CAT 2026: The Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Indore has commenced the CAT 2026 registration process on August 3, 2026. Candidates interested in applying for the CAT Exam 2026 can visit the official website - iimcat.ac.in and fill out the application form. The CAT 2026 registration process will conclude on September 15, 2026. This year, the CAT 2026 exam will be conducted on November 29, 2026, in three slots. The IIM CAT Notification 2026 was released on July 26, 2026, on the official website.
After the completion of the CAT 2026 Application Form, the authorities will release the CAT Admit Card 2026 on November 4, 2026, on the official website. Only those who register for the CAT 2026 exam will be eligible to download the CAT Admit Card 2026. The timeline regarding the application window has been announced within the CAT 2026 Notification PDF. The CAT examination will be conducted for aspirants who wish to secure admission to MBA programmes. Candidates can find the CAT 2026 notification on the official page at iimcat.ac.in.
All the MBA aspirants who are willing to appear for the CAT 2026 exam must check the official website for exam-related updates. The exam was held in three shifts in over 170 cities across India. It was conducted in three shifts on a single day.
Latest updates -
- The Common Admission Test (CAT) exam 2026 will be conducted on November 29, 2026.
- The CAT 2026 Notification released on July 26, 2026.
- The conducting body has released the CAT 2026 application form on August 3, 2026, at 10 AM. The last day to register is September 15, 2026, by 5 PM.
- The CAT 2026 Admit Card will be released on November 04, 2026, on the official website.
Also Read:
CAT Exam 2026: Highlights
Candidates appearing for the CAT 2026 exam can check the table below to know the major highlights for the upcoming exam.
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Particulars
|
Details
|
|
Release of Notification
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July 26, 2026
|
|
Application Process Begins
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August 03, 2026
|
|
Last Date of Registration
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September 15, 2026
|
|
Admit Card Release
|
November 4, 2026
|
|
Exam Date
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November 29, 2026
|
|
Provisional Answer Key
|
(TBA) |
|
Result
|
(TBA)
|
|
No. of Questions
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68
|
|
Sections in Exam
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3 (VARC, DILR, and QA)
|
|
Exam Duration
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2 hours (2 hr and 30 minutes for PwD Category)
|
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Section-wise Time Duration
|
40 minutes
|
|
CAT 2026 Exam Slots
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3
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Mode of Exam
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Computer-based Exam (CBE)
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|
Medium of Instruction
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English
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Types of Questions
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MCQ and Answer type
|
|
CAT Marking Scheme
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+3 for every right answer
-1 for every wrong answer
TITA has no negative marking
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CAT Notification 2026 PDF
The Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Indore has released the official notification for CAT 2026 on the official website. The notification contains details about the CAT 2026 exam, including dates, eligibility, fees, and test centres. Candidates can check and download the official notification from the link provided below:
CAT 2026: Selection Process for IIMs
The CAT 2026 exam is conducted for admission to MBA programmes at top IIMs and other management colleges. The selection processes for various IIMs differ, and candidates must be aware of this. Students can check the IIM selection process below:
- The CAT 2026 results are anticipated to be available by December-end 2026, as per reports.
- The list of candidates selected for the next level of the selection process will be published on the respective IIMs' websites. Shortlisted candidates will receive interview letters directly from the IIMs.
- Each IIM follows its independent criteria for shortlisting candidates, which may involve assessments like the Written Ability Test (WAT), Group Discussion (GD), and Personal Interviews (PI).
- CAT 2026 exam performance holds significant importance in the admission process, while IIMs may also consider additional factors such as previous academic records, work experience, gender, academic diversity, and other similar inputs in shortlisting and ranking candidates at various stages of the admission process.
- If a candidate is shortlisted for an interview, they must present an original certificate from the Principal/Registrar/Director of the University/Institution, confirming that they have obtained at least 50% marks or equivalent (45% for SC, ST, and PwD candidates) based on the latest available grades/marks for their final bachelor's degree or equivalent qualification examination.
- An attested copy of the original certificate must be submitted at the time of the interview. The deadline for submitting the qualifying degree/equivalent mark sheet and certificate is yet to be announced. Failure to meet this condition will lead to the automatic cancellation of provisional admission. Additionally, if it is later discovered that the submitted certificate is incorrect, the provisional admission will also be cancelled.
Top Management Colleges:
CAT Exam 2026: Percentile Score Calculation
The procedure outlined below is used to determine a candidate's CAT percentile scores for both the overall and individual sections of the CAT exam 2026. To exemplify the percentile score calculation process, let's take the Quantitative Aptitude (QA) section as an example. This identical process is applied to calculate percentile scores for the remaining two sections, namely, Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR) and Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) in CAT 2026.
CAT Exam 2026: Application Process
Candidates appearing for the CAT 2026 exam must register on the official website, iimcat.ac.in. The application process generally continues for one month from the date of the release of the application form.
As per the CAT application guide, candidates can register themselves for the exam by following the simple steps mentioned below:
- Individuals must register to generate a unique User ID and Password.
- Log in with the generated User ID and Password to fill in the CAT form.
