The Common Admission Test (CAT) is one of the toughest management entrance tests in India, and it is an important gateway to post-graduate management courses at Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and other reputed management institutes. CAT Exam 2026 will be held on 29 November 2026 and the registration will be between 3 August and 15 September 2026. The exam will have three slots in different test cities across the country.
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CAT, or the Common Admission Test, is a national-level management entrance test that is computer-based and is conducted by the Indian Institutes of Management. It is used primarily for admission to management programs of the IIMs and is accepted by many business schools that are part of non IIMs. CAT exam is held once a year.
For CAT 2026, IIM Indore is conducting the examination. The test is scheduled for Sunday, 29 November 2026. Registration begins on 3 August 2026 and closes on 15 September 2026 at 5:00 PM.
| Particular | CAT 2026 Details |
|---|---|
| Full form | Common Admission Test |
| Conducting institute | IIM Indore |
| Exam date | 29 November 2026 |
| Exam mode | Computer-based test |
| Sections | VARC, DILR and QA |
| Duration | 120 minutes |
| Sectional duration | 40 minutes per section |
| Registration | 3 August–15 September 2026 |
| Admit card | From 4 November 2026 |
| Application fee | ₹2,700 for General/EWS/NC-OBC · ₹1,350 for SC/ST/PwD |
| Exam sessions | Three |
| Test cities | Approximately 170 |
| Result | Expected in January 2027 |
The official dates for CAT 2026 have been released. Candidates need to identify the differences between the confirmed dates and the tentative dates regarding the events that include the release of the answer key and declaration of results.
While the dates have been announced for CAT registration 2026 and CAT examination, it is expected that results will be out by January 2027. However, candidates are advised to check the official website for the final result announcement and not rely on any estimated dates.
A CAT aspirant should maintain a simple deadline tracker covering:
Do not rely only on coaching websites or social-media updates for deadline changes. The official CAT portal should remain the primary source for CAT examination notifications.
Only those candidates who have passed a recognized bachelor's degree with the required minimum percentage can apply for the CAT examination. Candidates who are in the final year of their bachelor's degree may also meet CAT eligibility criteria. However, this depends on the admission criteria. If we look at the general eligibility requirements, the candidates are usually required to obtain at least 50% marks or the equivalent CGPA in their bachelor's degree. The percentage required for candidates of SC, ST and PwD categories is 45%.
A candidate should have a bachelor's or equivalent degree from a recognised institution. In terms of academic discipline, the degree can be in any field, which implies that CAT is not limited to only those with a degree in engineering, management, or commerce. Therefore, candidates having a degree in subjects such as humanities, arts, science, medicine, law, commerce or computer science can take the CAT exam as long as they fulfil the eligibility criteria.
Only students who are in their last year of a bachelor's degree can apply. Candidates who are awaiting their final result can also be eligible to apply but with the condition of fulfilling the criteria laid down by the IIMs. Candidates who are provisionally accepted should submit proof to show they completed their degree requirements after getting admitted. They should also ensure they comply with the deadlines established by the institute.
There is no upper age limit for appearing in CAT. Participants CAT eligibility is decided by their educational qualifications along with other conditions of the participating colleges. However, candidates must check eligibility criteria established by every individual programme being considered by them, so that they know what other conditions may be required in addition to those listed above.
Anyone who wants to take the CAT does not need to have studied math or commerce in school or college. However, in the QA, the candidates will be expected to be good with numbers and, in the DILR, they will require logical reasoning skills and data interpretation. How much preparation you need may be dependent on the background you come from academically. Someone who has not studied mathematics will have to spend more time in order to hone their quantitative skills, while someone who has graduated in engineering might need to focus more on VARC or selection of questions.
The CAT registration 2026 is to be done completely online via the official CAT website. The candidates should fill the form carefully, as wrong personal, academic or category details can cause problems later while going through the admission process.
The general application process involves:
The CAT registration fee has been updated for 2026. The CAT form fee is non-returnable and is paid while submitting the application online. The CAT registration fee is entirely different from any online coaching, test-series fees or other expenses related to preparation.
Students often make silly mistakes while filling up the form. Therefore, it is necessary to check and review their details before submitting the form. Candidates should particularly check:
Before submitting, compare the information entered in the form with your original academic and identity documents.
CAT 2026 consists of three sections: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Aptitude (QA). The current CAT structure is based on a 120-minute examination with 40 minutes allocated to each section. The latest pattern information indicates the CAT average questions to be 68, distributed as 24 in VARC, 22 in DILR and 22 in QA.
| Section | Questions | Time |
|---|---|---|
| VARC | 24 | 40 minutes |
| DILR | 22 | 40 minutes |
| QA | 22 | 40 minutes |
| Total | 68 | 120 minutes |
Candidates are not allowed to move from one section to another. Each section is allotted a specific time period of 40 minutes and candidates must follow a specific order. This makes time management particularly important. A candidate who spends too long on difficult questions in one section cannot compensate by taking time from another section.
CAT includes two types of questions: multiple-choice questions (MCQs) and Type-In-The-Answer (TITA) questions. In the current CAT marking scheme, every correct answer usually gives three points. However, candidates will receive a penalty of one point for every answer that is incorrect. For TITA questions, no penalty applies for the wrong answer, but candidates should confirm the same in the instructions before the test.
*Candidates should confirm the same in the instructions before the test.
Candidates are first assigned scores based on the answers they provide. Because the CAT is administered in several sessions, the results are adjusted statistically to compensate for differences in test difficulty levels. Next, the adjusted scores are converted into percentiles. Therefore, a candidate cannot be sure that the same raw score will lead to the same percentile in different years.
