CAT 2026 Registration: The Official Step by Step Guide

CAT 2026 registration opens at 10 in the morning on 3 August 2026 and closes at 5 in the evening on 15 September 2026, only at iimcat.ac.in. You create an account, fill your details, upload a photo and signature, choose five test cities, pay the fee and submit. That's the whole process. Here's each step in order, with the official dates, the fee and the traps that cost people their preferred city.

CAT 2026 registration at a glance

Step 1: Register on the official site

Create your account only at iimcat.ac.in.

The sole official website for CAT 2026 is iimcat.ac.in. No other site is authorised. You'll register with a valid, unique email and mobile number, which you must keep active through the whole selection process, because every alert, your admit card and your scorecard are tied to them. You'll get a login ID after this step. Keep it safe.

Step 2: Fill your personal and academic details

Enter your details from your real documents, not from memory.

Fill in your personal details, your class 10 and class 12 percentages and your graduation marks exactly as your marksheets show. Enter work experience in months if you have any. Take your time here. Most of these fields lock the moment you submit, so a typo in your name or a wrong percentage stays on record and surfaces at interview verification later.

Step 3: Upload your photo and signature

Upload a recent colour photo and a scanned signature in the required format.

Add a recent colour photograph against a light background and a signature in black ink on white paper, both as JPG files. The registration guide on the site lists the exact size limits, so match them before you upload. This is the most common point of failure, so fix the images once on a laptop and keep them in one folder.

Step 4: Upload your category certificate, if any

Reserved-category candidates must upload their certificate now.

If you're applying under SC, ST, NC-OBC, EWS or PwBD, upload the certificate at this stage. Skipping it gets your registration rejected. Remember the date rule. An NC-OBC certificate has to be issued on or after 1 April 2026. An EWS certificate must be valid for 2026-27, assessed for the financial year 2025-26. If your new certificate isn't ready, upload the official undertaking, your older certificate and proof that you've applied, all in one PDF.

Step 5: Choose five test cities

You pick five preferred cities from a drop-down of about 170.

CAT 2026 runs in around 170 cities. You select five, in order of preference, from a drop-down menu. After registration closes, you're allotted one of your five, subject to availability. If none of the five can be given, you get a nearby city. Once a centre is allotted, no change is allowed. So put your real first choice first and keep the other four realistic, ideally cities you can reach without an overnight trip.

Step 6: Pay the fee and submit

Pay once and your form reaches every IIM.

You pay the fee only once, whatever the number of IIMs you're targeting. The fee is not refundable under any circumstances, so submit only when your form is right. Before you pay, preview every page. Confirm your photo and signature display correctly and your details match your documents. Then pay and submit.

After you submit: the short edit window

A brief edit window opens after registration closes, for three fields only.

Once the window shuts on 15 September, CAT opens a very short edit period. It lets you change only three things: your photograph, your signature and your test city preferences. Nothing else. Your name, marks and category are final. And the edit option is open only to candidates who paid the fee and registered successfully within the deadline. So don't rely on it for anything beyond those three fields.

The dates after registration

Your admit card comes in November and the exam is on 29 November.

You can download your admit card from 4 November to 29 November 2026. CAT 2026 is on Sunday, 29 November 2026, in three sessions across the day. You don't choose your session. The test runs 120 minutes, split into three sections of 40 minutes each: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension, then Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning, then Quantitative Ability. You can't move between sections. Results are likely in the first week of January 2027. Your CAT 2026 score then stays valid until 31 December 2027.

Register early and stay on the official site

One habit saves a lot of stress. Register in the first week, not the last.

The site slows to a crawl in the final 48 hours every year, when a few lakh people upload photos at once. I registered early in 2017 and used the calm weeks to prepare, not to fight a loading screen. Stay on the official site only. If a page outside iimcat.ac.in asks for your details or a payment, it isn't CAT. You can report anything suspicious to the CAT help desk at cat2026_helpdesk@iimidr.ac.in or call 1800 210 0175.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does CAT 2026 registration open and close?

It opens on 3 August 2026 at 10 AM and closes on 15 September 2026 at 5 PM. You register only at iimcat.ac.in.

How much is the CAT 2026 registration fee?

It's Rs 2,700 for General, EWS and NC-OBC candidates. It's Rs 1,350 for SC, ST and PwBD candidates. You pay once, whatever the number of IIMs. The fee is non-refundable.

How many test cities can I choose for CAT 2026?

Five, from about 170 cities, in order of preference. You're allotted one of the five after registration closes, or a nearby city if none is available. Once allotted, it can't be changed.

Can I edit my CAT 2026 form after submitting?

Only in the short edit window after registration closes. It covers your photograph, signature and test city preferences only. All other details are final once you submit.

When can I download the CAT 2026 admit card?

From 4 November to 29 November 2026, on iimcat.ac.in. The name of your test centre is shown on the admit card.

Is iimcat.ac.in the only official CAT website?

Yes. It's the sole official site for CAT 2026. Don't share details or make payments on any other site. Report anything suspicious to the CAT help desk.