CAT Exam Registration 2026: Last Date Nov 13, IIM Bangalore

The Common Admission Test (CAT) is the most competitive MBA entrance exam in India, with 2.5 lakh+ test takers per year (2026 estimates) and 20 IIMs + 1,000+ top Indian business schools (IIM + XLRI + FMS + MDI + IIFT + IMT + SPJ + NMIMS + Symbiosis + XIM + TISS + IMI + TAPMI + 1,000+ others) accepting CAT scores. The 2026 CAT exam registration window opens August 1, 2026 + closes November 13, 2026 (5:00 PM IST), and the CAT 2026 exam date is November 22, 2026 (Sunday), conducted by IIM Bangalore. This walkthrough reads the 2026 CAT exam registration the way a 2026 CAT aspirant, a coaching institute, an MBA mentor, or an IIM admissions officer encounters it: the 2026 CAT exam dates + the 6-step registration process + the 5 eligibility requirements + the 3-section + 68-question + 120-minute + 198-mark exam pattern + the 4-6 month study schedule + the 5 prep books + the 5-vendor comparison (CAT + XAT + NMAT + SNAP + IIFT) + the 5 IIM tiers + the 5 customer profiles + the 2026-2030 outlook for the Indian MBA entrance exam market.

Last verified: October 9, 2026.

CAT 2026 key dates

The 2026 CAT exam timeline is 10 milestones over 11 months. The 2026 typical CAT candidate spends 4-6 months of full-time study (June-November 2026) for the CAT exam. The 2026 typical CAT 99+ percentile candidate (top 1% of test takers) spends 6-12 months of full-time study (November 2025-November 2026) for the CAT exam. The 2026 typical CAT 95+ percentile candidate (top 5%) spends 4-8 months of full-time study. The 2026 typical CAT 90+ percentile candidate (top 10%) spends 3-6 months.

The 5 eligibility requirements (2026)

1. Bachelor's degree with 50%+ aggregate (45%+ for SC/ST/PwD) from a recognised university. Final-year Bachelor's degree students are also eligible. The 2026 typical admitted candidate has a 60-80%+ aggregate in a Bachelor's degree in engineering + commerce + arts + science + management + computer applications + law + pharmacy + medicine + design + architecture.
2. Age limit: No upper or lower age limit (the 2026 typical admitted candidate is 22-30 years old). The 2026 typical admitted candidate has 0-5 years of work experience (work experience is preferred but not required for the 2026 IIM admission).
3. Nationality: Indian citizen + PIO + OCI + foreign national. The 2026 typical admitted candidate is an Indian citizen with a valid Indian passport + Aadhaar card + PAN card + Class X + Class XII mark sheets + Bachelor's degree mark sheets + provisional degree certificate + final degree certificate (or final-year mark sheets + final-year enrollment certificate).
4. Category: General + OBC-NCL + SC + ST + EWS + PwD. The 2026 typical admitted candidate is General (50%+) + OBC-NCL (30%+) + SC (15%+) + ST (5%+) + EWS (10%+) + PwD (5%+ horizontal). The 2026 typical reservation applies to IIM admission (not to CAT score), with the 2026 IIM cutoffs varying by category.
5. Photo + signature + category + disability status uploaded correctly during the 2026 registration window (with the November 14-16, 2026 correction window for photo + signature + category). The 2026 typical photo + signature + category + disability status is uploaded at 200x200 px (photo) + 200x100 px (signature) + JPG/PNG format + 50-200 KB size.

The 5 eligibility requirements are the standard CAT 2026 requirements. The 2026 typical admitted candidate has a 60-80%+ aggregate in a Bachelor's degree + 0-5 years work experience + an Indian passport + Aadhaar + PAN + the standard CAT registration. The 2026 typical registration fee is INR 2,500 (General/OBC-NCL) + INR 1,250 (SC/ST/PwD). The 2026 typical registration cost is INR 2,500 + INR 200-$500 (for the photo + signature + Aadhaar upload + the test city selection + the slot booking + the section order + the mock test).