CAT 2026 registration is the gateway every serious MBA aspirant is now watching. With the exam season approaching, the CAT 2026 registration window, notification, eligibility rules and exam pattern are the four things you must lock down before you touch a single mock. This guide brings all of it together in one place — with the important caveat that, until the official notification lands on iimcat.ac.in, every date below is expected and based on the Common Admission Test’s remarkably consistent multi-year calendar. Treat it as a planning framework, then confirm each number the moment the notice is published.
CAT 2026 Registration: Expected Dates at a Glance
The Common Admission Test (CAT) is the single most important entrance exam for admission to the IIMs and hundreds of top B-schools across India. Following the pattern of the last several cycles, here is the timeline aspirants should pencil in:
- Official notification (expected): last Sunday of July 2026 — around 26 July 2026, as per past-year trends.
- Registration opens (expected): first week of August 2026 (typically the first working day of the month).
- Registration closes (expected): mid-to-late September 2026.
- Admit card (expected): released roughly a fortnight before the exam.
- Exam date (expected): last Sunday of November — around 29 November 2026, in three computer-based slots.
- Result (expected): second or third week of December 2026.
As per prevailing reports, IIM Indore is expected to conduct CAT 2026, though this is confirmed only once the official notification is released. The conducting IIM rotates each year and sets the paper, but the pattern and portal stay the same.
CAT 2026 Eligibility: Who Can Apply
The eligibility criteria for CAT are refreshingly simple, which is exactly why the applicant pool is so large and competitive. You are eligible to appear if you meet the following:
- Qualification: A bachelor’s degree from a UGC-recognised university with at least 50% aggregate marks (45% for SC, ST and PwD candidates).
- Final-year students: Those awaiting results can also apply, provided they meet the marks threshold on completion.
- Age: No upper or lower age limit.
- Attempts: No cap on the number of attempts.
Note that clearing CAT only makes you eligible for the next stage. Each IIM then applies its own shortlisting formula — CAT percentile plus academic record, work experience, gender and academic diversity, and the WAT-PI (Written Ability Test and Personal Interview) round. Your CAT score is the ticket to the door; the interview is where the offer is won.
CAT 2026 Exam Pattern: What the Paper Looks Like
CAT is a two-hour computer-based test, and its sectional-lock structure is what makes time management non-negotiable. Based on the recent pattern, expect:
- Duration: 120 minutes, split into three sections of 40 minutes each. You cannot move between sections once a section’s timer starts.
- Section 1 — Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC).
- Section 2 — Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR).
- Section 3 — Quantitative Ability (QA).
- Marking: +3 for each correct answer, −1 for each wrong MCQ. TITA (Type In The Answer) questions carry no negative marking.
The total question count has hovered around the high-60s in recent years, with a healthy mix of MCQ and TITA questions. The exact split is confirmed in the notification, so build your prep on the concepts rather than a fixed number.
How to Turn This Timeline Into a Prep Plan
July is the ideal month to move from casual study to a structured runway. With roughly four to five months to the exam, aspirants who convert theory into timed practice now are the ones who peak in November. A sensible July-to-November arc looks like this: finish concept-building by early September, shift to sectional tests through September and October, and dedicate the final stretch almost entirely to full-length mocks and analysis.
At CAT Gurukul, our programmes are built around exactly this rhythm. Explore live, interactive sessions with mentors on our Live Classes page, or attend a session inside the Live Classroom to see the teaching style before you commit. Serious aspirants who want the full concept-plus-mocks stack should look at the All-Access Pass, and you can even win a fee waiver by taking the CGSAT scholarship test online. The goal is simple: when the official CAT 2026 registration window opens in August, you should already be deep into structured practice — not scrambling to start.
Frequently Asked Questions
When will CAT 2026 registration begin?
Going by past-year trends, CAT 2026 registration is expected to open in the first week of August 2026 on iimcat.ac.in, shortly after the official notification (expected around the last Sunday of July). Confirm the exact date from the official notice.
Which IIM is conducting CAT 2026?
As per prevailing reports, IIM Indore is expected to conduct CAT 2026. The conducting body is officially confirmed only when the CAT 2026 notification is released, so treat this as tentative until then.
What is the eligibility for CAT 2026?
You need a bachelor’s degree from a UGC-recognised university with at least 50% aggregate marks (45% for SC/ST/PwD). Final-year students can also apply, and there is no age limit or cap on attempts.
When is the CAT 2026 exam expected?
Based on the consistent multi-year calendar, CAT 2026 is expected to be held on the last Sunday of November — around 29 November 2026 — as a computer-based test in three slots. The official date is confirmed in the notification.
