The Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Indore made the CAT eligibility criteria 2026 available on its official website alongside the CAT Notification 2026 on July 26, 2026. The CAT examination date 2026 is set to take place on November 29, 2026 (Sunday) for the MBA and PGDM admissions in 21 IIM campuses and 1200+ Business colleges and institutions. The CAT Admit card will be released on November 4, 2026.
The CAT registration will begin on August 3, 2026, and will end on September 15, 2026, as per the notification. The correction window will be made available in September soon after the registrations are closed.
To qualify for the CAT exam 2026, students must satisfy the CAT eligibility criteria 2026, guided by the IIM. See this article for a complete list of the IIM CAT eligibility criteria for MBA, including CAT exam eligibility percentage, CAT eligibility criteria 12th marks, CAT eligibility age requirements, CAT Examination Date 2026, and other exam requirements.
Latest Information :
CAT Eligibility Criteria 2026
To be eligible for the Common Admission Test 2026, candidates must satisfy specific requirements set by the testing authority. So, what is the CAT exam eligibility percentage? Candidates who have completed a Bachelor's degree or its equivalent from an accredited university with 50% marks (45% for SC/ST/PwD) or higher may apply for the CAT exam 2026. Before beginning their CAT exam 2026 preparation for MBA admission, candidates should make it clear that they meet the CAT eligibility criteria for MBA. Those planning to take the CAT exam 2026 should be able to satisfy the following CAT eligibility criteria 2026 for MBA:
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The candidates must hold a bachelor's degree from an accredited university or its equivalent.
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Students from the general category must obtain at least 50% and 45% for the PwD, SC, and ST categories. Please note that CAT eligibility criteria 12th marks is not a prerequisite for CAT exam 2026.
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Students who are in their last year of the bachelor’s program will need to submit their completion certificate from the registrar or principal of their university or other institution by the deadline set by the individual IIMs.
CAT Eligibility Age Limit
All MBA candidates planning for the CAT exam 2026, set to take place on November 29, should know beforehand about the CAT eligibility Criteria 2026 and how to meet the CAT eligibility age limit. Applicants should review the CAT eligibility age limit below if they plan to take the Common Admission Test 2026.
Minimum CAT Eligibility Age Limit:
There is no upper age limit to take the CAT exam 2026. Any candidate may apply for this exam, regardless of age. The CAT exam has no minimum CAT eligibility age requirement. Having a degree is the sole requirement to satisfy the CAT eligibility criteria for MBA admission.
Maximum CAT Eligibility Age Limit:
Anybody at any point in their career is eligible to apply for the CAT exam 2026. There is no maximum CAT eligibility Age for the CAT exam, per the CAT eligibility criteria 2026 for the Common Admission Test 2026. Candidates with a bachelor's degree and at least 50% (45% SC/ST/PwD) are eligible to apply. The CAT examination date 2026 is set to take place on November 29, 2026.
CAT Eligibility Criteria 2026 - Key Highlights
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Particulars
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Details
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Academic Qualification
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Graduation/ Bachelor’s Degree
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CAT Exam Eligibility Percentage in Graduation
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50% (45% for SC/ ST/ PwD)
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CAT eligibility age limit
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No Age Restriction
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Work Experience
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Not Mandatory
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Reservation
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Based on Category
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The official web portal of Common Admission Test 2026 provides the full list of CAT eligibility criteria. The CAT eligibility Criteria 2026 for MBA include a few aspects relating to academic background. A few of the crucial points are listed below:
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CAT Eligibility Criteria 2026 based on educational qualifications
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CAT eligibility for graduate students in their last year
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CAT eligibility for students with backlogs
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CAT Eligibility criteria under reservations
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Calculating CAT marks and determining ineligibility for CAT exam 2026
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Work experience prerequisite for the CAT 2026
Candidates who review the CAT eligibility criteria 2026 should also be familiar with the CAT examination date 2026, including its registration date, admit card date and result dates. Below is a quick overview of the CAT examination date 2026. Read the entire article to learn more about IIM CAT eligibility criteria 2026 for the exam.
