CAT 2026 Admit Card Out on 4 November: Exam Day Plan, Test Centres and How to Check Your Score
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The CAT 2026 admit card will be available to download from Wednesday, 4 November 2026, and the exam is on Sunday, 29 November 2026 (official schedule on iimcat.ac.in). That gives you 25 days between seeing your test centre and sitting the paper.
Most CAT guides stop at "download your admit card". This one covers the whole stretch: what to check on the admit card, slot timings, how to plan the route to your centre, what to carry, and what to do in the weeks after the exam, from the response sheet to IIM shortlists.
Quick Summary
- Admit card: downloadable from 4 November 2026 on iimcat.ac.in, with your slot, reporting time and test centre address.
- Exam: 29 November 2026, in three slots. Last year the slots started at 8:30 AM, 12:30 PM and 4:30 PM.
- Test cities: 162 official CAT 2026 test cities across India.
- Reach early: last year's reporting time was 90 minutes before the exam, and the gate closed 15 minutes before it started.
- After the exam: use the response sheet and answer key to calculate your raw score, then estimate your percentile and IIM calls.
Table of Contents
- CAT 2026 important dates
- What to check on your CAT 2026 admit card
- CAT 2026 slot timings, reporting time and gate closing time
- CAT 2026 test centres: how to plan your route
- What to carry (and what to leave at home)
- CAT 2026 exam pattern and marking scheme
- After the exam: response sheet, score and percentile
- Frequently asked questions
CAT 2026 Important Dates
| Event | Date | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Registration | 3 August to 22 September 2026 | iimcat.ac.in |
| Admit card download begins | 4 November 2026 (Wednesday) | iimcat.ac.in |
| CAT 2026 exam | 29 November 2026 (Sunday) | iimcat.ac.in |
| Response sheet and provisional answer key | After the exam (date to be announced) | iimcat.ac.in |
| Result | To be announced; CAT results have usually come out in December or early January | iimcat.ac.in |
Dates for the response sheet and result are not yet official. Check iimcat.ac.in for announcements.
What to Check on Your CAT 2026 Admit Card
Download the admit card as soon as it is out, not the night before. If something is wrong, you want weeks to sort it out, not hours. Log in at iimcat.ac.in with your CAT user ID and password and check:
- Name, photo and signature: they should match what you uploaded in the form. The photo and signature must be clearly printed.
- Test date and slot: your slot (morning, afternoon or evening) decides your whole exam-day schedule.
- Reporting time and gate closing time: these are the times that count, not the exam start time.
- Test centre name and full address: the centre may not be in the exact city you expected. Each test city can cover a wider area.
- Instructions page: read the rules on photo ID, items allowed and signing the admit card.
If any detail is wrong, contact the CAT helpdesk listed on iimcat.ac.in straight away. The test centre cannot be changed after the admit card is issued, so plan your travel around it.
CAT 2026 Slot Timings, Reporting Time and Gate Closing Time
CAT is held in three slots on the same day. The official slot timings for 2026 will be printed on your admit card. Until then, here is last year's pattern as a guide:
| Slot | Exam time (CAT 2025) | Reporting time | Gate closes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slot 1 (morning) | 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM | 7:00 AM | 8:15 AM |
| Slot 2 (afternoon) | 12:30 PM to 2:30 PM | 11:00 AM | 12:15 PM |
| Slot 3 (evening) | 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM | 3:00 PM | 4:15 PM |
The gate time is a hard cut-off. Late entry is not allowed, and every year some students miss CAT because of traffic, a wrong gate or a centre that was harder to find than expected. Aim for the reporting time, not the gate time.
Morning-slot students in North India have one more thing to plan for: late-November mornings in cities like Delhi, Lucknow, Kanpur and Patna are often foggy or smoggy, which slows traffic. Leave 20 to 30 minutes earlier than you normally would.
Plan it in two minutes: the free CAT exam day planner reads your admit card on your phone and works out a leave-by time, route, cab links and phone alarms for your slot.
CAT 2026 Test Centres: How to Plan Your Route
There are 162 official CAT 2026 test cities. Your admit card gives the exact centre, and many test cities have several centres spread across the city and nearby towns.
Here is a simple route plan that works:
- Find your centre on a map the day the admit card comes out. Note the nearest railway or metro station and how long a cab takes at your slot time.
- Do a trial run a day or two before the exam, ideally at the same time as your slot, so you see the real traffic.
- Find the right gate. Large campuses have more than one gate, and the exam block may be far from the main entrance.
- If you are travelling from another city, book a stay near the centre for the night before. Don't plan to arrive on exam morning.
- Have a backup. Save the address offline and keep the number of a local cab or auto service.
To see what students already know about your centre, check the CAT 2026 exam centre list for all 162 test cities. Each city page lists the centres students have added from their admit cards, with addresses, maps and nearby stations. For example, here are the CAT exam centres in New Delhi.
