Official CAT 2026 Spoke Guide
Updated for 2026 Season

CAT 2026 Eligibility Criteria & Category Rules

Verify your graduation percentage, final year status, and reservation criteria for IIM admissions.

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📝 CAT 2026 Exam Eligibility Criteria

To appear for the Common Admission Test (CAT), candidates must fulfill the eligibility criteria as defined by the exam conducting IIM.

✅ CAT Eligibility 2026

  • Must have a bachelor's degree or equivalent from a recognized university.
  • Minimum 50% marks in graduation (45% for SC/ST/PwD categories).
  • Final-year undergraduate students are also eligible.

⚠️ New Eligibility Rules

In 2021, the minimum graduation percentage requirement was temporarily waived for certain candidates (historical context only; not applicable to 2026 unless stated on the official site).

🧾 CAT 2026 Reservation Policy

CAT follows the Government of India's reservation guidelines:

  • 27% – OBC-NCL
  • 15% – Scheduled Caste (SC)
  • 7.5% – Scheduled Tribe (ST)
  • 10% – Economically Weaker Sections (EWS)
  • 5% – Persons with Disability (PwD) — horizontal reservation

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