Updated on 19 Aug 2026
By Jiya Tyagi, Content Manager
Candidates are advised to regularly visit the official website for announcements including admit card release, guidelines, and further exam instructions. Below are the latest updates for CAT 2026:
CAT Exam Date 2026: IIM Indore will conduct the CAT 2026 exam on November 29, 2026. Candidates will get all the relevant dates regarding application forms, admission cards, and other exam events from CAT official website. The tentative date for the declaration of the CAT 2026 result has also been announced. CAT 2026 registration is now ongoing, and interested aspirants can register till 15 September 2026. CAT 2026 admit card will be available for download from 4 November 2026. According to the provisional schedule, the CAT 2026 result is likely to be declared in the third week of December 2026. Candidates are advised to visit the official CAT 2026 website to get the latest updates on CAT exam date 2026. Candidates can go through the CAT 2026 exam schedule below.
Candidates will be required to keep updated on the schedule of events for CAT 2026 to keep track of important dates such as registration, admit card release, release of the answer key, and many others. Check the table below for CAT 2026 exam dates:
| Date | CAT 2026 Event |
|---|---|
| 25 Jul 2026 | CAT 2026 exam notification date |
| 03 Aug 2026 | CAT 2026 application start date |
| 15 Sep 2026 | Last date to apply for CAT 2026 |
| 04 Nov – 29 Nov 2026 | CAT 2026 admit card download |
| 29 Nov 2026 | CAT 2026 exam date |
| Dec 2026 | CAT 2026 result announcement |
CAT 2026 registration process will continue for 45 days. In order to register, candidates will have to make a CAT registration ID from the official CAT website. While registering themselves, candidates are required to choose the city in which they wish to take the test. Once the registration window closes, candidates will be provided a small correction period wherein they can modify their photograph, signature, and test city choices on CAT 2026. No other modifications are allowed. It is believed that the correction period will last for about 2-3 days.
CAT 2026 will be conducted by IIM Indore on November 29, 2026. The exam will be held in three sessions across designated test centres in India. The CAT 2026 exam pattern and difficulty level will be known after the examination is conducted. Below are the major highlights of the CAT 2026 exam:
| CAT Exam Features | CAT 2026 Details |
|---|---|
| CAT 2026 Exam Date | November 29, 2026 |
| Conducting IIM | IIM Indore |
| Application Mode | Online via the official CAT website |
| Application Fees | INR 2,700 for General, EWS and NC-OBC; INR 1,350 for SC, ST and PwD |
| Eligibility Criteria | Bachelor’s degree with at least 50% marks or equivalent CGPA; 45% for SC, ST and PwD candidates |
| CAT Syllabus | VARC, DILR and QA |
| Exam Pattern | Computer-based test (CBT) |
| Exam Duration | 2 hours, with 40 minutes for each section |
| Number of Slots | 3: Morning, Afternoon and Evening |
| Marking Scheme | As prescribed in the official CAT 2026 notification |
| Difficulty Level | Will be known after the examination |
| PwD Candidate Benefit | Additional time as per CAT guidelines |
| Test Cities | Details to be confirmed in the official CAT 2026 notification |
CAT Admit Card 2026 will be out in November 2026. The exact date for the announcement will be provided through the official CAT 2026 notification. The admit card of CAT 2026 can be downloaded by the candidates through the exam’s official website. The admit card will include all the necessary information like the candidate’s name, picture, signature, category, gender, date of birth, examination date, examination slot, examination center, examination timings, and reporting time. The candidates need to download and verify their admit card. This admit card will be valid till the date of the exam as it will be used in the admission process as well.
CAT 2026 exam will take place through Computer-Based Test (CBT) form across different test centres in India. The test will take place in three sessions:
There will be 40 minutes for each section. For PwD aspirants, there will be 13 minutes and 20 seconds extra time for each section.
Both the official CAT 2026 answer key and the students’ response sheets will be provided through login access at the CAT exam official site. Once released, the candidates will be given an objection period of 2-3 days to raise objections against the provisional answer key. Candidates will be required to pay an objection fee of INR 1,500 for each question objected to. All objections raised by the candidates will be considered, and in case any objection is found to be true, the answer key will be revised.
IIMCAT is likely to announce the CAT 2026 result in the third week of December 2026. Applicants will be able to download their CAT scorecard from the official website using their login details. The scorecard will contain the details of the applicant, along with their sectional and overall scores and percentiles. The CAT percentile is used for admitting applicants to IIMs and top business schools across India. The candidates must retain a copy of their scorecard for future admission purposes. The CAT scorecard remains downloadable for a period of one year.
IIM CAT counselling session for the batch of 2027 is supposed to be conducted in January and February 2027. Once the results of CAT 2026 have been declared, the list of candidates appearing for PI at various institutes would be released by them. Candidates shortlisted for this round would have to go through the PI round of application within the stipulated time frame. Every IIM and other institutes would have different deadlines for PI applications and interview. Different PI rounds would also be held by each of the institutes on different dates. The final list of admissions is likely to come out in the month of May, 2027.
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