CAT 2026Registration Open
CAT 2026
Common Admission Test for admission to postgraduate, fellow and other management programmes offered by IIMs and participating institutions.
Conducting Body
IIM Indore
Exam Mode
Computer-Based Test
Exam Date
29 November 2026
Application Fee
₹2,700 / ₹1,350
Exam Pattern
68 Questions / 204 Marks
Latest CAT 2026 Notification
CAT 2026 is being conducted by IIM Indore on 29 November 2026. Registration started on 3 August 2026, and the application deadline has been extended to 22 September 2026 at 5:00 PM.
The CAT 2026 application fee is ₹2,700 for General, EWS and NC-OBC candidates and ₹1,350 for SC, ST and PwD candidates.
View Official CAT Updates📅 CAT 2026 Important Dates
CAT 2026 Notification
26 July 2026Application Start
3 August 2026Application Last Date
22 September 2026, 5:00 PMAdmit Card
4 November 2026CAT 2026 Exam
29 November 2026Answer Key / Response Sheet
December 2026Result Declaration
First week of January 2027 (Tentative)📝 CAT 2026 Exam Pattern
Total Questions
68
24 VARC + 22 DILR + 22 QA
Total Marks
204
3 marks per correct answer
Exam Duration
120 Minutes
40 minutes per section
Exam Mode
CBT
Computer-Based Test
Sections
3
VARC, DILR and QA
Negative Marking
-1
For incorrect MCQ answers
Marking Scheme: Correct answers receive +3 marks. Incorrect MCQ answers carry a -1 mark penalty. TITA/non-MCQ questions do not have negative marking. Unattempted questions receive 0 marks.
✅ CAT 2026 Eligibility Criteria
🎓
Bachelor's Degree
Bachelor's degree with at least 50% marks or equivalent CGPA for General, EWS and NC-OBC candidates.
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Reserved Categories
SC, ST and PwD candidates require at least 45% marks or equivalent CGPA.
🎓
Final Year Students
Candidates appearing in the final year of a Bachelor's degree can also apply, subject to CAT eligibility conditions.
🎂
Age Limit
There is no upper age limit for appearing in CAT.
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Work Experience
Prior work experience is not mandatory for appearing in CAT.
📋 CAT 2026 Syllabus
CAT does not prescribe a fixed chapter-wise syllabus. The topics below represent the major areas tested across CAT papers.
68 Questions|204 Marks|120 Minutes|3 Sections
Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC)
24Q / 72M
Section Time: 40 Minutes
Reading ComprehensionPara SummaryPara JumblesOdd Sentence OutSentence CompletionSentence RearrangementVocabularyGrammarCritical ReasoningInference & Main Idea
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR)
22Q / 66M
Section Time: 40 Minutes
TablesBar GraphsLine GraphsPie ChartsCaseletsData ComparisonData SufficiencyArrangementsPuzzlesGames & TournamentsVenn DiagramsLogical Reasoning
Quantitative Aptitude (QA)
22Q / 66M
Section Time: 40 Minutes
ArithmeticPercentageProfit & LossRatio & ProportionAveragesTime & WorkTime, Speed & DistanceSimple & Compound InterestAlgebraEquationsNumber SystemGeometryMensurationPermutation & CombinationProbability
💳 CAT 2026 Application Fee
General / EWS / NC-OBC
₹2,700
The CAT registration fee is paid once during registration and is non-refundable.
🔗 Important CAT 2026 Links
📚 CAT 2026 Preparation
CAT preparation should cover all three sections: VARC, DILR and Quantitative Aptitude. Since CAT does not publish a rigid chapter-wise syllabus, candidates should use previous year papers and sectional practice to understand the types of questions asked. Regular mock tests can also help candidates become familiar with the 40-minute sectional time limits.
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Start Your CAT 2026 Preparation on Quizovers
Practice CAT previous year papers, section-wise questions and mock tests with Quizovers.