• Updated on 11 Aug, 2026 by Tiyasa Khanra
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CAT Notification 2026 PDF has been released on the official website at iimcat.ac.in on July 26, 2026, as an information bulletin and registration schedule, containing the exam date, application fees, eligibility criteria, reservation policy, programmes offered, test cities, and the validity of the CAT score. CAT exam 2026 will be conducted by IIM Indore on November 29, 2026, as a Computer-based test in 3 slots in approximately 170 test cities.
- CAT Exam 2026 Date & Timings: The CAT exam 2026 date is November 29, 2026, and it will be conducted in 3 slots: Slot 1 (8.30 AM to 10.30 AM), Slot 2 (12.30 PM to 2.30 PM), and Slot 3 (4.30 PM to 6.30 PM).
- Eligibility: A Bachelor’s Degree from a recognized university with at least 50% aggregate for General/ EWS/ NC-OBC and 45% aggregate for SC/ST/PwBD, or a Professional degree (CA/CS/ICWA (CMA)/ Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries of India (FIAI) with at least 50% aggregate for General/ EWS/ NC-OBC and 45% aggregate for SC/ST/PwBD is required.
- Registration Fee: CAT Exam 2026 application fee is INR 2700 for the General category and INR 1350 for the Reserved category.
- CAT Result 2026: The CAT result 2026 will be made available most likely by the first week of January 2027. The CAT 2026 score will remain valid only till December 31, 2027.
- Courses Offered: MBA/ PGDM/ PGP/ PhD programmes will be offered through the CAT Exam 2026.
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CAT Notification 2026 PDF
CAT Notification 2026 PDF is made available on the official CAT website at iimcat.ac.in and can be accessed by clicking on the “CAT 2026 Information Bulletin” link. The direct link to download the official CAT 2026 notification PDF is provided below.
CAT Notification 2026 Release Date
CAT Notification 2026 release date was July 26, 2026. The official website of the CAT exam 2026 contains the dates of all important events related to registration, exam, admit card release, and result declaration. The CAT 2026 registration will begin on August 3, 2026 (from 10:00 AM onwards) and continue till September 15, 2026 (up to 05:00 PM). The admit cards will be released on November 4, 2026. The CAT exam 2026 will be conducted in 3 sessions on November 29, 2026, while the results are expected to be announced in the first week of January 2027.
CAT Notification Previous Year Trends
The CAT notification is typically released during the last week of July or the first week of August every year. The older IIMs conduct the CAT exam on a rotational basis, with one institute conducting it every year.
- IIM Indore, IIM Calcutta, IIM Kozhikode, IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, and IIM Lucknow have been the conducting bodies for the CAT exam over the past decade.
- In 2026, IIM Indore is the conducting body for the CAT exam. Before this, IIM Indore administered the CAT exam in 2020, 2014, and 2013.
- IIM Calcutta, IIM Kozhikode, and IIM Lucknow each have conducted the CAT exam twice between 2017 and 2026.
- IIM Bangalore was the conducting authority of CAT in 2022
- IIM Ahmedabad conducted the CAT 2021 exam.
The previous year trends of CAT notifications from 2017–2026 are provided below.
CAT Exam Dates 2026
The CAT exam date is November 29, 2026. CAT registration 2026 began on August 3 and will continue till September 15, 2026. The CAT admit card 2026 will be made available on November 4, 2026. Based on the CAT 2026 Information Bulletin, the complete schedule is provided below.
Check CAT Exam Dates 2026
CAT Exam Eligibility 2026
CAT exam eligibility 2026 includes minimum educational qualifications, required marks, and relaxation provided to reserved category candidates to appear for the CAT 2026 exam. Candidates must verify if they meet the CAT eligibility criteria before filling out the CAT application form. The Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) are responsible for prescribing the CAT 2026 Eligibility Criteria as mentioned below.
CAT Registration 2026
CAT registration 2026 can be done online only through the official CAT website by candidates who meet the eligibility criteria. The registrations began on August 3, 2026 (10:00 AM), and the last date to register is September 15, 2026 (5:00 PM).
- While filling out the CAT 2026 application form, candidates must select five preferred test cities from a drop-down menu, based on their preferences.
- After registration closes, any one test centre among the five preferred cities will be allotted based on candidate preferences and availability of seats.
- If a candidate is not allotted any of the preferred cities, a nearby test city will be allocated.
- It is mandatory for SC, ST, and PwBD candidates to upload a copy of their SC/ST/PwBD certificates at the time of registration.
- The CAT 2026 Admit Card will be made available for download from November 4, 2026 to November 29, 2026.
Check Detailed Guide on CAT Registration 2026
CAT Registration Fee 2026
CAT Registration Fee 2026 is non-refundable and must be paid online through debit card, credit card, net banking, or UPI. It depends on the category of the candidate (different for General category candidates and candidates belonging to reserved categories). The CAT 2026 Application Fee has been updated to INR 1350 for SC, ST & PwD and INR 2700 for all other candidates.
The registration fee for CAT 2026 is payable only once. Candidates applying for more than one IIM or participating institute must also pay the registration fee only once.
