CAT 2027 — Exam Date, Registration, Eligibility, Pattern, Syllabus & Complete Preparation Guide
CAT 2027 is expected in the last week of November 2027, with registrations opening in August. If you’re starting now, you have time to build something real — here’s everything you need to know about dates, form filling, the exam pattern, and how to prepare smartly from the Quantifiers team.
- CAT 2027 Important Dates — Full Expected Timeline
- CAT 2027 Eligibility Criteria
- How to Fill the CAT 2027 Registration Form — Step by Step
- CAT 2027 Application Fee
- CAT 2027 Exam Pattern
- CAT 2027 Syllabus — Section by Section
- Expected CAT 2027 Cutoffs — IIMs & Top Non-IIMs
- CAT 2027 Exam Cities & Test Centres
- How to Prepare for CAT 2027 — Quantifiers’ Approach
- Practice on TruCAT Before CAT 2027
1. CAT 2027 Important Dates — Full Expected Timeline
No official notification has been released for CAT 2027 yet. The exam date and all subsequent dates below are projected based on established CAT patterns over the past five years. The official CAT 2027 notification — which will confirm the conducting IIM, registration dates, admit card schedule, and result date — is expected in the last week of July 2027.
Table 1 — CAT 2027 Expected Date Schedule
| Event | Expected Date (Tentative) |
|---|---|
| CAT 2027 Official Notification | Last week of July 2027 |
| Registration Opens | 1st week of August 2027 |
| Last Date to Register | 3rd week of September 2027 |
| Application Correction Window | 4th week of September 2027 |
| Admit Card Download | 4th week of October 2027 |
| CAT 2027 Exam Date | 4th week of November 2027 |
| Provisional Answer Key Release | 1st week of December 2027 |
| Last Date to Submit Objections | 1st week of December 2027 |
| CAT 2027 Result | 4th week of December 2027 |
| IIM Shortlists & PI Process | January – April 2028 |
| Final Admission Offers | April – May 2028 |
⚠ The Registration Window Is About 6–7 Weeks — Prepare Documents Now
From registration opening to close is typically just 6–7 weeks. Photograph, signature, marksheets, category certificate, and your IIM preference list all need to be ready before the window opens. Don’t scramble during the window — have everything in order in July so the form takes an hour, not a week.
2. CAT 2027 Eligibility Criteria
Table 2 — CAT 2027 Eligibility at a Glance
| Criterion | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Minimum Education | Bachelor’s degree (minimum 3 years) from a UGC/MHRD recognised university |
| Minimum Marks — General/EWS/OBC | 50% aggregate or equivalent CGPA |
| Minimum Marks — SC/ST/PwD | 45% aggregate or equivalent CGPA |
| Final Year Students | Eligible — admission is conditional on meeting the percentage requirement on graduation |
| Age Limit | No upper age limit |
| Number of Attempts | No limit |
| Diploma Holders | Not eligible — a full bachelor’s degree is mandatory |
| Backlogs | Allowed to appear; backlogs must be cleared before admission |
💡 Select ALL Target IIMs During Registration — You Cannot Add Later
Your IIM and institute preferences are locked the moment you submit the form. If you forget to select an IIM, that IIM will not receive your scorecard — and you become ineligible for their process regardless of your percentile. Select every institute you might consider, even aspirationally. Adding more preferences costs nothing extra and keeps every door open.
3. How to Fill the CAT 2027 Registration Form — Step by Step
The CAT 2027 registration form will be available only at iimcat.ac.in. The process has remained consistent across recent cycles:
- Step 1 — Create your account. Click “Register” on iimcat.ac.in. Enter your name exactly as it appears on your Class 10 marksheet, your email ID, and mobile number. Verify via OTP and set your password.
- Step 2 — Personal details. Date of birth, gender, category (General/EWS/NC-OBC/SC/ST/PwD), nationality, and contact address.
- Step 3 — Academic details. Class 10, Class 12, and graduation marks or CGPA, institution and board/university name, and year of passing. Final-year students enter expected completion year.
- Step 4 — Work experience. Full-time, post-qualification work experience details — employer, designation, start and end dates. This data feeds directly into IIM shortlisting formulas.
- Step 5 — Select IIM and institute preferences. The most important step. Choose every IIM and non-IIM institute you want your score sent to. This list cannot be changed after submission.
- Step 6 — Exam city preferences. Select up to four preferred cities. Actual allotment is done by the conducting IIM — your preference is considered but not guaranteed.
- Step 7 — Upload documents. Passport-size photograph (colour, white background, face clearly visible) and signature on white paper — both JPEG, within the prescribed file size limits.
