The Common Admission Test (CAT) 2026 notification has been released on the official website, iimcat.ac.in. Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) will start CAT 2026 registration from 10 am on August 3, 2026. Eligible candidates can send their applications till 5 pm on September 15, 2026.CAT is the international test accepted by 21 IIMs and other leading business schools, including Faculty of Management Studies (FMS) Delhi, SP Jain Institute of Management and Research (SPJIMR), Management Development Institute (MDI) Gurgaon, Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT).
CJP Jantar Mantar Exhibition Updates
Detailed information about CAT 2026 is available on the official website for candidates to check.
CAT 2026 exam dates and admit card
The CAT 2026 exam will be held on Sunday, November 29, 2026, in three phases in around 170 test cities across 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 till the exam date.According to the official information, the CAT 2026 result is expected to be declared in the first week of January 2027. The CAT 2026 competition will remain valid till December 31, 2027.
Eligibility for CAT 2026 point
Applicants for CAT 2026 must:
- Have a bachelor’s degree with 50 percent from an accredited university or school.
- Candidates belonging to Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Persons with Disabilities (PwD) categories must have at least 45 percent marks.
- Final year undergraduate students are also eligible to apply.
- There is no age limit for passing the exam.
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:
- Vocabulary and Reading Comprehension (VARC): 24 questions
- Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR): 22 questions
- Quantitative Aptitude (QA): 22 questions
Each section will have a time limit of 40 minutes, and candidates are not allowed to switch between sections during the exam.About 70 percent of the questions will be Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs), while the remaining 30 percent will be Type-In-The-Answer (TITA) questions. Wrong marking of one mark will only apply to wrong MCQ answers.
CAT 2026 registration fee
Application fees are:
- ₹2,700 for General category candidates.
- ₹1,350 for candidates belonging to SC, ST and PwD categories.
Candidates are advised to keep checking the CAT official website to know the latest updates regarding the exam and admission.