CAT 2026 hall ticket from IIM Indore on November 4: MBA test slots

The admit card for the Common Admission Test (CAT) 2026, the entrance exam for MBA programmes at the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), will be released on Wednesday, 4 November 2026, on the official website, iimcat.ac.in. IIM Indore, which is conducting this year's test, has scheduled the computer-based exam for Sunday, 29 November 2026, in three sessions across about 170 cities. Candidates will need the user ID and password they created at registration to download the card.

CAT is the main entry route to the IIMs and is also used by many other business schools in India to shortlist candidates for MBA and postgraduate management programmes. For students and young professionals who registered in August and September, the admit card is the last document they need before the exam. It confirms the candidate's test slot, the exact test centre, the reporting time and the rules to follow on the day.

The admit card also matters because the slot and centre are assigned, not chosen at the time of download. A candidate who finds an error in their name, photograph or other details on the card should raise it through the contact details on the official website as early as possible, rather than wait until exam week. Students who live far from the allotted city get almost four weeks between the release on 4 November and the exam on 29 November to plan travel.

The exam pattern explains how candidates are scored. Each of the 68 questions carries three marks, giving a total of 204. Wrong answers to multiple-choice questions lose one mark, but TITA questions, where the candidate types a number rather than choosing an option, carry no penalty for a wrong answer.

What should a CAT candidate do next? Download the admit card as soon as it is released on 4 November, check every detail, take two printouts, and keep a valid original photo ID ready for the exam day. Use the remaining weeks to take full-length mock tests in the same slot timing as the one allotted.

Short-term: Candidates will know their exam slot and test centre from 4 November, giving them close to four weeks to arrange travel and adjust their preparation to their slot's timing.

Long-term: CAT scores decide shortlists for interviews and further rounds at the IIMs and other business schools for the 2027 intake, which shapes where candidates study and the jobs they can aim for after an MBA.

Who is affected: Graduates and final-year students who registered for CAT 2026, working professionals planning an MBA, coaching institutes, and business schools that use CAT scores for admission.

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