Planning to sit for CAT 2027? Here’s the short version: exam in the last week of November 2027, registration opening around early August, and a prep window you should start using right now — not in July when the notification drops.
This guide covers everything else in detail: expected dates, eligibility, fees, exam pattern, syllabus, and a month-wise strategy — all benchmarked against actual CAT 2026 data, since that’s the most reliable indicator we have until the official CAT 2027 notification arrives.
CAT 2027 Highlights: Quick Overview
| Particulars | Details |
|---|---|
| Exam Name | Common Admission Test (CAT) 2027 |
| Conducting Body | One of the older IIMs, on rotation (IIM Indore conducted CAT 2026) |
| Exam Level | National |
| Expected Notification | Last week of July 2027 |
| Expected Registration Window | Early August to mid-September 2027 |
| Expected Exam Date | Last Sunday of November 2027 |
| Mode | Computer-Based Test (CBT) |
| Duration | 120 minutes (40 minutes per section) |
| Sections | VARC, DILR, QA — 68 questions total |
| Expected Result Date | Late December 2027 |
| Score Validity | One admission cycle |
| Official Website | iimcat.ac.in |
CAT 2027 Notification and Important Dates
The CAT 2027 notification is what starts the entire admission cycle — registration, admit card, exam day, result, and cutoffs all follow from it. The conducting IIM changes every year, so the exact release date can shift by a week or two, but the sequence itself has stayed consistent.
For reference, CAT 2026 (conducted by IIM Indore) followed this exact pattern: notification on July 26, registration from August 3 to September 15, admit card on November 4, and the exam on November 29, 2026. CAT 2027 is expected to mirror this timeline closely.
| Event | Expected Timeline (2027) |
|---|---|
| Official Notification Release | Last week of July 2027 |
| Registration Opens | First week of August 2027 |
| Registration Closes | Mid-September 2027 |
| Application Correction Window | Late September 2027 |
| Admit Card Release | Late October to early November 2027 |
| CAT 2027 Exam Date | Last Sunday of November 2027 |
| Answer Key Release | Early December 2027 |
| Result Declaration | Late December 2027 |
These are projections. Once the notification is live, always cross-check against the official CAT website rather than relying on any single third-party source.
CAT 2027 Eligibility Criteria
The conducting IIM is likely to retain the same eligibility conditions used in recent cycles:
- A bachelor’s degree with at least 50% aggregate marks (45% for SC, ST, and PwD candidates) from a recognised university.
- Final-year undergraduate students can apply, provided they submit proof of degree completion by the admitting institute’s deadline.
- No upper age limit, and no cap on the number of attempts.
- Candidates with professional qualifications such as CA, CS, or ICWA can apply even without a formal degree, subject to individual institute norms.
- Work experience isn’t mandatory, though some programmes give it additional weightage during final selection.
Clearing this bar only qualifies you to sit for the exam — it doesn’t guarantee a call. Each IIM layers its own sectional cutoffs and profile-based shortlisting on top, so treat this as the floor, not the target. For degree-recognition norms that affect eligibility, the UGC’s official guidelines are worth a look if your degree is from a non-traditional or distance-learning program.
CAT 2027 Registration Process
Registration for CAT 2027 will be entirely online, through the official CAT portal. A rushed application is the most common cause of admit-card or verification problems later, so go through each step carefully.
Steps to register:
- Visit the official CAT website and click “New Registration” once the portal opens.
- Enter your name, date of birth, email, mobile number, and category to generate login credentials.
- Verify your email and mobile via OTP — all future communication depends on these being accurate.
- Complete the application form: academic history, work experience (if any), and programme preferences.
- Select preferred test cities in order of priority (final allotment rests with the conducting body).
- Upload documents in the specified format and size.
- Pay the registration fee via net banking, card, or UPI.
- Review, submit, and download the confirmation page.
Documents you’ll need: a recent photograph and signature scan on a plain white background, Class 10 and 12 mark sheets, graduation degree certificate or provisional mark sheet, category certificate (if applicable), and a valid photo ID for later admit-card verification.
Make sure your name matches your Class 10 certificate exactly, including spacing and initials — mismatches routinely cause delays. For category-specific eligibility rules, see our detailed CAT exam details page.
