CAT 2026 Exam Day Guidelines: What the IIMs Confirmed

CAT 2026 is on Sunday, 29 November 2026, in three shifts. The test lasts 120 minutes, with 40 minutes locked to each section, and you can download your admit card from iimcat.ac.in until the morning of the test. This year the IIMs have added face matching and mobile jammers at select centres.

With under three weeks to go, most of what can go wrong on test day has nothing to do with Quant or RC. A wrong centre, a missing print-out or a surprise at the frisking desk costs more marks than any chapter you have not revised. This post separates what the IIMs have officially confirmed from what you must read on your own admit card.

CAT 2026 exam day at a glance

Source: iimcat.ac.in (media release of 4 November 2026, CAT 2026 Information Bulletin and mock test notice), read 9 November 2026.

Checklist

• Download your admit card from iimcat.ac.in between 6 and 29 November.
• Check the test centre named on your admit card before the exam day.
• Take the official mock on the CAT website to get used to the 40-minute section lock.
• Practise percentages on a mouse-only calculator: the keyboard is disabled in the exam.
• Expect face matching and mobile jammers at select test centres.

When can you download the CAT 2026 admit card?

You can download it any time between 6 November and 29 November 2026, and only from iimcat.ac.in using your CAT application login ID and password. The original information bulletin gave 4 November as the start; the media release of 4 November moved it to 6 November, and the website's dates now match the release.

The admit card is the only place that names your test centre. The bulletin says test cities are listed on the website, but "the name of the test centre will be indicated in the Admit Card." At registration you picked five preferred cities, and you are allotted one of them, subject to availability. So do not assume you got your first choice. Open the card and check.

Download it this week, not on 28 November. A problem found three weeks early can still be raised with the CAT help desk at cat2026_helpdesk@iimidr.ac.in.

What should you check on your admit card?

Check every line, then act on what it says. The instructions that come with your admit card are the ones your centre will follow, so treat them as the final word. Use this checklist:

1. Name, photo and signature. They must match the photo ID you will carry. With face matching in use this year, a photo that no longer looks like you is a real risk.
2. Test centre address. Look it up on a map. If it is in another city, book travel and a stay for 28 November now.
3. Shift and reporting time. Note both. Plan to reach well before the reporting time, not the test start time.
4. Instructions page. Read the list of items you may and may not carry, and the ID rules. Do not rely on a coaching site's list from a previous year.
5. Print. Print more than one copy, and keep one in your bag from today.

If something on the card is wrong, write to the help desk with your registration number and a screenshot the same day.

How does the 40-minute section lock work on test day?

Each of the three sections gets exactly 40 minutes, and you cannot move to the next one before the time runs out. The official mock notice puts it plainly: "In the actual exam, a candidate can go to the next section ONLY after 40 minutes." The official mock has a Submit button on each section so you can practise faster, but the real test does not.

This changes how you finish a section. If you are done with DILR in 34 minutes, those six minutes are DILR minutes. Use them to recheck a TITA answer or attempt one more set's first question. You cannot bank them for Quant.

PwBD candidates receive an additional 40 minutes in total. The CAT website has separate official mock links for PwBD candidates and for candidates with blindness or low vision; use the one that matches your test.

What can the on-screen calculator do?

It is a basic calculator operated only with the mouse: keyboard operation is disabled. The CAT 2026 calculator guideline lists its operations as percentage, square root and inverse, plus memory keys (MS, M+, MR and M-).

The percentage key is the one that trips people up. It works as a binary operator, so to add 15% to 250 you press 250 + 15 % 250 =, and to find 20% of 200 you press 200 * 20 % 1 =. Try these on the official mock this week. On the day, you will not want to discover that a key behaves differently from your phone's calculator.

Clicking numbers with a mouse is slow. For most Quant and DILR arithmetic, mental maths and the scribble pad are faster; keep the calculator for ugly divisions and square roots.

How should you use the last 20 days before CAT?

Use them to rehearse the test, not to learn new chapters. The aim now is to make test day feel like your fortieth mock, not your first.

One habit is worth building in your remaining mocks: DILR set selection. Give yourself the first four minutes of DILR only to read every set and choose two.

A simple plan for the next three weeks:

• 9 to 18 November: two full-length mocks a week, each analysed the next day, plus one sectional for your weakest area.
• 19 to 26 November: one or two final mocks in the same time slot as your allotted shift, so your body is used to that hour.
• 27 and 28 November: light revision of formulae and your error log only. Pack your bag, print your admit card again and sleep early.

Past papers help too. Add one past paper a week alongside your mocks. Do not let one bad mock in the final week change your plan.

What to do next

Download your admit card today and work through the checklist above. Then take the official mock on iimcat.ac.in once, purely to learn the interface and the calculator. For the rest of your practice, use Percentyl's free full-length mocks and sectional tests, and keep your arithmetic fresh with the formula book. The daily challenge is a good fifteen-minute warm-up on the mornings you do not take a mock. For official updates, read our notices on the CAT 2026 admit card and the three-shift schedule with face matching.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the CAT 2026 exam date?

CAT 2026 is on Sunday, 29 November 2026, in three shifts. The IIMs have said they reserve the right to change the date and time if the situation warrants, so keep checking iimcat.ac.in.

Till when can I download the CAT 2026 admit card?

The admit card can be downloaded from iimcat.ac.in between 6 November and 29 November 2026, using your CAT application login ID and password. Download and print it early so you have time to raise any error with the help desk.

Can I move to the next section early in CAT 2026?

No. Each section has 40 minutes, and in the actual exam you can go to the next section only after those 40 minutes are over. The Submit button in the official mock exists only for practice.

Can I use the keyboard with the CAT calculator?

No. The CAT 2026 calculator guideline says keyboard operation is disabled, so you must click the on-screen buttons with the mouse. It supports percentage, square root, inverse and memory keys.

How much extra time do PwBD candidates get in CAT 2026?

PwBD candidates get an additional 40 minutes over the standard 120 minutes. Separate official mock links are available on the CAT website for PwBD candidates and for candidates with blindness or low vision.

When will the CAT 2026 result be declared?

According to the CAT 2026 Information Bulletin, results are likely by the first week of January 2027. The CAT 2026 score is valid until 31 December 2027.