CAT 2026 Registration: Official Dates, How to Apply, Category Certificates & Cutoffs

Every year around this time, the same panic spreads across MBA aspirant WhatsApp groups: "Registration is open, but which link is real?" It is a fair worry. CAT notifications get mirrored, screenshotted, and reposted by dozens of coaching pages within hours, and a few of those reposts carry outdated dates, wrong fee amounts, or links to third-party "registration helper" sites that have no business touching your personal documents. So before anything else in this article: the only place to register for CAT 2026 is the official IIM CAT portal at iimcat.ac.in, run by IIM Indore, this year's conducting institute. Bookmark it, ignore every other "apply here" link you see on social media, and use this guide as your checklist alongside it. The official CAT team never asks for payment or documents outside iimcat.ac.in, and there is no other legitimate registration channel: not an app, not a WhatsApp bot, not an "agent."

CAT 2026 Important Dates

IIM Indore released the official CAT 2026 notification on July 25, 2026, along with the full list of around 170 exam cities. Here is every date that matters, in one place:

CAT 2026 Eligibility Criteria

CAT eligibility is straightforward, but the percentage requirement and category rules trip up more candidates than any other section of the form. Here is exactly what is required:

• A Bachelor's degree from a recognised university with at least 50% marks or equivalent CGPA (aggregate, as per your university's method of calculation).
• SC, ST, and PwBD (Persons with Benchmark Disabilities) candidates need at least 45% marks or equivalent CGPA in their Bachelor's degree.
• Candidates in the final year of graduation, or those awaiting results, can also apply, provided they submit proof of graduation completion by a date specified later by the conducting IIM.
• Professional degree holders, including CA, CS, CMA/ICWA, and FIAI (Fellow of Insurance Institute of India), are also eligible to apply.
• There is no upper age limit to appear for CAT 2026.
• Work experience is not mandatory for appearing in CAT, though it can factor into some IIMs' final selection criteria.

How to Register for CAT 2026: Step-by-Step

The application on iimcat.ac.in is completed in stages. Keep your documents, photograph, and signature ready in the correct format before you begin, so you can finish in a single sitting rather than getting logged out mid-way.

1. Go to iimcat.ac.in and click "New Candidate Registration."
2. Enter your basic details: name, date of birth, email ID, mobile number, and country. Verify your email using the OTP sent to it, complete the CAPTCHA, and accept the declaration to generate your User ID and password.
3. Log in with your registered email (User ID) and password, then complete the full application across its sections: Personal Details, Academic Details, Work Experience, Programme Selection, Test City Preference, and Declaration.
4. Fill in personal and family details, and select your category (General, OBC-NCL, SC, ST, EWS, or PwD) accurately.
5. Upload your scanned photograph, signature, and category/disability certificate (if applicable) in the exact format specified below.
6. Enter your academic history from Class 10 onward, including your Bachelor's degree details, and your work experience in number of days if applicable.
7. Select the IIMs and programmes you wish to apply to, and choose up to two preferred interview cities for each IIM.
8. Choose your preferred CAT test cities, ranked in order of preference, from the list released with the notification.
9. Pay the application fee online through the payment gateway on the portal.
10. Preview your entire form carefully, correct any errors, and submit. Download or screenshot the final confirmation page for your records.

Documents, Photograph & Signature Specifications

Keep these ready as scanned files before you start the form:

• Recent passport-size photograph: JPG/JPEG format, 1200 × 1200 pixels, maximum 80 KB, white background, resolution 150 pixels/inch, not older than 6 months.
• Signature: JPG/JPEG format, 80 mm × 35 mm dimensions, maximum 80 KB.
• Class 10 / SSC certificate, for date of birth and name verification.
• Academic mark sheets from Class 10 through your highest qualification.
• Category certificate, if applying under a reserved category (details below).
• Disability certificate or UDID card, if applying under the PwD category.
• Scribe details and an affidavit, if you require a scribe during the exam.

Category Certificate Format: SC, ST, OBC-NCL, EWS & PwD

This is the section that causes the most last-minute stress, so read it carefully and prepare your certificate well before September 15. Only candidates applying under a reserved category need to upload one, and it must be uploaded during registration itself: there is no separate window to submit it afterward.

• The certificate must be signed by a competent authority and must be clearly legible when scanned; blurry or cropped uploads are a common reason for rejection.
• Certificates issued only in a regional language are not accepted for CAT reservation purposes — use the English (or bilingual, with English clearly visible) version.
• Your name, father's/mother's name, and other personal details on the certificate must exactly match the details you enter in your CAT application form.
• If you have applied for a certificate but not yet received it, keep supporting documents (like your application receipt) ready, though the safest approach is to secure the actual certificate well before the registration deadline.

CAT 2026 Exam Pattern

CAT 2026 will be conducted as a computer-based test across three sections, in multiple slots on exam day, spread across roughly 170 cities and 370 test centres in India.

• Total marks: 204, built from a mix of MCQ and non-MCQ (TITA) questions.
• Scoring: +3 for every correct answer.
• Negative marking: -1 for every wrong MCQ answer; no negative marking on non-MCQ (TITA) questions.
• You will not be allowed to move between sections once a section's allotted time is over; each 40-minute block is self-contained.

CAT 2026 Application Fee

The fee is payable online through the payment gateway integrated into the iimcat.ac.in application form. Keep the transaction receipt and your final application printout safely, ideally in both digital and printed form, until your admission process is fully complete.

CAT Cutoffs for Top IIMs: What Score Do You Actually Need?

CAT 2026 results and this year's official cutoffs will only be known after results are declared in January 2027. What follows is the pattern from the most recent completed admission cycle, useful purely as a planning benchmark, not a guarantee: IIMs release their own cutoffs each year based on the applicant pool and difficulty level.

Frequently Asked Questions About CAT 2026 Registration

• Where do I register for CAT 2026? Only at the official portal, iimcat.ac.in. Never use any third-party website or app for registration or payment.
• What is the last date for CAT 2026 registration? September 15, 2026, 5:00 PM, as per the official notification.
• Can final-year students apply for CAT 2026? Yes. Students in their final year of graduation, or awaiting results, are eligible to apply.
• Is there an age limit for CAT? No, there is no upper age limit for appearing in CAT.
• What if my category certificate is not ready by the deadline? Your application will be evaluated under the General category by default, with no reservation benefit for that cycle, so it is critical to secure the certificate before registration closes.
• How many CAT test cities can I select? Candidates can select up to five preferred test cities, ranked in order of preference, during registration.
• Is CAT 2026 conducted only once a year? Yes, CAT is conducted once annually, on a single day, across multiple time slots and cities.

Registered? Now Build a Preparation Circle

Filling the form is the easy part. The three months between registration and exam day on November 29 are where the real work happens, and CAT preparation done entirely alone tends to plateau. A study partner who is strong where you are weak, whether that is DILR sets, VARC inference questions, or Quant speed, consistently outperforms solo prep. If you want a deeper section-wise strategy, books, and mock test plan, read our companion guide, the CAT 2026 Preparation Strategy, and if you would like to find a CAT study partner, Peerzy lets you browse real aspirants by target percentile and IIM preference, free to use.

One last reminder before you go: the only official website for CAT 2026 registration is iimcat.ac.in, conducted by IIM Indore. Do not trust any other link, app, agent, or "guaranteed registration" service claiming to help you apply, and always verify dates and updates directly from the official portal before acting on them.