CAT 2027 Application Fee
CAT 2026’s fee was ₹2,700 for General/EWS/NC-OBC and ₹1,350 for SC/ST/PwD — a ₹100/₹50 hike over CAT 2025. Based on this trend, expect CAT 2027 fees to stay in a similar range, possibly with another small increase.
| Category | CAT 2026 Fee (Confirmed) | CAT 2027 (Expected) |
|---|---|---|
| General / EWS / NC-OBC | ₹2,700 | ₹2,700–2,800 |
| SC / ST / PwD | ₹1,350 | ₹1,350–1,400 |
The fee is non-refundable once paid, so double-check your category and payment details before submitting.
CAT 2027 Exam Pattern
CAT 2026 followed a three-section, computer-based format — 68 questions across 120 minutes — and CAT 2027 is expected to continue this structure.
| Section | Questions | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC) | 24 | 40 minutes |
| Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) | 22 | 40 minutes |
| Quantitative Aptitude (QA) | 22 | 40 minutes |
| Total | 68 | 120 minutes |
A few things worth remembering:
- Each section has its own 40-minute timer — unused time doesn’t carry over.
- MCQs carry +3 for a correct answer and −1 for an incorrect one.
- TITA (Type-In-The-Answer) questions carry no negative marking, so attempt them even at moderate confidence.
- An on-screen calculator is available for basic arithmetic, but leaning on it too much usually slows you down.
- The exam runs in three shifts across roughly 150–160 cities, with scores normalised across slots.
Want to know exactly how to use it, its functions, and when to avoid it? Read our complete guide to the CAT on-screen calculator
CAT 2027 Syllabus
CAT doesn’t publish an official syllabus, but recent papers give a fairly reliable map.
VARC: Reading comprehension from literature, science, sociology, economics, and technology, plus para-jumbles, para-summaries, odd-sentence-out, and sentence completion. A genuine reading habit beats vocabulary cramming here.
DILR: Question sets — widely considered the least predictable section. Expect table/graph-based data, seating arrangements, blood relations, syllogisms, and multi-constraint puzzles. Knowing which sets to skip matters as much as solving ability.
QA: Middle-to-high-school math — arithmetic, algebra, geometry, mensuration, number systems, and time-speed-distance. The difficulty comes from CAT’s analytical twist on familiar formulas, so strong fundamentals beat shortcut-hunting. Our Quantitative Aptitude practice section is built around exactly this kind of topic-wise fundamentals-first approach.
CAT 2027 Admit Card
Expect the admit card three to four weeks before the exam — likely late October or early November 2027.
- Log in to the official portal with your registered credentials.
- Download and print it clearly on A4 paper; poorly printed copies may be rejected at entry.
- Verify your name, photo, exam city, date, and reporting time — raise a correction request immediately if anything’s off.
- Carry the printed admit card plus a valid original photo ID; arrive at least 60 minutes before reporting time.
- Keep both digital and printed copies until your entire admission process, including interviews, is complete.
How to Prepare for CAT 2027
Serious prep ideally starts 10–12 months out. The candidates who convert a good percentile into an actual IIM seat usually aren’t the ones who studied longest — they’re the ones who studied with a plan.
| Phase | Focus |
|---|---|
| Months 1–3 | Build fundamentals across VARC, DILR, QA. Prioritise concept clarity over speed. Take one diagnostic mock. |
| Months 4–6 | Move to sectional practice. Start a daily VARC reading habit. One full mock every two weeks. |
| Months 7–9 | One to two full mocks weekly. Analyse each in depth — time per question, not just the score. |
| Months 10–12 | Revision mode. Two to three mocks weekly. Stop learning new concepts in the final month. |
Resources worth using: NCERT Mathematics (Class 9–12) for quant fundamentals, a dedicated LRDI practice set, daily editorials for VARC reading speed, and actual previous years’ CAT papers — still the most reliable way to gauge real difficulty. Our CAT previous year papers and full-length mock test series are built around this exact approach.
Treat every mock as a rehearsal for exam-day decisions — attempt order, when to skip a question, which types to avoid entirely. Reviewing a mock within 24 hours usually teaches more than jumping straight into the next one.
CAT 2027 Exam Day Guidelines
- Reach the centre at least 60 minutes early for security and biometric checks.
- Carry a printed admit card and an original photo ID — digital copies on phones generally aren’t accepted.
- No watches, calculators, textual material, or electronic devices inside the hall.
- Use the first few minutes of each section to skim and decide an attempt order.
- Manage time within each section independently — there’s no transferring time between VARC, DILR, and QA.
- Prioritise accuracy early, then pick up pace once you’ve secured the questions you know well.
