CAT 2026: exam date, pattern, syllabus and how to prepare
The Common Admission Test (CAT) is the computer-based test the Indian Institutes of Management use as one part of admission to their postgraduate and doctoral management programmes; many other business schools use the score too. IIM Indore is conducting it this year. The fact most candidates want now: CAT 2026 is on Sunday 29 November 2026, in three sessions, according to the press release of 26 July 2026 on the CAT website (checked 20 October 2026). That leaves about six weeks. This guide covers the date, the pattern, the syllabus and a plan for those weeks.
CAT 2026 at a glance
| Conducting body | Indian Institutes of Management; IIM Indore is the convenor for CAT 2026 |
| What it is for | Shortlisting for IIM postgraduate and doctoral programmes, and for other institutes that accept the score |
| Mode | Computer-based test at a centre |
| Sections | VARC, DILR and QA, in that order |
| Questions | 68 in the 2025 test (24, 22 and 22) |
| Time | 120 minutes: 40 minutes for each section, separately timed |
| Marking | +3 for a right answer; −1 for a wrong multiple-choice answer; 0 for a wrong typed answer or a blank |
| Language | English |
| How often | Once a year |
| Official website | iimcat.ac.in |
CAT 2026 exam date
As of 20 October 2026, the CAT 2026 press release sets the test for Sunday 29 November 2026, in three sessions. The press release names iimcat.ac.in as the only CAT website, and that is where admit cards, session details and later notices appear. IIM Indore's own site, iimidr.ac.in, is the convenor's page.
You do not choose your session; it is shown on the admit card. Because sessions are scaled against each other afterwards, a hard session is not a disadvantage in itself. Our CAT exam-dates page keeps the date in one place.
How to apply for CAT
Registration for CAT 2026 runs on the CAT website through a window set in the information bulletin. If you are reading this after registering, the next steps are about the admit card and the day itself. If you have not registered, check iimcat.ac.in first to see whether the window is still open; we have not stated the window here because we could not read it on the site today.
The general sequence is:
- Read the information bulletin on iimcat.ac.in: eligibility, fee, documents and the programmes that use the score.
- Register with your own e-mail address and mobile number, and keep the login details safe.
- Fill in your academic record, work experience and category, and the other choices the form asks for, as the bulletin explains them.
- Upload a photograph, signature and any certificate the bulletin asks for (category or PwD, for example).
- Pay online and download the confirmation.
- Download the admit card from your login when the CAT website releases it, and check the session, centre and reporting time.
Keep ready: a photo ID matching the name on the form, your mark sheets, a category or PwD certificate if it applies, and your work-experience details.
CAT exam pattern
The 2026 press release confirms three sections, 120 minutes and 40 minutes a section, with no switching between sections. It does not give the number of questions or the marking, so the counts below are those of the test of 30 November 2025.
| Section | Time | Questions | Marks | What is in it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) | 40 minutes | 24 | 72 | 4 passages of 4 questions; 2 summaries, 2 paragraph completions, 2 odd-sentence and 2 jumble questions (the last four typed) |
| Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR) | 40 minutes | 22 | 66 | 5 sets: two of 5 questions and three of 4; about half typed |
| Quantitative Ability (QA) | 40 minutes | 22 | 66 | 14 multiple-choice and 8 typed in the reported 2025 mix |
| Total | 120 minutes | 68 | 204 |
Is there negative marking in CAT? Yes, but only on multiple-choice questions: a wrong choice costs 1 mark. A wrong typed answer costs nothing. That means a typed question is always worth attempting if you have any working at all. A multiple-choice guess is worth it only when you can rule out options; our article on negative marking works through the arithmetic.
CAT does not report raw marks. Each section is scaled using that session's figures and the scaled scores are added; percentiles come from the scaled total. That is why there is no fixed "pass mark": each IIM sets its own cut-offs and later rounds.
CAT syllabus
The IIMs do not publish a topic-wise syllabus. The question types in past papers are a reliable guide:
- VARC: reading comprehension on varied subjects, paragraph summary, paragraph completion, odd sentence out, paragraph jumbles.
- DILR: tables and charts, arrangements, selection and distribution, games and tournaments, scheduling.
- QA: arithmetic (percentages, ratio, time and work, time-speed-distance, interest), algebra, geometry and mensuration, number systems, and modern mathematics (permutations, probability, sequences).
Our CAT syllabus page lists the topics with the practice that matches each.
A six-week plan for CAT 2026
With about six weeks left, the job is no longer learning new chapters; it is selecting questions well under a 40-minute lock.
| Week | What to do |
|---|---|
| 1 | Take one full CAT mock test under exam conditions. Record, for each section, attempts, accuracy and the time you spent on questions you got wrong. |
| 2 | Fix the two weakest QA topics from the mock. In DILR, do one set a day with a 10-minute limit, choosing sets before you solve them. Two RC passages a day. |
| 3 | Second full mock. Compare section by section. Practise reading all five DILR sets for two minutes before starting any. |
| 4 | Two mocks this week, three days apart. After each, spend longer analysing than you spent sitting it (how to analyse a mock test). |
| 5 | Two more mocks. Settle on an order of attack inside each section and stick to it. Revise formulae and your error log. |
| 6 | One light mock early in the week, then revision only. Sleep normally, check your admit card and centre, and plan the journey. |
Our CAT section strategy goes through each section in detail.
Useful links
- CAT website: registration, information bulletin, admit card and notices
- IIM Indore, convenor for CAT 2026
- Free CAT mock tests on Mockrooms (practice tests, not the IIMs' own)
- CAT syllabus
- CAT exam dates
- CAT section strategy: 40 minutes each for VARC, DILR and QA
- Negative marking: when to guess
Frequently asked questions
When is the CAT 2026 exam date?
CAT 2026 is on Sunday 29 November 2026, in three sessions, according to the press release on iimcat.ac.in (checked 20 October 2026). Your session and centre are printed on the admit card.
Is there negative marking in CAT?
Only for multiple-choice questions, where a wrong answer costs 1 mark against 3 for a right one. A wrong typed answer and a blank both score 0.
Can I switch between sections in CAT?
No. Each section has its own 40-minute timer, in the order VARC, DILR, QA. When a section's time ends, the next starts and you cannot go back.
What is the CAT pass mark or cut-off?
There is no pass mark. CAT reports scaled scores and percentiles, and each IIM and each other institute sets its own cut-offs and later selection rounds.
What are the CAT eligibility rules?
They are in the information bulletin on iimcat.ac.in, which sets the degree and marks required and the rules for final-year students. Check them there for this year rather than relying on older guides.
Is the Mockrooms CAT mock test the official mock?
No. The IIMs publish their own screen demo on the CAT website. Our tests are original practice papers in the 2025 pattern, scored in raw marks out of 204.