CAT 2026 has not been held yet, so there is no CAT 2026 question paper. This page collects the announced dates and what is known about the pattern, and links the newest papers to practise from. When the exam is over, it will carry the 2026 paper or a labelled mock in its place. Confirm every date on iimcat.ac.in.
Explore: CAT hub · Syllabus & pattern · CAT 2025 · Topic-wise practice
CAT 2026 has not been held yet
The exam is on 29 November 2026, so there is no CAT 2026 question paper yet. To practise now, start with the CAT 2025 mock paper, then 2024 and 2023.
CAT 2026 at a glance
| CAT 2026 | |
|---|---|
| Exam date | Sunday, 29 November 2026 |
| Sessions | Three, on the same day; your session is on your admit card |
| Convening institute | IIM Indore |
| Mode | Computer-based test |
| Official site | iimcat.ac.in |
| Question paper | Not yet held |
What to expect in the paper
The IIMs have not published a section-wise question count for 2026, so the details below are from the last three years. CAT 2023, 2024 and 2025 each had 68 questions in two hours, split across three sections with 40 minutes each: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (24), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (22) and Quantitative Ability (22). Marking was +3 for a correct answer, −1 for a wrong multiple-choice answer, and no penalty for a wrong TITA (type in the answer) question.
You cannot switch sections once the timer for one has started. That is the main thing to practise in the last few weeks: a fixed plan for each 40-minute block, including when to leave a DILR set or an RC passage.
The last month before CAT 2026
- Sit two full papers a week under the 40-minute section timers: the 2025, 2024 and 2023 mocks first, then your coaching mocks.
- Review each paper on the same day. Spend at least as long reviewing as you did attempting it.
- Keep an error log by section and reason, and redo only the logged questions between papers.
- In the last week, sit one paper at the time of your session and stop adding new topics.
After the exam
Candidates get their response sheets and the provisional answer key on iimcat.ac.in some days after the exam. Scores across the three sessions are normalised before percentiles are worked out, so a raw score from one session cannot be compared directly with one from another.
When the exam is over, this page will add what candidates report about each section and a clearly labelled mock paper in the 2026 pattern, like the one on the CAT 2025 page. It will not present memory-based questions as the official paper.
Other years in this decade
FAQ
When is CAT 2026?
CAT 2026 is on Sunday, 29 November 2026, in three sessions. IIM Indore is the convening institute. Your session and test centre are printed on your admit card.
Is the CAT 2026 question paper available?
No. The exam has not been held yet. Even after the exam, the IIMs do not publish CAT papers for download: candidates see their own response sheet and the provisional answer key on iimcat.ac.in. Until then, the papers to practise are 2023 to 2025.
How many questions will CAT 2026 have?
The IIMs have not announced a question count for 2026. CAT 2023, 2024 and 2025 each had 68 questions in 2 hours: 24 in VARC, 22 in DILR and 22 in QA, with 40 minutes per section. Read the instructions on exam day rather than assuming the same split.
What will this page have after the exam?
After 29 November we will add what candidates report about each section, and a clearly labelled mock paper in the 2026 pattern, as on the CAT 2025 page. We will not post memory-based questions as the real paper.
Which past papers should I sit in the last month?
Sit the 2023, 2024 and 2025 mocks on this site as full timed papers, since they follow the current 68-question format. Use the 2020 to 2022 papers for extra sectional practice, and review each paper on the same day.