CAT 2026: Exam on 29 November, Admit Card, Pattern, Eligibility, Fee

CAT 2026 (Common Admission Test) is the computer-based MBA entrance test of the Indian Institutes of Management, conducted this year by IIM Indore. It will be held on 29 November 2026 in three sessions in about 170 cities. Scores are used for MBA and PhD admissions at 22 IIMs and many other B-schools.

CAT 2026

This page covers CAT 2026 dates, registration and fee, eligibility, the exam pattern and how IIMs use the score.

CAT 2026 Important Dates

IIM Indore has announced every CAT 2026 date up to the exam; answer key and result dates are expected until the CAT Centre confirms them.

How to Apply for CAT 2026

CAT 2026 registration ran online at iimcat.ac.in from 3 August to 22 September 2026, after the IIMs extended the original 15 September deadline. Registration is now closed, and the IIMs said this deadline would not be extended again. Candidates who registered and paid the fee can fix a few details in the edit window on 5 and 6 October 2026.

1. Register at iimcat.ac.in with your own email ID and mobile number to get a user ID and password.
2. Log in and fill in your personal, academic and work experience details.
3. Choose the IIM programmes you want to apply to, and pick five preferred test cities.
4. Upload your photograph, signature and any SC, ST, NC-OBC, EWS or PwBD certificate.
5. Pay the fee online by credit or debit card, net banking, UPI or wallet, and submit the form.
6. During the edit window, change your photograph, signature or test city choices if needed. No other field can be edited.

You pay the fee once, however many IIMs you apply to, and it is not refunded. If you missed CAT 2026, the next chance is CAT 2027, which is expected to open for registration in August 2027.

How to log in to the CAT 2026 candidate portal?

You log in to the CAT 2026 candidate portal with the user ID and password you created at registration, to view your application, download the admit card, see your response sheet and answer key, challenge answers, raise a grievance ticket and download your scorecard.

1. Open the official CAT 2026 portal.
2. Click Login.
3. Enter your CAT 2026 user ID and password, and the captcha if one is shown.
4. Your dashboard opens with your application and the links live at that stage, such as the admit card from 4 November 2026 and the scorecard after the result.

Forgot your password? Use the forgot password option on the login page, and a new password is sent to your registered email ID. For any other login problem, call the CAT helpdesk at 1800 210 0175 or email [email protected].

Who can apply for CAT 2026?

You can take CAT 2026 if you hold a bachelor’s degree with at least 50% marks or equivalent CGPA, or 45% if you are SC, ST or PwBD. There is no age limit.

• The degree must be from a university set up by an Act of Parliament or a State legislature, a deemed university, or an equivalent qualification recognised by the Ministry of Education.
• A professional qualification such as CA, CS, ICWA (CMA) or FIAI with the required marks also makes you eligible.
• Final-year students and those awaiting results can apply. If selected, they join provisionally and must show a certificate from their university that all degree requirements are complete.
• If your university gives grades, it converts CGPA to percentage by its own rule. If it has no rule, CGPA is divided by the maximum CGPA and multiplied by 100.

IIM seats are reserved as per law: 15% for SC, 7.5% for ST, 27% for NC-OBC, up to 10% for EWS and 5% for PwBD. For CAT 2026, NC-OBC certificates must be issued on or after 1 April 2026, and EWS certificates must be valid for 2026-27.

What is the CAT 2026 exam pattern?

CAT 2026 is a 120-minute computer-based test with three sections, and you get exactly 40 minutes for each section. You must answer the sections in a fixed order and cannot switch between them.

• Multiple-choice questions: +3 for a correct answer, -1 for a wrong answer, 0 if not attempted.
• Non-MCQ (type-in-the-answer) questions: +3 for a correct answer and no negative marking.
• The IIMs do not announce the number of questions in advance. The counts above are from CAT 2025.
• An on-screen calculator is available; you cannot bring your own.
• PwBD candidates get 20 extra minutes per hour, which is 40 minutes in all, split equally across the three sections.

The IIMs do not publish a fixed syllabus. Our CAT 2026 syllabus page lists the topics that past papers cover.

Which institutes accept CAT 2026 scores?

All 22 IIMs use CAT 2026 for their MBA and PGP programmes, and most use it for their PhD (FPM) programmes too.

• The 22 IIMs are Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bangalore, Bodh Gaya, Calcutta, Guwahati, Indore, Jammu, Kashipur, Kozhikode, Lucknow, Mumbai, Nagpur, Raipur, Ranchi, Rohtak, Sambalpur, Shillong, Sirmaur, Tiruchirappalli, Udaipur and Visakhapatnam.
• Many non-IIM institutes also use CAT 2026 scores, such as FMS Delhi, SPJIMR Mumbai, MDI Gurgaon, IMT Ghaziabad, IIFT, TAPMI and BITS Pilani. The full list is on iimcat.ac.in.
• The IIMs have no role in admissions to non-IIM institutes. You apply to each of them separately.

How do IIMs select students after CAT 2026?

Each IIM shortlists candidates in its own way, using the CAT 2026 score along with your past academic marks, work experience and other factors. Shortlisted candidates then go through rounds such as a written ability test, group discussion or personal interview.

Read the admission policy of every IIM you are interested in, because minimum sectional and overall percentiles differ from one IIM to another. The CAT 2026 result is expected by the first week of January 2027.

CAT 2026 Official Notices and Downloads

These are the official CAT 2026 documents from iimcat.ac.in.

• PDFCAT 2026 media release: edit window 5 to 6 October 2026 (29 September 2026)Official site · g03.tcsion.comOpen
• PDFCAT 2026 media release: fee payment extended to 24 September 2026 (22 September 2026)Official site · cdn.digialm.comOpen
• PDFCAT 2026 media release: registration extended to 22 September 2026 (15 September 2026)Official site · g03.tcsion.comOpen
• PDFCAT 2026 Information Bulletin (26 July 2026)Official site · cdn.digialm.comOpen
• PDFCAT 2026 eligibility and reservation rules (26 July 2026)Official site · cdn.digialm.comOpen
• PDFCAT 2026 press release (IIM Indore) (26 July 2026)Official site · cdn.digialm.comOpen
• LINKCAT official website (iimcat.ac.in)Official site · iimcat.ac.inOpen

CAT 2026 FAQs