The Common Admission Test (CAT) 2026 is being run by IIM Indore. Its notification appeared on 25 July 2026, registration ran from 3 August to 22 September after one extension, and the exam is on Sunday, 29 November 2026, in three slots across about 170 test cities. The admit card came out on 6 November, two days after the date first given. The IIMs take their MBA and PGP students on this score, and so do many other management schools, including several MBA programmes of Central Universities.
CAT 2026: the schedule
| Step | Date |
|---|---|
| Notification | 25 July 2026 |
| Registration | 3 August to 22 September 2026, 5:00 PM (first set to close on 15 September) |
| Edit window for photo, signature and test cities | 5 and 6 October 2026 |
| Admit card | 6 November 2026 (first scheduled for 4 November) |
| Exam | Sunday, 29 November 2026 |
| Provisional answer key, objections and the result | After the exam, on the dates IIM Indore announces |
Exam slots on 29 November
| Slot | Time |
|---|---|
| Slot 1 | 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM |
| Slot 2 | 12:30 PM to 2:30 PM |
| Slot 3 | 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM |
A candidate sits only the slot printed on the admit card, and the reporting time printed there is earlier than the slot itself. Scores of the three slots are normalised before the result.
NAAC A++
NIRF #2 (2025)Jawaharlal Nehru UniversityNew Delhi, DelhiAdmission: CUET UG, CUET PG, NET/JRFEst. 1969View details
NAAC A++
NIRF #4 (2025)Jamia Millia IslamiaNew Delhi, DelhiAdmission: CUET UG, CUET PG, NET/JRFEst. 1920 · 239 acresView details
NAAC A++
NIRF #5 (2025)University of DelhiNew Delhi, DelhiAdmission: CUET UG, CUET PG, JEE MainEst. 1922View details
NAAC A
NIRF #6 (2025)Banaras Hindu UniversityVaranasi, Uttar PradeshAdmission: CUET UG, CUET PG, NET/JRFEst. 1916 · 1300 acresView details
NAAC A+
NIRF #10 (2025)Aligarh Muslim UniversityAligarh, Uttar PradeshAdmission: CUET UG, NET/JRF, NEET UGEst. 1920View details
NAAC A+
NIRF #18 (2025)University of HyderabadHyderabad, TelanganaAdmission: CUET UG, CUET PG, NET/JRFEst. 1974 · 2000 acresView details
NAAC A++
NIRF #37 (2025)Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar UniversityLucknow, Uttar PradeshAdmission: CUET UG, CUET PG, NET/JRFEst. 1996View details
NAAC A+
NIRF #77 (2025)Central University of PunjabBathinda, PunjabAdmission: CUET UG, CUET PG, NET/JRFEst. 2009 · 500 acresView details
NAAC A+
NIRF #79 (2025)Tezpur UniversityTezpur, AssamAdmission: CUET UG, CUET PG, NET/JRFEst. 1994 · 262 acresView details
NAAC A
NIRF #82 (2025)Mizoram UniversityAizawl, MizoramAdmission: CUET UG, CUET PG, NET/JRFEst. 2000View detailsWho can take CAT 2026
- A bachelor’s degree with at least 50% marks or an equivalent CGPA, from a university recognised in India. SC, ST and PwD candidates need 45%.
- Students in the final year of a bachelor’s degree, and those waiting for the result, can sit CAT. If selected, they have to complete the degree with the required marks by the date the IIM fixes.
- Professional qualifications such as CA, CS and CMA are accepted as equivalent.
- There is no age limit and no work experience is needed to sit the test. Each IIM decides how much weight work experience gets in its own shortlist.
Fee
| Category | Fee |
|---|---|
| General, EWS and NC-OBC | Rs. 2,700 |
| SC, ST and PwD | Rs. 1,350 |
The fee was paid online and is not refunded. Media reports put registrations at about 2.84 lakh this year.
The paper
CAT is a computer based test of two hours in three sections, taken in a fixed order, each with its own 40 minutes:
- Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC)
- Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR)
- Quantitative Ability (QA)
A candidate cannot move to the next section before its time starts, or go back to an earlier one. Multiple-choice questions give 3 marks for a right answer and take away 1 for a wrong one; questions where the answer is typed in carry no negative marking. PwD candidates get extra time. The number of questions is not announced in advance, so practise with the official mock test on iimcat.ac.in, which follows the real screen.
What CAT means at Central Universities
The IIMs are not the only takers. Management schools of Central Universities use CAT too, alone or along with CUET PG, MAT, XAT or CMAT, and each says so in its admission document. The CAT page of this site lists the Central University MBA programmes whose admission wording names CAT, and files their admission notices under the last step of the cycle. A candidate aiming for one of them should read that programme’s own notice: each has its own form and last date, and some open them soon after the exam.
What comes next
- Before 29 November: download the admit card, take the official mock test and check the centre’s location a day ahead.
- 29 November: the exam, in the slot on your admit card.
- After the exam: the provisional answer key with your responses, a short paid window to object, and the final key.
- The result: on iimcat.ac.in, followed by the shortlists of each IIM for their interview rounds.
The earlier steps of this cycle are on this site: how registration ran, the edit window of 5 and 6 October and the admit card and its revised date.
