The Common Admission Test (CAT) 2026 notification has been released on the official website, iimcat.ac.in. The Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) will begin the CAT 2026 registration process from 10 am on August 3, 2026. Eligible candidates can submit their application forms until 5 pm on September 15, 2026.CAT is the national-level entrance examination for admission to the 21 IIMs and several other leading business schools, including Faculty of Management Studies (FMS) Delhi, S. P. Jain Institute of Management and Research (SPJIMR), Management Development Institute (MDI) Gurgaon, Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT).
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The detailed CAT 2026 notification is available on the official website for candidates to check.
CAT 2026 exam date and admit card
The CAT 2026 examination will be held on Sunday, November 29, 2026, in three sessions across nearly 170 test cities in the country.The admit card will be released online on November 4, 2026. Candidates will be able to download their hall tickets from the official website until the day of the examination.According to the official notification, the CAT 2026 result is expected to be announced in the first week of January 2027. The CAT 2026 score will remain valid until December 31, 2027.
CAT 2026 eligibility criteria
Candidates applying for CAT 2026 must:
- Hold a bachelor’s degree with at least 50 per cent marks from a recognised university or institution.
- Candidates belonging to the Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Persons with Disabilities (PwD) categories must have at least 45 per cent marks.
- Final-year undergraduate students are also eligible to apply.
- There is no upper age limit for the examination.
CAT 2026 exam pattern
The exam pattern is expected to remain the same as CAT 2025.The question paper will have 68 questions divided into three sections:
- Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC): 24 questions
- Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR): 22 questions
- Quantitative Aptitude (QA): 22 questions
Each section will have a 40-minute time limit, and candidates will not be allowed to switch between sections during the exam.Around 70 per cent of the questions will be Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs), while the remaining 30 per cent will be Type-In-The-Answer (TITA) questions. Negative marking of one mark will apply only to incorrect MCQ responses.
CAT 2026 registration fee
The application fee is:
- ₹2,700 for General category candidates.
- ₹1,350 for SC, ST and PwD category candidates.
Candidates are advised to keep checking the official CAT website for the latest updates regarding the examination and admission process.
