM.

How many questions are there in CAT 2026?

CAT 2026 has 68 questions across three sections: VARC, DILR and QA.

What is the duration of CAT 2026?

The total exam duration is 120 minutes, with 40 minutes allotted to each section.

What is the CAT 2026 application fee?

The fee is ₹2,700 for General/EWS/NC-OBC candidates and ₹1,350 for SC/ST/PwD/PwBD candidates.

Is CAT 2026 conducted online?

Yes. CAT 2026 is a computer-based test (CBT).

Can final-year students apply for CAT 2026?

Yes. Candidates appearing in the final year of their Bachelor's degree can apply, subject to the prescribed eligibility and degree-completion requirements.

When will the CAT 2026 result be released?

The CAT 2026 result is expected in the first week of January 2027.

Final Words

CAT 2026 is an important entrance examination for candidates targeting MBA and management programmes at the IIMs and other CAT-accepting business schools. With the exam scheduled for November 29, 2026, candidates should focus on strengthening their concepts, practising previous-year questions and taking regular mock tests.

The latest CAT 2026 structure consists of 68 questions, 204 marks and 120 minutes, divided across VARC, DILR and QA.

For official announcements, candidates should refer to the CAT website, iimcat.ac.in, and the admission pages of individual IIMs.

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