CAT Exam Exam Guide 2026
CAT Exam 2026 notification updates and complete exam guide. Check exam dates, vacancies, eligibility criteria, selection process, syllabus, and application details.
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📊 Category-Wise Cut-Off Marks
| Rank | Institute | Expected Cut-off Percentile (Gen) | Safe Score Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | IIM Ahmedabad (IIM A) | 99 – 100 | 94 – 100 |
| 2 | IIM Bangalore (IIM B) | 99 – 100 | 94 – 100 |
| 3 | IIM Calcutta (IIM C) | 99 | 94 – 100 |
| 4 | IIM Lucknow (IIM L) | 97 – 98 | 91 – 99.5 |
| 5 | IIM Indore (IIM I) | 97 – 98 | 91 – 99.5 |
| 6 | IIM Kozhikode (IIM K) | 97 – 98 | 91 – 99.5 |
| 7 | IIM Mumbai (IIM M) | ~95 (estimate) | 95+ |
| 8 | IIM Nagpur | ~95 – 96 | 95+ |
| 9 | IIM Ranchi | ~94 – 95 | 95+ |
| 10 | IIM Rohtak | ~92 – 94 | 96+ |
📊 Exam Information 2
| Percentile | VARC SCORE | DILR SCORE | QA SCORE | Overall Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80.00 | 18.00 | 17.00 | 11.00 | 43.00 |
| 85.00 | 20.00 | 19.00 | 14.00 | 49.00 |
| 90.00 | 24.00 | 22.00 | 17.00 | 57.00 |
| 95.00 | 30.00 | 27.00 | 22.00 | 70.00 |
| 98.00 | 36.00 | 34.00 | 29.00 | 85.00 |
| 99.00 | 41.00 | 38.00 | 33.00 | 96.00 |
| 100.00 | 59.00 | 63.00 | 57.00 | 151.00 |
📊 Exam Pattern & Marking Scheme
| CAT Percentile | Marks in CAT 2024 | Marks in CAT 2026 | Marks in CAT 2022 | Marks in CAT 2021 | Marks in CAT 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 99.9 | 127 | 101 | 109 | 124 | 196 |
| 99.5 | 104 | 84 | 92 | 110 | 170 |
| 99 | 95 | 76 | 84 | 98 | 157 |
| 98 | 86 | 70 | 78 | 90 | 148 |
| 97 | 80 | 65 | 73 | 85 | 142 |
| 95 | 74 | 59 | 68 | 78 | 132 |
| 90 | 65 | 52 | 60 | 70 | 120 |
| 85 | 58 | 46 | 54 | 64 | 110 |
| 80 | 52 | 42 | 49 | 58 | 103 |
| 75 | 47 | 38 | 45 | 53 | 96 |
📊 CAT Category-Wise Cut Off 2026 (Minimum Qualifying Marks)
| Category | Overall Percentile Cut Off | VARC Cut Off | DILR Cut Off | QA Cut Off |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General (UR) | 98 – 99 percentile | 80 – 85 percentile | 75 – 80 percentile | 80 – 85 percentile |
| EWS | 96 – 97 percentile | 70 – 75 percentile | 65 – 70 percentile | 70 – 75 percentile |
| NC-OBC | 94 – 96 percentile | 65 – 70 percentile | 60 – 65 percentile | 65 – 70 percentile |
| SC | 80 – 85 percentile | 55 – 60 percentile | 50 – 55 percentile | 55 – 60 percentile |
| ST | 70 – 75 percentile | 45 – 50 percentile | 40 – 45 percentile | 45 – 50 percentile |
| PwD | 60 – 65 percentile | 40 – 45 percentile | 35 – 40 percentile | 40 – 45 percentile |
📊 Application Fee
| Category | VARC | DILR | QA | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General | 70 | 70 | 70 | 80 |
| NC-OBC | 65 | 65 | 65 | 75 |
| SC | 60 | 60 | 60 | 70 |
| ST | 50 | 50 | 50 | 60 |
| PwD (General/ NC-OBC/ SC) | 60 | 60 | 60 | 70 |
| PwD (ST) | 50 | 50 | 50 | 60 |
📊 Application Fee
| Category | QA | DILR | VARC | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General | 80 | 75 | 75 | 85 |
| NC-OBC | 65 | 60 | 60 | 75 |
| SC | 55 | 50 | 50 | 55 |
| ST | 35 | 35 | 35 | 40 |
| PwD | 35 | 35 | 35 | 40 |
