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CAT (Common Admission Test)

Evidence status: 🟢 official. Every number below is from the CAT 2026 Information Bulletin (dated 26-07-2026), the official notification, fetched from the CAT website on 2026-10-03. The bulletin states no question count, duration, sectional timings, marking scheme or syllabus — confirm the current test structure in the official mock test before the exam.

CAT is the entrance to the IIMs' management programmes (PGP/MBA and fellow/PhD programmes listed in the bulletin) and its scores are also used by other listed non-IIM business schools for admission.

At a glance
Conducted by The IIMs (convening IIM rotates)
Mode Computer-based test, held in three sessions
CAT 2026 date Sunday, November 29, 2026
Registration August 3, 2026 (10:00 a.m.) – September 15, 2026 (5:00 p.m.), on the CAT website
Fee (one payment, non-refundable) ₹2,700 for all candidates except ₹1,350 for SC, ST and PwBD candidates
Admit card Download from the CAT website, November 4–29, 2026; the test centre is named on it
Result and validity Likely by the first week of January 2027; the CAT 2026 score is valid till December 31, 2027
Qualification Bachelor's degree with 50% (45% for SC/ST/PwBD); final-year students may apply; CA/CS/ICWA (CMA) or FIAI professional degrees accepted with the required percentage
Test cities About 170; choose any five preferences at registration; one is allotted subject to availability

Official sources

Exam pattern

The bulletin confirms a computer-based test in three sessions on November 29, 2026. It does not state the number of questions, total marks, per-section time limits, question types or marking scheme, so this page asserts none of them. The current structure (section order, timers, navigation and marking rules) is shown in the official mock test on https://iimcat.ac.in — attempt it before fixing your strategy.

Each IIM then shortlists on its own criteria: the CAT score is one component alongside academic record, work experience and other inputs, with weights set by each IIM.

Syllabus

The bulletin prescribes no syllabus. Past papers have tested English comprehension and verbal ability, data interpretation with logical reasoning, and school-level quantitative aptitude — use the shared modules below and the official mock test to calibrate depth.

How to prepare (free, in order)

  1. Read dense English daily (editorials, long-form essays) for speed and comprehension.
  2. Rebuild school arithmetic, algebra and geometry before touching shortcuts; they carry the quant section.
  3. Practise data sets and logical puzzles in timed blocks, since sections are separately timed.
  4. Attempt the official mock on iimcat.ac.in first and read its marking rules before deciding what to guess.
  5. Take full mocks under real time rules and analyse every error.

Free resources