CAT 2026 application deadline: The Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Indore will close the ongoing Common Admission Test (CAT) 2026 registration tomorrow, September 22. Candidates who haven’t yet applied can visit the official website, iimcat.ac.in, and complete their registration by 5 pm.
Timeline of the Deadline Extension
The application window was originally scheduled to close on September 15, but IIM Indore had extended it, giving candidates an additional opportunity to complete their registration. The institute has now made clear that this revised deadline will not be extended under any circumstances, so candidates should treat tomorrow as the final date to apply.
CAT 2026 Exam Date and Format
According to the schedule announced by the exam authority, CAT 2026 will be conducted on Sunday, November 29, in three sessions, at designated test centres spread across 170 cities nationwide.
The exam will be held in offline mode using Computer-Based Test (CBT) format, consistent with how CAT has traditionally been administered in recent years.
Admit Card Release Date
One of the key new details in this update: CAT 2026 admit cards will be released online starting November 4. This gives candidates roughly a three-and-a-half-week gap between admit card release and the actual exam date on November 29.
What Happens After Registration Closes?
Once the application window shuts tomorrow, IIM Indore will activate a short edit window, allowing registered candidates to make limited changes to their submitted forms. As per earlier announcements regarding this edit window, candidates are typically permitted to modify only specific fields — such as their photograph, signature, and test city preferences — rather than their full application.
Key Dates and Details
| Particular | Details |
|---|---|
| Organising body | IIM Indore |
| Application deadline | September 22, 2026, 5 pm (final, no further extension) |
| Original deadline | September 15, 2026 |
| Exam date | Sunday, November 29, 2026 |
| Number of sessions | 3 |
| Exam mode | Offline, Computer-Based Test (CBT) |
| Test cities | 170 |
| Admit card release | November 4, 2026 |
| Official website | iimcat.ac.in |
What Candidates Should Do Now?
With the deadline just a day away, candidates who are yet to register should:
- Complete their application today or first thing tomorrow, well before the 5 pm cutoff
- Avoid waiting until the final hours, given that application portals often experience heavy traffic close to deadlines
- Double-check all personal, academic, and category-related details before final submission, since most fields cannot be edited later, apart from photograph, signature, and test city preference during the subsequent edit window
- Keep track of the November 4 admit card release date to avoid missing this important step ahead of the exam
Why This Matters?
As the primary gateway exam for MBA admissions at IIMs, and widely accepted by numerous other business schools, CAT 2026 remains one of the most closely watched management entrance exams in the country. With the registration deadline confirmed as final this time, and admit cards now scheduled for a specific release date of November 4, candidates finally have a clear, complete timeline to plan their preparation around, right through to the exam date on November 29.
For the thousands of MBA aspirants who may have been waiting for a final confirmation before completing their application, this update removes any remaining ambiguity: tomorrow, September 22, is the last chance to register for CAT 2026.
