What is CAT 2026?
The Common Admission Test, or CAT, is a national-level entrance examination that provides the aspirant access to various graduate management courses in India. The examination is used for admission to the MBA or PGDM courses at the 22 IIMs in India, as well as at other top business schools in the country.
It is expected that the students who plan to take the CAT 2026 examination must have the necessary knowledge of the following:
- The examination is held in Computer-Based Testing (CBT) mode in morning, afternoon, and evening sessions.
- The examination will comprise questions from the following sections: Data Interpretation, Logical Reasoning, Verbal Ability, Reading Comprehension, and Quantitative Aptitude.
CAT 2026 Eligibility Criteria
To take the CAT 2026 Exam, all that is required is to complete a bachelor's degree in any discipline (B.A, B.Com, B.Sc) with a minimum of 50% or 45% marks (SC, ST, PwD).
Eligibility Criteria:
- A bachelor’s degree with 50% marks (45% for SC/ST/PwD students)
- Students in the final year of college or waiting for results can also apply (produce your degree certificate later)
- People who have done CA, CS, ICWA or FIAI are also allowed if they have the required marks.
- There is NO AGE LIMIT!
- Unlimited Attempts.
Check: CAT Eligibility Criteria 2026, Age Limit, Educational Qualification, Reservation Policy
CAT 2026 Marks Calculation
CAT 2026 follows the pattern of normalization of marks since the exam is held in 3 sessions and across multiple cities in India. After the exam, the raw scores are sealed across different slots. The sealed score then is used to calculate percentile, which reflects a candidate’s performance compared to other candidates.
CAT 2026 Reservation
The CAT exam follows the Government of India’s reservation policy for admission to IIMs. Seats are reserved for SC, ST, OBC-NCL, EWS, and PwD candidates, as per the prescribed percentage norms.
| Category | Reservation |
| Scheduled Caste (SC) | 15% |
| Scheduled Tribe (ST) | 7.5% |
| Non-Creamy Other Backwards Classes (NC OBC) | 27% |
| Economically Weaker Section | Till 10% |
| Person with Disability | 5% |
Also Check: Reservation Requirements for CAT
Ques. Is there any age limit for the CAT exam?
Ans. No, there is no age limit for appearing in the CAT exam. The IIMs do not impose any age restrictions which makes it accessible to freshers, working professionals, and experienced candidates.
Ques. Is Work Experience mandatory for admission in MBA?
Ans. No, work experience is not mandatory for admission in MBA. Both fresh graduates and working professionals can apply.
Ques. Is there a fixed number of attempts for the CAT Exam?
Ans. No, there’s no cap on the number of attempts for the CAT exam. Candidates can appear for this exam multiple times.
CAT 2026 Registration Process
The CAT registration process is conducted online through the official website. Candidates must create an account with valid details- personal and academic details
Candidates Registered and Appeared in CAT 2025 Exam
For CAT 2025, approx. 2.95 lakh candidates registered, marking a noticeable 10% dip from the previous year’s records.
Out of these, about 2.58 lakh students actually showed up on exam day, resulting in an attendance of roughly 87%.
While the numbers saw a slight correction, the competition remained intense, with aspirants vying for seats across the IIMs and B-schools.
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Category-wise Break-up of CAT 2025
| Category | % age of Candidates Registered | % age of Candidates Appeared |
| GEN | 65.76% | 65.32% |
| EWS | 5.26% | 5.59% |
| NC-OBC | 17.82% | 18.52% |
| SC | 8.75% | 8.34% |
| ST | 2.38% | 2.22% |
| PwD | 0.49% | 0.49% |
Gender wise Break-up
| Gender | Registered | Appeared |
| Female | 1.10 lakh | 1.61 lakh |
| Male | 1.85 lakh | 0.97 lakh |
| Transgender | 9 | 9 |
CAT 2026 Documents Required
CAT 2026 registration process will be conducted online. Candidates must upload the required documents, photos, and pay the application fees to register themselves successfully.
Last year, 2.95 lakh students registered for the exam, out of which 2.58 lakh students appeared for the exam. Similarly in 2024, 3.29 lakh students registered for the exam, and in 2023, 3.25 lakh students registered for the exam.
As per the 2025 report, there’s a significant dip in the number of students who registered for the CAT exam as compared to 2024.
| Documents | Requirements |
| Photograph | - Recent passport-size photo
- White/Off white background is preferred
- 30mm x 45mm Max
- 1 MB JPEG/JPG/PNG format
|
| Signature | - Name signed with a black pen on a white paper
- Max size: 80 KB
- Dimensions: 80mm x 35mm
- JPEG/JPG/PNG format
|
| Category Certificate | - Required if applicable
- Accepted Format= SC/ST/NC-OBC/EWS
|
| Academic Details | 10th, 12th, Graduation, Master’s/Professional Degree. Convert CGPA/Grades to percentage |
| Disability Certificate | Required if applicableAccepted formats: PwD Form V / VI / VII |
Read Also: CAT Documents Required 2026: Check Documents Required for CAT Registration and Exam Day
CAT 2026 Application Fees
The CAT 2026 application fees must be paid during the final stages of registration to complete the process. The application fees vary by category.
| Category | Registration Fees |
| GEN/EWS/OBC | 2,600 INR |
| SC/ST/PwD | 1,300 INR |
Once paid, the application fees are non-refundable.
The application fees must be paid only through online payment methods such as credit cards, debit cards, net banking, or UPI.
The application will be considered successful only when the payment is transferred to the beneficiary.
After successfully paying the application fees, candidates can download the application form and payment receipt for future reference.
Also Check: Additional Transaction Fee for CAT 2025
CAT 2025 DILR Question Paper PDF
CAT 2025 VARC Question Paper PDF
CAT 2025 QA Question Paper PDF
Also Check: CAT Previous Year Question Papers
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