- Step 8 — Pay the application fee. Net banking, credit card, debit card, or UPI. Fee is non-refundable under any circumstances.
- Step 9 — Submit and save acknowledgement. Review all details carefully before final submission. Download the confirmation page with your CAT 2027 registration number — this is your reference for the admit card.
⚠ Your Name Must Match Your Class 10 Certificate — Exactly
The name entered in the CAT form must match your Class 10 board certificate character for character, including spaces, initials, and any suffix. Mismatches create problems at the exam centre, at IIM document verification, and sometimes at the admit card stage. Double-check before you submit Step 2.
4. CAT 2027 Application Fee
Table 3 — CAT 2027 Application Fee by Category
| Category | Application Fee |
|---|---|
| General | ₹2,400 |
| EWS | ₹2,400 |
| NC-OBC | ₹2,400 |
| SC | ₹1,200 |
| ST | ₹1,200 |
| PwD (DAP) | ₹1,200 |
5. CAT 2027 Exam Pattern
CAT 2027 is expected to follow the same pattern that has been in place since 2021 — a 120-minute, computer-based test split into three independently-timed sections.
Table 4 — CAT 2027 Expected Exam Pattern
| Section | Questions | Time | MCQs (approx) | TITA (approx) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VARC | 24 | 40 min | ~21 | ~3 |
| DILR | 22 | 40 min | ~14 | ~8 |
| QA | 22 | 40 min | ~14 | ~8 |
| Total | 68 | 120 min | ~49 | ~19 |
Marking Scheme
Table 5 — CAT 2027 Marking Scheme
| Question Type | Correct | Incorrect | Unattempted |
|---|---|---|---|
| MCQ | +3 | −1 | 0 |
| TITA (Non-MCQ) | +3 | 0 | 0 |
💡 Three Things Every CAT 2027 Aspirant Must Know About the Pattern
First: sections are independently timed — you cannot carry unused VARC time into DILR or QA. Each section is its own time-management problem. Second: the section order is fixed (VARC → DILR → QA) — practice in this exact sequence always, never out of order. Third: TITA questions are high-leverage — wrong MCQs cost −1, wrong TITAs cost 0. A reasoned guess on TITA is always worth making. Never skip a TITA unless you have absolutely no basis for an estimate.
6. CAT 2027 Syllabus — Section by Section
CAT does not release an official syllabus. What follows is built from consistent topic patterns across recent CAT exams — the topics that have appeared regularly enough to treat as near-certain for CAT 2027.
Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC)
Table 6 — VARC Topics & Approximate Weightage
| Topic | Approx. Share of VARC | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension (RC) | ~65–70% | 4–5 passages, 3–4 questions each. Abstract, academic, and editorial texts. Speed and inference accuracy are the core skills. |
| Para Jumbles | ~10–15% | Sentence ordering — mostly TITA (no options to guess from). Logic of argument flow is key. |
| Para Summary / Best Title | ~10% | Pick the option that captures the central idea, not just a detail. Avoid extreme or narrow summaries. |
| Odd Sentence Out | ~10% | Identify the sentence that doesn’t fit the paragraph’s flow. Usually TITA. |
| Sentence Completion | Occasional | Has appeared in some years; not guaranteed. |
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR)
Table 7 — DILR Topics & Notes
| Topic | Frequency | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Arrangements (Linear, Circular, Complex) | Very High | Multi-variable constraint-based logic. CAT’s most consistent DILR type. |
| Games & Tournaments | Very High | Knockout/round-robin formats with outcome-based logic. |
| Tables, Bar & Line Graphs, Pie Charts | High | Classic DI — reading + calculation. Often paired with LR constraints. |
| Grouping & Selection | High | Multi-entity classification under conditions. |
| Venn Diagrams & Set Theory | Moderate | Data-heavy overlapping groups — calculation-intensive. |
| Networks & Routes | Moderate | Newer format — shortest paths, distribution across nodes. |
| Blood Relations & Direction Sense | Low–Moderate | Occasional; usually within a larger mixed set. |
| Binary Logic / Coding-Decoding | Low–Moderate | Truth-teller/liar type logic. Less frequent in recent years. |
Quantitative Aptitude (QA)
Table 8 — QA Topics & Approximate Weightage
| Topic Area | Approx. Share | Key Sub-Topics |
|---|---|---|
| Arithmetic | 35–40% | Percentages, Profit & Loss, Time-Speed-Distance, Time & Work, Ratios & Proportion, Averages, Mixtures & Alligations, Simple & Compound Interest |
| Algebra | 20–25% | Linear & Quadratic Equations, Inequalities, Functions, Sequences & Series (AP/GP) |
| Geometry & Mensuration | 15–20% | Triangles, Circles, Quadrilaterals, Coordinate Geometry, Solid Geometry (volumes) |
| Number System | 10–15% | Factors, LCM/HCF, Remainders, Divisibility Rules, Surds & Indices, Square & Cube Roots |
| Modern Math | 8–12% | Permutations & Combinations, Probability, Set Theory (Venn Diagrams) |
7. Expected CAT 2027 Cutoffs — IIMs & Top Non-IIMs
These are expected cutoffs based on admission data from the 2026–28 and 2025–27 batches. Actual cutoffs shift year to year based on the difficulty of the paper, applicant pool size, and each IIM’s batch composition priorities.
