CAT 2026 Important Dates

IIM Indore will conduct CAT on Sunday, 29 November 2026. The registration, payment and correction stages are over. The next announced candidate-facing releases are the admit card and official mock-test link.

The first week of January is a tentative result period, not a fixed declaration date. Answer-key and objection dates have not been announced.

Registration, Payment and Correction Deadlines

Registration began on 3 August at 10 AM. The original 15 September closing date was extended to 22 September at 5 PM. Candidates registered by that point received a separate payment-only extension until 24 September at 5 PM.

The distinction is important: 24 September was not the final date for a new candidate to register. The CAT registration process required an existing registration to use that payment extension.

Corrections then ran from 5 October at 10 AM to 6 October at 5 PM. Paid, successfully registered candidates could change their photograph, signature and test state/city preferences. The window did not reopen all form fields or unpaid applications.

Admit Card and Official Mock-Test Dates

The CAT admit card is available through Registered Candidate Login, with the download window running until 29 November. It must be printed for the examination; it is not sent by post. The photograph affixed to it must match the application upload.

The official mock is a familiarisation resource, not another counted CAT attempt. Its purpose is to show navigation and question types. It should not be treated as a promise that the live paper will repeat the same questions or topic mix.

CAT Exam Date, Sessions and Section Timing

CAT will be held in three sessions on 29 November. Each candidate takes the test once, in the allotted session. Candidates cannot select a morning, afternoon or evening shift themselves; the exact reporting, gate and test timings belong to the admit card.

You cannot switch to a different section while its allotted time is running. This is a sectional timer, not a freely divisible two-hour paper. The CAT exam pattern explains the section and marking rules.

PwBD candidates receive 20 minutes of compensatory time per hour, giving 40 additional minutes for the two-hour test. The official FAQ says that extra time is distributed equally across the three sections.

CAT Result Date, Score Validity and IIM Admissions

The CAT 2026 result is tentatively scheduled for the first week of January 2027. The score remains valid until 31 December 2027. A result released in 2027 is still the result of the CAT 2026 examination; it is not a CAT 2027 score.

There is no single CAT counselling date that covers every IIM and non-IIM college. Each institution has its own shortlist, interview and admission process. An institute application deadline can therefore differ from the CAT result date or score-validity period.

The IIM shortlist criteria explain that separate stage. Score validity does not mean that an applicant can wait until 31 December to meet an institution's earlier admission deadline.

1. CAT 2026 Calendar
2. Which Deadline Applied to You?

1. November Releases
2. Exam-Day Timing Rules
3. Result and Admission Timeline