The Common Admission Test (CAT) 2026 registration window, open since August 3, 2026, is set to close on September 15, 2026, at 5:00 PM on the official website, iimcat.ac.in. With just days remaining, MBA aspirants aiming for admission to the 22 IIMs and over 1,500 other participating institutes are being urged to complete their application, upload documents and pay the fee well before the deadline, since the portal typically slows down closer to the closing date.

CAT 2026 Registration: Latest Update

CAT 2026 is being conducted by IIM Indore, with the exam scheduled for November 29, 2026, across three sessions in around 170 test cities nationwide. The registration process requires candidates to first create a CAT User ID using their name, date of birth, email address and mobile number, after which they can log in to complete the detailed application form covering personal details, academic qualifications, work experience, programme and IIM preferences, and choice of test city. Candidates are advised to preview all entered details carefully before making the fee payment, since no corrections are permitted once the fee is paid, apart from the limited correction window typically opened after registration closes.

CAT 2026 Application Fee

CategoryApplication Fee
General / EWS / NC-OBCRs 2,700
SC / ST / PwBDRs 1,350

The CAT 2026 application fee has increased by Rs 100 over the previous year. Candidates paying via UPI are not charged any additional processing fee, while online bank transactions may attract standard transaction charges.

CAT 2026 Eligibility

Eligibility for CAT 2026 requires a bachelor's degree with at least 50 percent aggregate marks, or 45 percent for SC, ST and PwD candidates, from a recognised university. Candidates in the final year of their bachelor's degree, or those awaiting final results, are also permitted to apply provisionally, subject to submitting proof of eligibility later as specified in the official information bulletin.

Documents Required Before You Start

  • Class 10 and Class 12 marksheets
  • Graduation and any postgraduate marksheets or certificates
  • A recent passport-size photograph in the specified format
  • A scanned signature
  • Category or PwBD certificate, where applicable
Applications for the CAT exam can be filled only at the official website, iimcat.ac.in; no other website hosts a direct link to the CAT registration form.— Editorial Advisory

How to Fill the CAT 2026 Registration Form

  1. Visit the official website, iimcat.ac.in, and click on 'New Registration' under the candidate registration section
  2. Enter your name, date of birth, valid email ID and mobile number to generate a CAT User ID
  3. Log in with the User ID and password sent to your registered email and mobile number
  4. Fill in personal details, academic qualifications, work experience, programme choices and preferred test cities
  5. Upload the required documents, including photograph, signature and certificates, in the specified format and size
  6. Preview the completed form carefully, then proceed to pay the application fee online
  7. Save and print the confirmation page and payment receipt for future reference

IIM Choices, Correction Window and Admit Card

Candidates can select multiple IIMs in their application for shortlisting toward the personal interview and admission stage, and are advised to choose a mix of established and newer IIMs based on prior year cutoffs, specialisations and fee structures before finalising their preferences, since the number of programme choices allowed is capped as specified in the CAT 2026 information bulletin. Once registration closes on September 15, candidates who need to correct details such as category, programme choice or test city are typically given a short correction window, which based on last year's pattern could open around September 24 to 27, 2026, though this year's exact dates have not yet been officially confirmed and candidates should check iimcat.ac.in directly closer to the date. Admit cards for CAT 2026 are expected to be released roughly three to four weeks ahead of the November 29 exam date, following the pattern of previous years, though the official admit card schedule is yet to be announced.

Exam Pattern and Test Cities

CAT has historically been a computer-based test conducted in three sections, Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Ability (QA), over a total duration of around two hours, split into timed sections that candidates cannot move between freely. IIM Indore typically releases the detailed exam pattern, including the exact number of questions and sectional time limits for the current year, along with the admit card, so candidates should rely on the official notification closer to the exam date rather than assuming the pattern is identical to previous years. Test city allotment is based on the preferences candidates select during registration, though the final allotted city, confirmed on the admit card, may differ from the first choice depending on availability.

Related Resources

Official References