The online registration window for the Common Admission Test (CAT 2026) is in its final 48 hours, with the application portal set to close permanently on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, strictly at 5:00 PM IST. Prospective management aspirants aiming for MBA and PGDM admissions across 21 Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and over 1,200 non-IIM business schools must finalize their application submissions and online fee payments on the official website at iimcat.ac.in.
CAT 2026 Final Application Schedule & Key Deadlines
Candidates must take note of the strict deadline and upcoming exam calendar:
- Conducting Body: Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs)
- Official Application Portal: iimcat.ac.in
- Online Registration Deadline: Tuesday, September 15, 2026 (Strictly at 5:00 PM IST)
- Application Extension Status: No extension is expected; server traffic increases exponentially in the final hours.
- Application Form Correction Window: Fourth week of September 2026 (Permitted only for photo, signature, and test city preferences)
- Admit Card Release Date: November 4, 2026 (5:00 PM onwards)
- Computer-Based Test (CBT) Date: Sunday, November 29, 2026 (Administered across 170 test cities in 3 shifts)
- Announcement of Results: Second week of January 2027
Critical Last-Minute Checkpoints Before Submission
Aspirants should thoroughly verify the following parameters to ensure valid submission:
- Fee Payment Confirmation: The application is considered complete only after successful fee payment (Rs. 2,500/- for General, EWS, and NC-OBC; Rs. 1,250/- for SC, ST, and PwD). Verify that the transaction status displays 'Successful' and download the fee receipt immediately.
- Photo & Signature Compliance: Uploaded photographs must have a plain white background, not older than six months (30mm x 45mm, JPEG format, 30 KB to 1200 KB). Signatures must be executed in black ink on white paper (80mm x 35mm). Applications with selfies, side angles, or blurred signatures face immediate rejection during administrative scrutiny.
- Central Government Category Certificates: SC, ST, NC-OBC, and EWS certificates must strictly follow the Central Government formats prescribed by the CAT committee. State-level OBC certificates lacking central notification will not be accepted for reservation benefits.
- Programme & City Preferences: Review the five selected exam city choices in order of priority and ensure that all desired IIM interview programmes and campuses are selected.
Overview of CAT 2026 Computer-Based Exam Pattern
The 2-hour entrance examination consists of 66 questions carrying 198 total marks across three non-switchable sections:
- Total Duration: 120 minutes (2 hours), with an automated 40-minute timer for each section.
- 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)
- Marking Scheme: Each correct response awards +3 marks. A penalty of -1 mark is deducted for every wrong MCQ response. Non-MCQ (Type In The Answer – TITA) questions carry zero negative marking.
Step-by-Step Online Registration & Fee Payment Guide
Follow these instructions to complete your registration before the portal closes at 5:00 PM on September 15:
- Visit the official portal at iimcat.ac.in.
- Click on 'New Candidate Registration' to generate your User ID and Password using your verified Mobile Number and Email ID.
- Log in with your credentials and complete personal, academic, and work experience details.
- Select your preferred IIM programmes and assign five test city preferences.
- Upload your photograph, signature, and category documentation matching prescribed dimensions.
- Submit the application fee online using Credit Card, Debit Card, Net Banking, or UPI.
- Download the submitted application form summary and payment receipt for future reference.