CAT 2026 Registration: Keep These Documents Ready to Avoid Panic
Published 11 July 2026 · 4 min read · Common Admission Test
The notification lands late July and registration opens in August. Get these ready now, so form week is calm.
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The CAT 2026 notification is expected around late July, with registration opening in August. If you get your documents and their exact specs ready now, form-filling takes twenty minutes instead of a stressful evening. Here is the full checklist, with the photo and signature specs that trip people up every year.
At a Glance
Item | Detail |
|---|---|
Notification expected | Around late July 2026 |
Registration opens | Early August 2026 |
Photograph | Colour, about 1200 by 1200 pixels, jpg, under 80 KB, under 6 months old |
Signature | Black ink on white paper, about 80 by 35 mm, jpg, under 80 KB |
SC, ST, NC-OBC, EWS or PwD, PDF, under 200 KB | |
OBC-NCL note | Must be issued after 1 April 2026 |
The documents you will need
Nothing here is hard to gather, but gathering it in a hurry is where mistakes happen. Keep these ready. A recent passport-style photo and a scanned signature in the right specs. Your class 10 and 12 marksheets. Your bachelor's degree marks or current-year details. Work experience proof if you have it. A valid category certificate if you apply under one. A PwD certificate if it applies. An email and phone number you check daily.
Photo and signature: the specs that cause rejections
Item | Get it right |
|---|---|
Photo | Colour, white or light background, about 1200 by 1200 pixels, jpg or jpeg, under 80 KB |
Photo age | Taken in the last 6 months, front-facing, eyes open, no selfie, no filter |
Signature | Black ink on white paper, about 80 by 35 mm, jpg or jpeg, under 80 KB, clearly legible |
Most upload problems come from here. A blurry photo, a selfie, a black-and-white scan or an oversized file gets flagged. Fix the image once now and save it. Then you will not fight it on form day.
Category certificates: check the date
If you are applying under a reserved category, your certificate has to be valid and in the right format, usually a PDF under 200 KB from the competent authority. One rule catches people out every year. The OBC-NCL (non-creamy-layer) certificate has to be issued after 1 April 2026 to be valid for CAT 2026. An older certificate will be rejected. If yours is dated earlier, start the renewal now, because government offices are slow.
The details to have written down
Beyond files, keep your data straight. Your exact class 10 and 12 percentages, your graduation marks by year or aggregate, your work-ex in months, plus the correct spelling of your name as it appears on your ID. Small mismatches here cause big headaches at interview verification later. Fill it once, carefully, from the real documents in front of you.
A five-minute prep you can do today
You do not need the notification to begin. In five minutes today you can get most of the way there. Scan your photo and signature to the exact specs and save them in one folder. Open your category certificate and check the issue date. Type your class 10, 12 and graduation numbers into a notes file. Set a reminder for the last week of July, when the notification is expected. That is the whole prep, done before the rush.
On form day: preview before you submit
When the form is open, fill it in one careful sitting from the documents in front of you. Upload the photo and signature first, confirm they display correctly, then enter your details. Keep your certificate PDFs in the same folder so uploads are quick. Before you pay and submit, preview every page once. A calm ten-minute review beats a frantic correction request later.
Frequently Asked Questions
What documents do I need for CAT 2026 registration?
A spec-compliant photo and signature, your class 10, 12 and graduation marks, work experience proof if any, a valid category certificate if you apply under one, plus an email and phone you check.
What is the photo size for CAT 2026?
A colour photo of about 1200 by 1200 pixels, in jpg or jpeg, under 80 KB, taken in the last six months against a light background.
When should I get my documents ready?
Now, before the late-July notification. Getting the photo, signature and certificates ready early makes the August form quick and calm.
My OBC certificate is old. Is that a problem?
Yes. The OBC-NCL certificate must be issued after 1 April 2026 for CAT 2026. If yours is older, start the renewal now, because it can take time.
Is the CAT photograph required to be recent?
Yes. It should be taken within the last six months and show your current appearance, in colour against a light background. An old or heavily edited photo can be rejected.
Can I fill the CAT form on my phone?
You can, but a laptop is safer for uploading a photo and signature to the exact specs. Do the document uploads on a computer to avoid size and format errors.
Frequently Asked Questions
What documents do I need for CAT 2026 registration?
A spec-compliant photo and signature, your class 10, 12 and graduation marks, work experience proof if any, a valid category certificate if you apply under one, plus an email and phone you check.
What is the photo size for CAT 2026?
A colour photo of about 1200 by 1200 pixels, in jpg or jpeg, under 80 KB, taken in the last six months against a light background.
When should I get my documents ready?
Now, before the late-July notification. Getting the photo, signature and certificates ready early makes the August form quick and calm.
My OBC certificate is old. Is that a problem?
Yes. The OBC-NCL certificate must be issued after 1 April 2026 for CAT 2026. If yours is older, start the renewal now, because it can take time.
Is the CAT photograph required to be recent?
Yes. It should be taken within the last six months and show your current appearance, in colour against a light background. An old or heavily edited photo can be rejected.
Can I fill the CAT form on my phone?
You can, but a laptop is safer for uploading a photo and signature to the exact specs. Do the document uploads on a computer to avoid size and format errors.