Raw score is the score produced by the marking system depending on the number of right answers and the number of wrong answers a candidate has made. Scaled score is the score calculated by a statistical method to balance differences in the difficulty level of different sessions. Percentile shows how successful the candidate was in comparison to other candidates. It shows the relative success of a candidate and not just the percentage of right answers. For instance, the candidate cannot understand the obtained result of 95 percentile as saying that they received 95% of marks. The 95 percentile means that the candidate scored better than about 95% of those candidates included in the percentile.
A significant issue that is sometimes ignored in CAT preparation is the fact that the IIMs do not provide a traditional syllabus in terms of topics. Rather, applicants and training institutions interpret the important topic areas from past CAT papers and the examination structure itself. IMS has also pointed out the same, stating that IIMs do not provide an official syllabus for CAT and that training for CAT is organised according to the previous CAT papers. Therefore, the following should only be considered a practical syllabus for CAT preparation purposes, rather than being an official syllabus.
The VARC section mainly tests reading comprehension, interpretation and verbal reasoning. Important areas include:
Reading comprehension is very important. Effective reading depends not only on how fast you read, but also on understanding the author's argument. You need to tell the difference between assumptions and inferences and avoid choosing appealing but unsupported options.
DILR combines data interpretation with logical reasoning. Questions are generally presented as sets rather than only calculations. Important areas include:
The important skill is often set selection. A candidate may know how to solve a particular type of puzzle but still lose marks by choosing a set that consumes too much time.
QA covers mathematics, commonly covering secondary-school and early higher-secondary concepts.
Candidates should focus on topics that come up often in past papers and on areas where they feel strong. This is better than assuming that every topic needs the same amount of study time.
The CAT exam 2026 will take place in about 170 cities. When registering, candidates need to choose their preferred testing cities, which will be confirmed on their admit card. Candidates can also list multiple preferences during registration.
Choosing a city does not guarantee a candidate a particular centre in that city. Allocation of CAT exam centre depends on the availability and planning of the examination conducting body. Candidates should therefore:
If the allotted centre is inconvenient, candidates should follow only the official instructions regarding centre changes. Do not assume that an informal request or email will automatically result in a centre change.
The CAT 2026 admit card is scheduled to become available from 4 November 2026. Candidates should download it from the official CAT portal and carefully verify the details. Once you download the admit card, make sure to check:
Carry the documents and identification specified in the official instructions. Candidates should not assume that items allowed in another examination will also be permitted in CAT.
The best CAT preparation material is not necessarily the one with the most questions. A strong preparation set should include:
The official CAT website should be your primary source for notification, eligibility, registration, admit card, examination instructions, results and official announcements. The CAT portal itself warns candidates to verify that they are using the official website before submitting personal information or making payments.
More resources can create a false sense of security for your preparation. Instead, choose a manageable combination: one structured learning source + one practice source + previous-year papers + a reliable mock series. Then complete and analyse them before adding more.
The IIMs and many other management institutes recognise the CAT score. The acceptance of the CAT exam score among the various B-schools can be different. Therefore, an applicant has to be sure to check the current admission policy of each college before applying and verify their application. Below is the list of top colleges you can add on your college preference list:
Candidates commonly target universities such as:
Other IIMs also offer management programmes through CAT, including newer and baby IIMs.
CAT test results may also be valid for admission in premier institutions other than IIM, depending on the program as well as the admission cycle. Some of the examples are: FMS, SPJIMR, MDI Gurugram, etc.
The official CAT website and as per IIM CAT 2026 notification, applicants get information regarding non-member institutions that accept CAT scores.
Before you choose which college to prefer, make sure not to compare colleges solely on CAT percentile. Instead, consider: programme curriculum, fees, placement outcomes, role profiles, location, alumni network, faculty, industry exposure, specialisations, return on investment, and your career goals. A college should be evaluated based on whether its programme fits your career objective, not simply whether it has a prestigious name.
CAT is only the first stage of the IIM admission journey. After results are released, individual IIMs conduct their own shortlisting processes. There is no single common interview formula used identically by every IIM. Depending on the institute and programme, the process can involve CAT percentile, academic performance, work experience, academic diversity, gender diversity, written assessment, personal interview and other institute-specific factors. For example, while IIM Ahmedabad considers the CAT score, it also assesses prior academic achievements along with subsequent performance. Likewise, IIM Bangalore provides information about specific requirements for each of its programs, which stresses the importance of checking each IIM's admission procedure rather than relying on the same criteria.
Work experience is considered in some institutes' admission processes. However, it does not imply that freshers can't get admission. The importance of work experience depends on the institution and program chosen by candidates. Thus, candidates need to focus on doing well in CAT and showcasing their educational and work background correctly.
CAT exam preparation 2026 requires students to adopt a strategic approach. However, due to a lack of proper guidance and knowledge, they end up affecting their progress and score potential. Therefore, it becomes necessary to analyse common preparation mistakes early to increase your efficiency.
Ignoring Mock TestsMocks reveal weaknesses that topic-wise practice may not tell.
Not Analysing MistakesA mock score tells you what happened. Mock analysis tells you why it happened.
Over-Focusing on One SectionA strong VARC score cannot automatically compensate for an extremely weak sectional performance where a college has sectional requirements.
Chasing Attempts Instead of AccuracyAttempting more questions is useful only when the expected accuracy justifies the risk.
Using Too Many ResourcesConstantly switching books, courses and YouTube channels can consume more time than it saves.
Ignoring Sectional PerformanceA candidate may have an impressive overall mock score while carrying a major weakness in one section.
Changing Strategy Too FrequentlyOnce a strategy has been tested and refined, avoid making dramatic changes based on one bad mock.
Preparing Only for the SyllabusCAT tests decision-making under time pressure and conceptual knowledge. Preparation should therefore include question selection, timing and mock analysis.
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