{"id":17690,"date":"2025-09-26T11:28:18","date_gmt":"2025-09-26T11:28:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/careermantra.net\/blog\/?p=17690"},"modified":"2025-09-26T11:28:18","modified_gmt":"2025-09-26T11:28:18","slug":"cat-2026-exam-dates-schedule-eligibility-criteria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/careermantra.net\/blog\/cat-2026-exam-dates-schedule-eligibility-criteria\/","title":{"rendered":"CAT 2026 Exam Dates & Schedule, Eligibility Criteria"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Common Admission Test (CAT) is the portal to India’s top Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and other best B-schools. It evaluates applicants on Quantitative Ability, Verbal Ability, Data Interpretation, and Logical Reasoning. Familiarity with the timeline and fulfilling eligibility are pivotal to a successful application.<\/span><\/p>\n

This guide summarizes the<\/span> CAT 2026 exam dates, eligibility standards, application schedules<\/span><\/a>, and other important information to keep your preparation orderly.<\/span><\/p>\n

CAT 2025 Exam Schedule \u2013 Key Dates<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Event<\/b><\/td>\nTentative Date<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Official Notification Release<\/span><\/td>\nLast Week of July 2025<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Registration Start Date<\/span><\/td>\n1st Week of August 2025<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Registration Deadline<\/span><\/td>\n3rd or 4th Week of September 2025<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Form Correction Window<\/span><\/td>\nSeptember \u2013 October 2025 (1 week)<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Admit Card Release<\/span><\/td>\n3rd Week of October 2025<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
CAT 2026 Exam Date<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n30th November 2025 (Tentative \u2013 Sunday)<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Answer Key Release<\/span><\/td>\n1st Week of December 2025<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Result Declaration<\/span><\/td>\n1st Week of January 2026<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Tip<\/b>: <\/span>Keep a copy of your registration confirmation and admit card for future reference during admissions.<\/span><\/p>\n

CAT 2025 Eligibility Criteria<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Requirement<\/b><\/td>\nCriteria<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Educational Qualification<\/span><\/td>\nBachelor\u2019s degree with minimum 50% marks (45% for SC\/ST\/PwD)<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Final Year Students<\/span><\/td>\nEligible; must submit required proof by the admission deadline<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Age Limit<\/span><\/td>\nNo age limit<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Nationality<\/span><\/td>\nIndian nationals and NRIs eligible<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Work Experience<\/span><\/td>\nNot mandatory; beneficial during the interview\/admission rounds<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Eligibility Highlights \u2013 Quick Facts<\/b><\/h2>\n
    \n
  • Backlogs<\/b>: Candidates with backlogs in their undergraduate degree are <\/span>still eligible<\/b> to apply.<\/span>\n

    <\/span><\/li>\n

  • Foreign Nationals<\/b>: May need to appear for GMAT instead of CAT (depending on institute policy).<\/span>\n

    <\/span><\/li>\n

  • Documents Needed<\/b>: Recent photo, signature, category\/PwD certificate (if applicable), academic documents.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Admission Through CAT \u2013 What Comes After the Exam?<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
    Stage<\/b><\/td>\nProcess<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Written Exam (CAT)<\/span><\/td>\nComputer-based test (Verbal, Quant, DILR)<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Score Normalization<\/span><\/td>\nBased on difficulty across shifts<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Shortlisting by IIMs<\/span><\/a><\/td>\nBased on CAT score, academic profile, etc.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    WAT-GD-PI Rounds<\/span><\/td>\nConducted individually by each IIM<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Final Selection<\/span><\/td>\nComposite score: CAT + academics + experience<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

    FAQs \u2013 CAT 2025 Eligibility & Schedule<\/b><\/h2>\n
      \n
    1. Is CAT held online or offline?<\/b>
      \n<\/b> CAT is conducted <\/span>online (Computer-Based Test)<\/b> in multiple shifts.<\/span><\/p>\n

      <\/span><\/li>\n

    2. Is there a limit to the number of CAT attempts?<\/b>
      \n<\/b> No<\/b>, you can appear for CAT multiple times.<\/span><\/p>\n

      <\/span><\/li>\n

    3. Can I apply for CAT in the final year of graduation?<\/b>
      \n<\/b> Yes, but you must submit proof of graduation during admission.<\/span><\/p>\n

      <\/span><\/li>\n

    4. Will CAT be conducted in regional languages?<\/b>
      \n<\/b> No, CAT is conducted <\/span>only in English<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

      <\/span><\/li>\n

    5. Are IIMs the only colleges accepting CAT?<\/b>
      \n<\/b> No. Apart from IIMs, <\/span>FMS Delhi, MDI Gurgaon, SPJIMR, IMT, IITs<\/b>, and many top B-schools accept CAT scores.<\/span><\/p>\n

      <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Conclusion<\/b><\/h2>\n

      Knowing the CAT 2026 schedule and eligibility is the beginning to mapping your MBA path. Ensure that you apply early, fulfill all eligibility criteria, and set a goal-oriented study plan to begin preparing. The journey to IIMs begins with an informed application and prompt action.<\/span><\/p>\n

      Next Steps:<\/b>Want a CAT 2026 Preparation<\/b> Timeline or Strategy Guide? I can create that too\u2014just let me know!<\/b><\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      The Common Admission Test (CAT) is the portal to India’s top Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and other best B-schools. It evaluates applicants on Quantitative Ability, Verbal Ability, Data Interpretation, and Logical Reasoning. Familiarity with the timeline and fulfilling eligibility are pivotal to a successful application. This guide summarizes the CAT 2026 exam dates, eligibility […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[105],"tags":[631,630,413,634,633,632],"class_list":["post-17690","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cat-mat-cmat-scholarship","tag-cat-2026-exam-dates","tag-cat-2026-exam-dates-schedule","tag-cat-2026-exam-registration","tag-cat-2026-notification","tag-cat-exam-eligibility-criteria","tag-cat-exam-schedule"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/careermantra.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17690","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/careermantra.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/careermantra.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/careermantra.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/careermantra.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17690"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/careermantra.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17690\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17695,"href":"https:\/\/careermantra.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17690\/revisions\/17695"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/careermantra.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17690"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/careermantra.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17690"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/careermantra.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17690"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}