CAT Reservation 2026
CAT Reservation Policy 2026 has been prescribed for SC, ST, NC-OBC, EWS, and Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD) candidates by the Government of India for admissions to the IIMs. To seek reservation benefits under CAT 2026, candidates are required to select the appropriate category while filling out the CAT application form 2026. They must also upload the mandatory supporting documents and valid category certificates in the prescribed format. The CAT Reservation Policy 2026 for different categories is as follows:
CAT 2026 reservation policy has been framed based on the Government of India reservation norms for admissions to the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs).
As per the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 (RPwD Act 2016), “Person with Benchmark Disability” refers to candidates having not less than 40% of a specified disability
- Under the RPwD Act 2016, the categories of specified disability are as follows:
- Blindness and Low Vision
- Deaf and Hard of Hearing
- Locomotor Disability, including cerebral palsy, leprosy cured, dwarfism, acid attack victims, and muscular dystrophy
- Autism Spectrum Disorder, Intellectual Disability, Specific Learning Disability, and Mental Illness
- Multiple Disabilities involving two or more of the above categories
- Other specified disabilities listed in the Schedule of the RPwD Act, 2016
- To apply under the NC-OBC category, candidates are required to upload an NC-OBC certificate issued on or after April 1, 2026.
- An EWS certificate valid for the year 2026–27 and specifically assessed for the financial year 2025–26 is required for EWS candidates.
CAT Score 2026
CAT score 2026 will be calculated based on the procedure implemented by the respective university or institution. Grades/CGPA can be converted to percentage of marks by following the process mentioned by the respective university or institution. If there is no scheme for converting CGPA into equivalent marks at a particular university or institution, normalization of scores will be employed for marks calculation, as the CAT exam 2026 will be conducted in 3 sessions. After candidates have appeared for the exam, their raw scores across different slots will be recorded or sealed first. Later, this sealed score will be an important component for the calculation of percentile. The CGPA must be divided by the maximum possible CGPA and multiplied by 100.
Which Courses are Available after the CAT Exam 2026?
CAT 2026 scores will provide admission to flagship postgraduate management programmes like MBA, PGP, Executive MBA, Human Resource Management, Business Analytics, Sustainability Management, etc. at all 21 Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs). The eligibility and selection criteria for each programme will be specified by the respective IIMs. Doctoral-level programmes in management, such as PhD, Fellow Programme in Management (FPM), Executive PhD, Doctoral Programme in Management, and PhD for Working Professionals are also offered through the CAT exam 2026.
Post Graduate Programmes in Management (PGP) after CAT Exam 2026
The Post Graduate Programmes offered by the IIMs are provided in the table below.
Fellow Programmes in Management (FPM) [PhD] after CAT Exam 2026
The IIMs offering Fellow Programmes in Management (FPM) are provided in the table below.
CAT 2026 Notification FAQs
Is CAT registration open for 2026?
Yes, CAT registration for 2026 was opened on August 3, 2026 (10:00 AM onwards). The CAT last date to apply for 2026 online through the official CAT website is September 15, 2026 (up to 5:00 PM).
Which IIM is conducting CAT 2026?
IIM Indore is responsible for conducting CAT 2026. The official notification was released on July 26, 2026.
What is the date of the CAT exam in 2026?
CAT 2026 exam will be conducted on November 29, 2026, across 170+ test centres in India.
Is CAT conducted twice a year?
No, CAT exam is always conducted only once a year, usually in late November or early December. This year, it is most likely to be conducted in November 2026.
Is 70 marks a good score in CAT?
Yes, a raw score of 70 is generally considered a good score in CAT because it places you typically around the 97–99th percentile. With this score, you can seek admission to colleges like IIM Udaipur, IIM Raipur, IIM Tiruchirappalli, IIM Kashipur, IIM Ranchi, IIM Nagpur, MDI Gurgaon, IIFT Delhi, SPJIMR Mumbai, and FMS Delhi.
Is CAT tougher than IIT?
Both the CAT and IIT entrance exams, like JEE Advanced, are highly competitive, but they test different skills. CAT focuses on aptitude, reasoning, and English, while IIT exams test advanced concepts in Physics, Chemistry, and Maths. It depends on the candidates’ strengths and what they want to pursue.
Is CAT 2026 for MBA only?
Yes, CAT 2026 is primarily for admission into MBA and other postgraduate management programs at IIMs and other B-schools in India.
What are the eligibility criteria for CAT 2026?
Candidates need to have a Bachelor’s degree with at least 50% marks (45% for SC/ST/PwD candidates) to be eligible for CAT 2026. Final-year students can also apply.
Is scoring 99 in CAT easy?
No, scoring a 99 percentile in CAT among roughly 2.5 lakh applicants is considered extremely difficult. To achieve this score, candidates must build a strong conceptual understanding of the CAT sections: VARC, DILR, and QA. They must take mock tests frequently, analyze their performance, and aim to increase their accuracy and enhance their time management skills.
When will the CAT result 2026 be released?
The CAT result 2026 will be released in the first week of January 2027 in the form of a scorecard on the CAT official website, iimcat.ac.in. Candidates must log in with their CAT ID and Password to download their scorecards, which will contain their overall CAT scaled score, section-wise CAT scaled score, section-wise CAT percentile score, and overall percentile score. The scorecard will remain valid for a maximum of 1 year, up to December 31, 2027.
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