2.84 Lakh Register for CAT 2026, Around 2.5 Lakh Expected to Appear for Exam
CAT 2026 exam will be conducted on November 29. Nearly 2.84 lakh candidates applied for the Common Admission Test (CAT) 2026. If the attendance trends are followed, around 2.5 lakh candidates will appear for the exam.
CAT 2026 Registration Statistics: Around 2.5 Lakh Expected to Appear for Exam
CAT 2026 registrations stood at 2.84 lakh, a decline of 3.7 per cent from 2.95 lakh in 2025. However, the number of candidates who appear for the CAT exam is lower than the registration figure. Based on recent attendance trends, around 2.48 lakh to 2.53 lakh candidates may take CAT 2026. This is an estimate, not an official attendance figure.
IIM Indore is set to conduct CAT 2026 exam on November 29, across three exam slots.
CAT Registrations vs Candidates Who Appeared
Official CAT 2024 data shows that 2.93 lakh candidates appeared out of 3.29 lakh registered eligible candidates. The reported figures for 2025 also indicate a gap between registrations and actual attendance.
| CAT Year | Registered Candidates | Appeared Candidates |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 3.29 lakh | 2.93 lakh |
| 2025 | 2.95 lakh | 2.58 lakh |
| 2026 | 2.84 lakh | 2.48 lakh - 2.53 lakh (estimate) |
The estimated attendance for 2026 is based on past attendance rates of approximately 87 per cent to 89 per cent. The actual number of candidates appearing for CAT 2026 may differ.
Real prep plan shared by CAT toppers who scored 99.9+ to 100 percentile:
- 2025 CAT Topper Anmol Gupta (99.96%): Solved 5 DILR sets in under 35 mins.
- 2024 CAT Topper Vagish Nangia (100%): Mastered VARC using a 7-8 min RC drill and prioritised sectional mocks.
- 2025 CAT Topper Pranshav Shah (99.80%): Followed daily timed routine of 4 RCs, 4 DILR sets, 30-40 Quant questions.
Registration does not guarantee attendance. Some candidates may feel underprepared as the exam approaches. Others may change their career plans, decide to apply in a later admission cycle or face clashes with other exams.
CAT Exam Attendance vs IIM Seats
There are 22 IIMs offering flagship management programmes with a projected intake of 8,200+ seats for the 2027-29 batch. If this figure is believed to be true, an estimated 2.48 lakh - 2.53 lakh test-takers would convert to approximately 30 - 31 candidates per seat. With this, the reservation policy also has to be considered.
IIMs use different selection criteria, including CAT scores, academic records, work experience and interview performance. Candidates also apply to multiple institutes.
CAT Admit Card 2026 on Nov 4
The reported registration figure counts eligible candidates who registered, not those who attended the exam. CAT 2026 is scheduled for November 29, 2026. All applicants will be issued the CAT admit card on November 4. CAT admit card is to be carried on the CAT exam day. Candidates should check the official CAT website, iimcat.ac.in, for admit card updates, exam instructions, attendance figures and results.
Commonly asked questions
The best way to prepare for DILR section is through practice. Before starting the preparation, aspirants should check previous years’ question papers. Since there is not much conceptual understanding required in this section, practice is important.
Some of the most popular books on DILR section that you can refer are How to Prepare for Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning for CAT by Arun Sharma, Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation for the CAT by Nishit Sinha, Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning for CAT by Pearson, to name a few.
In CAT Quantitative Aptitude, Arithmetic has the highest weightage with 7-8 questions in every shift. In VARC, Reading Comprehension has the maximum weightage with about 16 questions. In DILR, the number of questions are equally distributed.
CAT is a speed-based test of analytical aptitude, logical reasoning skills, data interpretation and English comprehension. Now, it may sound tough, but these are the skills which we are taught in school so there is nothing new to learn. What is required is to learn these subjects at advanced level. If you are an average student but have studied Science or Commerce in Class-12 and graduation, you will find a lot of familiar topics in Data Interpretation, Quantitative Aptitude and Logical Reasoning. All you will need is brush up the basics and practice the concepts on advanced-level problems.
However, since the competition is so high in CAT and less than 95 percentile can break your dream of joining a top college like IIM, the preparation for CAT requires a lot of focus, dedication, discipline and diligence. If you can do that, despite being an average student, you can crack the CAT exam.
Hope it was helpful!!!
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Abhishek Dhawan is a content writer and editor with 7+ years of experience in education journalism. He holds a BA degree from the University of Delhi. At Shiksha, Abhishek primarily covers MBA and BBA entrance
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