CAT 2026 registrations fall to 2.84 lakh; exam on November 29

The Indian Institute of Management Indore (IIM Indore) has announced that 2.84 lakh candidates have registered for the Common Admission Test (CAT) 2026. This figure represents a 3.7% decline in registrations compared to CAT 2025, when approximately 2.95 lakh candidates had registered for the postgraduate management entrance examination.

The CAT 2026 exam is scheduled to be held on November 29, 2026, across 170 cities in the country. The examination is conducted for admission to postgraduate management programmes at IIMs and other participating management colleges.

CAT 2026 Registration and Fee Details

The registration window for CAT 2026 closed on September 22, 2026, at 5:00 PM, following an extension from the initial deadline of September 15, 2026. The fee payment window was also extended until September 24, 2026, for candidates who had registered by September 22.

The application fee for CAT 2026 was INR 2700 for general candidates, while SC/ST/PwD students paid INR 1350. The official CAT 2026 notification was released on iimcat.ac.in on July 26, 2026.

Examination Pattern and Admit Card Release

The CAT 2026 exam will be a computer-based test (CBT) conducted in three sessions. The total duration of the exam will be 120 minutes, with candidates allotted 40 minutes for each of the three sections: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Ability (QA). Candidates will not be permitted to switch between sections during the examination.

The admit card for CAT 2026 is anticipated to be issued on November 4, 2026. Candidates will be able to download their admit cards from the official website, iimcat.ac.in. During the application correction window, which was open from October 5, 2026, to October 6, 2026, candidates had the opportunity to update their photograph, signature, and preferences for test state and city. Candidates could choose a maximum of five test cities.

Trend in CAT Registrations over the Years

CAT registrations have consistently remained above 2 lakh over the past several years. The trend shows a significant increase from 2.55 lakh registrations in CAT 2022 to 3.30 lakh in CAT 2023. Registrations remained nearly flat at 3.29 lakh in CAT 2024, before experiencing a decline of approximately 10% to 2.95 lakh in CAT 2025. The current 2.84 lakh registrations for CAT 2026 continue this recent downward trend.

In CAT 2025, out of the 2.95 lakh registered candidates, 1.10 lakh were women, 1.85 lakh were men, and nine were transfender candidates. For CAT 2024, IIM Calcutta conducted the examination, with 3.29 lakh candidates registering and 2.93 lakh appearing, resulting in an attendance rate of approximately 89%.

Further reading

• KMAT, CAT, CMAT, XAT 2026 exam dates announced for Kochi MBA admissions
• CAT 2026: Download admit cards starting November 4
• CAT exam pattern: sections, marking and duration Next step
• MMS 2026: Apply for admission with CAT/MAT/XAT/CMAT/ATMA/MAH-CET scores
• SNAP 2026 exam dates announced: register by 25 November for MBA admissions Applications open
• CAT: complete exam guide

Written by Nishit Kumar

Nishit Kumar is a senior EdTech industry leader with over a decade of experience in building and scaling education platforms, shaping their product, content, and growth strategy. At FindMyCollege, Nishit oversees content and editorial strategy, guiding topic selection and content frameworks to ensure accuracy, relevance, and student-first value across the website.

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