CAT 2024 Eligibility

What is the CAT Examination?

 The Indian Institutes of Management (IIM) organizes the Common Admission Test (CAT), a national-level management aptitude test, for candidates seeking admission to the MBA programs offered by its 21 campuses and more than 1,200 B-schools across India. The cluster now includes NITIE Mumbai as well as IIM Mumbai. Every year, more than two lakh applicants take the CAT exam. With 3.30 lakh applications, the registration established a new record for CAT 2023.

The CAT exam is given in three sessions on a single day at around 400 test centers spread throughout 155 Indian cities. The Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR), Quantitative Ability (QA), and Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC) subjects are included in the Business Aptitude Test (CAT). Exam difficulty ranges from moderate to high. The exam will be given by only those students who fulfilled the CAT 2024 Eligibility criteria.

 CAT 2024 Eligibility Criteria

 The following criteria are included in CAT 2024 Eligibility Criteria:

  • The candidate has to have graduated from an accredited university with a bachelor’s degree with at least 50% of the total or an equivalent CGPA (45% for SC, ST, and PWD/DA categories).
  • Candidates may also take the CAT 2024 test if they are awaiting their results or are in their last year of a bachelor’s degree or comparable certification.
  • Candidates with the necessary percentage in their professional degree (CA, CS, ICWA, or FCAI) are also qualified.

CAT 2024 Age Limit

All MBA students need to know what is CAT examination eligibility and how to match the particular age criteria for CAT exam beforehand. Applicants looking to give MBA entrance exam can check the CAT exam age limit below.

Minimum age eligibility for CAT exam 2024: There is no age limit for appearing in the CAT exam 2024. Candidates, regardless of age, can apply for this CAT exam. The only criteria for CAT exam eligibility is that candidates should have a degree with required marks.

CAT maximum age limit: Anyone can apply for CAT 2024 at any stage of their career. According to the CAT entrance exam eligibility criteria 2024, there is no maximum age for CAT exam.

CAT Exam 2024 Highlights 

CAT Full Form Common Admission Test
CAT Exam Date 2024 November 24, 2024
Exam Mode Computer-based exam
Details in CAT Notification 2024 Details about the CAT Exam, Application Fee, Dates of Registration, IIMs, and their Management Programs via CAT
Eligibility No upper age limit Graduates with 50% are eligible to apply.
Total Number of Questions 66 questions divided into 3 sections
Duration 2 hours for each Slot
Sectional Time limit 40 minutes
Name of sections and number of questions VARC-24 Questions; DILR-20 questions; Quant-22 questions
Top MBA Colleges Accepting CAT Score There are 1000 other MBA colleges in India, along with 21 IIMs, FMS, MDI, SPJIMR, IITs, IMI, and IMT
CAT Exam Fees 2024 Rs.2500/-
CAT Official Website for CAT 2024 Form Filling IIMCAT.AC.IN
IIMs’ Application Fee No Separate Application Fee to apply for IIM. Registration Fee covers application fee of all 21 IIMs

 CAT Exam Important Dates 

Events Dates
CAT 2024 admit card date November 7, 2024
CAT exam date 2024 November 26, 2024
CAT 2024 answer key and response sheet December 5, 2024
CAT 2024 result December 21, 2024

CAT 2024 Registration Process

CAT 2024 application forms will be available on the IIMCAT website starting from the elected date. To enroll for the exam, students need to follow a simple registration process. Here’s a brief overview:

  • Also Read: CAT Percentile Predictor
  • Visit the official website: iimcat.ac.in
  • Click on ‘new registration.’
  • Than provide your name, email address, nationality, date of birth, and phone number.
  • Complete the CAPTCHA verification and verify registration with the OTP received.
  • Log in using the CAT 2024 ID shared on your email to fill out the form.
  • Enter personal and academic details.
  • Upload a recent passport-size photo and a scanned signature.
  • Opt preferred IIMs, courses, and test cities.
  • Pay the CAT 2024 application fees using credit/debit card or net banking.

CAT Exam Pattern & Test Structure 2024

CAT Paper Pattern 2024
Mode of CAT exam Computer Based Test
Duration of exam 120 minutes

40 minutes per section

CAT exam slots Morning: 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM

Afternoon: 12:30 PM to 2:30 PM

Evening: 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM

Number of questions 66
CAT total marks 198
Language of question paper English
Number of answer choices 4
Question Type MCQ and non-MCQ

Essential points to remember for the CAT eligibility criteria 2024:

For CAT, there is no set age limit. Thus, the candidate may sit for the test at any age.

Work experience is not a requirement for CAT eligibility. Nonetheless, individuals with and without expertise can take the exam. Certain B-schools take job experience into account when admitting students.

Indian universities, educational institutions, and institutions declared as universities under Section 3 of the UGC Act, 1956, must accept a candidate’s bachelor’s degree as valid or an equivalent qualification recognized by the Ministry of HRD, Government of India.

CAT Eligibility: Marks-Based Calculation

The following is how the marks are calculated for CAT eligibility:

The university or institute determines the standards by which graduation marks are awarded. The CAT markings will be determined using this procedure.

Universities may choose to issue grades and CGPAs in lieu of marks; in such an instance, the university will offer a conversion procedure for converting marks to percentages.

If the university does not have a mechanism for converting marks/CGPA to percentages, it can be feasible to convert them directly. The candidate should multiply the result by 100 and divide the obtained CGPA by the maximum CGPA that is feasible.

CAT 2024 Eligibility Frequently Asked Questions

 Q. Who may take the 2024 CAT exam?

 Ans. Graduates with a 50% (45% for SC/ST/PwD) or above are qualified for the CAT. The person is eligible for CAT even if they are in their last year of education. Those with professional degrees are also qualified to take the CAT test in 2024.

Q. What is the purpose of the CAT exam?

Ans. The CAT exam is necessary for admission to the MBA and PGDM programs at the 21 IIMs as well as esteemed non-IIMs like IBS Hyderabad, SPJIMR Mumbai, Delhi School of Business, NITIE Mumbai, FMS Delhi, IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Roorkee, and others. There is no other test that is approved for admission to the MBA programs offered at the 21 IIMs, hence taking the CAT is a must.

Q.  What is the syllabus for the 2024 CAT exam?

Ans. The CAT 2024 syllabus covers quantitative aptitude, logical reasoning, data interpretation, verbal ability, and reading comprehension. Arithmetic, mathematics, sentence completion, one-word replacement, geometry, mensuration, bar graphs, charts, tables, coding-decoding, blood relation, family tree, reading comprehension, para jumble, and more are among the topics covered in these.