CAT 2026 – Common Admission Test

Indian Institute of Management Indore (IIM Indore) National Level PG Online Management

Application Opens 03 Aug 2026

Application Closes 22 Sep 2026

Exam Date 29 Nov 2026

Result Date 05 Jan 2027

Sudeshna Chakrabarti Updated on 03-Oct-2026

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CAT 2026 – Common Admission Test

CAT is one of India's most widely used management entrance examinations. It assesses a candidate's ability in Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Ability (QA).

The examination is conducted annually for admission to various postgraduate and other management programmes offered by IIMs. Individual IIMs independently determine their admission criteria, which may include CAT performance along with academic profile, work experience, category and other parameters.

CAT 2026 Highlights

Particular	Details
Exam Name	Common Admission Test
Common Name	CAT
Conducting Body	IIMs
Exam Level	National Level
Exam Mode	Computer-Based Test
Exam Date	29 November 2026
Application Start Date	5 August 2026
Last Date to Apply	13 September 2026
Exam Duration	120 Minutes
Sections	VARC, DILR, QA
Medium	English
Courses	MBA/PGP and other management programmes
Result	Expected in December 2026
Official Website	CAT official portal

CAT Important Dates

Event	Date	Status
Application Opens	03 Aug 2026	Completed
Application Closes	22 Sep 2026	Completed
Exam Date	29 Nov 2026	Upcoming
Result Date	05 Jan 2027	Upcoming

Frequently Asked Questions

CAT (Common Admission Test) is a national-level computer-based entrance examination conducted by the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs). CAT scores are primarily used for admission to various Postgraduate, Fellow and Doctorate programmes offered by IIMs, and are also accepted by several other participating management institutions.

Candidates generally need a bachelor's degree with at least 50% marks or equivalent CGPA. For candidates belonging to SC, ST and PwD categories, the minimum is 45%. Final-year bachelor's degree students can also apply, subject to the applicable requirements.

CAT tests candidates in three major areas: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Ability (QA). The exact exam pattern, duration and number of questions should be checked in the official CAT 2026 notification.

No. Meeting the CAT eligibility criteria or obtaining a qualifying score does not guarantee shortlisting or admission. Each IIM follows its own selection process, which can consider CAT performance along with factors such as academic profile, work experience, category and performance in subsequent selection stages.

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