CAT 2026 Reservation Criteria: Check Category-wise Reservation Percentage
- Cut Off for IITs
- IIM Kashipur Cut Off
- IIM Amritsar Cut Off
- IIM Nagpur Cut Off
- IIM Indore Cut Off
- IIM Udaipur Cut Off
- IIM Ranchi Cut Off
- IIM Raipur Cut Off
- IIM Jammu Cut Off
- IIM Bodh Gaya Cut Off
- IIM Kozhikode Cut Off
- IIM Sambalpur Cut Off
- IIM Bangalore Cut Off
- IIM Sirmaur Cut Off
- IIM Trichy Cut Off
- IIM Visakhapatnam Cut Off
- IIM Lucknow Cut Off
- IIM Shillong Cut Off
- IIM Calcutta Cut Off
- IIM Ahmedabad Cut Off
- IIM Rohtak Cut Off
| Updated On - Jul 30, 2026
The CAT Reservation Criteria 2026 are category-wise seat reservations and are prescribed based on the Government of India policy or rules.
-
27% of the total seats in the CAT Reservation Criteria 2026 are reserved for NC-OBC candidates.
- For SC category candidates, 15% of seats are reserved, and for ST candidates, 7.5% of seats are reserved.
- 10% of seats in CAT 2026 are reserved for EWS candidates, and for PwD candidates, 5% of seats are reserved in each category.
Key Summary:
|
|---|
CAT Reservation Criteria 2026-Category-Wise
The CAT Reservation Criteria 2026 follows the reservation norms set by the Government of India for all 22 IIMs.
| Category | Reservation Percentage |
|---|---|
| Scheduled Caste (SC) | 15% |
| Scheduled Tribe (ST) | 7.5% |
| Other Backward Classes (Non-Creamy Layer) (NC-OBC) | 27% |
| Economically Weaker Section (EWS) | 10% |
| Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwD) | 5% (Horizontal Reservation) |
Source: Official PDF
Eligibility Criteria-CAT Reservation Criteria 2026
CAT Reservation Criteria 2026-SC
Candidates who belong to the communities notified in the Central government list.
- Valid SC certificate issued by the authority.
- Certificate by the Central Government of India.
CAT Reservation Criteria 2026-ST
Candidate who belongs to the communities notified in the Central government list.
- Valid ST certificate issued by the authority.
- Certificate by the Central Government of India.
CAT Reservation Criteria 2026-NC-OBC
Cat must be visible in the OBC list.
- Valid ST certificate issued by the authority.
- Certificate by the Central Government of India.
- Creamy layer students will be treated as General category.
- You have to fulfil the latest Non-Creamy layer income and eligibility by the Government.
CAT Reservation Criteria 2026-EWS
Candidate who belongs to the general category and has income in the range mentioned in EWS limits by the government.
- Valid EWS income and asset certificate issued by the authority.
- Certificate by the Central Government of India and in the correct format.
CAT Reservation Criteria 2026-PwD
5% of the seats are reserved for the PwD candidates with a minimum 40% of the specified disability in the certificate mentioned.
- Some disabilities include: blindness and low vision, deaf, locomotor disability, autism, multiple disabilities.
- Intellectual disability, Specific learning disability, mental illness, and any other specified.
Source- Official PDF
CAT 2026 Overview
Here are the details given below for Application, admit card release, and examination date for CAT 2026.
| Event | Date / Time |
| Notification Release Date | July 25, 2026 |
| Application Opening Date (Start) | August 3, 2026 (10:00 AM IST) |
| Application Closing Date (End) | September 15, 2026 (5:00 PM IST) |
| Admit Card Release Date | November 4, 2026 |
| CAT 2026 Exam Date | November 29, 2026 |
FAQs
Ques. Is there any reservation criteria for CAT 2026?
Ans. Yes, there is reservation for SC, ST, NC-OBC, EWS and PwD candidates. Candidates who belong to the communities notified in the Central government list for SC and ST will be considered. 27% of the total seats for NC-OBC, 15% of seats for SC, 7.5% of the reservation for ST,10% for the EWS, and 5% horizontal reservation for PwD are kept for CAT 2026.
Ques. What is the CAT 2026 cutoff for the General category?
Ans. The CAT 2026 cutoff for the general category is expected to be within 97-99 for the old IIMs and all other top colleges. It will translate to the top 1%. For the new IIMs, the cutoff is expected to be 85-99+.
Ques. Is 70 marks good for CAT 2026?
Ans. Yes, 70 marks is good for CAT 2026. It will translate to a percentile of 95-97. The score and percentile will depend on the level of the paper and the number of slots. This will open many new chances for IIM admission and tier-2 management programmes. 70 marks will give you a good percentile to choose your institute of admission.
Ques. Is scoring 99 percentile easy in CAT 2026?
Ans. No, 99 percentile is difficult to score but is good for CAT 2026. It will translate to the top 1%. The score and percentile will depend on the level of the paper and the number of slots. You will need good dedication. Strategy and accuracy to compete with 2.5 lakh people and get a 99 percentile in CAT 2026. You have to balance all three sections, as only the top 2000 students might reach this target.
*The article might have information for the previous academic years, please refer the official website of the exam.