A simplified catalyst deactivation model was proposed in this work to evaluate the catalyst life character. The model mainly considered the effect of coking deposition on the catalyst deactivation. A three-lumped kinetic model based on the catalyst deactivation model was established to describe the coal tar hydrogenation process, and model parameters were determined by means of fitting the experimental hydrogenation data. Validation results revealed that the model could predict the overall trend of catalyst deactivation effectively. This work serves as a significant guidance for the design and optimization of a hydrogenation catalyst.