CAT 2027: Exam Date, Eligibility, Syllabus, Preparation, FAQs

CAT 2027 Notification will be available in the month of July 2026. Registration process is expected to begin in the first week of August 2026. IIM Indore is likely to conduct CAT Exam 2026 on 29th November 2026 (Expected date).

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CAT is a national level exam which is a prerequisite for admission into various management programmes of IIMs. Every year one of the six older IIMs (IIM Bangalore, IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Indore, IIM Calcutta, IIM Lucknow, IIM Kozhikode) conducts CAT exam on a rotation basis.

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The scores of CAT are allowed to be used by listed non- IIM member institutions. We have provided complete details about CAT exam for 2027 admission including details of notification, syllabus, exam date, registration, eligibility, exam pattern, etc.

All you need to know about CAT Exam:

• What is CAT Exam for MBA? Common Admission Test is a management entrance exam conducted in India annually by IIMs for admission in MBA/ PGDM courses at top B-schools.
• Which IIM will set CAT 2027 paper? It is expected that IIM Indore will conduct CAT entrance exam.
• What is the question pattern for CAT 2026? Know detailed CAT exam pattern here.
• How to start preparing for CAT 2027? Check preparation strategy and books details here.
• What is CAT 2027 eligibility for MBA? Check CAT minimum qualification details here.

CAT 2027 Exam Dates

Checout complete CAT exam dates and events starting from release of notification to counselling process:

CAT 2027 Registration

Here, students can check complete registration details and important points about the application form:

• CAT 2027 Registration window will open in the first week of August 2026 via online mode.
• Detailed information can be checked by the applicants in the registration guide provided on the website.
• Application forms will be available until second week of September 2026.
• While registration process, students need to select any five test cities as per the preferences.
• Complete set of documents should be carefully uploaded as specified, failure of which may result disqualification from entire admission process.
• Students must maintain a valid and unique email account and mobile phone number for entire selection process. All communications by authority will be done through it.
• As per the availability, one among five preferred test cities is allotted. If no preferred city allotted, then a nearby city will be alloted to the candidate.

CAT 2027 Fees:

• ₹1300 for ST, SC & PWD
• ₹2600 for all other candidates

Payment mode: Students can pay the application fee via online mode through UPI, debit card, credit card, net banking, etc. Fee once paid cannot be refunded under any circumstances.

How to Apply for CAT Exam

Check step by step procedure to register for CAT exam 2027:

• Visit the online website (Link will be provided above).
• Register and generate User Id and Password.
• Fill a valid mobile number and email through which the authority will communicate.
• Basic registration includes filling up of name, DOB, email, country, mobile number. Select I Agree.
• Login and fill up application providing personal details, academics, work experience, programmes, test city, declaration.
• Enter commnication/ permanent address, emergency contact.
• Next upload documents – photograph and signature, certificate, degree (10th/12th/UG degree).
• Enter test city (5 preference)
• Save and confirm. Print the application form.

CAT 2026 Application Correction

After the registration window closes, a short edit winodow will be opened for the registered candidates. During CAT 2026 correction period in first week of October 2026.

Only those who have successfully paid the applicable registration fee can edit details in application within specified time period. Category cannot be changed after submission of registration form. Details /fields that can be edited in the application (if required) are:

• Photograph
• Test City Preferences
• Signature

CAT 2027 Eligibility Criteria

Complete eligibility criteria is mentioned in below provided section. Go through it briefly before applying for CAT exam:

• Students should have a Bachelors degree awarded by university or educational institution as incorporated by an Act of Parliament or State legislature in India or declared to be deemed as an University under Section 3 of the UGC Act, 1956 or possess an equivalent qualification recognised by Ministry of Education, Govt of India.
• Students should have obtained minimum marks – 45% for ST/ SC/ PWD and 50% marks for General, EWS and NC-OBC candidates.
• Those appearing in final year or awaiting their results are also eligible to apply. However, students should note that such students if selected are allowed to join the course provisionally only if they submit a certificate from principal/ registrar of University/Institution stating they have completed requirements for obtaining Bachelors degree/ equivalent qualification on date of issue of certificate.
• The ones applyig for CAT should fulfill any one condition provided below:
  • Completed Bachelors degree with required percentage of marks.
  • Completed professional degree (CS/ CA/ ICWA /CMA/ FIAI).
  • Should be in final year of Bachelors degree with required percentage.

