CAT 2026 Countdown

The CAT countdown shows how long is left before the Common Admission Test, the entrance exam for MBA and PGP programmes at the Indian Institutes of Management, also accepted by many other business schools.

CAT is held once a year, on a single Sunday in late November, so there's no second chance in the same cycle. This page counts down to the first slot of CAT 2026 at 8:30 am IST, with the official date badge, and lists the other big exams below. In the final weeks, the number of days left is a useful guide to how many full mocks you can still take and review properly.

CAT is a two-hour computer-based test in three sections, each with its own 40-minute timer: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Ability (QA). You can't move between sections, so pacing inside each one matters.

Results are given as percentiles. IIMs and other schools shortlist on overall and sectional percentiles together with academics and work experience.