Dashboard · Exams · CAT
Common Admission Test
MBA entrance for IIMs and other top business schools. 66 questions in 120 minutes across VARC, DILR, and Quant.
Sourced
Source: official exam authority notification · refreshed weekly. How this works →
Free CAT preparation on Shishya
Take expert-curated mocks, practise previous year papers, and Ask Shishya when you're stuck — verified by students who cleared the same path. All free, no credit card. Sign in with Google to begin.
Sign in to start →Start with a diagnostic
10 questions across the syllabus to see where you stand.
Verified against the official notification. Source ↗ · last reconciled 2026-05.
Historical cutoffs are a guide, not a prediction. Use them to set a realistic target, not to predict next year's exact number.
These are shortlisting cutoffs only — final selection weights CAT, academics, work-ex, gender diversity, written assessment + PI.
| Year | Category | Cutoff |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | IIM Ahmedabad | ≥ 99 overall · ≥ 80 each section |
| 2024 | IIM Bangalore | ≥ 99 overall · ≥ 85 each section |
2025
20 questions
Take paper →2024
20 questions
Take paper →2023
21 questions
Take paper →2022
20 questions
Take paper →2021
17 questions
Take paper →Take any mock in your preferred language — use the language picker inside the mock to switch (Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Bengali, and 15 more).
CAT — Quick Practice
FULL20 questions · 120 min
Start mock →| 2024 |
| IIM Calcutta |
| ≥ 99 overall · ≥ 85 each section |
| 2024 | IIM Lucknow | ≥ 92.5 overall · ≥ 80 each section |
| 2024 | IIM Kozhikode | ≥ 90 overall · ≥ 80 each section |
| 2024 | IIM Indore | ≥ 90 overall · ≥ 80 each section |
| 2024 | New IIMs (avg) | ≥ 80 overall · sectional ≥ 70-75 |
Source: official ↗ · verified 2026-05.
Topic-by-topic weightage averaged across 2022-2024 papers. Use this to decide where to invest study hours, not where to skim. Source ↗ · verified 2026-05.
72/198 marks avg
Reading Comprehension (4 passages, ~16 Qs)
Verbal Ability (Para-summary, Para-jumble, Misfit, Para-completion)
60/198 marks avg
Logical Reasoning sets (3-4 sets)
Data Interpretation sets (1-2 sets)
66/198 marks avg
Arithmetic (TSD, Work, Mixtures, Ratio, Percentages)
Algebra + Number System
Geometry + Mensuration
Modern Math (P&C, Probability, Sequences)
Take a mock to see where you stand on the leaderboard.
What can I get from CAT?
Mock-score → expected rank → likely outcome. Use the mocks below to find your current band, then plan how many marks you need to climb.
Top 50 All-India — ABC certain
100–100% · Rank 1 – 50
ABC IIMs strong contenders
99–100% · Rank 50 – 500
Top IIMs interview calls
97–99% · Rank 500 – 1,500
Old IIMs within reach
92–97% · Rank 1,500 – 5,000
Baby IIMs and top private B-schools
85–92% · Rank 5,000 – 15,000
Tier 2 IIMs and good private schools
75–85% · Rank 15,000 – 50,000
Tier 3 B-schools accessible
50–75% · Rank 50,000 – 1,50,000
Below qualifying threshold
0–50% · Rank 1,50,000+
AI-curated from historic cut-off patterns. Always verify with the latest official notification before making decisions.
IIM Indore is anticipated to administer CAT 2026 following the rotational pattern among top IIMs. The exam is expected on the last Sunday of November, with the official notification awaited in late July.
Source →Besides 22 IIMs, CAT scores will be accepted by more than 1,600 management institutes across India including FMS Delhi, SPJIMR Mumbai, MDI Gurgaon, and IIT-DoMs for their MBA programmes.
Source →CAT 2026 registration is expected to begin on August 1, 2026 and continue until September 20, 2026. Candidates should complete registration early to avoid last-minute technical issues during peak traffic periods.
Source →Based on past trends, the official CAT 2026 notification will be released on July 26 or 27, 2026. The notification will confirm exam dates, registration schedule, eligibility criteria, and application fees on iimcat.ac.in.
Source →The CAT 2026 registration fee is expected to be Rs 2,600 for General/EWS/NC-OBC candidates and Rs 1,300 for SC/ST/PwD categories, payable online only through the official portal.
Source →Official notification release
60 days awayMon, 27 Jul, 2026
Expected on July 26-27, 2026 on iimcat.ac.in; will confirm exam date, fees, and eligibility
Registration portal opens
65 days awaySat, 1 Aug, 2026
August 1, 2026; candidates can begin online application on official CAT website
CAT 2026 — registration opens
66 days awaySun, 2 Aug, 2026
Registration closes (last date)
115 days awaySun, 20 Sept, 2026
September 20, 2026 at 5:00 PM; no extensions typically granted
Application form correction window
119 days awayThu, 24 Sept, 2026
September 24-27, 2026; limited fields can be edited during this 3-4 day period
Admit card release date
168 days awayThu, 12 Nov, 2026
November 12, 2026; download from iimcat.ac.in using login credentials
CAT 2026 exam date (Tier 1)
Click any topic to read study notes
Reading Comprehension
4 long passages with 4 questions each — main idea, inference, tone, vocab in context, author's purpose.
Para Jumbles
TITA-format: arrange 4–5 jumbled sentences into a coherent paragraph.
Para Summary
Choose the option that best summarises a 4–6 sentence paragraph.
Odd Sentence Out
Identify the sentence that does not fit the paragraph (TITA).
Para Completion
Choose the sentence that best completes a paragraph.
Sentence Correction
Identify and fix grammatical / structural errors in a sentence.
Critical Reasoning
Strengthen, weaken, assumption, inference questions on short arguments.
Word Analogies
Identify the relationship between word pairs.
Tables-based DI
Single and multi-table data — percentages, averages, comparison.
Bar Charts
Simple, stacked, and grouped bar graphs — calculation and comparison.
Line Charts
Trend interpretation, growth rates, multiple-line comparisons.
Pie Charts
Single and double pie charts — share, percentage and combination problems.
Scatter & Radar Charts
Interpretation of scatter plots, bubble charts, radar / spider charts.
Arithmetic
~40% of QA. The highest-weightage area in CAT.
Algebra
~30% of QA. Linear & quadratic equations, functions and progressions dominate.
Geometry & Mensuration
~15% of QA. Triangles, circles and 2D/3D mensuration are most frequent.
Number Systems
~5–7% of QA. Divisibility and remainders are most-asked.
Modern Math
~5–7% of QA. P&C and probability lead this area.
Sun, 29 Nov, 2026
November 29, 2026 (Sunday); three slots: 8:30-10:30 AM, 12:30-2:30 PM, 4:30-6:30 PM
Provisional answer key release
188 days awayWed, 2 Dec, 2026
Expected December 3, 2026; candidates can challenge answers during objection window
CAT result declaration
206 days awaySun, 20 Dec, 2026
Expected December 21, 2026 or first week of January 2027; scorecard with percentiles available on portal
Caselets
Paragraph-based DI sets without graphical aids — pure data extraction.