Registration for CAT 2026 opened on iimcat.ac.in on 3 August 2026 and was first meant to close on 15 September. IIM Indore extended it to 22 September, 5:00 PM, and did not extend it again. The window is shut now, the edit window of 5 and 6 October is over, and the admit card has been out since 6 November for the exam on 29 November. This page is the record of how the registration worked, and the place to start for anyone who missed it.
Registration at a glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Window | 3 August to 22 September 2026, 5:00 PM |
| Fee | Rs. 2,700 for General, EWS and NC-OBC; Rs. 1,350 for SC, ST and PwD |
| Payment | Online only; not refundable |
| Test cities | Five choices in order of preference, from about 170 cities |
| Edit window after registration | 5 and 6 October 2026, for photo, signature, test state and test cities |
| Exam | Sunday, 29 November 2026, three slots |
How the form was filled
- New registration: name, date of birth, email address and mobile number, checked by a one-time password. The login ID and password came by email and SMS.
- Personal details: category, PwD status where it applied, and the address for messages.
- Academic record: marks of Class 10, Class 12 and the bachelor’s degree, with the year of passing. Final-year students entered the marks up to the last semester declared.
- Work experience: in months, with the organisation and the role, for those who had any. IIMs read it at the shortlist stage.
- Programmes: the IIM programmes the candidate wanted to be considered for. A programme not chosen here does not consider the candidate later.
- Test cities: five choices in order of preference.
- Photo, signature and certificates: scanned to the size the form asked for, with the category or PwD certificate where it applied.
- Fee: paid online, after which the form was submitted and could not be edited outside the edit window.
Top Central UniversitiesBy NIRF 2025 rank
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 detailsMistakes that cost candidates later
- Marks entered as CGPA where the form wanted a percentage, or the other way round. The shortlist reads what was entered.
- Leaving an IIM programme unticked. The choice of programmes was not reopened in the edit window.
- A category certificate in a format the IIMs do not accept. The format given in the notification is the one that counts at the interview.
- An email address that is not checked often. Every message about the admit card and the result goes there.
If you missed CAT 2026
There is no late window in CAT, and the next chance is CAT 2027; going by past years, its registration opens around August 2027. Several other routes into an MBA for 2027 are still open:
- XAT 2027: registration till 6 December 2026, exam on 3 January 2027.
- MAT December 2026: paper based test on 20 December, computer based test on 27 December.
- CMAT 2027: in NTA’s calendar for 7 February 2027.
- CUET PG 2027, scheduled for March 2027, through which many Central Universities fill their MBA seats.
The CAT page lists the Central University MBA programmes that name CAT in their admission document, with the other tests each one takes.
What comes next for those who registered
- Download the admit card from iimcat.ac.in and print it in colour if you can.
- Take the official mock test: the screen, the calculator and the section timer are the ones you will see on 29 November.
- On the exam day carry the admit card and an original photo ID, and reach the centre by the reporting time printed on the card.
The full schedule, eligibility and the pattern are in CAT 2026: the notification.
