CAT 2026 vs CAT 2025: What's Changed in Dates, Fees & Pattern

Quick Comparison: CAT 2026 vs CAT 2025

Detail	CAT 2025	CAT 2026	Changed?
Conducting IIM	IIM Kozhikode	IIM Indore	Yes
Notification released	July 27, 2025	July 26, 2026	No — same window
Registration opens	August 1, 2025	August 3, 2026	Minor shift
Registration closes	September 13, 2025 (extended to Sep 20)	September 15, 2026	Minor shift
Exam date	November 30, 2025 (Sunday)	November 29, 2026 (Sunday)	No — same pattern (last Sunday of November)
Application fee (Gen/EWS/NC-OBC)	₹2,600	₹2,700	Yes — an increase of ₹100
Application fee (SC/ST/PwD)	₹1,300	₹1,350	Yes — an increase of ₹50
Admit card release	November 5, 2025	November 4, 2026	Yes
Result declaration	December 24, 2025	Expected third–fourth week of December 2026	No major shift expected
Total questions	68	68	No
Sections	VARC, DILR, QA	VARC, DILR, QA	No
Total duration	120 minutes	120 minutes	No
Sectional time limit	40 minutes per section	40 minutes per section	No
Marking scheme	+3 / -1 (MCQ), no negative marking on TITA	+3 / -1 (MCQ), no negative marking on TITA	No
Test cities	~170	~170	No

What Actually Changed?

1. Conducting institute: The older IIMs take turns each year to conduct CAT. CAT 2025 was managed by IIM Kozhikode. while CAT 2026 is hosted by IIM Indore for the first time since it conducted this exam in 2020. This change is not particularly significant in practice for aspirants. The conducting institute takes care of all logistics, paper setting and running score normalization across slots but the broad structure of the exam has remained similar for years now and this time too.
2. Application fee increase: In case of CAT 2026 report, the fees had increased by ₹100 for the General/EWS/NC-OBC category (from ₹2,600 to ₹2,700) and ₹50 for the SC/ST/PwD candidates (from ₹1,300 to ₹1,350). This is a small, slow-revenue-increment increase in line with the steady state of low-year-on-year fee increases rather than any structural alteration to the application process.
3. Exam date shifted by one day: CAT is usually conducted on the final Sunday of November. For CAT 2025, it was November 30; for CAT 2026, it is November 29 - both are "decided" simply as "Last Sunday of November" for those years anyway so no real change in the calendar logic that is in play here.
4. A few days shift in the registration window: CAT 2025 Registration took place between August 1 and September 13 (the last date was later extended to September 20). The registration for CAT 2026 will be held from August 3 to September 15. This is a slight change and does not signify any type of policy revision — just the calendar behaving slightly differently from year to year.

What Stayed Exactly the Same?

The part that aspirants need to know is that the exam pattern of CAT 2026 has not changed from CAT 2025.

• Same 68-question format across VARC (24), DILR (22) and QA (22)
• 120 total minutes, broken down by 40-minute sections
• Different marking scheme +3/-1 normal MCQs challenge and TITA questions are weightless charge (essentially no negative convergence)
• Same three-session, same-day format over approximately 170 test cities
• Covers the same broad topics:  Reading Comprehension for VARC, Mathematics in QA covering Arithmetic and Algebra dominantly as usual, DILR remains unpredictable and there are no official syllabuses available!

None of these changes render any CAT 2025 mocks, PYQs or any other prep material that you were using up till now out dated. The topics, weightage patterns and question formats you would have prepared on are as much applicable to CAT 2026 as were for CAT 2025.

Will the Registration Deadline Get Extended Again?

The registration for CAT 2025 had its deadline extended by a week from September 13 to September 20. This is not something to count on for a similar extension in CAT 2026 — the official deadline being September 15, 2026 and regardless of last year's precedent, candidates need to register by that date. When extensions do come, they are more typically announced near or on the original deadline itself, rather than beforehand.

What Does This Mean for Your Preparation?

The exam pattern has not changed so your prep strategy for CAT 2026 must almost be the same as what worked for CAT 2025 aspirants:

• Do not drop comprehension in VARC: Comprehension still accounts for about 2/3rd of the section.
• Focus on Arithmetic and Algebra in QA:  These are the 2 clusters that have always been a significant contributor to maximum questions asked in QA each year consistently over recent years, including CAT 2025.
• Treat DILR as a set-selection game: This has not changed either.
• Final prep: Use CAT 2025's actual paper (once available) as a genuine practice resource, since the format is a direct carry over.

Apart from this, the changes that CAT 2026 aspirants will face are largely administrative - pay fees marginally higher, register with the portal of IIM Indore (not IIM Kozhikode) and minor shifts in dates. But everything that actually affects your score, syllabus, pattern, marking, timing, is the exact same exam you would have prepared for a year ago.

FAQs

Q1. Is the CAT 2026 exam pattern different from CAT 2025? 

No. Both years are an identical 68 questions, 3 sections (VARC/DILR/QA), and gain a total of 40 minutes of sectional cap + 3/-1 marking scheme over a full 120-minute exam.

Q2. Which IIM is conducting CAT 2026 compared to CAT 2025? 

The CAT 2025 exam was held by IIM Kozhikode. CAT 2026 is being held by IIM Indore which last conducted the exam in 2020.

Q3. How much has the CAT 2026 application fee increased as compared to last year?

By ₹100 for General/EWS/NC-OBC candidates and by ₹50 for SC/ST/PwD candidates.

Q4. Can I use CAT 2025 mocks and study material to prepare for CAT 2026? 

Yes. Both CAT 2025 mocks, PYQs, and prep material are directly relevant for you for CAT 2026 preparation as the syllabus, weightage trends & exam pattern remain unchanged.

Q5. Did the CAT exam date change significantly for 2026? 

Not in a meaningful way — CAT actually gets held every last Sunday of November. November 30 was CAT 2025; CAT 2026 is November 29, which only happens to be the last Sunday of this year's November.