CAT Exam Eligibility 2026 is prescribed by the IIMs for applying to CAT exam. To be eligible for the CAT 2026 exam, candidates need a Bachelor's degree with a minimum of 50% marks (45% for SC/ST/PwD categories) or equivalent CGPA from a government recognized university. Final year students and those awaiting results are also eligible to apply for CAT exam. There is no age limit for the exam. Read this article below for complete guide to CAT 2026 Eligibility Criteria, IIM Reservation Policy and other important details. CAT 2026 will be held on November 29, 2026. CAT 2026 Registration will start in early August 2026.
As per the CAT eligibility criteria 2026, candidates applying for CAT 2026 should fulfil any one of the following conditions:
As per the CAT eligibility criteria 2026, required percentage of marks are based on category of candidate applying for CAT. SC/ST/PwD candidates should have a minimum 45%. For General, EWS and NC-OBC candidates, the minimum is 50%. IIMs have clarified that the percentage of marks obtained by the candidate would be calculated based on the practice as followed by the respective University/Institution.
As per the CAT eligibility criteria 2026, in case of grades/CGPA, the conversion to percentage of marks would be based on the procedure as certified by the respective University/Institution. If any University/Institution confirms that there is no scheme for converting CGPA into equivalent marks, the equivalence would be established by dividing the candidate’s CGPA by the maximum possible CGPA, and multiplying the result with 100.
CAT LAST WEEK PREPARATION: DAY-WISE PLAN FOR SLOT 1, 2, 3
As per the CAT eligibility criteria 2026, candidate from general category must hold a Bachelor’s Degree, with at least 50% marks or equivalent CGPA.
Candidate from Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Persons with Disability (PwD) categories must hold a Bachelor’s Degree, with at least 45% marks or equivalent CGPA.
As per the CAT eligibility criteria 2026, “Bachelor’s Degree should be awarded by any University or educational institution as incorporated by an Act of Parliament or State legislature in India or declared to be deemed as an University under Section 3 of the UGC Act, 1956, or possess an equivalent qualification recognised by the Ministry of Education, Government of India.”
As per the CAT eligibility criteria 2026, candidates appearing for the final year of Bachelor’s degree/equivalent qualification examination and those who have completed degree requirements and are awaiting results can also apply.
However, CAT eligibility criteria 2026 states that “it may be noted that such candidates, if selected, will be allowed to join the programme provisionally, only if they submit a certificate from the Principal/Registrar of their University/Institution (issued on or before the date as stipulated by the respective IIM) stating that they have completed all the requirements for obtaining the Bachelor’s degree/equivalent qualification on the date of issue of the certificate.”
Yes, if you have completed professional degree such as CA or CS or ICWA (CMA) or Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries of India (FIAI)) with the required percentage, you can apply for CAT exam. The official CAT eligibility document 2026 clearly states that “Candidates who have completed professional degree (CA/CS/ICWA (CMA)/Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries of India (FIAI)) with required percentage are eligible for CAT 2026”.
CAT PREVIOUS YEAR PAPER – CAT 2024 SLOT 3
As per the Government of India directives, the following reservations apply in IIM admissions:
The CAT Eligibility 2026 clearly mentions following regarding reservation in IIMs:
“As per the legal requirements, 15% of the seats are reserved for Scheduled Caste (SC) and 7.5% for Scheduled Tribe (ST) candidates. 27% of the seats are reserved for Other Backward Classes candidates belonging to the “non-creamy” layer (NC-OBC). Up to 10% of the seats are reserved for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) candidates.” It further adds, “As per the provisions of The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 (RPwD Act 2016), 5% seats are reserved for Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwD).”
Asking students to be careful while filling their reservation status in application form, CAT eligibility criteria states that “The candidates should read the updated description of the selection process followed by each IIM on their respective websites. No change in the category will be entertained after CAT registration. The applicants are advised to pay attention while registering.”
CAT exam eligibility age: Is there age limit for CAT exam? No. Applicants of any age who meet the educational qualifications can apply. Check more details below.
However, IIMs and other MBA colleges can have age restrictions at the time of offering MBA admissions.
CAT PREVIOUS YEAR PAPER – CAT 2023 SLOT 1
How many times can I take CAT exam? This is a question often asked by students. Good news is that if you are eligible, you can take CAT exam as many times as you wish. So, there is no restriction on the number of times a candidate can take CAT.
Work experience is not mandatory to appear for CAT. However, IIMs may have minimum work experience requirements, or give weightage to work experience in their final MBA selection process.
CAT eligibility criteria do not mention any information regarding foreign nationals and NRIs. According to the IIM Admission policy, Foreign Nationals and NRIs/PIOs can apply for IIM admissions through GMAT or GRE scores instead of CAT exam.
CAT LAST WEEK PREPARATION: DAY-WISE PLAN FOR SLOT 1, 2, 3
IIMs conducting CAT exam have clarified about who is ineligible for the CAT exam? The key criteria to understand who is not eligible for CAT 2024 are:
CAT PREVIOUS YEAR PAPER – CAT 2024 SLOT 2
You can download the official CAT 2026 Eligibility Criteria PDF from the link below. This document has all the information available on this page. You can download the PDF, save and read it anytime for your reference.
Download CAT Eligibility Criteria 2026 PDF
In summary, CAT Exam eligibility 2026 is prescribed by the IIMs for applying to CAT exam. It includes education qualification requirements for CAT exam, and varies for different category of students. Above article provides a guide to CAT eligibility criteria, IIM reservation policy and other important details.
