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.
The following criteria are included in CAT 2024 Eligibility Criteria:
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 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 |
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 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:
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.
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.