How to read your CAT admit card
What each field means and what to check before exam day. Your own admit card is final.
Fields on a CAT admit card
Candidate details
Your name and the other personal details from your registration. Check the spelling against your photo ID, because the two should match.
Registration number
The number the exam body gave you when you registered (the label can differ, for example application number). Keep it handy, you may be asked for it at the centre and when you write on the rough-work pad.
Test date and day
The date and day of your exam. The admit card is valid only for the date and session printed on it.
Slot or session
The slot (shift) you are assigned, with the test time. CAT is held on one day in more than one slot.
Reporting time
The time the entry to the centre opens. Plan to reach by this time, not at the test start.
Gate closing time
The time after which no candidate is allowed in. Reaching late means you cannot enter.
Test centre name and address
Where you must go. The centre cannot be changed after the admit card is out, so check the address carefully and look it up on a map before exam day.
Photo and signature
Your photograph and signature as given at registration. The printed card needs the same photograph pasted at the marked place.
Instructions
The exam-day rules: what to carry, what is not allowed, and the reporting rules. Read every line, the card is the final word.
How to check your admit card, step by step
- Get the card from the official site. Download your admit card only from iimcat.ac.in, after logging in with your CAT user ID and password. No other website can issue it.
- Check your details first. Match your name, photo and signature with your photo ID. If anything is wrong, contact the CAT helpdesk listed on iimcat.ac.in at once.
- Find your date, slot and times. Note the test date, slot, reporting time and gate closing time. Your own card is final.
- Read the centre name and address. Copy the test centre name and address into a map app and plan the route a week before.
- Read the instructions. Read what to carry and what is not allowed, then pack the evening before: printed card, original photo ID, nothing else.
FAQs
What details are printed on the CAT admit card?
Your slot (shift), test date and day, test time and session, reporting (entry) time, gate closing time, test city, test centre name and address, your photo and signature, and the instructions for the exam day.
Where is my CAT exam centre address on the admit card?
The test centre name and address are printed on the admit card. The centre cannot be changed after the card is out, so check it and look it up on a map before exam day.
What is the difference between reporting time and gate closing time?
The reporting time is when entry to the centre opens. The gate closing time is the last moment you can enter. For CAT 2026 the IIMs have not yet published session timings, so both are on your admit card (out 4 November 2026). Follow the times on your own card.
Which slot timings are final?
The ones printed on your own admit card. CAT 2026 is on Sunday, 29 November 2026 in three sessions, and the IIMs have not yet published session timings.
What if the details on my CAT admit card are wrong?
Contact the CAT helpdesk listed on iimcat.ac.in as soon as you notice it. Do not wait for the exam day.
Do I need a printout of the CAT admit card?
Yes. Carry a printout of all pages on A4 paper with your photograph pasted at the marked place, and one original photo ID.
Sarthi, your exam day companion by Cetking Universe — opens with the CAT admit cards on 4 Nov 2026.
CAT admit card: release date, download steps, exam centre and CAT 2026 date →
Official site: iimcat.ac.in · Common Admission Test (CAT) is conducted by one of the IIMs (the conducting IIM changes every year).
Cetking AI your Learning Universe.