CAT 2026: Registration, Exam Date (Nov 29), Notification, Eligibility, Syllabus, Pattern, Admit Card

What is CAT 2026 Exam ?

Conducted by one of the top IIMs every year by rotation, Common Admission Test or CAT 2026 is the largest national level MBA entrance examination for 22 IIMs and other top B-Schools. CAT 2026 examination is the mandatory entrance examination for 22 IIMs as well top b-schools in India like FMS Delhi, IIFT Delhi, SPJIMR Mumbai, MDI Gurgaon, IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi etc. Last year 2.58 Lakhs candidates appeared for the CAT examination. Explore the article to learn more about the CAT 2026 exam date, CAT 2026 eligibility criteria, CAT 2026 application process, CAT 2026 admit card date, CAT 2026 preparation tips etc.

CAT 2026 Notification : Which IIM is going to Conduct CAT 2026?

If the Candidates are wondering about which IIM is going to conduct CAT 2026 this year, they should know that, while their is no official confirmation, this year ICAT conducting IIM is going to be IIM Indore. CAT is conducted every year, by one of the BACKI IIMS. Although the IIMs have not officially announced a fixed rotation policy, the resposiblity for conducing the exam has consistently roated among these six BLACKI IIMs in last twenty years. Last five CAT exam were conducted by IIM Kozhikode (CAT 2025), IIM calcutta (CAT 2024), IIM Lucknow (CAt 2023), IIM Bangalore (CAT 2022), IIM Ahmedabad (CAT 2021) and IIM Indore (2020). Based on this pattern , CAT 2026 expected to be announced by IIM Indore. However, the official confirmation will be made in the coming days.

CAT 2026: An Overview

Before applying for the CAT 2026 check out the basic details of the CAT 2026.

CAT 2026: CAT 2026 Exam Dates Released

CAT 2026 notification is out on July 25, 2026. As per the CAT 2026 notification, CAT 2026 exam date is November 29, 2026. Every year the CAT exam is held on the last Sunday of November. Here is the detailed CAT 2026 exam schedule that management aspirants need to keep in mind.

CAT 2026 Registration Start Date

CAT 2026 registration date is August 03, 2026. Once the CAT 2026 registration gets going in iimcat.ac.in , candidates can complete their CAT registration 2026 by paying the CAT 2026 registration fee. CAT 2026 registration last date is September 15, 2026. Though CAT 2026 registration last date is expected to be extended, it is advised that candidates should not wait for the CAT 2026 registration last date to complete the CAT 2026 registration.

Read More : CAT 2026 reservation policy

CAT 2026 Eligibility Criteria

Before you start your CAT 2026 application , the management aspirants have to check if they are eligible enough to appear for the CAT 2026. We have charted out the CAT 2026 eligibility criteria below

1. One must have a bachelor degree from a recognised university with a minimum of three years of studies.

2. General candidates need to have a minimum of 50% to apply for CAT 2026 while the SC/ST candidates need 45%.

3. Management aspirants who are in the final year of their graduation will apply for the CAT 2026 provided they can complete their graduation within the stipulated time.

4. It is not important to have work experience to apply for the CAT 2026, however having work experience might give you an edge in the IIM BLACKI.

5. There is no age limit to apply for CAT 2026 as per the CAT eligibility criteria.

How to register for CAT 2026?

Once the CAT registration 2026 is out candidates need to go through the following process to complete the CAT 2026 registration -

1. First visit the official CAT 2026 official website - iimcat.ac.in

2. Then click on the new CAT 2026 registration.

3. Submit the personal data for the CAT 2026 registration including name, contact number and the email id

4. Click on “Save”.

5. A confirmation email will be sent to the registered email id and once you confirm that your CAT registration 2026 will be completed.

Without CAT 2026 registration none of the management aspirants will be able to complete the CAT 2026 application.

CAT 2026 Application Process

Once you have completed the CAT 2026 registration, then only you can proceed to complete the CAT 2026 application. If you are wondering about the how to fill the CAT 2026 application, here is the step by step process -

1. Login to the CAT official website- iimcat.ac.in

2. Fill out the CAT 2026 application by filling up the academic qualification, personal details, work experience, test city preferences as well as the IIMs you want to apply for.

3. Pay the CAT 2026 application fee.

4. Once you receive the CAT 2026 application confirmation mail your CAT 2026 application has been recorded.
   CAT 2026 Registration Fees

Looking at the past trends, CAT 2026 registration fee is Rs. 2600 for the general candidates while CAT application fee is Rs. 1300 for the SC/ST candidates. It would be important to note that this year the CAT application fee increased by Rs. 1000 for the general candidate and Rs. 500 for the reserved category students.

CAT 2026 Registration Last Date

CAT 2026 registration last date is September 15, 2026. Last year, CAT 2026 registration last date was extended by a week to end on September 20, 2025. It is expected that the CAT registration 2026 will follow the same suit. However, it is always advisable not to wait for the last date to complete the CAT 2026 registration last date. If the candidates complete the CAT registration 2026 early they might get their preferred test city close to their home.