Table 9 — Expected CAT 2027 Cutoffs for IIMs (General Category, Overall Percentile)
| Institute | Expected Cutoff | Institute | Expected Cutoff |
|---|---|---|---|
| IIM Ahmedabad | 99–100 | IIM Raipur | 92–94 |
| IIM Bangalore | 99–100 | IIM Ranchi | 93–94 |
| IIM Calcutta | 99 | IIM Kashipur | 92–94 |
| IIM Lucknow | 97–99 | IIM Udaipur | 92–93 |
| IIM Indore | 97–99 | IIM Visakhapatnam | 92–93 |
| IIM Kozhikode | 97–98 | IIM Shillong | 90–92 |
| IIM Mumbai | 97+ | IIM Rohtak | 90–95 |
| IIM Amritsar | 95–99 | IIM Bodh Gaya | 90–92 |
| IIM Nagpur | 95–99 | IIM Sirmaur | 93–95 |
| IIM Trichy | 93–94 | IIM Sambalpur | 95–99 |
Table 10 — Expected CAT 2027 Cutoffs for Top Non-IIM Institutes
| Institute | Expected Cutoff |
|---|---|
| FMS Delhi | 98.5+ |
| DMS IIT Delhi | 98–99 |
| SJMSOM IIT Bombay | 99–100 |
| DMS IIT Madras | 95–99 |
| MDI Gurgaon | 95–97 |
| SPJIMR Mumbai | 85–90 |
| XIMB Bhubaneswar | 90–99 |
| BITSOM Mumbai | 94+ |
| IMT Ghaziabad | 90–99 |
| TAPMI Manipal | 85–90 |
8. CAT 2027 Exam Cities & Test Centres
CAT 2027 is expected to be conducted across 500+ test centres in cities spread across all states and UTs. Candidates can select up to four preferred exam cities during registration — the conducting IIM does the final allotment and a preferred city is not guaranteed.
Table 11 — CAT 2027 Expected Test Cities by State/UT (Sample)
| State / UT | Key Cities |
|---|---|
| Punjab / Chandigarh | Chandigarh, Mohali, Amritsar, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Patiala |
| Haryana | Ambala, Hisar, Karnal, Rohtak, Panipat |
| Delhi-NCR | Delhi, Noida, Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Greater Noida |
| Maharashtra | Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Nashik, Aurangabad, Thane |
| Karnataka | Bengaluru, Mysuru, Mangaluru, Hubli, Belagavi |
| Tamil Nadu | Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Trichy, Salem |
| Telangana | Hyderabad, Warangal, Karimnagar |
| West Bengal | Kolkata, Durgapur, Siliguri, Burdwan |
| Uttar Pradesh | Lucknow, Kanpur, Allahabad, Varanasi, Agra, Noida |
| Rajasthan | Jaipur, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Kota, Ajmer |
| Gujarat | Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot |
| Madhya Pradesh | Bhopal, Indore, Gwalior, Jabalpur |
9. How to Prepare for CAT 2027 — Quantifiers’ Approach
At Quantifiers, we’ve helped students go from scattered prep and 70-percentile scores to 99+ over multiple cycles. The approach that works isn’t a generic study plan — it’s a three-stage roadmap that adjusts to where you are right now.
Stage 1 — Concept Building (Months 1–4)
- Start with a diagnostic mock before any structured prep — not after. Your diagnostic result tells you where your time will give the highest return, which is different for every student.
- Arithmetic and RC first, everything else second. Arithmetic makes up 35–40% of QA. RC makes up 65–70% of VARC. Getting these two right before anything else is the highest-leverage move in CAT prep.
- Build concepts from the ground up in your weakest area — don’t skip to advanced problems because the basics feel slow. Speed follows clarity; forced speed without clarity just creates careless errors that compound into mocks.
- Spend time with DILR sets, not just individual questions. DILR is about reading a set in 2 minutes, deciding if it’s worth 10 minutes of your exam time, and executing if it is. That decision skill only comes from doing many sets end-to-end.
