CAT 2026: IIM Ahmedabad to Convene Exam; Registration to Open in August

The Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad has officially taken over the responsibility of conducting the Common Admission Test (CAT) 2026. This prestigious entrance exam, which determines admission to the 21 IIMs and over 1,200 other top business schools in India, is scheduled to take place on the last Sunday of November 2026. The official notification, detailing the registration dates, eligibility criteria, and exam format, is expected to be released in the last week of July or the first week of August.\n\nCAT 2026 is anticipated to follow the three-slot pattern introduced in recent years to accommodate the increasing number of applicants. Last year, over 3.3 lakh candidates registered for the exam, and that number is expected to grow as the demand for management education continues to rise in a post-digital economy. IIM Ahmedabad has indicated that they may expand the number of test cities to over 160 to ensure better accessibility for candidates from rural and semi-urban areas. There are also rumors of a slight modification in the weightage given to the Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR) section, though this remains unconfirmed until the official brochure is out.\n\nProfessor Sandeep Manvi, the newly appointed CAT 2026 Convener, stated, 'Our focus this year will be on enhancing the user interface of the CBT platform and ensuring a seamless experience for all candidates, including those with disabilities. We are also looking into diversifying the question bank to better assess the analytical and leadership potential of the aspirants.' He emphasized that the core structure—comprising Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC), DILR, and Quantitative Ability (QA)—will remain largely consistent with previous years.\n\nCandidates are reminded that the eligibility criteria include a Bachelor’s degree with at least 50% marks or equivalent CGPA (45% for SC/ST and PwD categories). Final-year students are also eligible to apply. Experts suggest that aspirants should begin their mock test series by June to identify their strengths and weaknesses. The competition for the top IIMs—Ahmedabad, Bangalore, and Calcutta—remains incredibly high, with cutoffs often exceeding the 99.5 percentile mark.\n\nIn addition to the IIMs, other premier institutes like FMS Delhi, SPJIMR Mumbai, and MDI Gurgaon will also use the CAT 2026 scores for their admission process. Aspirants are advised to keep their academic documents and category certificates ready for the registration process, which typically lasts for six weeks. Further updates will be posted on the official website, iimcat.ac.in, as the registration date approaches.