CAT 2026 registration to begin soon at iimcat.ac.in; eligibility criteria, pattern

The Common Admission Test (CAT) registration is expected to start soon on the IIM CAT at iimcat.ac.in. The official CAT 2026 notification is likely to be released later this month by the participating Indian Institute of Management (IIMs), with the registration process expected to begin in August 2026. CAT is conducted for admission into MBA programmes at the participating IIMs.

Candidates applying for CAT 2026 must hold a bachelor's degree from a recognised university with at least 50% marks or an equivalent CGPA. For candidates belonging to the SC, ST, and PwD categories, the minimum required marks are 45%.

Students in the final year of their graduation are also eligible to apply, provided they meet the prescribed conditions. In addition, candidates holding professional qualifications such as CA (ICAI), CS (ICSI), CMA/ICWAI are eligible to appear for the examination.

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IIM CAT Registration 2026: Steps to fill form

To fill out the IIM CAT registration 2026, applicants need to follow the steps given below:

• Visit the official website of IIM CAT at iimcat.ac.in
• On the homepage, click on ‘new registration’ option
• Create login details by entering basic details and use OTP to verify details
• Fill out the personal and academic details, upload the documents, make the payment and submit
• Select test cities, IIMs and courses, add work experience (optional)
• Download the confirmation page and take a printout for further reference

IIM CAT 2026: Exam pattern

The CAT 2026 examination is expected to be conducted over 120 minutes and will comprise three sections: verbal ability and reading comprehension (VARC), data interpretation and logical reasoning (DILR), and quantitative ability (QA).

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CAT 2026: Registration fee

The CAT 2026 application fee is expected to be Rs. 1,300 for candidates belonging to the SC, ST, and PwD categories, while candidates from all other categories are likely to pay Rs. 2,600. The registration fee is payable only once, regardless of the number of participating institutes selected during the application process.