📊 Application Fee
| Category | VARC | DILR | QA | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General | 80 | 75 | 75 | 85 |
| NC-OBC | 70 | 65 | 65 | 75 |
| EWS | 70 | 65 | 65 | 75 |
| SC | 65 | 60 | 60 | 70 |
| ST | 55 | 55 | 55 | 65 |
| PwD | 50 | 50 | 50 | 60 |
📊 Application Fee
| Category | VARC | DILR | QA | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General | ≥75 | ≥80 | ≥80 | ≥80 |
| NC-OBC | ≥65 | ≥65 | ≥70 | ≥75 |
| EWS | ≥65 | ≥65 | ≥70 | ≥75 |
| SC | ≥60 | ≥60 | ≥65 | ≥70 |
| ST | ≥55 | ≥55 | ≥55 | ≥65 |
| PwD | ≥55 | ≥55 | ≥55 | ≥65 |
📊 Application Fee
| Category | VARC | DILR | QA | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General | 85 | 85 | 85 | 90 |
| NC-OBC | 77 | 77 | 77 | 82 |
| SC | 55 | 55 | 55 | 70 |
| ST | 50 | 50 | 50 | 65 |
| PwD | 50 | 50 | 50 | 65 |
| EWS | 77 | 77 | 77 | 82 |
📊 Exam Pattern & Marking Scheme
| Category | Class 10 | Class 12 | Sectional Percentile | CAT Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General | 60 | 60 | 75 | 85 |
| NC-OBC/ EWS | 60 | 60 | 65 | 75 |
| SC | 55 | 55 | 55 | 65 |
| ST/ PwD | 55 | 55 | 45 | 55 |
📊 Application Fee
| Category | VARC | DILR | QA | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General | 80 | 80 | 80 | 90 |
| EWS | 80 | 80 | 80 | 90 |
| NC-OBC | 70 | 70 | 70 | 80 |
| ST | 45 | 45 | 45 | 50 |
| SC | 55 | 55 | 55 | 60 |
| PwD | 45 | 45 | 45 | 50 |
📊 Application Fee
| Category | VARC | DILR | QA | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General | 80 | 80 | 80 | 95 |
| ST | 50 | 50 | 50 | 60 |
| SC | 30 | 30 | 30 | 40 |
| Differently Abled Person | 30 | 30 | 30 | 40 |
| NC-OBC | 60 | 60 | 60 | 78 |
📊 Application Fee
| Category | VARC | DILR | QA | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General | 72 | 72 | 72 | 85 |
| EWS | 72 | 72 | 72 | 85 |
| NC-OBC | 65 | 65 | 65 | 76.5 |
| SC | 50 | 50 | 50 | 60 |
| ST | 35 | 35 | 35 | 40 |
| PwD | 35 | 35 | 35 | 40 |
📊 Application Fee
| Category | VARC | DILR | QA | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General | 85 | 80 | 80 | 85 |
| NC-OBC | 60 | 60 | 60 | 60 |
| SC | 50 | 50 | 50 | 55 |
| ST | 30 | 30 | 30 | 40 |
| PwD | 30 | 30 | 30 | 40 |
📊 Application Fee
| Category | VARC | DILR | QA | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General | 80 (80.2) | 80 (80.12) | 80 (80.56) | 94 |
| SC | 45 (46.05) | 45 (45.42) | 45 | 55 (55.03) |
| ST | 30 (30.64) | 30 (30.21) | 30 (30.82) | 40 (40.25) |
| NC-OBC | 60 (61.19) | 60 (60.61) | 60 (60.66) | 75 (75.02) |
| PwD | 30 (32.43) | 30 (31.96) | 30 (30.82) | 40 (40.18) |
| EWS | 60 (61.19) | 60 (61.19) | 60 (60.66) | 75 (75.01) |
📊 Application Fee
| Category | VARC | DILR | QA | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General | 80 | 80 | 80 | 94 |
| EWS | 60 | 60 | 60 | 75 |
| NC-OBC | 60 | 60 | 60 | 75 |
| SC | 45 | 45 | 45 | 55 |
| ST | 30 | 30 | 30 | 40 |
| PwD | 30 | 30 | 30 | 40 |
📊 Application Fee
| Category | VARC | DILR | QA | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General | 80 | 80 | 80 | 94 |
| NC-OBC | 60 | 60 | 60 | 75 |
| EWS | 60 | 60 | 60 | 75 |
| SC | 45 | 45 | 45 | 55 |
