2.84 lakh candidates registered for CAT 2026, conducted this year by IIM Indore; the exam runs in three slots on 29 November 2026.
CAT 2025 (IIM Kozhikode, 30 Nov 2025): 2.95 lakh registered, 2.58 lakh appeared — 1.10 lakh women, 1.85 lakh men and 9 transgender candidates registered; 0.97 lakh / 1.61 lakh / 9 appeared. Results came on 24 Dec 2025: 12 candidates at 100 percentile, 26 each at 99.99 and 99.98.
CAT 2024 (IIM Calcutta): 3.29 lakh registered, 2.93 lakh appeared. CAT 2023: about 3.3 lakh registered (then a record), 2.88 lakh appeared on 26 Nov 2023. CAT 2022: 2.55 lakh registered; CAT 2021: 2.31 lakh.
Registrations have stayed above 2 lakh for several years. After results, each IIM publishes its own shortlist using CAT scores plus its admission criteria.
What it means for you: a slightly smaller pool than 2024–25 means marginally less competition per seat. Percentile cutoffs shift with the pool, so your Expected Paper targets still hold.
Key facts
| CAT 2026 exam date | 29 Nov 2026 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Slots in 2026 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Conducting IIM |
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| Registrations (lakh) |
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| Appeared (lakh) |
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| Note on 2026 appearance | projected at ~86% historical turnout | ||||||||||||||||||
| CAT 2025 results |
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Source: Indian Express (IE) (media report)