CAT Admit Card

Yes the CAT admit card is required for both attending the CAT exam and for admission process at participating beeschool and IIMs serving as a crucial proof of your exam attendance and containing essential personal and exam details

Candidates can paste a recent photo on CAT admit card with face clearly visible, without goggles or caps. They should preferably paste same photo that they uploaded in CAT application form.

CAT hall ticket download link will be deactivated after the exam day, so candidates will not be able to download it after the exam day. Candidates must ensure they preserve their CAT admit card even after the exam as it may be needed at the time of admission. Do not discard your admit card until the admission process is complete as one cannot access it on the official website after the exam.

There is no option to make changes in the CAT admit card. Details printed on the candidate's hall ticket will be final and non-editable. Incase, there is any error in the details mentioned on the CAT admit card, like name or roll number of the candidate., etc. then that can be rectified by contacting the CAT help desk.

Some B-schools ask for the CAT admit card and some do not, during admission. So, it is better to preserve the CAT admit card even after the exam. One must not discard it until they have secured admission in an MBA college. Having unsigned soft copy may not be helpful if any college asks for it. The signed and stamped copy (by the exam invigilator) of the CAT admit card will be considered actual proof of candidature.

CAT admit card is not sent to any candidate by post. Every candidate has to download their CAT hall ticket from the IIMCAT website by using their login credentials created at the time of exam registration. The announcement of release of CAT admit card is done by the exam convening IIM about 10-15 days before the exam. The CAT admit card release date is also shared beforehand so that candidates can download their admit cards in time.

CAT 2025 admit card release date was November 12, 2025. Earlier, it was supposed to be released on November 5 but was delayed by a week.

No, applicants are not permitted to enter the exam room with a digital copy of their CAT admit card. As directed by the guidelines, it must be printed out. It is required that you bring your CAT admit card to the exam centre. Applicants will not be allowed to take the CAT exam if they do not have the admit card. Prior to the CAT exam day, candidates are required to download their admit cards and print two copies of the same. The exam date, time, slot, location, reporting time, and general rules for behaviour at the exam centre are all listed on each candidate's CAT admit card.

The CAT exam was conducted in three slots for the last three years. It usually had a format of two slots, each lasting three hours. 2020 onwards, the officials of CAT decided to conduct the exam in three slots between 8 AM and 4 PM. The CAT slots timings are 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM (First Slot), 12:30 PM to 2:30 PM (Second Slot) and 4:30 to 6:30 (Third Slot). The CAT exam is conducted across 150 cities in 400 centres in India. Candidates are requested to note that they cannot change their assigned slots. The assigned slots are also printed on the admit card and students need to adhere to that. 

It is unlikely that you will be allowed to download a copy of the CAT admit card after the exam is over. The CAT admit card download link is live only from the day of its release till the exam day. After the CAT exam, the admit card download link is removed from the official website.

The admit card may also not be accessible in the student dashboard after the exam or result announcement. Moreover, since the signed and stamped admit card will be considered valid for any activity post the exam, even if you can download a fresh copy after the exam day, it will be of no use. So, keep your CAT admit card safe.