| ST | 30 | 30 | 30 | 40 |
| PwD | 30 | 30 | 30 | 40 |
📊 Application Fee
| Category | QA | DILR | VARC | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General | 80 | 80 | 80 | 94 |
| EWS | 60 | 60 | 60 | 75 |
| NC-OBC | 60 | 60 | 60 | 75 |
| ST | 30 | 30 | 30 | 40 |
| SC | 45 | 45 | 45 | 55 |
| PwD | 30 | 30 | 30 | 40 |
📊 Application Fee
| Category | DILR | VARC | QA | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General/ EWS | >=70 | >=70 | >=70 | 95 |
| NC-OBC | >=60 | >=60 | >=60 | 78 |
| SC | >=50 | >=50 | >=50 | 60 |
| ST | >=30 | >=30 | >=30 | 40 |
| PwD | >=30 | >=30 | >=30 | 40 |
📊 Application Fee
| Category | QA | DILR | VARC | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General | 80 | 80 | 80 | 94 |
| NC-OBC | 60 | 60 | 60 | 75 |
| EWS | 60 | 60 | 60 | 75 |
| Scheduled Tribes | 30 | 30 | 30 | 40 |
| Scheduled Castes | 45 | 45 | 45 | 55 |
| Person with Disability | 30 | 30 | 30 | 40 |
📊 Application Fee
| Category | PwD | SC | ST | EWS | Others |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class 10 | 50 | 55 | 50 | 80 | 80 |
| Class 12 | 50 | 55 | 50 | 80 | 80 |
| Graduation | 50 | 55 | 50 | 65 | 65 |
| DILR | 50 | 60 | 50 | 75 | 75 |
| VARC | 50 | 60 | 50 | 75 | 75 |
| QA | 50 | 60 | 50 | 75 | 75 |
📊 Application Fee
| Category | QA | DILR | VARC | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General | 80 | 80 | 80 | 90 |
| NC-OBC | 60 | 60 | 60 | 78 |
| EWS | 80 | 80 | 80 | 85 |
| SC | 50 | 50 | 50 | 60 |
| ST | 30 | 30 | 30 | 40 |
| PwD | 30 | 30 | 30 | 40 |
📊 Application Fee
| Category | QA | DILR | VARC | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General | 80 | 80 | 80 | 90 |
| NC-OBC | 60 | 60 | 60 | 78 |
| EWS | 80 | 80 | 80 | 85 |
| SC | 50 | 50 | 50 | 60 |
| PwD | 30 | 30 | 30 | 40 |
| ST | 30 | 30 | 30 | 40 |
📊 Application Fee
| Category | QA | DILR | VARC | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General | 80 | 80 | 80 | 94 |
| EWS | 60 | 60 | 60 | 75 |
| NC-OBC | 60 | 60 | 60 | 75 |
| SC | 45 | 45 | 45 | 55 |
| ST | 30 | 30 | 30 | 40 |
| DAP | 30 | 30 | 30 | 40 |
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❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Q1.I have appeared at the CAT exam for the first year. How do we calculate the CAT cut off?
You may take up the CAT exam as per the eligibility criteria and once the CAT cutoff is released you may check it from the official website.
Q2.What percentile is required to get admission into the IIMs?
For candidates to get into any of the best IIMs, he/she has to score at least 97+ percentile in the CAT exam.
Q3.Is the cut off the same every year for CAT?
No, the CAT cut off varies every year.
Q4.Is the CAT cut off the same for every category of students?
The cut off is usually low for the reserved category of students when compared to the general category.
Q5.Will I be able to sit for the group discussion and interview even if I don’t clear the CAT cut off?
No, it is mandatory to clear the CAT cut off in order to sit for the group discussion and interview.
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