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CAT Exam Events
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CAT Exam Dates 2026
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CAT Notification 2026
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July 26, 2026
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CAT Registration date 2026
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August 03, 2026
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CAT 2026 Registration Last Date
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September 15, 2026, at 5 PM
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CAT form correction date
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September, 2026
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CAT admit card 2026
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November 4, 2026
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CAT mock test, direct link activation date
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To be announced
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CAT examination date 2026
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November 29, 2026
[Session 1: 8:30 am - 10:30 am
Session 2: 12:30 pm - 02:30 pm
Session 3: 04:30 pm - 06:30 pm]
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CAT answer key 2026 release
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December 3, 2026 Tentative
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The last date to object CAT exam answer key
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December 6, 2026 Tentative
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CAT Result 2026
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December 23, 2026 Tentative
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CAT Attempts Limit
The IIM administer the Common Admission Test 2026. There is an opportunity to retake the CAT 2026 if an applicant does not score in the expected CAT percentile. The IIMs do not specify the minimum CAT attempt limit. Thus, there are no limits on the number of times the candidates can take the CAT exam.
CAT Eligibility Criteria 2026: Academic Background
IIM lists the educational requirements and test scores that applicants must meet to be eligible to take the CAT exam 2026.
CAT Exam Eligibility Percentage for IIM
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Qualification
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Affiliation
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Percentage/ CGPA
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Bachelor’s Degree from any University/ Institute
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Recognized by UGC
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50% aggregate marks (45% for SC/ ST/ PwD)
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Engineering Degree - B.Tech/ B.E. from any University/ Institute
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Recognized by MHRD/ AICTE
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50% aggregate marks (45% for SC/ ST/ PwD)
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Students who appeared in the final year of the degree examination
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Recognized by MHRD/ AICTE/ UGC
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50% aggregate marks (45% for SC/ ST/ PwD)
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CAT eligibility criteria 12th marks are not a prerequisite for taking the CAT exam 2026. After finishing intermediate education, a minimum of 50% of marks must be earned in the bachelor's degree to qualify for the exam.
MHRD/AICTE: The University shall be deemed a university under Section 3 of the UGC Act, 1956, or shall be declared annexed by an Act of the Parliament of India or a State Legislature of India.
NOTE: The certificate from the Registrar/Principal of the relevant institution or university must be submitted by the candidates who took part in the final year of the degree examination. It must indicate that the holder has fulfilled all the prerequisites for an equivalent qualification.
IIM CAT Eligibility Criteria 2026: Reservation
IIMs will each have their own unique admissions requirements. They adhere to the Indian government's reservation policies. See the chart below to learn the CAT eligibility criteria 2026 for OBC, MBC, SC, ST, PwD, and General.
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Category
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Reserved Percentage
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NC-OBC (Non-Creamy Other Backward Classes)
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27%
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SC (Scheduled Caste)
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15%
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Economically Weaker Sections (EWS)
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up to 10%
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ST (Scheduled Tribe)
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7.5%
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PwD (Person with Disability)
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5%
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Reservation Guidelines for Individuals with Disabilities (PwD)
Candidates in the PwD category are required to bring a PwD certificate that has been issued by an authorized body. Only after submitting the PwD certification granted by an authorized authority can candidates take advantage of the benefits bestowed to PwD. The following lists the several kinds of disabilities that are covered by the PwD reservation:
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Blind or low vision applicants.
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Applicants who have trouble hearing.
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Applicants with cerebral palsy or a motor disability.
CAT Eligibility Criteria 2026 - Marks Calculation
The CAT percentage computation will be predicated on the fact that the individual colleges or universities where the candidates have earned their degrees will compute the total marks per their protocols.
Marks will be converted into percentages based on the practice verified by the relevant school or university to calculate the CGPA and grades per CAT Eligibility Criteria.
In a different scenario, the percentage will be determined by dividing the student's CGPA by the highest CGPA and multiplying the result by 100 if no institution or university offers any improvement plans.
