CAT 2026 on November 29: Admit Card Date, Exam Pattern, Marking and a 45-Day Plan for the MBA Entrance

• Exam date: Sunday, November 29, 2026, in three sessions.
• Admit card: expected on November 4, 2026, on iimcat.ac.in.
• Format: computer-based, 120 minutes, three sections, 68 questions.
• Marking: +3 for a correct answer, -1 for a wrong multiple-choice answer, no negative marking for type-in-the-answer questions.
• Registrations: about 2.84 lakh, down about 3.7% from last year, according to Careers360.
• Result: expected around late December or early January.

Key dates

• Registration: August 3 to September 22, 2026 (closed)
• Correction window: October 5 and 6, 2026 (closed)
• Admit card release: November 4, 2026 (expected)
• Exam: November 29, 2026
• Result: late December 2026 or early January 2027 (expected)

The exam pattern

CAT has three sections, each with its own 40-minute time limit. You cannot move between sections.

1. Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC): 24 questions. Reading passages, para-jumbles, summaries and odd-sentence questions.
2. Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR): 22 questions. Sets of charts, tables and puzzles.
3. Quantitative Ability (QA): 22 questions. Arithmetic, algebra, geometry and number systems.

The total is 68 questions for 204 marks. Candidates with disabilities get 160 minutes in all.

Marking scheme

• Correct answer: +3 marks
• Wrong answer (multiple choice): -1 mark
• Wrong answer (type-in-the-answer, or "TITA"): no penalty
• Unattempted: 0

The lesson: attempt every TITA question you can make a reasonable try at, but be careful with guesses in multiple-choice questions.

Who uses CAT scores?

All 22 IIMs use CAT, along with several IITs, NITs and around a thousand other business schools, according to Careers360. A good percentile opens the door to the next stage at the IIMs, which usually includes a written ability test and a personal interview, along with weightage for academic record and work experience.

How many people take CAT?

About 2.84 lakh candidates registered this year, according to a Careers360 report, slightly fewer than last year, when about 2.95 lakh registered and 2.58 lakh actually appeared. With so many candidates competing for a limited number of seats, preparation and strategy matter.

Score versus percentile

CAT results are reported as a scaled score and a percentile. The percentile tells you what share of test-takers scored below you. A 95 percentile means you did better than 95% of candidates, not that you got 95% of the marks.

Because the exam runs in three sessions with different question papers, the IIMs normalise scores so that candidates are not helped or hurt by the difficulty of their slot. This is why two people with the same raw marks in different sessions can end up with slightly different percentiles.

Different IIMs set different cut-offs, both overall and for each section, and they publish their admission criteria on their websites. It is worth reading those for the institutes you most want to join, because some give more weight to Class 10 and 12 marks, work experience or diversity than others.

A 45-day plan

Weeks 1 and 2 (mid to late October): - Take two full-length mock tests a week, in the same time slot as your exam. - After each mock, spend more time analysing it than you spent taking it. - List your three weakest topics in each section.

Weeks 3 and 4 (November): - Work on the weak topics, but don't start large new areas. - Practise DILR sets daily. Learn to pick the easier sets first. - Read one or two long articles every day on unfamiliar subjects to build reading speed.

Weeks 5 and 6 (to November 29): - Take mocks every three or four days, and rest in between. - Revise formulas and shortcuts from your own notes. - In the final three days, take it easy: light revision, good sleep and no new mocks the day before.

Exam-day tips

1. Download the admit card early and print it in colour.
2. Carry a valid photo ID that matches the name on your admit card.
3. Reach the centre early. Check the reporting time on your admit card.
4. Use the on-screen calculator for heavy arithmetic, but don't rely on it for everything.
5. Leave a question that is eating time. Every question carries the same marks.

For more on looking after yourself during exam season, read about a five-minute breathing exercise for stress and better sleep habits.

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• Five-Minute Breathing Exercise for Stress
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• THE World University Rankings 2027: IISc Leads India