The online registration window for the Common Admission Test (CAT 2026) has entered its final ten days, with the application portal set to close on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, strictly at 5:00 PM IST. Candidates seeking admission into Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Post Graduate Programmes in Management (PGP) across 21 Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and over 1,200 non-IIM business schools must complete their registration and fee submission on the official website at iimcat.ac.in.
CAT 2026 Important Deadlines & Schedule
Prospective MBA aspirants should carefully review the official examination timeline:
- Conducting Body: Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs)
- Official Application Portal: iimcat.ac.in
- Online Registration Closes: September 15, 2026 (Strictly at 5:00 PM IST)
- Application Correction Window: Late September 2026 (Permitted only for photo, signature, and exam city preferences)
- Admit Card Release Date: November 4, 2026
- Computer-Based Test (CBT) Date: Sunday, November 29, 2026 (Conducted across 170 test cities in 3 shifts)
- Announcement of Results: Second week of January 2027
Eligibility Criteria & Application Fee Structure
Candidates must verify that they fulfill the essential qualification requirements before submitting the form:
- Academic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 50% aggregate marks or equivalent CGPA (45% for SC, ST, and PwBD categories) from a recognized university.
- Final-Year Students: Candidates appearing for the final year of their Bachelor's degree or awaiting graduation results are fully eligible to apply.
- Application Fee:
- General, EWS, and NC-OBC Candidates: Rs. 2,700/-
- SC, ST, and PwBD Candidates: Rs. 1,350/-
- Note: The fee is paid only once, irrespective of the number of IIM programmes or institutes selected.
Mandatory Document Specifications & Upload Checklist
To avoid form rejection during scrutiny, applicants must adhere to the following file parameters:
- Passport-Size Photograph: Recent colour photograph with a plain white background taken within the last six months (Dimensions: 30mm x 45mm, file format: JPEG/JPG, size: 30 KB to 1200 KB).
- Candidate Signature: Clear signature executed on plain white paper using black ink (Dimensions: 80mm x 35mm, file format: JPEG/JPG, size: 30 KB to 1200 KB).
- Category / Caste Certificate: Valid SC/ST/NC-OBC/EWS certificate in Central Government format (PDF format).
- PwD / Scribe Documents: Medical disability certificate issued by a competent authority along with a scribe undertaking form (if requiring scribe assistance).
- Examination City Preferences: Candidates can select up to five (5) preferred test cities in order of priority from the nationwide list.
Comprehensive Computer-Based Test (CBT) Exam Pattern
The 2-hour entrance examination features 66 questions structured across three non-switchable sections:
- Total Duration & Sectional Limits: 120 minutes (2 hours), divided into three mandatory 40-minute sections with automated sectional lock.
- Section 1 — Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC): 24 Questions (40 Minutes)
- Section 2 — Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR): 20 Questions (40 Minutes)
- Section 3 — Quantitative Ability (QA): 22 Questions (40 Minutes)
- Total Questions & Marking Scheme: 66 questions carrying 198 total marks. Each correct answer earns +3 marks, each incorrect MCQ response incurs a penalty of -1 mark, while Non-MCQ (Type In The Answer – TITA) questions carry zero negative marking.