CAT 2026 Syllabus

There is no specific CAT 2026 syllabus that has been released by the conducting authorities. However, it is suggested that an aspirant follow the Class 10 syllabus for English and Maths. To give you a basic idea of the syllabus for the upcoming CAT 2026, we have taken out a list of topics from previous year question papers. Through this, candidates will get a basic idea of planning and prepare an effective preparation strategy.

Check out the CAT total questions asked from various topics given below:

CAT 2026 Exam Pattern

The CAT 2026 exam pattern will be based on the three sections: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR) and Quantitative Ability (QA). Candidates will get 40 minutes to work on each section, and the exam will most likely be conducted in both multiple-choice questions (MCQ) and non-MCQ formats.

Below is the CAT exam pattern 2026, which will be helpful for all the candidates.

CAT 2026 Preparation

How to prepare for CAT 2026 is one of the first questions every MBA aspirant asks, whether they are a college student, a fresh graduate, or a working professional. Looking at the CAT 206 preparation tips The CAT 2026 exam demands more than hard work; it requires the right study plan, regular practice, and a clear understanding of the exam pattern and syllabus. If you are looking for CAT preparation tips for beginners, start by building strong concepts, solving previous year papers, and taking mock tests regularly.

• Understand the CAT 2026 format

• Plan your CAT exam preparation

• Regular practice is necessary

• Effective time management is crucial

• Work on weak areas

• Stay healthy and positive

Read More about the CAT 2026 preparation:

Important Topics for CAT 2026

The CAT 2026 exam syllabus is never released by the CAT exam conducting body. Therefore, candidates are advised to go through CAT previous year question papers to get a rough estimate of what to expect. Every year, the CAT exam is conducted where several important questions are asked. Therefore, candidates must go through the following list of important topics that are frequently asked in the CAT exam.

CAT 2026 Books

Choosing the best books for CAT preparation 2026 can be a bit difficult as we don't know the exact requirement, and there are a plethora of books in the market, but not all of them can be helpful in the preparation for the CAT 2026 exam. Below are the following CAT books 2026, which we have prepared section-wise.

Best CAT Books for DILR

Best CAT Books for VARC and Reading Comprehension

CAT 2026 Coaching

All those planning to take the CAT 2026 exam can also opt for CAT coaching, which will help guide them towards the right path and in preparation for cracking the CAT 2026 exam. There are several options available, such as online and classroom-based programs.

Some of the top coaching institutes to prepare for the CAT 2026 exam are IMS, TIME and CL. Listed below are some of the top coaching institutes, both online and in-class, which will be helpful for all.

CAT 2026 Cutoff for IIM: Expected Minimum Cutoff to get PI Calls (General Category)

Actual CAT 2024 Cutoff for the 2025-2027 batch

While we have mentioned in the above table the minimum CAT Cutoff for the PI calls in the table below we have mentioned that what is the actual CAT 2024 cutoff looked like for 2025-2027 batch,

CAT 2026 Admit Card Date

Those who successfully completed the CAT 2026 registration will be able to download the CAT 2026 admit card from the official website - iimcat.ac.in. The CAT 2026 admit card will be out on November 4, 2026. CAT 2026 admit card is a valuable document to appear for the CAT 2026 exam as it will contain the CAT 2026 exam center, roll number and the CAT 2026 exam shift. Moreover, without a CAT admit card 2026 none will be allowed to appear for the CAT 2026 on November 29, 2026.

Read More : CAT 2026 Qualification marks

CAT 2026 Exam

Every year the CAT exam is held on the last Sunday of November. Following the trends, CAT 2026 exam will be held on November 29, 2026. CAT 2026 exam will be held in three shifts while the CAT 2026 full marks is 204. Candidates who have successfully completed the CAT 2026 registration and have downloaded the CAT 2026 admit card will be able to sit for the CAT 2026 exam on November 29, 2026.

CAT 2026 Answer Key

Once the CAT 2026 exam is over, after a week or so the official CAT 2026 answer key will be out on the official website. Looking at the trends of the previous years, CAT 2026 final answer key will be around December 04, 2026. Candidates who appeared for CAT 2026 can check their individual CAT 2026 answer key to guess the CAT 2026 score as well can raise an objection if they wish to. The final CAT 2026 answer key will be out shortly prior to the publication of the CAT 2026 result.

CAT 2026 Result Date

It is expected that, CAT 2026 result will be out around December 20, 2026, based on the past years trends. CAT 2026 result gets out between 3-4 PM in the afternoon. Once the CAT 2026 result gets out candidates will be able to download the CAT 2026 result in form of a PDF through individual CAT 2026 Login. CAT 2026 result will mention overall scaled CAT 2026 score as well as CAT 2026 percentile. IIM Admission 2027 will be based on the CAT 2026 percentile rather than the CAT 2026 score.