- Submit the Application form after entering details and making online payments to complete the registration and application process.
CAT Exam 2026 Application Fees
The CAT application fee is INR 2600 for general category candidates. The CAT exam fee is INR 1300 for SC, ST, and PWD candidates. Candidates must pay the application fee while filling out the CAT application form 2026. The application fee can be paid through debit card, UPI, and NET Banking. Interested candidates can check the category-wise application fee for the CAT exam 2026 in the table below:
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Category
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Application Fees
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General
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2600
|
|
OBC/EWS
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2600
|
|
SC
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1300
|
|
ST
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1300
|
|
PwD
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1300
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CAT Exam 2026: Eligibility Criteria
CAT eligibility criteria are prescribed in the official notification. The CAT eligibility criteria pertaining to educational qualification, reservation category requirements, and other parameters are established by the conducting body. There is no age limit to apply for the CAT exam 2026.
CAT Educational Qualification:
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Qualification
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Required Pass Percentage
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Required Affiliation
|
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Engineering Degree – B.Tech/ B.E.
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50% (45% for SC, ST, and PWD candidates)
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Recognized by MHRD/AICTE
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Bachelor’s Degree from any University
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50% (45% for SC, ST, and PWD candidates)
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Recognized by UGC
|
|
Students who are in their final year of a Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) are also eligible to take the CAT Exam
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50% (45% for SC, ST, and PWD candidates)
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Continuing graduation from a University Recognized by MHRD/AICTE or UGC
|
CAT Exam Pattern 2026
The CAT exam pattern for 2026 has not been officially prescribed, but we can make assumptions based on the previous year's trends. The CAT 2026 exam will likely consist of three sections: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension, Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning, and Quantitative Aptitude.
Analysis of past question papers indicates that the CAT 2026 exam will likely have around 70 questions. Aspirants will have a total of 2 hours or 120 minutes to attempt all three sections. Interested candidates can check the CAT exam pattern 2025 in the table below:
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Sections of Exam
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No. of questions
|
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
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Type in Type Answers (TITA)
|
Time Limit
|
|
VARC
|
24
|
19
|
5
|
40 mins
|
|
DILR
|
20
|
15
|
5
|
40 mins
|
|
QA
|
22
|
14
|
8
|
40 mins
|
|
Total
|
66
|
48
|
18
|
120 mins
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CAT Syllabus 2026
The CAT notification 2026 clarifies that there is no prescribed syllabus for the exam. However, candidates aiming to take this test should be aware that the CAT syllabus for MBA primarily encompasses concepts from secondary-level education, typically ranging from 10th to 12th grade topics. Despite being based on secondary-level content, the CAT question paper's difficulty level is remarkably high, reflecting the intense competition among test-takers.
To prepare for CAT 2026, aspiring candidates must acquaint themselves with the fundamental concepts of the topics covered in the secondary-level curriculum. The table below provides an overview of the essential topics for all the sections:
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Section
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Important Topics
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|
Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC)
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Para-jumbles & para-summary, sentence completion, inferences, RC passages-based questions.
|
|
Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR)
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Seating Arrangement, Blood Relation, Syllogism, Tables, Graphs, Data Case, Others
|
|
Quantitative Ability (QA)
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Number System, Algebra, Geometry, Mensuration, Time and Work
|
CAT Admit Card 2026
The CAT admit cards will be released by IIM Indore on its official website on November 4, 2026. Only candidates who successfully fill out the application form will receive the admit card. Interested aspirants can check the steps below to download their admit card:
- Visit the official CAT 2026 website: iimcat.ac.in 2026
- Click on 'Login'
- Enter registration ID and password
- After successfully logging in to the CAT Admit Card 2026 Download portal, click on the 'admit card' link.
- Click on download and save the admit card on the desktop.
- Take a printout of the CAT 2026 admit card
CAT 2026 Answer Key
IIM Indore will release the CAT Provisional Answer Key 2026 on its official website after the completion of the exam. By following the steps below, anyone can download their response sheet and the CAT 2026 answer key.
Step 1: Visit the official website of IIM CAT- iimcat.ac.in
Step 2: Find the tab “Candidate Login/ Final Answer Key Download” on the homepage.
Step 3: Enter your login details, i.e., user ID and password
Step 4: Access your response sheet PDF along with the answer key. Download them for future use.
CAT 2026 Result and Scorecard
CAT results are released in the form of percentile scores. Observing the previous year's results release pattern, it can be expected that the results for the CAT 2026 will be released in December 2026. Official confirmation is awaited. Candidates who will appear for the exam will be able to check the CAT 2026 results using their login credentials.
CAT Result 2026: Previous Year Toppers List and Statistics
The table below contains the list of last year's CAT Toppers along with their percentile.
