IIM Indore is Conducting CAT 2026: Here’s What Changes for You
Published 9 July 2026 · 4 min read · Common Admission Test
IIM Indore runs CAT 2026 for the first time since 2020. Here is what changes for you and what does not.
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IIM Indore will conduct CAT 2026, its first time since 2020. For most aspirants, the honest answer is that it changes very little. The conducting IIM handles logistics, sets the paper and runs normalization, but the exam's shape has been stable for years. Here is what IIM Indore conducting really means, plus the one or two things worth watching.
At a Glance
Item | Detail |
|---|---|
Conducting IIM | IIM Indore |
Exam date | Sunday, 29 November 2026 |
Last time Indore conducted | 2020, the COVID year |
What changes | Logistics, the question setters, fine details of difficulty |
What stays | 2 hours, 3 sections of 40 minutes, around 66 to 68 questions |
What to do differently | Almost nothing; prepare for the standard pattern |
What the conducting IIM controls
The conducting IIM owns the operations and the paper. That means the test centres and slots, the question setting and difficulty, the normalization across slots and the result timeline. What it does not do is reinvent CAT each year. The broad structure, three sections with a sectional timer, has held across conducting IIMs for years now.
Why 2020 is not a scary precedent
The last time IIM Indore ran CAT was 2020. Some aspirants remember that as the year the paper changed. It did, but for a reason that no longer applies. That was the COVID year, so the exam was cut to two hours with 40 minutes per section to reduce time in the hall. That shorter, three-slot format then became the new normal and has stayed. So IIM Indore is not an outlier here. It helped set the pattern everyone now trains for.
What stays the same
Feature | CAT 2026 expectation |
|---|---|
Duration | 2 hours, with 40 minutes per section |
Sections | VARC, DILR and QA, in that fixed order |
Questions | Around 66 to 68 in total |
Marking | Plus 3 for a correct answer, minus 1 for a wrong MCQ, no negative on non-MCQs |
If you are preparing for the recent CAT pattern, you are already preparing for IIM Indore's CAT. Nothing about the conducting IIM asks you to change your plan.
The one or two things worth watching
Two small things, not changes to fear. First, difficulty flavour. Each setting team has its own tilt. Some years one section runs harder than usual. You handle that the way every strong aspirant does, by building accuracy and set-selection so any difficulty level is survivable. Second, the official notification and mock. Read the notification in full when it drops. Take IIM Indore's official mock once it is out, so the exact interface holds no surprises.
What history says about difficulty
One more thing to settle your nerves. CAT difficulty swings every year, no matter which IIM runs it. Some years QA feels gentle while DILR turns brutal. Other years VARC is the wild card. There is no way to predict it, so trying to is wasted energy. The aspirants who cope best are the ones who trained for range, not for one expected paper. Build enough depth that a hard section is a challenge rather than a disaster, so the conducting IIM stops mattering. Chasing rumours about which section Indore will make tough is a distraction. Prepare for all three to be hard, then whatever comes on the day feels manageable.
For non-engineers especially
If you come from a non-maths background, none of this should rattle you. The pattern that suits you, a section you turn into a strength plus ruthless accuracy, works regardless of which IIM runs the show. I cleared CAT from a commerce background and made DILR my anchor. The conducting IIM never entered my plan. It does not need to enter yours.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which IIM is conducting CAT 2026?
IIM Indore. It is conducting CAT for the first time since 2020, with the exam on 29 November 2026.
Does the conducting IIM change the CAT pattern?
Rarely in a big way. It sets the paper and difficulty, but the structure of 2 hours, three sections and around 66 to 68 questions has been stable for years.
Should I change my preparation because IIM Indore is conducting CAT 2026?
No. Prepare for the recent standard pattern. Focus on accuracy and set selection so any difficulty level is manageable.
Will CAT 2026 be harder because IIM Indore is conducting it?
Not predictably. Difficulty shifts a little every year with the setting team, but no conducting IIM makes the exam reliably harder. Build accuracy and you are covered.
Has IIM Indore conducted CAT before?
Yes. IIM Indore has run CAT before, most recently in 2020. It is an experienced conducting body, not a newcomer to the exam.
Does IIM Indore favour any section?
No. There is no evidence that a conducting IIM tilts the paper toward its own strengths. Treat all three sections as equally likely to be the hard one, then prepare accordingly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which IIM is conducting CAT 2026?
IIM Indore. It is conducting CAT for the first time since 2020, with the exam on 29 November 2026.
Does the conducting IIM change the CAT pattern?
Rarely in a big way. It sets the paper and difficulty, but the structure of 2 hours, three sections and around 66 to 68 questions has been stable for years.
Should I change my preparation because IIM Indore is conducting CAT 2026?
No. Prepare for the recent standard pattern. Focus on accuracy and set selection so any difficulty level is manageable.
Will CAT 2026 be harder because IIM Indore is conducting it?
Not predictably. Difficulty shifts a little every year with the setting team, but no conducting IIM makes the exam reliably harder. Build accuracy and you are covered.
Has IIM Indore conducted CAT before?
Yes. IIM Indore has run CAT before, most recently in 2020. It is an experienced conducting body, not a newcomer to the exam.
Does IIM Indore favour any section?
No. There is no evidence that a conducting IIM tilts the paper toward its own strengths. Treat all three sections as equally likely to be the hard one, then prepare accordingly.