CAT 2026 Exam Date: Notification, Registration Schedule, Admit Card, Result Date

CAT 2026 Exam Date: Notification, Registration Schedule, Admit Card, Result Date

Sambhav ThakurUpdated on 26 Dec 2025, 12:17 PM IST

The CAT 2026 exam date is expected to be around November 29, 2026, for the candidates who are planning to give the CAT exam for MBA admission 2027-29. The CAT notification is likely to be released by the IIM CAT exam authority in the last week of July 2026, and the CAT registration will commence on August 1, 2026. And candidates will be able to fill the form before the CAT 2026 exam, the last date of around September 2026, tentatively. After the exam, the CAT 2026 results will likely be released on December 19 to 28, 2026. Moreover, candidates are advised to wait for the CAT official notification to know all the details related to the CAT 2026 exam for the MBA program. Keep reading this article for more information related to the CAT 2026 exam date, CAT registration, CAT 2026 results, and much more.

LiveIIM CAT 2025 Result (OUT) LIVE: MBA admission criteria for IIMs; CAT score weightage, cut-offsDec 26, 2025 | 3:44 PM IST

The Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Lucknow applies sectional cut-offs in all three sections of the Common Admission Test (CAT) for shortlisting candidates to its MBA programme. Candidates are required to meet the minimum percentile in Quantitative Ability (QA), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), as prescribed for their respective categories. The category-wise sectional cut-offs are given below.

Category

VARC

DILR

QA

General

85

85

85

EWS

77

77

77

NC-OBC

77

77

77

SC

55

55

55

ST

50

50

50

PwD

50

50

50

Candidates can access the CAT 2025 result link using their CAT user ID and password. IIM Lucknow CAT 2025 cut-off for MBA admission. (Image: Official Website)

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This Story also Contains

  1. CAT 2026 Exam Date
  2. CAT 2026 Exam Date: Key Highlights
  3. CAT 2026 Exam: Important Dates
  4. CAT 2026 Exam Date: Notification Release
  5. CAT 2026 Exam Date: Registration
  6. CAT 2026 Exam Date: Admit Card
  7. CAT 2026 Exam Date: Mock Test
  8. CAT 2026 Exam Date and Timing
  9. CAT 2026 Exam Date: Answer Key
  10. CAT 2026 Results
  11. FAQs on CAT 2026 Exam Dates
CAT 2026 Exam Date: Notification, Registration Schedule, Admit Card, Result Date
CAT 2026 Exam Date: Notification, Registration Schedule, Admit Card, Result Date

CAT 2026 Exam Date

The CAT 2026 exam date is expected to be around the last Sunday of November 2026, that is, November 29, 2026. Based on the previous year records, the IIM CAT exam authorities notify the CAT exam date 2026 through an official notification likely to be out in the last week of July 2026. Candidates can check the official status once the CAT 2026 website is out by the CAT exam authority. In addition to this, there are high chances that IIM Indore will conduct the CAT 2026 exam for admission into top MBA colleges, but this is yet to be confirmed until the official notification is released.

CAT 2026 Exam Date: Key Highlights

Here are the key highlights related to the CAT 2026 exam for the candidates who are willing to appear for the CAT exam 2026. Refer to the table below for more information related to the CAT 2026 exam for your reference.

CAT Exam Elements

CAT 2026 Exam Details

CAT Exam Full Form

Combined Admission Test

CAT Exam Conducting Authority

IIM Indore

CAT Exam Mode

Computer-Based Test

CAT Notification Release

Last week of July 2026

CAT 2026 Exam Registration Starts

August 1, 2026

CAT 2026 Exam Date

November 29, 2026

CAT Exam Timing 2026

Slot 1: 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM

Slot 2: 12:30 PM to 2:30 PM

Slot 3: 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM

CAT 2026 Exam Fees

General category: Rs. 2,600

Reserved Category: Rs. 1,300

CAT Exam Maximum Marks

204 Marks

IIM CAT Official Website

To Be Released

CAT 2026 Exam: Important Dates

Candidates who are planning to give the CAT 2026 exam must know these CAT 2026 exam important dates to stay updated on the events and prepare strategically for the exam. Refer to the table below for more details.

CAT 2026 Exam Events

CAT 2026 Exam Dates

IIM CAT Official Website Live

Last week of June 2026

CAT 2026 Exam Official Notification

Last week of July 2026

CAT Exam 2026 Registration Starts

August 1, 2026

CAT 2026 Exam Registration Last Date

September 2026

CAT Exam Correction Window

First week of October 2026

CAT 2026 Admit Card

Second week of November 2026

CAT 2026 Mock Test

Second week of November 2026

CAT 2026 Exam Date

November 29, 2026

CAT Answer Key 2026

First week of December 2026

CAT 2026 Response Sheet

First week of December 2026

CAT Objection Window 2026

Second week of December

CAT Final Answer Key 2026

Third week of December

CAT 2026 Results

December 19 to 28, 2026

CAT 2026 Exam Date: Notification Release

The IIM CAT exam authority is expected to release the CAT official notification in the last week of July 2026 based on the previous year trends. Candidates can get important information like the CAT 2026 registration start and end date, the CAT 2026 exam date, the CAT admit card date, the CAT syllabus, the CAT mock test date, etc. Candidates who will appear for the CAT 2026 exam can get into several MBA colleges in India.