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Overall Percentile
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Total Numbers
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Total Gender numbers
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Total State-wise numbers
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|
100 percentiles
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11
|
All Males
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2 - Delhi
1 - Gujarat
1 - Haryana
1 - Kerala
1 - Madhya Pradesh 2 - Maharashtra
2 - Telangana
1 - Uttar Pradesh
|
|
99.99 percentiles
|
22
|
Male-21 Female-01
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2 - Delhi
3 - Gujarat
2 - Karnataka
3 - Madhya Pradesh 3 - Maharashtra
1 - Punjab
1 - Rajasthan
1 - Tamil Nadu 1 - Telangana
2 - Uttar Pradesh 3 - West Bengal
|
|
99.98 percentiles
|
22
|
Male-19 Female-03
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1 - Andhra Pradesh 1 - Bihar
2 - Delhi
2 - Haryana
1 - Karnataka
1 - Kerala
1 - Madhya Pradesh 4 - Maharashtra
2 - Odisha
5 - Rajasthan
1 - Uttar Pradesh 1- West Bengal
|
CAT Cutoff and IIM Seat Intake
CAT cut-off is the minimum score required to be considered for admission to a particular management programme or institution. The cut-off varies each year and is determined by the number of applicants, the difficulty of the exam, and the number of seats available. Candidates are required to aim for a score higher than the cut-off to increase their chances of getting admitted to their preferred programme or institution. This year, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) will also be accepting the CAT score for admission to the MA (HR & LR) programme.
In the table below, candidates can check the expected CAT cutoff for IIMs in 2026.
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Expected CAT Cutoff for IIMs (Qualifying)
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|
IIMs
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Qualifying CAT cut-offs
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|
IIM Ahmedabad
|
85
|
|
IIM Bangalore
|
85
|
|
IIM Calcutta
|
85
|
|
IIM Calcutta
|
90
|
|
IIM Indore
|
90
|
|
IIM Kozhikode
|
85
|
|
IIM Amritsar
|
90
|
|
IIM Nagpur
|
85
|
|
IIM Sambalpur
|
93
|
|
IIM Trichy
|
93
|
|
IIM Raipur
|
93
|
|
IIM Ranchi
|
90
|
|
IIM Kashipur
|
94
|
|
IIM Vizag
|
80
|
|
IIM Udaipur
|
93
|
|
IIM Bodhgaya
|
93
|
|
IIM Shillong
|
75
|
|
IIM Sirmaur
|
92
|
|
IIM Rohtak
|
95
|
|
IIM Jammu
|
93
|
IIM Seat Matrix 2026
In the table below, candidates aspiring to appear must know the seats available in all IIMs of India:
|
IIM Name
|
Seat intake
|
IIM Name
|
Seat Intake
|
|
IIM Ahmedabad
|
385
|
IIM Kashipur
|
210
|
|
IIM Calcutta
|
462
|
IIM Nagpur
|
60
|
|
IIM Bangalore
|
412
|
IIM Ranchi
|
155
|
|
IIM Udaipur
|
180
|
IIM Kozhikode
|
353
|
|
IIM Shillong
|
120
|
IIM Visakhapatnam
|
60
|
|
IIM Bodhgaya
|
60
|
IIM Raipur
|
210
|
|
IIM Sirmaur
|
60
|
IIM Rohtak
|
180
|
|
IIM Indore
|
550
|
IIM Amritsar
|
60
|
|
IIM Sambalpur
|
140
|
IIM Trichy
|
180
|
|
IIM Calcutta
|
436
|
IIM Jammu
|
45
|
CAT 2026 Cutoff for B-Schools:
Apart from the 20 IIMs, there are 8 IITs and over 200 B-schools that accept CAT scores for admission into various management programs. The table below contains a list of the Top B-schools in India along with the expected CAT 2026 score for securing admissions:
|
List of B-schools
|
CAT cutoff 2026
|
|
FMS
|
98.20 Percentile
|
|
DMS, IIT Delhi
|
98+ Percentile
|
|
Loyola Institute of Business Administration (LIBA) Chennai
|
90+ Percentile
|
|
SJMSOM, IIT Bombay
|
99+ Percentile
|
|
Institute of Management Technology (IMT) Ghaziabad
|
90+ Percentile
|
|
MDI Gurgaon CAT cutoff
|
95+ Percentile
|
|
National Institute of Industrial Engineering (NITIE) Mumbai
|
95+ Percentile
|
|
SPJIMR CAT cutoff 2022
|
85+ Percentile
|
|
XIMB CAT Cutoff 2022
|
90+ Percentile
|
|
Department of Management Studies, IIT Madras
|
95+ Percentile
|
|
T A Pai Management Institute (TAPMI), Manipal
|
85+ Percentile
|
CAT 2026: Preparation Strategy
Being one of the most competitive examinations in the country, the CAT exam requires thorough preparation. Students must have a preparation strategy aligned with their strengths and weaknesses.
Ultimate Step to Begin Preparation for CAT Exam:
- Understand the nature of the syllabus and the exam pattern thoroughly. Read the in-depth analysis article for the CAT Syllabus and CAT Exam Pattern here.
- Being familiar with the CAT syllabus and exam pattern will help you know which subject needs more focus. Thus, formulate a “Time Management” strategy
- Follow the Time Management routine, and acquaint yourself with the CAT Mock test regularly