CAT 2026 Exam Pattern

Check below CAT exam pattern details:

• Time Duration: Paper timing is of 120 minutes.
• Sessions/ Shifts: It is conducted in three sessions – Forenoon, Afternoon & Evening.
• Sections: There are three sections (VARC, DILR & QA). Check below table for section wise question distribution.
• Total Questions: There are total 68 questions – VARC (24), DILR (22), QA (22).
• Type of Questions: The paper have MCQ and non MCQ /TITA (type in the answer) questions.
• Marking Scheme: For every correct answer, 3 marks are awarded.
  • For MCQ Type Questions: Each incorrect answer fetches -1.
  • For Non-MCQ/ TITA Type Questions: No marks are deducted.

Check below section wise distribution of questions in CAT exam paper:

CAT 2027 Syllabus

While the CAT exam does not have a defined syllabus for preparation, students appearing for CAT exam can attempt the mock test to have an understanding of the pattern of exam and types of questions. Students can visit the official website to have an idea of the same.

Attempt CAT Mock test – Click Here

What is the CAT Exam Syllabus for MBA?

CAT Syllabus 2027 PDF mentions subject wise topics. Few topics which are included are provided below:

• Data Interpretation: Graphs (line, area), tables, Charts (Column, bar, pie), venn diagram, paragraph, Interpretation and analysis of data based on text, etc.
• Quantitative Ability & Mathematics: Time & work, Percentages, LCM & HCF, quadratic & linear equations, averages, trigonometry, permutation, probability, etc.
• Verbal Ability & English: Analogies, critical reasoning, fill in the blanks, sentence correction, antonyms and synonyms, syllogisms, etc.

CAT Reservation Criteria

A reservation criteria is followed, reserving seats in IIMs for specific categories. Students should have valid, central Govt. recognised certificates to claim the reservation benefits.

CAT 2027 Preparation Strategy

Below we have provided useful preparation tips and strategy which the students must follow in order to aim for better score in CAT:

• Solve previous year question papers for practise.
• To improve time management, students need to start solving sectional mock.
• Make a habit of 4-5 hours of study daily.
• Plan your preparation with a disciplined preparation strategy.
• Priortize maintaining 80% accuracy before focusing on speed.
• For maximising attempts better time management, learn to skip hard questions.

Checkout: CAT Previous Year Question Paper PDFs (Download Here)
Practise Here: CAT Mock Test 2027

CAT Books for Preparation

Students preparing for CAT exam often get confused which book they should refer for various sections – Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation and logical reasoning (DILR) and Quantitative Ability (QA).

Top recommended books and their publishers are given below:

CAT Exam Centres

Students can check below various state wise exam centres. The option to choose exam centre is provided at the time of registration. Candidates are required to choose preferred CAT test centre near their location. Maximum of 5-6 test cities can be selected as per the prder of preference.

CAT Exam will be conducted in 170 cities across India. List of exam cities is provided below:

Frequently Asked Questions:

CAT 2027 Admit Card

CAT Admit card 2027 will be available for downloading in second week of November 2026. The link to download hall ticket is provided online on the website few days before the exam date.

Students need to enter Login Id & Password to download hall ticket. Along with admit card, a valid photo id is to be shown to be allowed entry into the exam hall. Students need to cross check all information provided on admit card in case of any error.

CAT 2027 Answer Key

CAT response sheet & answer key is released few days after the conclusion of exams. Students can download question papers, response sheet & answer key via login.

After release of provisional answer key, students can submit objections against key. Objection window will remain open for 3 days. On considering the objections, authority will release final answer key.

CAT 2027 Result

CAT Scorecard 2027 can be downloaded in the first week of January 2026. To download result, students have to enter login credentials. Scorecard displays personal details, section wise scaled scores, percentile, etc.

Top IIMs and B-Schools release cut off and initiate selection process (GD/ PI/ WAT). The scorecard is valid only for one year.

CAT Cut Off 2027

For admission into top IIMs and B-schools students have secure cut off percentile. The final selection is based on overall CAT score, academic profile, interview and work experience.

The expected cut off percentile is described below section wise:

CAT 2027 Selection Procedure

Students are selected for IIMs after passing three stages – Qualifying CAT exam with high percentile, passing sectional cut off (institute wise) for shortlisting and finally selection based on WAT, GD and PI round.

Other Non -IIMs may follow similar selection procedure but the weightage and cut off may be different.

CAT Participating Institutions

Here, we have named all the participating IIMs with their state location:

If you have any other query regarding CAT 2027, feel free to ask us in the comments section provided below.