CAT 2026 Registrations: 2.84 Lakh Applied, Down From 2024
About 2.84 lakh candidates registered for CAT 2026, according to an Indian Express report carried by Careers360 (8 to 10 October 2026). That is 3.73% fewer than the 2.95 lakh of 2025 and roughly 13.7% fewer than the 2024 peak of 3.29 lakh, for about 8,284 seats across the 22 IIMs. How many will actually appear is unknown until after the 29 November exam; in 2025 it was about 2.58 lakh.
The numbers, year by year
| CAT | Registered | Appeared | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | — | About 2.88 lakh | 88% |
| 2024 | 3.29 lakh | About 2.93 lakh | 89% |
| 2025 | 2.95 lakh | About 2.58 lakh | 86–87% (reports differ) |
| 2026 | About 2.84 lakh (press report) | Not known until after 29 Nov | — |
Two details are worth keeping straight. The drop from 2025 is small, about 11,000 candidates, even though some coverage rounds it to “almost 10 thousand”. The bigger story is the slide from the 2024 peak. And because every IIM seat count here comes from the previous three years, the seat figure is an approximation too.
Why the appeared count, not the registration count, moves your percentile
CAT percentile is ((N − rank) ÷ N) × 100, where N is the number of candidates who appeared. A smaller N shifts the percentile for the same rank. As an illustration only: a rank of 50,000 gives about 79.2 percentile if N were 2.40 lakh, about 80.6 at 2.58 lakh and about 82.1 at 2.80 lakh. Applying the last three years’ 86% to 89% attendance to 2.84 lakh points to roughly 2.44 to 2.53 lakh appearing, but that is our arithmetic, not a published number.
To see what it means for you, use the rank to percentile calculator, the rank to college table, or colleges by percentile band. If you want the practical read, we cover it in whether fewer CAT applicants will lower MBA cut-offs.
Frequently asked questions
How many candidates registered for CAT 2026?
About 2.84 lakh, according to an Indian Express report carried by Careers360 on 8 to 10 October 2026. That is a press figure, not an IIM Indore release. An earlier Cracku report of 3.20 lakh or more (22 September) is not supported by this figure, so treat it as superseded.
How does CAT 2026 compare with 2025 and 2024?
Registrations are down 3.73% from 2.95 lakh in 2025 and about 13.7% from 3.29 lakh in 2024.
Is the number of registrations the same as the number who appear?
No. Not every registered candidate sits the exam, so the appeared count is lower. Percentile is calculated on the appeared count, and the 2026 figure does not exist until after the 29 November exam.
Will fewer registrations make it easier to get into an MBA with a low percentile?
It may help at non-IIM colleges competing for a smaller pool, but the effect is uncertain and IIM cut-offs depend on seats and scores, not registration counts. See our full explainer.
The appeared count is only known after the exam. For when the result lands, see CAT 2026 result date, and for the next step after registration, the CAT 2026 admit card.
Sources & methodology
Registration figures as reported on 8 to 10 October 2026; appeared counts for earlier years as listed by Careers360. The 2026 appeared count does not exist yet.