CAT 2026 Exam Date: Registration

The IIM CAT exam authority is likely to be IIM Indore for conducting the CAT 2026 exam. IIM Indore is expected to release the CAT 2026 registration on August 1, 2026, and the last date to fill out the CAT application form can be in the third week of September 2026. Candidates are required to register for the CAT 2026 exam with a valid email address once the CAT 2026 official website is live. Moreover, the CAT 2026 application fees will likely be Rs. 2600 for general and Rs. 1300 for reserved category candidates.

CAT 2026 Exam Date: Admit Card

The IIM CAT exam authority will release the CAT admit card 2026 in online mode on the IIM CAT official website. Only registered candidates will be able to download the CAT 2026 admit card using their authorized CAT ID and Password created at the time of the CAT registration process.

CAT 2026 Exam Date: Mock Test

Before the CAT 2026 exam, the IIM CAT authority will release the CAT mock test for the candidates who are planning to appear for the CAT 2026 exam. The CAT mock test is expected to be out on the same date as of CAT admit card 2026. By attempting the CAT mock test 2026, candidates can know the scheme of the exam, pattern, questions, and how to navigate between sections during the CAT 2026 exam. The IIM CAT authority will release a separate CAT mock test link for PWD candidates.

CAT 2026 Exam Date and Timing

The CAT 2026 exam date is expected to be on the last Sunday of November 2026. Candidates can expect the CAT 2026 exam on November 29, 2026, and it will be held in three slots as per the previous year trends. The CAT 2026 exam slot 1 will be held in the morning from 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM, slot 2 in the evening from 12:30 PM to 2:30 PM, and slot 3 from 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM. Candidates are advised to check the CAT 2026 exam date and time carefully.

CAT 2026 Exam Date: Answer Key

After the conclusion of the CAT 2026 exam, the IIM CAT authority is likely to release the CAT answer key 2026 in the first week of December, as per the CAT 2026 exam date. Following this, the CAT 2026 objection is expected to be open from the second week of December 2026, and the CAT final answer key 2026 in the third week of December 2026. Candidates can calculate their score using the CAT 2026 answer key.

CAT 2026 Results

CAT 226 results are likely to be out in the third week of December 2026 based on the previous year data. The IIM CAT exam authority will release the CAT 2026 results in online mode, and candidates who appeared for the CAT 2026 exam will be able to check their CAT results using their official CAT ID and password. The CAT result will be available in the form of a scorecard, and it will contain your sectional and overall percentiles in the CAT 2026 exam.

FAQs on CAT 2026 Exam Dates

Who will conduct the CAT exam 2026?

The IIM Indore is expected to conduct the CAT 2026 exam. However, candidates are advised to wait for the official notification for the CAT exam.

Who is eligible for CAT 2026?

Candidates who have completed their bachelor’s degree with at least 50% marks (45% marks in case of reserved category candidates) from a recognized university are eligible for the CAT 2026 exam.

What is the syllabus for CAT 2026?

The CAT 2026 exam will consist of three sections of Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension, Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation, and Quantitative Aptitude, with specific marks allotted to each section.

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Questions related to CAT

On Question asked by student community

Have a question related to CAT ?

Hello,

The results for the CAT 2025 entrance, which is conducted on November 30, 2025, were declared on December 22, 2025. Candidates can download and see their results on the official IIM CAT website. On the website, click on the "CAT 2025 Result/Scorecard" link to download the result by entering the required details.

I hope it will clear your query!!

Hello,

The link to the website where you can check the published result is attached herewith.  The result will be out soon. You can also check the cutoffs on the website of Careers360.

https://bschool.careers360.com/articles/cat-result

Thank you.

CAT does not restrict eligibility based on stream. Candidates from commerce, arts, science, engineering or any other background can appear for CAT and apply to MBA programmes offered by IIMs and other top B-schools.

The basic eligibility criteria for CAT are:
You must hold a bachelor’s degree in any discipline from a recognised university with at least 50 percent marks (45 percent for SC, ST and PwD categories). Final-year graduation students are also eligible to apply.

Being a commerce graduate can actually be an advantage in areas such as accounting, finance, economics and business studies, especially during MBA coursework in finance, marketing and operations.

After qualifying CAT, admission depends on multiple factors including CAT percentile, academic background, work experience (if any), performance in GD, WAT and personal interview rounds. Many IIMs and B-schools follow a diverse academic background policy, which means non-engineering candidates, including commerce graduates, often receive additional weightage.

Apart from IIMs, several reputed institutes such as FMS Delhi, SPJIMR Mumbai, MDI Gurgaon, IMT Ghaziabad, and many state and private universities also accept CAT scores for MBA admissions.

So, as a commerce graduate, you are fully eligible to appear for CAT and pursue an MBA, provided you meet the minimum academic requirements and perform well in the selection process.

If you want, I can also help you with realistic CAT percentile targets based on your academic profile or suggest suitable MBA colleges.


Hello aspirant,

With a CAT 2025 raw score of 84 and strong sectionals, your expected percentile may fail in the high 98 range , depending on scaling. Your excellent academics and 2 years of work experience strengthen your profile .IIM Lucknow calls are possible but competitive for EWS engineers , while FMS Delhi looks mainly at CAT score and VARC , so you have a reasonable chance there . Final calls depend on cutoffs and composite score.

FOR REFERENCE : https://bschool.careers360.com/articles/cat-cutoff

Hope the details will help you.

THANK YOU

Hello,

For a raw score of 56 in CAT 2025 Slot 3, your expected overall percentile is likely to be in the range of the 90th-95th percentile. The exact percentile can vary slightly on the final normalization process and the process and performance of all test-takers. In this article you'll find more about the CAT result.

I hope it will clear your query!!