CAT 2026 Exam Dates & Schedule (Tentative): Application, Admit Card, Exam & Result

CAT 2026 registration and application link will be available at iimcat.ac.in website. Candidates will have to apply for the exam by visiting the exam website. 

Yes, CAT 2026 exam will be conducted in three shifts. Exam timing of each slot will be:

• First shift: 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM
• Second shift: 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM and 
• Third shift: 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM

There is no option to pay the fee of CAT 2026 application form in cash. The only mode of fee payment is online which includes debit card, credit card, net banking, UPI.

Yes CAT syllabus is difficult to crack if you do not have enough time. There are three subjects in CAT- VARC, DILR and Quantitative Aptitude. Most of candidates find RC passages tough to crack. In Quants, Arithmetic, Algebra and Geometry pose significant challenge during preparation. In DILR, Reasoning questions often turnout to be tricky and confusion. 

CAT has 68 questions. Each question carries three marks. There is negative marking of minus one for incorrect attempts. There is no deduction of marks for unanswered questions. Total marks in 204.

CAT 2026 may be conducted by IIM Indore. The institute had last conducted the exam in 2020, Since the top six IIMs   - BLACKI are given the responsibility to convene on rotation basis exam every five year, this year, it could be IIM Indore. Official announcement will be made most likely in May.

CAT lays a lot of emphasis on analytical skills so the questions are asked mostly from those topics which require deep learning and practice. The three sections of CAT question paper are designed in such a way that candidates have to use their ability of minute observation and fast calculation. Shared below are the section wise main topics from which questions are asked in CAT. Verbal Ability: Parajumbles, Parasummary, Sentence Completion and Inferences

• Reading Comprehension: Questions based on passages, Para meaning, Order of sentences 
• Data Interpretation: Tables, Graphs, Pie Charts, Venn Diagram, Data Sufficiency
• Logical Reasoning: Blood Relation, Seating Arrangement, Syllogism, Coding-Decoding, Sets and Caselets, Family Tree, Assumptions
• Quantitative Aptitude: Geometry, Algebra Number System Modern Math, Arithmetic, Mensuration

The difficulty level of CAT questions is usually moderate to high. Only a few questions are easy and quick to solve. To crack the CAT exam, one needs to pay attention to the abovementioned topics.

CAT exam is a national level MBA entrance exam conducted by the IIM. Every year, over 2.3 lakh candidates apply for it. Since the last two years, the competition has increased further with oveer 3 lakh candidates applying for the exam.

The CAT score is accepted by the Iims and all top MBA colleges in India. To select the best candidates from over 3 lakh test takers there is a need for stringent criteria. That's why, the CAT exam is tougher than other MBA entrance exams. Even though the syllabus of CAT is same as that of other MBA entrance exams, the question paper set by the IIM faculty always has tough questions. Moreover, CAT has sectional time limit for each section which is not there in any other exam except XAT. Having a time limit for each section adds pressure on candidates to complete solving adequate number of questions in a section within the time limit. If a student is weak in a particular subject, they can't use the time as per their need. CAT's Reading Comprehension passages are long and dense unlike other MBA exams. This is one more reason why most candidates feel CAT is tougher than any other MBA entrance exam.

CAT official mock test is released every year about a week or two before the exam date. Candidates can access it at the official website of the exam. 

CAT answer key challenge fee was earlier INR 1200 per question. It was increased to INR 1500 in 2025. The fee amount will be refunded to only those candidates whose objections have been found to be valid.

The provisional CAT answer key will not be available for download after result, the final answer key will be available. The provisional answer key can be downloaded within the objection window duration only.

After any objection against CAT answer key is accepted, the provisional answer key is rectified and released at final answer key. Candidates who have attempted that particular questions will be given marks for it.

CAT admission process for non-IIMs includes Written Ability Test (WAT) or Group Discussion (GD) and Personal Interview (PI). For admission the institutes also take into consideration candidate's academic record and work experience. Overall, the admission process of all CAT accepting colleges is same where selection is based on candidate's overall personality, communication ability and consistency in academics.

There are a very few IIMs which have CAT cutoff of 85 percentile. These are IIM Nagpur, IIM Amritsar and IIM Bodh Gaya. Since these IIMs have been launched in the last decade, the cut offs are low for admission to MBA/PGP courses. Reserved category students can apply with 85 percentile in most of the IIMs as the cut off for them is much lower in comparison to General category candidates. 

In CAT 2025, the number of 100 percentilers was 12. Check state wise data:

The minimum academic score required for IIM admission through CAT is 50 percent in Graduation. For SC/ST/PwD categories, the minimum score requirement in 45 percent.

No, candidates cannot get admission to a full-time MBA programme at a Tier 1 B-School with only the CAT score. They need to appear for and clear the WAT-PI round for admission too.

If you don't meet the minimum academic criteria for MBA, you will not be selected for the WAT-PI round of any B-School. Meeting the minimum criteria of at least 50% marks in graduation (45% for reserved category candidates), is mandatory for admission.