Great Lakes - PGDM & PGPM Admissions 2027
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The CAT 2026 score validity is 1 year; for example, the CAT 2026 exam will conclude on November 29, 2026, so your score will be valid till December 31, 2027. The CAT score validity determines the period for which a candidate can use the score of the CAT exam to seek admission to MBA/PGDM programs at any CAT-accepting institution. The CAT score validity may vary for some of the colleges, but for most B schools, the validity of the CAT score is a maximum of 1 year. After 1 year, candidates have to reappear for the CAT exam for the particular year to procure a valid CAT score.
The CAT scores are provided through the CAT scorecard 2026. The CAT scorecard can be downloaded from the official website by candidates using their CAT login credentials generated during the CAT registration. The CAT scorecard 2026 can be downloaded using the steps mentioned below.
Also Check:
Question: How do CAT score percentiles differ from scaled scores?
Answer: In the CAT exam, a scaled score is a candidate's actual numerical marks that are obtained after a statistical adjustment for test slot difficulty. Whereas a percentile indicates a candidate's relative position or rank among all the test-takers.
The CAT score validity for different CAT-accepting colleges is given in the table below.
| CAT Colleges | CAT Score Validity |
|---|---|
1 year | |
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1 year |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
No, the validity of the CAT scorecard 2026 is one year. The CAT score 2026 can be used for MBA admission 2027 till December 31, 2027.
The CAT 2026 response sheet as well as the answer key will be released in December 2026, on the official site, iimcat.ac.in. All candidates will be able to log in using their credentials and check their slot-specific response sheet.
The validity of the CAT score 2026 is for 1 year. After 1 year, the CAT score for the preceding year will be considered invalid for seeking admission to any B school. To apply for colleges, candidates will have to appear again for the CAT exam.
There is no limit on the number of CAT attempts that a candidate can take. You can take the exam as many times as you want, provided you meet the eligibility criteria for each attempt.
A good CAT score for IIM admissions generally falls within the 95-99 percentile range for newer IIMs and top private B-schools, while the older, more established IIMs often require a score above the 98th percentile for general category candidates.
There is no limit on the number of CAT attempts that a candidate can take. You can take the exam as many times as you want, provided you meet the eligibility criteria for each attempt.
A good CAT score for IIM admissions generally falls within the 95-99 percentile range for newer IIMs and top private B-schools, while the older, more established IIMs often require a score above the 98th percentile for general category candidates.
A good CAT score will depend on the college that a candidate aims for. If the goal is to pursue an MBA from IIMs then a good score would be percentile between 98-99.9. Other than IIMs a percentile between 90-99 would be considered good enough.
At 95 percentile IIM is feasible for some reserved categories. For the General category candidates 95 percentile may fall short of converting an IIM. However, lower-tier IIMs can be targeted with the 95 percentile.
Yes. The CAT exam has negative marking. For every answer marked wrongly by a candidate, 1 mark will be deducted. For every correct answer, 3 marks are awarded. No marks are deducted for questions left unattempted by the candidate.
On Question asked by student community
If by B-category you mean management/private quota MBBS seats, the cutoff is very different from government-quota MBBS.
In Tamil Nadu, management-quota MBBS seats are available in self-financing/private medical colleges through the state counselling process. The closing rank varies significantly between colleges and counselling rounds. The 2025 counselling data shows that
Hello Student,
With a CAT 2025 percentile of 98.25, you have a good chance of receiving calls from several IIMs, particularly newer IIMs. However, IIM Ahmedabad , Bangalore , Calcutta , and Lucknow generally require higher percentiles for General-category candidates. Calls also depend on sectional percentiles, academics, work experience, and
Hello Aspirant,
Yes, you can access CAT preparation resources, including mock tests, practice questions, previous-year papers, and study material. Explore the CAT preparation resources and test series using the link below:
https://bschool.careers360.com/download/ebooks-and-sample-papers?exam=45
Hope this Helps!
Hello CAT Aspirant!
If you mean the CAT ( Common Admission Test) EWS certificate, the important point is whether the certificate is valid and issued in the prescribed format, rather than simply the language used on it.
Yes, a Hindi EWS certificate can generally be accepted for CAT, provided it
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