2 weeks ago
CAT 2026: Five Key IIM Admission Changes Aspirants Must Know
CAT is a big test that students in India take to try to get into top business schools called IIMs.
This year, the test is called CAT 2026 and it will be held on November 29.
Students can sign up for it until September 15.
The test will happen in three sessions in around 170 cities.
Some IIM schools have decided to work together, sharing a common interview that each school still evaluates separately.
Other IIM schools, like IIM Udaipur, run their own separate admission process.
IIM Indore changed how it picks students — the test score now matters more, Class 10 school marks matter less, and work experience is now considered.
Scoring well on the test does not mean a school will automatically call you, because IIMs look at many other things, like earlier grades, sectional scores and interviews.
Students should check every school's own rules each year, because the rules can change.
IIM Indore will conduct CAT 2026 on November 29 in three sessions across around 170 cities, with registration open until September 15, 2026.
IIM Kashipur, IIM Raipur, IIM Ranchi and IIM Tiruchirappalli have introduced a Joint Admission Process (JAP) for their two-year MBA programmes.
The Common Admission Process (CAP) is no longer common to all IIMs; IIM Bodh Gaya, IIM Jammu and IIM Sirmaur participated in CAP 2026 while others chose separate processes.
IIM Indore revised its selection formula for the 2026-28 batch, increasing weightage for CAT scores, reducing weightage for Class 10 marks and including work experience.
Clearing the CAT cut-off does not guarantee an admission call, as IIMs also consider academic performance, sectional scores, work experience and later selection rounds.
- Who
- MBA aspirants and the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), including IIM Indore, IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Udaipur and the four IIMs that joined the Joint Admission Process.
- What
- Changes to how IIMs shortlist and select MBA candidates for CAT 2026, including joint and separate admission processes and revised selection weightages.
- Where
- The exam will be held in three sessions across around 170 cities in India.
- When
- CAT 2026 will be conducted on November 29, 2026, and registration remains open until September 15, 2026.
- Why
- IIMs revised their admission criteria and selection processes for the CAT 2026 cycle, changing how candidates are shortlisted and selected.
Key facts
- Exam
- CAT 2026
- Conducting institute
- IIM Indore
- Exam date
- November 29, 2026, in three sessions
- Registration deadline
- September 15, 2026
- Exam cities
- Around 170
- Exam pattern and syllabus
- Unchanged
- Joint Admission Process (JAP)
- IIM Kashipur, IIM Raipur, IIM Ranchi, IIM Tiruchirappalli
- CAP 2026 participants
- IIM Bodh Gaya, IIM Jammu, IIM Sirmaur
Sources
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