CAT 2026: dates, pattern, fee and eligibility
CAT 2026 is on Sunday, November 29, 2026, three sessions. The test is 120 minutes. The application fee starts at ₹1,350. Registration closed September 22, 2026, 5:00 PM IST.
Key dates
From the exam body’s own pages, checked 6 Nov 2026.
| Registration open | August 3, 2026, 10:00 AM IST source ↗ |
|---|---|
| Registration close | September 22, 2026, 5:00 PM IST (fee-payment window extended to September 24, 2026, 5:00 PM) source ↗ |
| Admit card | Admit cards downloadable 6 to 29 November 2026 source ↗ |
| Exam date | Sunday, November 29, 2026, three sessions source ↗ |
| Result | Likely first week of January 2027 source ↗ |
Pattern, marking and eligibility
| Conducted by | IIM Indore, on behalf of the IIMs source ↗ |
|---|---|
| Mode | Computer-based test (CBT), held in three sessions on one day source ↗ |
| Sections | Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) · 40 Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR) · 40 Quantitative Ability (QA) · 40 source ↗ Section names from the CAT 2026 FAQ (see also). Per-section question counts are not stated in the 2026 official pages opened. |
| Total time (minutes) | 120 source ↗ |
| Marking | Mcq correct: 3 Mcq wrong: -1 Mcq unattempted: 0 Tita non mcq correct: 3 Tita non mcq wrong: 0 Tita non mcq unattempted: 0 Section switching: Not allowed; each section is timed at 40 minutes source ↗ |
| Eligibility | Graduation percent min general ews ncobc: 50 Graduation percent min sc st pwbd: 45 Final year allowed: true Age limit: none source ↗ Final-year candidates may join provisionally only with a completion certificate. Work experience is not an eligibility condition in the bulletin; individual IIMs set their own. |
| Application fee (₹) | General: 2700 Reserved: 1350 Reserved categories: SC, ST, PwBD source ↗ |
| Score validity | Valid until December 31, 2027 source ↗ |
| Attempts | One sitting per registered candidate; appearing more than once is treated as fraud source ↗ |
| Accepted by | CAT 2026 is a prerequisite for admission to the programmes of the 22 IIMs listed in the bulletin; listed non-IIM institutions may also use the score (IIMs have no role in their selection). source ↗ |
iimcat.ac.in renders blank without its JS; facts were read from the site's own bulletin PDF, press/media releases and faq.xml/home.xml feeds. Total question count is not published in them.
CAT 2026: common questions
When is CAT 2026?
Sunday, November 29, 2026, three sessions. Result: Likely first week of January 2027.
What is the CAT 2026 exam pattern?
Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) (40 min); Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR) (40 min); Quantitative Ability (QA) (40 min).
What is the CAT 2026 application fee?
General: 2700; Reserved: 1350; Reserved categories: SC, ST, PwBD.
Who can apply for CAT 2026?
Graduation percent min general ews ncobc: 50; Graduation percent min sc st pwbd: 45; Final year allowed: true; Age limit: none.