What Is CAT?

The Common Admission Test (CAT) is a computer-based entrance test used for admission to management programmes at the IIMs and registered non-IIM institutions. IIM Indore is coordinating CAT 2026. Taking CAT is one part of admission: institutes apply their own eligibility, shortlist and interview rules.

The three sections are Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension, Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning, and Quantitative Ability. CAT is not limited to engineering graduates. Students from other degree backgrounds can apply if they meet the qualification and marks requirements.

In the completed 2025 exam, the official post-exam release recorded about 2.58 lakh test-takers from 2.95 lakh registered eligible candidates. Those are participation figures, not a pass count. CAT does not announce one common pass percentage that guarantees admission across all institutions.

CAT 2026 Dates

CAT 2026 is scheduled for Sunday, 29 November, in three sessions. Registration and the correction window have closed. Admit-card download is scheduled to begin on 4 November.

The payment extension was for candidates who had already registered by the registration deadline; it was not a fresh-registration window. The correction window allowed changes to the photograph, signature and test state/city preferences—not a complete rewrite of the application.

The result timeline is tentative. The first week of January 2027 is the published likely period, not a confirmed result-release date.

Who Can Apply for CAT?

There is no age restriction for CAT. Final-year applicants enter the aggregate available up to their latest university marks statement. If admitted provisionally, they must meet the admitting institute’s deadline for proof that the degree requirements have been completed.

Use the university’s certified CGPA-to-percentage conversion. Only when the university confirms that it has no conversion scheme does the CAT rule use CGPA divided by maximum CGPA, multiplied by 100. Do not apply a popular multiplier such as 9.5 unless it is the applicable university rule.

Meeting CAT eligibility does not automatically meet every MBA programme’s admission criteria. An institute may have additional conditions or a different profile-scoring method.

Registration Fee and Reservation

The CAT registration fee is paid once, regardless of how many listed IIM programmes are selected in the form. Separate non-IIM or programme applications may have their own process. The CAT fee is non-refundable.

PwBD reservation is horizontal; do not add it as a separate vertical category to the other percentages. Category benefits depend on the prescribed certificates and eligibility. For NC-OBC, the applicable Central Government list and non-creamy-layer conditions matter.

CAT 2026 Exam Pattern and Marking

The standard test duration is 120 minutes. Each section has its own clock, and you cannot move to another section while answering the current one. Eligible PwBD candidates receive compensatory time under the notified rules. An on-screen calculator is available; a personal calculator is not allowed.

For comparison, CAT 2025 had 68 questions: 24 VARC, 22 DILR and 22 QA. That completed-exam count is not a confirmed count for CAT 2026. The current FAQ does not disclose how many non-MCQ questions will be used.

CAT Syllabus and Preparation Topics

CAT does not publish a defined chapter-wise syllabus. Preparation is organised around the three sections and the skills seen in past papers. Use these topic groups to plan practice, not as a promise of fixed chapter weightage.

For VARC, practise complete passages and explain why the closest wrong option is unsupported. For DILR, draw the shared table or arrangement before answering individual questions. For QA, identify the percentage base, equation domain or geometric constraint before calculating.

The CAT syllabus guide gives a fuller topic breakdown. The 2025 question papers show how those skills appeared in the latest completed test.

How to Use Papers and Mocks

Use an untouched sectional paper to check question selection under a 40-minute clock. Record which questions you left and how long you spent on questions that did not yield marks. Then solve the unanswered ones without timing: this separates a missing concept from a poor first-pass choice.

For a full mock, keep the three sections consecutive. A strong QA score when you are fresh is not the same test as QA after two earlier sections. Compare attempts with similar timing and rules; do not compare a 100-question older paper directly with a shorter recent paper just by raw total.

The official practice interface is scheduled for 12 November. Its main purpose is to familiarise candidates with navigation and question types. A small practice set or a coaching mock does not certify an expected CAT percentile.

Admit Card and Exam-day Requirements

Download the admit card through the registered candidate login and print it. It gives the assigned date, session and centre; candidates cannot choose another slot or take CAT more than once in the same cycle. Use the reporting instructions on your own card rather than a previous year’s shift timetable.

Carry the printed admit card and the prescribed original photo identification. CAT provides the scribble pad and pen for rough work; these must be returned after the test. If a technical problem occurs, tell the invigilator instead of trying to switch systems yourself.

The application, admit card and identity record need to identify the same candidate. A saved screenshot is not a substitute for following the print and identification instructions.

Answer Key, Result and Percentile

The response sheet records your answers; the answer key identifies the credited responses. Use matching question IDs and the applicable key to calculate raw marks. The CAT answer-key guide explains how the two records differ.

Raw marks are not the final percentile. CAT processes scores across sessions and reports scaled scores and percentiles. A percentile describes relative standing, not the percentage of questions answered correctly. The score calculation guide explains this distinction with worked examples.

CAT 2026 scores are valid until 31 December 2027. That validity does not mean a single application remains open until then; every institute has its own admission and document deadlines.

CAT Cutoff and Admission After the Result

An institute can require minimum percentiles in all three sections and overall. Clearing the overall threshold alone may therefore be insufficient. The CAT cutoff tables distinguish these minimums from interview shortlisting and final selection.

For the 2027–29 intake, IIM Ahmedabad’s General/EWS minimum is 95 overall and 85 in each section; IIM Calcutta’s Open-category minimum is 85 overall with 80 VARC, 80 DILR and 75 QA. These are screening thresholds, not guaranteed interview or admission scores.

The admission process can then include application/profile evaluation, writing and interview stages, category-wise merit lists, offers and document verification. Work experience or academic diversity may carry weight at one institute without receiving the same treatment elsewhere. Follow each programme’s process rather than treating CAT as a common seat-allotment system.

1. Eligibility at a Glance
2. CAT 2026 Dates and Fee
3. Sections and Marking

1. What to Practise in Each Section
2. Read a CAT Score Correctly
3. From CAT to an Admission Offer