CAT 2027 Result and Scorecard
Expected in late December 2027, shortly after the final answer key. Scores are normalised across the three exam slots, so raw marks and final percentile don’t map one-to-one.
- Log in with your CAT ID and password to download the scorecard — it’s digital-only, never sent by post.
- Save both digital and printed copies; most institutes need it during interviews and document verification.
- The score is valid for one admission cycle only and cannot carry forward.
See the complete CAT result timeline and how your score gets calculated after the exam
CAT 2027 Cutoff and Selection Process
Your percentile is only the opening move. Each IIM sets its own category-wise cutoffs, and selection typically unfolds in stages:
- Initial shortlisting based on overall and sectional percentile against each institute’s cutoff.
- Shortlisted candidates attend a Written Ability Test (WAT) and Personal Interview (PI), which carry significant weight.
- Class 10, Class 12, and graduation academic performance, plus relevant work experience, feed into the final merit list.
- There’s no centralised counselling for CAT — every IIM runs its own process, so track each target institute separately.
For a deeper look at how individual cutoffs have trended, see our breakdowns on IIM Kashipur’s CAT cutoff.
Expected CAT 2027 Cutoffs (General Category, Based on Recent Trends)
| Institute | Expected Cutoff (Percentile) |
|---|---|
| IIM Ahmedabad / Bangalore | 99 and above |
| IIM Calcutta | 98–99+ |
| IIM Kozhikode | 97–98 |
| IIM Lucknow | 96–98 |
| IIM Indore | 95–97 |
| Newer IIMs (Shillong, Rohtak, Ranchi, Raipur, Kashipur, Trichy) | 90–95 |
| Baby IIMs (Sirmaur, Bodh Gaya, Amritsar, Jammu, Sambalpur, others) | 85–92 |
| FMS Delhi | 98–99+ |
| MDI Gurgaon | 95–97 |
| IIFT Delhi / Kolkata | 90–95 |
These are calling-cutoff estimates for General category candidates; reserved categories generally see meaningfully relaxed percentiles. Over 1,300 B-schools across India accept the CAT score — far more than just the IIM network — so it’s worth shortlisting a realistic mix of institutes rather than aiming only at the top few.
Key Takeaways
- CAT 2027 is expected on the last Sunday of November 2027, with notification in late July and registration opening in early August.
- Eligibility stays largely unchanged: 50% aggregate (45% for SC/ST/PwD), no age limit, no attempt cap.
- The exam format — 3 sections, 68 questions, 120 minutes with independent sectional timers — has been stable for several years.
- CAT 2026’s fee (₹2,700/₹1,350) is the most reliable benchmark for what CAT 2027 will likely charge.
- Start preparation 10–12 months out; consistent mock analysis matters more than mock volume.
- There’s no centralised CAT counselling — each IIM and B-school runs its own shortlisting and interview process.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. When is the CAT 2027 exam expected to be held?
CAT 2027 is expected on the last Sunday of November 2027, consistent with the pattern followed in recent years including CAT 2026, which was held on November 29.
Q2. When will CAT 2027 registration begin?
Registration is expected to open in the first week of August 2027, shortly after the official notification, likely in the last week of July 2027.
Q3. What is the eligibility criteria for CAT 2027?
A bachelor’s degree with at least 50% marks (45% for SC, ST, and PwD candidates), no upper age limit, and no restriction on the number of attempts.
Q4. What is the CAT 2027 exam pattern?
Three sections — VARC, DILR, and QA — with 68 questions total across 120 minutes, split into three independent 40-minute sections, matching the CAT 2026 format.
Q5. Is there negative marking in CAT 2027?
Yes. Incorrect MCQ answers carry a −1 penalty, while TITA (Type-In-The-Answer) questions carry no negative marking.
Q6. What percentile is needed for a call from a top IIM?
Based on recent trends, General category candidates typically need 97–99+ percentile, with no sectional score below the institute’s minimum, to be competitive for IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, Kozhikode, or Lucknow.
Conclusion
CAT 2027 will be just as competitive as previous years, and the candidates who benefit most are the ones who start early and prepare with a structured plan rather than just logging hours. The official notification, registration window, and exact exam date remain tentative until the conducting IIM confirms them — but CAT 2026’s actual timeline gives you a dependable reference to plan around right now.
Start building your fundamentals with CAT daily practice sets, track your readiness with a free CAT mock test, and bookmark the official CAT website to catch the notification the moment it drops.
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