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CAT exam 2026 is scheduled to be conducted on November 29, 2026, on Sunday. If you are planning to appear for IIM Common Admission Test 2026 can register online at iimcat.ac.in. Further, the CAT registration last date is September 15, 2026. This year, the CAT 2026 exam will be organised by IIM Indore. All 22 IIMs and various other prestigious institutions such as IMT Ghaziabad, SP Jain and IMI Delhi are participating in postgraduate management course admissions through the CAT exam. As per CAT dates 2026, students will be able to download their admit card from November 4. Dive into the blog to learn about the CAT exam date 2026 details. The blog covers the CAT exam 2026 registration date and schedules, eligibility, registration process, participating IIMs, test cities, and more.
CAT (Common Admission Test) is a national-level exam, conducted by IIMs (Indian Institutes of Management) on a rotational basis. This is a computer-based exam conducted for admissions to various postgraduate management courses such as MBAs, PGPs, and PGDMs across top institutions in India. Typically, the CAT entrance exam date lies in the month of November every year, based on past trends. The CAT 2026 exam date has been declared on November 29, 2026. Continue reading to explore the CAT 2026 important dates.
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This year, the CAT exam will be taking place on 29th November, 2026 at multiple test centres across the states of India. The registrations for the CAT exam 2026 have started from 3rd August, 2026 and will take place till 15th September, 2026. Below are all the essential CAT exam date 2026 mentioned in the table:
The application process for the CAT exam is ongoing. Exam dates and schedule have already been released so that candidates can begin the process accordingly. Below is an overview of important CAT exam date events. Let us explore:
The application window for the CAT 2026 exam opened on 3rd August, 2026. You can fill out the form by 15th September, 2026, which is the last date for registration. After September 15, 2026, no CAT exam application form will be accepted. Thus, you are advised to complete your registration process as soon as possible.
The correction window for the CAT exam will open tentatively in the 4th week of September, 2026. During this period, applicants can review their forms and rectify any typos or other errors that might have been mistakenly filled in the form. Once the correction window is closed, there will be no other chance provided to correct your mistakes in the CAT registration form.
Having your CAT admit card is crucial to get entry to the examination hall. You would be able to download your admit card from 4th November, 2026 till the CAT exam date. Please note that only the hard copy of admit cards is generally accepted. So, take a printout after downloading the CAT exam admit card.
Like past years, CAT 2026 shall also take place in the month of November on the 29th. The exam is scheduled on Sunday, so that candidates have to face less hustle on the roads as compared to weekdays. Make sure to reach the assigned exam centres at least 1.5-2 hours earlier to avoid last-minute chaos.
The authorities of CAT 2026 are expected to release the answer key for the CAT exam in the first week of December, 2026. You can download the CAT answer key 2026 from the official website by using your login credentials. Answer keys help you match your answers and evaluate the approximate marks you may score in the exam.
CAT 2026 result is expected to be announced in the first week of January 2027. Candidates will be able to access their results through iimcat.ac.in. Once the results are announced, you can proceed with the further admission process for your desired courses at your preferred institutes or colleges.
CAT 2026 exam shall take place in three shifts on 29th November, 2026: morning, afternoon, and evening. Candidates are required to report at least 1.5 hours before the exam time. Check out the exact timings for CAT 2026 by shift:
Candidates taking the CAT exam will be provided with 2 hours. You have to complete each section within 40 minutes.
Candidates belonging to the PwD (Persons with Disability) may get extra time to complete their exam. There is a total of 40 minutes of extra time provided generally; however, the number of shifts remains the same.
Once the CAT exam results are declared, you can apply for your desired courses at IIMs across India. All 22 IIMs are participating in CAT 2026 for various management courses and fellowship programmes in management like PhD, DPM, and Executive PhD. Here we have listed the offered master's degree courses via the CAT exam for every IIM. Popular courses across IIMs include PGPM (Post Graduate Programmes in Management) and MBA (Master of Business Administration). Explore the list of courses offered via different IIMs through the CAT exam 2026:
CAT 2026 is scheduled for 29th November 2026. From the date of notification, there are approximately 4 months to prepare thoroughly for the CAT exam. Aspirants who have been planning to take the CAT can follow a dedicated schedule to prepare strategically. Here we have compiled a detailed weekly 4-month exam preparation plan. You can follow the same CAT exam preparation plan or customise as per your priorities and time left before the exam:
Week 1-2:
Week 3-4:
Week 5-6:
Week 7-8:
Week 9-10:
Week 11-12:
Week 13-14:
Week 15-16:
The CAT 2026 shall take place over 350 test centres across 170 cities in India. The allotted test centres would be mentioned in the CAT admit card 2026 that you will be able to access from 4th November 2026 onwards. Here is the list of several test cities across various states and union territories in India that you can choose in your CAT application form:
CAT exam 2026 is scheduled to be held on November 29, 2026, Sunday, at various exam centres across India. The Common Admission Test for 2026 shall be conducted by IIM Indore for admissions to various IIMs and other prestigious non-IIM institutions in India. Furthermore, CAT 2026 will comprise mainly three sections: VARC (Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension), DILR (Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning) and QA (Quantitative Ability/Aptitude). You can find all the details of the CAT 2026 exam in the official CAT exam 2026 notification, available at iimcat.ac.in. Here are the crucial details of CAT 2026 covered:
The exam date for CAT 2026 has been made available in July. The official CAT exam notification clarified that registrations have been started and will remain open for over a month. Candidates are advised to complete their registration process through the official portal: iimcat.ac.in only. Moreover, the CAT exam pattern is likely to remain similar to the past year, with minimal changes being expected in the number of questions in each section. Fill out the CAT 2026 registration form before the website gets overloaded and servers start to remain busy.
Candidates who have a bachelor's degree in any discipline from a recognised institution with 50% marks (45% for SC/ST/PwD categories) are eligible to apply for CAT 2026. Final-year students in graduation can also apply for the CAT 2026 exam, given that they need to fulfil the score requirement by the time of admissions.
Yes, with the right preparation strategy and dedication, you can clear the CAT exam in three months. However, if you are beginning from scratch, you may need to dedicate 6-8 hours to study daily for thorough exam preparation.
IIM Indore will be conducting the CAT 2026 exam, with Prof. Aditya Billore serving as the convener. Registrations for CAT 2026 are currently open, and interested aspirants can apply till 15th September, 2026.
The registrations for CAT 2026 are currently ongoing. You can register for CAT 2026 anytime between August 3, 2026 and September 15, 2026. Note that no application would be submitted after 15th September 2026, so complete the CAT registration process as early as possible.
The registration fee for the CAT 2026 exam is INR 2,700 for the General category, NC-OBC, and EWS categories. Candidates belonging to the SC, ST, or PwD category are only required to pay INR 1,350. CAT exam registration fees are one-time and non-refundable. Aspirants need not pay additional amounts even if they are applying for multiple colleges.
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