Stage 2 — Practice & Application (Months 4–7)
- Start taking full-length sectional mocks once per topic area is covered. Don’t wait for the whole syllabus to be “done” — that day rarely arrives on schedule.
- Shift to full-length CAT mocks by Month 5. One full mock per week minimum — analyzed thoroughly. Three analyzed mocks build more than ten rushed ones.
- Track your mock data in a running log — score, percentile, section-wise accuracy, error type (conceptual vs. silly). Patterns only become visible across 5–8 mocks. Single-mock reactions are usually misleading.
- Review our guide on the 10 biggest CAT mock analysis mistakes before your next mock — if you’re analyzing wrong, more mocks won’t fix it.
Stage 3 — Overdrive & Exam Readiness (Final 2–3 Months)
- No new concepts after this point — only revision and application. If a topic isn’t solid by now, spend 2–3 sessions tightening it, not 2–3 weeks rebuilding it.
- Increase mock frequency to 2 per week — always under real exam conditions (timer running, no phone, no breaks between sections).
- Accuracy over attempt count. As exam day approaches, optimise for fewer, cleaner attempts rather than pushing attempt counts at the cost of negatives.
- Simulate the exam-day experience. Same start time as the actual exam, same 3-section order, no food/water mid-mock. Exam temperament is a trainable skill — practice it.
💡 The Most Common CAT 2027 Prep Mistake — Starting Without a Diagnostic
Every student who walks in with a generic month-by-month study plan built from a template wastes the first 2–3 months working on the wrong things. A diagnostic mock (taken cold, before any prep) tells you your actual starting percentile, your weakest section, and your biggest accuracy leak. That’s the only honest foundation for a study plan. Take the diagnostic first. Build the plan second. Not the other way around.
10. Practice on TruCAT Before CAT 2027
If there’s one thing that separates students who improve consistently across mocks from those who plateau — it’s the quality of the mock itself. A mock that’s too easy gives false confidence. A mock that’s too hard demotivates without teaching anything useful. Neither prepares you for what actually shows up in November.
TruCAT — Quantifiers’ free, full-length CAT mock series — is built to CAT’s real difficulty and sectional pacing. It isn’t calibrated for comfort; it’s calibrated for accuracy. Students who use TruCAT as their primary benchmarking tool consistently report that CAT’s actual difficulty feels familiar — which is exactly the point.
- Full-length mocks that mirror real CAT difficulty across all three sections
- Sectional analytics to pinpoint exactly where your percentile is leaking — VARC RC vs. VA, DILR set selection, QA by topic area
- Daily Targets to build the consistent practice habit that CAT rewards every November
- Free to attempt — no friction, no paywall on the mock itself
- Over 10,000 students have used TruCAT as part of their CAT 2026 prep
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the CAT 2027 exam date?
CAT 2027 is expected in the 4th week of November 2027. The official exam date will be confirmed in the notification, expected in the last week of July 2027.
When will CAT 2027 registration open?
Registration is expected to open in the 1st week of August 2027 and close in the 3rd week of September 2027 — a window of about 6–7 weeks.
What is the CAT 2027 application fee?
₹2,400 for General, EWS, and NC-OBC candidates. ₹1,200 for SC, ST, and PwD candidates. The fee is non-refundable.
How many questions are there in CAT 2027?
68 questions total — 24 in VARC, 22 in DILR, and 22 in QA — across 120 minutes, with each section fixed at 40 minutes independently.
Is there negative marking in CAT 2027?
Yes, but only for MCQs — a wrong MCQ answer deducts 1 mark. TITA (non-MCQ) questions have no negative marking. Unattempted questions score zero.
Is the CAT 2027 score valid for more than one year?
No. CAT scores are valid for one year only — a CAT 2027 score can only be used for admissions to the 2028–30 batch.
Can I change my IIM preferences after submitting the CAT 2027 form?
No. IIM and institute preferences are locked once the form is submitted. You cannot add or change them after the registration window closes. Select every institute you are considering at the time of registration.
Can final-year students appear for CAT 2027?
Yes. Final-year graduation students are eligible to apply. Admission is conditional on meeting the minimum percentage requirement (50% for General, 45% for SC/ST/PwD) on degree completion.
What documents should I carry to the CAT 2027 exam centre?
Your downloaded CAT 2027 admit card and one original photo ID proof (Aadhaar, PAN, Passport, Voter ID, or Driving Licence). Entry without both is not permitted.
How many students are expected to appear for CAT 2027?
Based on the trend of ~2.5–3 lakh appearing annually in recent years, CAT 2027 is expected to see 3–4 lakh registered candidates with 2.5–3.5 lakh actually appearing.
