from several coaching-portal reports of a revised IIM Indore notice: the CAT 2026 admit card release has moved from 4 November to 6 November 2026, the download link stays open until the exam on 29 November, and the exam date has not changed. Still pending: the actual link going live, and the release time, which has not been officially stated. We could not open the official notice on iimcat.ac.in, so every date below is as reported by portals.
What changed
The admit card was scheduled for Wednesday, 4 November 2026. Toprankers, Career Launcher and iQuanta report that IIM Indore has revised this to Friday, 6 November. The window runs from 6 to 29 November. The exam on Sunday, 29 November, in computer-based mode, is unchanged. No reason for the delay has been reported.
This matters because many search results still say “CAT admit card out today, 4 November”. Pages like that were written before the notice, or have not been updated. A quick test for a stale page: if it gives an exact download hour, or says the link is live but has no screenshot of the iimcat.ac.in login page, check iimcat.ac.in yourself before acting on it.
Key dates
| Item | Date as reported |
|---|---|
| Original admit card release | 4 November 2026 (postponed) |
| Revised admit card release | 6 November 2026 |
| Release time | Not officially announced |
| Download window | 6 to 29 November 2026 |
| CAT 2026 exam | 29 November 2026, three slots |
| Application correction window | Closed 6 October 2026, as reported |
| Official website | iimcat.ac.in |
The gap between the admit card and the exam falls from 25 days to 23 days. That is a modest loss, but it comes out of the time you have to book travel for a centre in another city.
Do not trust a release time
Portals give different times for the same event. One says around 10 AM, another says 12 PM, and both label the figure tentative. They are inferring from past years, not quoting IIM Indore. Plan for the link to appear at any point on 6 November, and check iimcat.ac.in rather than refreshing a forwarded link.
Past cycles show why. Toprankers reports that the CAT 2025 admit card was scheduled for 5 November 2025 but went live on 12 November, around noon, after being moved by a week. It lists CAT 2024 as released on its scheduled date, 5 November 2024. Careers360’s 2021 coverage shows CAT 2021 was scheduled for 27 October at 5 PM, a week and a half before the exam. So a slip is not unusual, and slip length varies.
While you wait: 5 and 6 November
There is nothing to download yet, but a few things can be done now.
- Find your login. Search your inbox for the CAT registration email and note your User ID. Test the password reset before release day, when the site is busiest.
- Match your ID. The name on your photo ID should match your CAT application exactly. Aadhaar, PAN, Passport, Voter ID and Driving Licence are the IDs named by portals, but the list printed on your own admit card is the one that counts.
- Print a photo. Use the same passport-size photo you uploaded, because it is pasted on the admit card.
- Think about travel. If your preferred city is outside your hometown, be ready to book as soon as the centre appears.
Also stay away from “direct link” messages. Every CAT admit card sits behind the candidate’s own login. A page that offers it without a User ID and password is fake or a phishing attempt, and anyone asking for your CAT password “to download it for you” should be refused.
How to download the admit card
- Type iimcat.ac.in into the browser yourself.
- Click the Registered Candidate login.
- Enter your CAT User ID and password. Most invalid-credential errors come from a stray space when pasting, so type the User ID by hand.
- Open the admit card section of your dashboard.
- Download the PDF and save it on your phone and in your email.
- Check every detail before printing.
- Print two copies on A4 paper. Colour makes the photo clearer.
IIM Indore does not post a hard copy, and the admit card is not sent by email or SMS. An alert may arrive, but the PDF is available only through the login.
What to check on the card
Keep your photo ID next to the screen and compare three things: the admit card, your application and your ID.
| Detail | Check | If wrong |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Exact spelling as on photo ID | Email the CAT helpdesk the same day |
| Photograph and signature | Clear, not cropped, same as uploaded | Email the helpdesk with a screenshot |
| Date of birth, category, PwD status | Same as your application | Email with supporting proof |
| Slot | Morning, afternoon or evening | Cannot be changed |
| Reporting and gate closing time | Note both | Cannot be changed |
| Test centre address | In one of your chosen cities | Cannot be changed |
The helpdesk address given by Toprankers, and by Careers360’s 2021 coverage, is cathelpdesk@iimcat.ac.in. Confirm it on the contact page of iimcat.ac.in before writing. Put your User ID in the subject line, describe the error in two lines and attach a screenshot of the card beside the correct document. Write in the first few days, because replies slow down as the exam gets closer.
