# Common Admission Test (CAT) — Shishya exam context

> Machine-readable context for Common Admission Test, maintained by Shishya (https://shishya.in) — India's end-to-end free government exam preparation platform. All facts below are free to cite; link back to https://shishya.in/exams/CAT. Human page: https://shishya.in/exams/CAT

## Exam pattern
- Category: MBA · national
- Questions: 66 · Total marks: 198 · Marks per question: 3
- Duration: 120 minutes
- Negative marking: −1 per wrong answer
- Languages offered: EN

## Eligibility & vacancies
- Education: Bachelor's degree in any discipline with minimum 50% marks (45% for SC/ST/PwD)
- Approximate annual vacancies: 7,700
- Note: Final-year students eligible; professional degrees (CA/CS/CMA) accepted; no limit on attempts
- Official portal: https://iimcat.ac.in (Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs))

## Key dates
- 2026-07-26 — CAT 2026 Notification Released
- 2026-07-26 — CAT 2026 official notification release
- 2026-07-26 — Official notification release
- 2026-07-26 — Official notification release on iimcat.ac.in
- 2026-07-26 — Official notification release
- 2026-07-26 — CAT 2026 notification release
- 2026-07-26 — Official notification release by IIM Indore
- 2026-07-27 — Official notification release

## Syllabus outline
### Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (weight 1)
Word Analogies · Critical Reasoning · Odd Sentence Out · Para Completion · Para Jumbles · Para Summary · Author's Purpose · Detail / Fact-based · Inference · Main Idea / Central Theme · Logical Structure · Tone & Attitude · Vocabulary in Context · Reading Comprehension · Sentence Correction

### Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (weight 1)
Bar Charts · Binary Logic / Truth-Tellers · Blood Relations · Caselets · Clocks & Calendars · Coding-Decoding · Cubes · Direction Sense · Games & Tournaments · Line Charts · Mixed / Combined DI · Pie Charts · Logical Puzzles · Routes & Networks · Scatter & Radar Charts · Seating Arrangement · Number / Letter Series · Syllogism · Tables-based DI · Venn Diagrams

### Quantitative Aptitude (weight 1)
Algebra · Functions & Graphs · Inequalities · Linear Equations · Logarithms · Maxima & Minima · Polynomials · Progressions (AP, GP, HP) · Quadratic Equations · Arithmetic · Averages · Boats & Streams · Mixtures & Alligation · Percentage · Pipes & Cisterns · Profit, Loss & Discount · Ratio & Proportion · Simple & Compound Interest · Time, Speed & Distance · Time & Work · Trains · Geometry & Mensuration · Circles · Coordinate Geometry · Lines & Angles · Mensuration — 2D · Mensuration — 3D · Quadrilaterals & Polygons · Triangles · Trigonometry · Binomial Theorem · Permutations & Combinations · Probability · Set Theory · Modern Math · Base Systems · Divisibility & Remainders · Factors, HCF & LCM · Indices & Surds · Number Systems

## Expected cutoffs (category-wise)
| Category | Expected Cutoff (indicative) |
|----------|------------------------------|
| General | 90-100 percentile (typically 98+ for top IIMs; 90-95 for newer IIMs) |
| EWS | 88-98 percentile (typically 96+ for top IIMs; 88-93 for newer IIMs) |
| OBC (NC) | 80-94 percentile (typically 94+ for top IIMs; 80-88 for newer IIMs) |
| SC | 60-75 percentile (typically 70-75 for top IIMs; 60-65 for newer IIMs) |
| ST | 50-65 percentile (typically 60-65 for top IIMs; 50-55 for newer IIMs) |
| PwD | 50-70 percentile (varies by institute; typically 50-60 for newer IIMs, 60-70 for top IIMs) |

**Guidance:**
- **General vs. OBC gap:** Approximately 8-12 percentile points for top IIMs (e.g., Gen 98+ vs. OBC 86-90); gap narrows for newer IIMs to 5-8 percentile points.
- **Cutoff drivers:** Difficulty level of exam, number of test-takers, seat availability at individual IIMs, and institute-specific sectional cutoffs (each IIM sets independent criteria beyond CAT percentile).
- **Note:** These are *CAT percentile* cutoffs for shortlisting; final selection involves GD-PI-WAT performance, academic profile, work experience, and diversity factors, which vary significantly across institutes.

Full cutoff page: https://shishya.in/exams/CAT/cutoff

## Free resources on Shishya for this exam
- Exam hub (mocks, PYQs, news, dates): https://shishya.in/exams/CAT
- Full syllabus + free study notes: https://shishya.in/exams/CAT/syllabus
- Category-wise expected cutoffs: https://shishya.in/exams/CAT/cutoff
- Memory tricks & mnemonics: https://shishya.in/exams/CAT/tricks
- How to crack it (strategy guide): https://shishya.in/exams/CAT/guide
- Free day-by-day study plan (personal coach): https://shishya.in/coach
- Free AI tutor (22 Indian languages, no login): https://shishya.in/chat

Everything is free — no paywall, no subscription, no credit card. Platform index for LLMs: https://shishya.in/llms.txt and https://shishya.in/llms-full.txt