What to Carry to the CAT 2026 Exam (and What to Leave at Home)
Carry:
- The admit card printed on A4 paper (every page), with the photo and signature clearly visible
- The same passport photo you uploaded in the CAT form, pasted on the admit card if the instructions ask for it
- One original government photo ID, such as Aadhaar, PAN, passport, driving licence or voter ID, in good condition
- Two simple pens and a transparent water bottle
Leave at home:
- Phone, smartwatch, calculator, wallet and loose papers. Many centres have no lockers, so anything you bring may have to stay outside with you or someone else.
- Jewellery and metal items, and clothes with large metal buttons
Don't sign the admit card at home. You sign it in front of the invigilator.
Always follow the instructions printed on your own admit card. They are the final word on what is allowed.
CAT 2026 Exam Pattern and Marking Scheme
CAT is a two-hour computer-based test with three sections. In CAT 2025 the paper had 68 questions, with 40 minutes per section and no switching between sections:
| Section | Questions (CAT 2025) | Maximum marks | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| VARC (Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension) | 24 | 72 | 40 minutes |
| DILR (Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning) | 22 | 66 | 40 minutes |
| QA (Quantitative Ability) | 22 | 66 | 40 minutes |
| Total | 68 | 204 | 120 minutes |
Marking scheme: +3 for a correct answer, -1 for a wrong MCQ, and no negative marking for TITA (type-in-the-answer) questions or for questions left blank. Confirm the CAT 2026 pattern in the official information bulletin on iimcat.ac.in.
After the Exam: Response Sheet, Score and Percentile
The days after CAT matter more than most students think. IIM shortlists, non-IIM forms and interview prep all depend on knowing roughly where you stand.
Step 1: Calculate your raw score
After the exam, IIMs publish each candidate's response sheet (the answers you marked) and a provisional answer key. Matching the two by hand across 68 questions is slow and easy to get wrong. A CAT score calculator does it in about a minute: paste the link to your response sheet and you get your overall and sectional scores, with correct, wrong and unattempted answers shown question by question.
Step 2: Estimate your percentile
Your percentile depends on how everyone else in the exam performed, so no tool can give the exact number before the result. What you can do is compare your marks with how scores turned into percentiles in previous years. Use EduNext's CAT percentile predictor for a quick estimate, and treat it as a range rather than a promise.
Step 3: Check which IIMs may shortlist you
Each IIM sets its own minimum percentile, overall and sectional, plus a profile score that looks at your Class 10, Class 12, graduation and work experience. A high overall percentile does not help if you miss a sectional minimum. An IIM call predictor checks your percentiles and profile against each IIM's published shortlisting criteria, so you can see where you clear the bar and where you fall short.
Step 4: Don't wait for the result to apply elsewhere
Many good B-schools that accept CAT scores have their own application forms and deadlines, and some close before the CAT result is out. Keep track of them on the EduNext forms and deadlines page, and use the CAT college predictor to build a list that goes beyond the IIMs.
Frequently Asked Questions
When will the CAT 2026 admit card be released?
The CAT 2026 admit card download begins on 4 November 2026, according to the official schedule on iimcat.ac.in. You can download it by logging in with your CAT user ID and password.
What is the CAT 2026 exam date?
CAT 2026 is on Sunday, 29 November 2026, in three slots. Your admit card shows your slot and exact timings.
What is the reporting time for CAT 2026?
The official reporting time is printed on your admit card. In CAT 2025 it was 90 minutes before the exam (7:00 AM for the 8:30 AM slot), and the gate closed 15 minutes before the exam started.
Can I change my CAT 2026 test centre?
No. Test centre change requests are not accepted once the admit card is issued, so plan your travel and stay around the centre you are given.
How do I calculate my CAT 2026 score?
Once the response sheet and provisional answer key are out on iimcat.ac.in, give +3 for each correct answer, -1 for each wrong MCQ and 0 for wrong TITA answers and blanks. A CAT score calculator does this automatically from your response sheet link.
Final Word
CAT preparation does not end on 4 November. The next 25 days are about turning your preparation into a calm, on-time exam morning: check the admit card early, know your slot and gate time, do a trial run to the centre and pack the night before. After the exam, move quickly. Calculate your score, estimate your percentile and keep your non-IIM applications moving while you wait for the result.
All the best. Ambition से Admission तक, one step at a time.
Planning your MBA applications after CAT? Try EduNext's free CAT college predictor to see which B-schools fit your expected percentile, and explore 10,000+ colleges at getedunext.com. No forms to unlock the list and zero spam calls, guaranteed.
Data current as of October 2026. Dates, slot timings and exam rules can change; please verify on the official website iimcat.ac.in before taking any decision.