The slot, city and centre are fixed once the card is issued. The only chance to change test cities was the correction window, which is reported to have closed on 6 October. If your centre is far away, book travel now, or a room near the centre the night before a morning slot.
Slots, reporting and gate closing
Your card shows one of three two-hour slots on 29 November, with a reporting time and a gate closing time. The exam hours below are the standard CAT pattern as reported. The reporting times are estimates from earlier years, so your own admit card is the only authority.
| Slot | Exam time | Reporting (estimated) |
|---|---|---|
| Slot 1, morning | 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM | About 7:00 AM |
| Slot 2, afternoon | 12:30 PM to 2:30 PM | About 11:00 AM |
| Slot 3, evening | 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM | About 3:00 PM |
The hour and a half before the exam is used up by queues, frisking, ID checks, biometrics and finding your lab, so plan to arrive at the reporting time, not the start time. Once the gate closes, candidates are not allowed in.
Documents to carry
| Document | Rule |
|---|---|
| Printed admit card | Mandatory. Two A4 copies. Paste your photo. Leave the signature box blank and sign in front of the invigilator. |
| Original photo ID | Mandatory. Name must match the admit card. |
| PwD certificate | Only for PwD candidates, in the prescribed format. |
| Scribe affidavit | Only if you use a scribe. The scribe brings their own photo ID. |
A PDF on your phone does not count, and phones are not allowed inside the hall. Careers360’s 2021 coverage notes that candidates were told not to sign the card beforehand, and Toprankers repeats the rule for this year. Keep the admit card safe after the exam as well, because B-schools may ask for it during WAT-PI document checks.
Download problems and fixes
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Link not visible | It isn’t live until 6 November | Check iimcat.ac.in on the 6th and ignore earlier claims |
| Invalid credentials | Extra space or wrong password | Type the User ID by hand and use Forgot Password |
| Forgot User ID | Lost registration email | Search the inbox; use the retrieval option or email the helpdesk |
| Site slow | Lakhs logging in on release day | Wait or try late night; you have until 29 November |
| Blank or unreadable PDF | Incomplete download | Download again, open in another PDF reader |
| Photo missing or blurred | Image problem in your record | Email the helpdesk straight away |
Numbers around the exam
Toprankers reports about 2.84 lakh CAT 2026 registrations, with nearly 2.5 lakh expected to appear, across roughly 170 test cities. Candidates choose up to five cities in order of preference, and a nearby city may be allotted if none is available. Those figures are as reported and are not from an IIM notice we could open. With that many candidates logging in, expect slowness on release day.
The exam has three sections, VARC, DILR and Quant, at 40 minutes each, and candidates cannot move between sections. A scribble pad and pen are provided, and phones, smartwatches, calculators and jewellery are not allowed.
The official mock test
Toprankers expects the official CAT 2026 mock test on iimcat.ac.in from 6 November, alongside the admit card. This is reported as expected, not confirmed. It would show the actual interface: section timer, question palette, on-screen calculator and how type-in answers are entered. Use the first attempt to learn the interface and the second to practise at the hour of your own slot. The mock is not a percentile predictor.
A 23-day plan
- Day one: download the card, verify every detail, email the helpdesk about any error.
- First week: print two copies, paste the photos, keep them in a folder with your original ID. Check the route to your centre and the travel time for your slot’s reporting hour, ideally on a Sunday.
- Weeks two and three: take mocks at your slot’s timing. A morning-slot candidate who always practises at night is training for a different exam.
- Last 48 hours: reread the instructions on the card, pack the folder, sleep early. An extra mock the night before rarely adds marks.
After the exam
Portals expect a provisional answer key and response sheet in early December and the result between late December and early January. None of these dates is officially confirmed. You will need your User ID and password again to see the response sheet and scorecard, so keep them safe.
CAT Admit Card 2026 OUT: Click to Download
FAQs
Is the CAT 2026 admit card out today? Not as of 5 November. The release has been moved to 6 November, as reported, so a page saying it was out on the 4th is out of date.
What time will it be released? No official time is given. Sites quoting 10 AM or 12 PM are guessing from past years.
Can I change my test centre or slot after downloading the card? No. The only chance to change test city preferences was the correction window, reported as closed on 6 October.
My name is spelled wrongly on the admit card. What do I do? Email the CAT helpdesk straight away with your User ID, a short description of the error and a screenshot beside the correct document.
Will the card be sent by email, SMS or post? No. It is available only through your login on iimcat.ac.in. No hard copy is posted.