CAT 2026 confirmed in three sessions on 29 November; registrations at 2.84 lakh

The Indian Institutes of Management have confirmed that the Common Admission Test (CAT) 2026 will be held on Sunday, 29 November 2026, in three sessions. The schedule comes from the official CAT 2026 media release dated 15 September 2026.

CAT 2026 will be conducted in around 170 cities across India. Every candidate chose five preferred test cities during registration. The CAT Centre will try to allot a centre in one of those preferences, but where demand in a region is high, it may allot a centre close to them. Once a centre is allotted, no change is permitted. The IIMs also reserve the right to change the test date and time if the situation demands it.

Registration for CAT 2026 opened on 3 August 2026 and, after an extension, closed on 22 September 2026 at 5:00 PM. A short edit window followed, allowing changes only to the photograph, signature and test-city preferences.

Fewer registrations this year. According to a media report, CAT 2026 registrations stand at about 2.84 lakh, a slight dip from 2.95 lakh last year. With three sessions on one day, each session will carry a large share of candidates. Normalisation across the three sessions means the session you get does not decide your percentile. Your preparation does.

What comes next. CAT 2026 admit cards will be released on 4 November 2026 on the official website. The admit card will carry your session, reporting time, gate-closing time and test centre. The IIMs have not yet published session timings, so treat your admit card as final.

What you should do now: keep your registration ID and password ready, plan to check your centre on a map the day the card comes out, and practise full 120-minute mocks at the time of day your session is likely to fall.

Official website (type it in your browser): iimcat.ac.in

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