For instance,
With a maximum CGPA of 10 and a candidate's CGPA of 8.8, 8.8/10 = 0.88 and 100 = 0.88 X 100 = 88% are the results.
Who is not qualified for CAT 2026?
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If the applicant is finishing up their professional degree (CS, CA, or ICWA) without taking the bachelor's degree exam.
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The applicant is working toward a professional degree as well as a bachelor's degree, but neither has been finished yet.
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A candidate is not eligible to apply for the CAT 2026 if their degree score is less than 50% (45% for applicants who identify as SC, ST, or PWT).
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The candidate will not be permitted to take the CAT exam 2026 if the degree is not accepted by the MHRD, AICTE, or UGC.
CAT Eligibility Criteria: Work Experience Requirements
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Candidates don't need to have any previous work experience.
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There is no requirement regarding work experience even if the CAT Application Form 2026 asks for it.
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It should be mentioned that IIMs may give this work experience considerable weight during the final exam. The precise weighting, which varies from IIM to IIM, has never been made public.
CAT Eligibility Criteria vs. IIM Eligibility Criteria
IIMs have different eligibility requirements for holding CATs. A few small inconsistencies should be noted by every applicant hoping to study at an IIM.
While there is no age restriction for both the CAT 2026 and the IIM qualification, the two-year bachelor's degree that meets the CAT Eligibility Criteria 2026 is not recognized by IIMs, and their management programs demand a three-year bachelor's degree.
There are no differences between the IIM qualification and the CAT exam qualification other than that.
CAT Exam Syllabus 2026
The CAT 2026 syllabus is an overview of the courses, chapters, and key themes from each of the three divisions that may contain exam questions. To prepare for the CAT 2026 and get high scores, the first step is to familiarize yourself with the CAT exam syllabus for 2026. The CAT exam syllabus, however, is never formally released by IIMs since the exam's objective is to assess the test-taker's fundamental analytical, logical reasoning, and critical thinking skills—qualities that cannot be determined by a predetermined list of themes and subjects. Therefore, the CAT exam 2026 syllabus is established by analysing the trends and question papers from the previous year's CAT.
Here are the five main CAT 2026 changes to look forward to:
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The Indian Institute of Management Indore, one of the top IIMs, will host the CAT 2026.
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The exam fees for the general and reserved categories have changed. The CAT 2026 exam fees went up by Rs. 100 and 50 compared to the previous year, which was Rs. 2,600 for general candidates and Rs. 1,300 for candidates from SC/ST categories, respectively. The renewed CAT exam fee is INR 2700 for the General category and INR 1350 for the SC/ST category.
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There may be more CAT exam locations in 2026. There were just 150 centres overall in the previous year.
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There were 68 questions in the Common Admission Test last year, and it took two hours to complete them. This year, the format, questions, marks, and duration for the CAT exam 2026 will remain the same as last year.
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Approximately 3 to 3.3 lakh applicants are expected to take the CAT 2026 exam based on previous years' patterns. Thus, it is anticipated that the CAT 2026 will be more demanding.
FAQs for CAT Eligibility criteria 2026
Q1. Is there a maximum age to take the IIM CAT exam? Are 12th-grade grades relevant for the CAT?
IIM does not advise applying for CAT 2026 based on any age requirements. The CAT exam 2026 considers the candidate's entire academic history.
Q2. How can I confirm if I fall under the NC-OBC group?
By using the CAT official website, candidates can find out if they fall within the NC-OBC category.
Q3. Is a final-year student eligible to apply for CAT 2026?
Indeed, applicants for the Common Admission Test 2026 may be those who took or plan to take the final year exam.
Q4. When does the application procedure for CAT 2026 start? Which IIM is planning the CAT 2026?
The CAT 2026 application process will start on August 3, 2026, and conclude on September 15, 2026. CAT 2026 will be administered by IIM Indore on November 29, 2026.
Q5. Is it possible for a candidate to take the CAT exam more than once?
No, a candidate is not permitted to appear for the exam more than once.
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