CAT 2026 Result Date: What’s Official and What’s Likely
The CAT 2026 notification says the result will be declared in the first week of January 2027, tentatively. But CAT results have arrived 24 or 25 days after the exam in each of the last four years, which points to 23 or 24 December 2026 for an exam on 29 November. Plan for late December, expect early January as the official fallback, and remember neither date has been confirmed.
The last four years
| CAT | Exam date | Result date | Days after exam |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 27 Nov 2022 | 21 Dec 2022 | 24 |
| 2023 | 26 Nov 2023 | 21 Dec 2023 | 25 |
| 2024 | 24 Nov 2024 | 19 Dec 2024 | 25 |
| 2025 | 30 Nov 2025 | 24 Dec 2025 | 24 |
| 2026 | 29 Nov 2026 | 23–24 Dec 2026, if the pattern holds | 24–25 |
That’s a pattern, not an announcement. The only recent years that ran into January were 2020 and 2021, when the pandemic stretched the schedule. If IIM Indore follows its own notification instead, the result lands in the first week of January 2027. Either way, you’ll hear it from iimcat.ac.in first.
What you get on result day
Your scorecard shows an overall scaled score and overall percentile, plus a scaled score and percentile for each of the three sections: verbal ability and reading comprehension, data interpretation and logical reasoning, and quantitative ability. It also prints your personal details, including your category and PwD status, and that’s why the details you can’t change in the correction window are worth checking now.
Your first 24 hours
- Download the scorecard and save a copy somewhere safe. Check the name, category and PwD entries as printed.
- Find your overall percentile in the table below and open the matching list.
- Look at your section percentiles too. Some institutes apply sectional cut-offs on top of the overall one, so one weak section can matter.
- Build a shortlist of eight to ten colleges in three groups: a couple of stretches, several realistic, and a few safe.
- Check each college’s application deadline and which tests it accepts, and get your documents ready before you start applying.
- Ignore anyone who offers a guaranteed seat for money. Here’s how that fraud works.
| Your percentile | Start here |
|---|---|
| 40 to 50 | MBA colleges accepting 40–50 percentile |
| 50 to 60 | MBA colleges accepting 50–60 percentile |
| 60 to 70 | MBA colleges accepting 60–70 percentile |
| 70 to 80 | MBA colleges accepting 70–80 percentile |
| 80 to 90 | MBA colleges accepting 80–90 percentile |
| 90 and above | 90–95 percentile · 95+ percentile |
| Don’t know yet | Convert a CAT rank to a percentile, or use the eligibility checker |
If the result is lower than you hoped
Several tests are still scheduled after the result, which makes them a real second chance, not a consolation. The dates move every cycle, so keep the deadline table open rather than relying on last year’s calendar.
Questions people ask
When is the CAT 2026 result?
The notification says the first week of January 2027, tentatively. Past years suggest 23 or 24 December 2026. IIM Indore has not announced a date.
How long after the exam does the CAT result come out?
24 or 25 days in each of the last four years (2022 to 2025). The exception years were 2020 and 2021.
Where do I check the CAT 2026 result?
On iimcat.ac.in, using your registration login.
What does the CAT scorecard show?
Overall and section-wise scaled scores and percentiles, plus your personal details, category and PwD status.
Is 23 December 2026 the official result date?
No. It is the date the last four years’ pattern points to. The official wording is the first week of January 2027.
For what the registration numbers mean for your percentile, see will fewer CAT applicants lower MBA cut-offs.
Where this comes from
The official wording and the past result dates are from the pages below. Dates for 2026 are not confirmed.