Updated 23 October 2026. This checklist was first written for the pre-registration months; registration closed on 15 September 2026, so it now covers the run-up to the exam.
CAT 2026 is on Sunday, 29 November 2026, in three sessions, as a computer-based test in about 170 cities. Registration ran from 3 August to 15 September 2026. Between now and exam day, the aim is simple: make exam day a non-event, so your last weeks of practice are not broken by paperwork or surprises.
Here are ten things to lock, in order.
1. Download your admit card as soon as the window opens
The official notice says admit cards can be downloaded from 4 November to 29 November 2026 on iimcat.ac.in. Download it early, keep a printed copy and a saved PDF. More: CAT 2026 admit card window.
2. Check every detail on it
Name, photograph, signature, category, test city, test centre, session and reporting time. If anything looks wrong, contact the CAT help desk listed in the official bulletin (1800 210 0175) or through iimcat.ac.in straight away — not on the day before the test.
3. Plan the route to your centre
Each candidate is allotted one of the five test cities chosen at registration, subject to availability, and the test centre is named on the admit card. Find the centre on a map, estimate travel time for your session, and plan a backup route. More: CAT 2026 test cities and travel planning.
4. Keep the documents the admit card asks for
Carry exactly what the admit card and the CAT website instruct — the admit card itself and the identity proof they specify. Keep them in one folder the night before.
5. Check the marking rules on iimcat.ac.in
The official notice does not state the question count, section timing or marking scheme. Read them on iimcat.ac.in and settle your guessing policy for each question type during mocks, not in the exam hall.
6. Taper your mocks
Use the next three weeks for full mocks with careful review, then ease off in the final week. Try at least one mock at the same time of day as your allotted session. Our week-by-week plan for the final five weeks lays this out.
7. Keep your category and academic papers ready for the next stage
The bulletin says no change of category is allowed after registration, and that IIMs may verify eligibility at various stages of the selection process. For CAT 2026, NC-OBC certificates must be issued on or after 1 April 2026, and EWS certificates must be valid for 2026–27. Final-year students, if selected, can join only provisionally and must submit a completion certificate from their Principal or Registrar by the date each IIM sets. Keep all of these in one place now.
8. Lock your parallel exam deadlines
If you are also taking other MBA entrance tests:
- XAT 2027: registration closes 6 December 2026; the test is on 3 January 2027 (xatonline.in).
- SNAP 2026: test dates 13, 19 and 26 December 2026; registration closes 25 November (snaptest.org).
All dates in one place: MBA entrance calendar, November 2026 – January 2027.
9. Know what happens after the test
The CAT 2026 result is likely to be declared by the first week of January 2027 (tentative), and the CAT 2026 score is valid until 31 December 2027. Each IIM sets its own eligibility criteria and selection process; read each institute’s admission policy on its own website. More: what happens after the CAT result.
10. Protect the basics
Regular sleep matched to your session time, simple meals, no new topics in the last week. A calm, rested candidate reads questions better.
The 10-minute audit
Go down this list today and mark each item done, in progress or not started. Anything not started, do this week. The goal is not to be over-prepared — it is to reach 29 November with nothing left to sort out except the paper itself.
