{"id":18640,"date":"2025-10-09T06:24:48","date_gmt":"2025-10-09T06:24:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/careermantra.net\/blog\/?p=18640"},"modified":"2025-10-09T06:24:48","modified_gmt":"2025-10-09T06:24:48","slug":"cat-2026-notification-release-date","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/careermantra.net\/blog\/cat-2026-notification-release-date\/","title":{"rendered":"CAT 2026 notification release date"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/careermantra.net\/exam\/6\/cat-2025\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Common Admission Test (CAT)<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is India&#8217;s most elite MBA entrance test, being the door to the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and other leading B-schools like FMS, MDI, SPJIMR, IMT, IITs, and more.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CAT is administered every year by one of the IIMs on a rotational basis. The CAT 2026 announcement is one of the most highly anticipated announcements for MBA aspirants wishing to get admission in 2026.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This guide provides the CAT 2026 announcement release date, major schedules, exam pattern, eligibility, application process, and so forth.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Why Choose CAT for MBA Admissions?<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Accepted by all 21 IIMs and over 1000+ top B-schools in India.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\n<p><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Focus on core aptitude skills: QA, DILR, VARC.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\n<p><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">High ROI from top institutes (e.g., IIM Ahmedabad, FMS Delhi).<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\n<p><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Centralized admission process via IIM CAP and other common counseling.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\n<p><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Standardized and well-structured exam format.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\n<p><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>CAT 2025 Notification Release<\/b><\/h2>\n<h2><b>Expected Notification Date:<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Last week of July 2026<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (based on trends from previous years)<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Conducting Body<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>One of the IIMs<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (to be announced officially)<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Expected Exam Date<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Last Sunday of November 2026 (Tentatively 30th November 2026)<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>CAT 2026 Important Dates (Tentative)<\/b><\/h2>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><b>Event<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Date<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Notification Release<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Last week of July 2026<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Registration Start<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">First week of August 2026<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Registration Ends<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mid-September 2026<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Admit Card Release<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Last week of October 2026<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Exam Date<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">30th November 2026 (Tentative)<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Result Declaration<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">First week of January 2026<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2><b>CAT 2026Exam Pattern<\/b><\/h2>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><b>Section<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>No. of Questions<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Time Limit<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Verbal Ability &amp; Reading Comprehension (VARC)<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">~24<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">40 minutes<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Data Interpretation &amp; Logical Reasoning (DILR)<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">~20<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">40 minutes<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Quantitative Ability (QA)<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">~22<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">40 minutes<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Total<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">66<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">120 minutes<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2><b>CAT 2026 Eligibility Criteria<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Qualification<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Bachelor\u2019s degree with minimum 50% marks (45% for SC\/ST\/PwD).<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Final Year Students<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Eligible to apply.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Age Limit<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: No age restriction.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Application Fees (Expected)<\/b><\/h2>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><b>Category<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Fees<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">General\/OBC<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u20b92,400 \u2013 \u20b92,500<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SC\/ST\/PwD<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u20b91,200 \u2013 \u20b91,300<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2><b>Top B-Schools Accepting CAT 2026 scores<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\n<p><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">FMS Delhi, MDI Gurgaon, SPJIMR Mumbai<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\n<p><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">IITs (Delhi, Bombay, Kharagpur, Madras)<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\n<p><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">IMT Ghaziabad, TAPMI, DSE, NITIE (IIT Bombay)<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>My <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.careermantra.net\/\"><b>Career Mantra<\/b><\/a><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Begin early, create consistency, and emphasize precision. Practice with mock tests to mock actual timings and continually improve weak spots. Don&#8217;t forget, CAT is half about shrewd strategy and half about hard labor.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>FAQs<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><b>Q1. When will the CAT 2026 notification be released?<\/b><b><br \/>\n<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> A: Expected in the last week of July 2025.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Q2. When does CAT 2026registration begin?<\/b><b><br \/>\n<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> A: Likely in the first week of August 2025.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Q3. How many times can I appear for CAT?<\/b><b><br \/>\n<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> A: Once every year, but you can attempt it multiple times in different years.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Q4. Is there a sectional time limit in CAT?<\/b><b><br \/>\n<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> A: Yes, each section has a 40-minute time limit and you cannot switch between sections.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Q5. Is CAT mandatory for IIMs?<\/b><b><br \/>\n<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> A: Yes, CAT is compulsory for admission to IIMs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Q6. How early is the CAT result declared?<\/b><b><br \/>\n<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> A: Usually in the first week of January, about 4\u20135 weeks after the exam.<\/span><\/p>\n<h1><b>Conclusion<\/b><\/h1>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CAT 2025 is your way to India&#8217;s top management schools. The notification, due in July 2026, will kick off the MBA application process. Prepare in advance, remain concentrated, and leverage tools such as mocks, study groups, and revision plans.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Common Admission Test (CAT) is India&#8217;s most elite MBA entrance test, being the door to the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and other leading B-schools like FMS, MDI, SPJIMR, IMT, IITs, and more. CAT is administered every year by one of the IIMs on a rotational basis. The CAT 2026 announcement is one of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[660],"tags":[658,1379],"class_list":["post-18640","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cat-exam","tag-cat-2026-admit-card-documents","tag-cat-2026-notification-release"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>CAT 2026 notification release date - Career Mantra<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Common Admission Test (CAT) is India&#039;s most elite MBA entrance test, being the door to the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs)\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/careermantra.net\/blog\/cat-2026-notification-release-date\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"CAT 2026 notification release date - 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