CAT Eligibility Criteria

Indian Institute of Management (IIM) has made the CAT eligibility criteria 2024 available on its official website alongside the CAT Notification 2024 on July 28, 2024. The CAT examination date 2024 is set to take place on November 24, 2024, (Sunday) for the MBA and PGDM admissions in 21 IIM campuses and 1200+ Business colleges and institutions. The CAT Admit cards will be made available shortly on 5 November 2024. The CAT registration will begin on August 1, 2024, and come to an end on September 20, 2024. The correction window will be made available from September 23 to 26, 2024 till 5:00 PM tentative. To qualify for the CAT exam 2024, students must satisfy the CAT eligibility criteria 2024 guided by the IIM. See this article for a complete list of the IIM CAT eligibility criteria for MBA, including CAT exam eligibility percentage, CAT eligibility criteria 12th marks, CAT eligibility age requirements, CAT Examination Date 2023, and other exam requirements.

 

CAT Eligibility Criteria 2024

To be eligible for the Common Admission Test 2024, candidates must satisfy specific requirements set by the testing authority. So what is the CAT exam eligibility percentage? Candidates who have completed a Bachelor's degree or its equivalent from an accredited university with 50% marks (45% for SC/ST/PwD) or higher may apply for the CAT exam 2024. Before beginning their CAT exam 2024 preparation for MBA admission, candidates should make it clear that they meet the CAT eligibility criteria for MBA. Those planning to take the CAT exam 2024 should be able to satisfy the following CAT eligibility criteria 2024:

 

CAT Eligibility Age Limit

All MBA candidates planning for the CAT exam 2024 set to take place on 24 November should know beforehand about the CAT eligibility Criteria 2024 and how to meet the CAT eligibility age limit. Applicants should review the CAT eligibility age limit below if they plan to take the Common Admission Test 2024.

Minimum CAT Eligibility Age Limit:

There is no upper age limit to take the CAT exam 2024. Any candidate may apply for this exam, regardless of age. The CAT exam has no minimum CAT eligibility age requirement. Having a degree is the sole requirement to satisfy the CAT eligibility criteria for MBA admission.

Maximum CAT Eligibility Age Limit:

Anybody at any point in their career is eligible to apply for CAT exam 2024. There is no maximum CAT eligibility Age for the CAT exam, per the CAT eligibility criteria 2024 for the Common Admission Test 2024. Candidates having a bachelor's degree and at least 50% (45% SC/ST/PwD) are eligible to apply. CAT examination date 2024 is set to take place on 24 November 2024.

 

CAT Eligibility Criteria 2024 - Key Highlights

Particulars

Details

Academic Qualification

 Graduation/ Bachelor’s Degree 

 CAT Exam Eligibility Percentage in Graduation 

50% (45% for SC/ ST/ PwD)

CAT eligibility age limit

No Age Restriction

Work Experience

Not Mandatory

Reservation

Based on Category

The official web portal of Common Admission Test 2024 provides the full list of CAT eligibility criteria. The CAT eligibility Criteria 2024 include a few aspects relating to academic background. A few of the crucial points are listed below:

Candidates who review the CAT eligibility criteria 2024 should also be familiar with the CAT examination date 2024, including its registration date, admit card date and result dates. Below is a quick overview of the CAT examination date 2024. Read the entire article to learn more about IIM CAT eligibility criteria 2024 for the exam.

CAT Exam Events

CAT Exam Dates 2024

CAT Notification 2024

July 30, 2024

CAT Registration date 2024

August 2, 2024

CAT application form 2024 last date

September 21, 2024, at 5 PM

CAT form correction date

 September 25 to 28, 2024, at 5 PM 

CAT admit card 2024 Download

November 7, 2024, at 5 PM

CAT mock test, direct link activation date

To be announced

CAT examination date 2024

November 24, 2024

CAT answer key 2024 out date

5 December 2024

 The last date to object CAT exam answer key 

To be announced

CAT Result 2024 Announce

21 December 2024

 

CAT Attempts Limit

The IIM will administer the Common Admission Test 2024. There is an opportunity to retake the CAT 2024 if an applicant does not score in the expected CAT percentile. The IIMs do not specify the minimum CAT attempt limit. Thus, there are no limits on the number of times the candidates can take the CAT exam.

 

CAT Eligibility Criteria 2024: Academic Background

IIM lists the educational requirements and test scores that applicants must meet to be eligible to take the CAT exam 2024.

 

CAT Exam Eligibility Percentage for IIM

Qualification

Affiliation

Percentage/ CGPA

Bachelor’s Degree from any University/ Institute

Recognized by UGC

50% aggregate marks (45% for SC/ ST/ PwD)

Engineering Degree - B.Tech/ B.E. from any University/ Institute

Recognized by MHRD/ AICTE

50% aggregate marks (45% for SC/ ST/ PwD)

 Students who appeared in the final year of the degree examination 

 Recognized by MHRD/ AICTE/ UGC 

 50% aggregate marks (45% for SC/ ST/ PwD) 

 

CAT eligibility criteria 12th marks is not a prerequisite for taking the CAT exam 2024. After finishing the intermediate education, a minimum of 50% of marks must be earned in the bachelor's degree to qualify for the exam.

MHRD/AICTE: The University shall be deemed a university under Section 3 of the UGC Act, 1956, or shall be declared annexed by an Act of the Parliament of India or a State Legislature of India.

NOTE: The certificate from the Registrar/Principal of the relevant institution or university must be submitted by the candidates who took part in the final year of the degree examination. It must indicate that the holder has fulfilled all the prerequisites for an equivalent qualification.

 

IIM CAT Eligibility Criteria 2024: Reservation

IIMs will each have their own unique admissions requirements. They adhere to the Indian government's reservation policies. See the chart below to learn the CAT eligibility criteria 2024 for OBC, MBC, SC, ST, PwD, and General.

Category

Reserved Percentage

NC-OBC (Non-Creamy Other Backward Classes)

27%

SC (Scheduled Caste)

15%

Economically Weaker Sections (EWS)

up to 10%

ST (Scheduled Tribe)

7.5%

PwD (Person with Disability)

5%

 

Reservation Guidelines for Individuals with Disabilities (PwD)

Candidates in the PwD category are required to bring a PwD certificate that has been issued by an authorized body. Only after submitting the PwD certification granted by an authorized authority can candidates take advantage of the benefits bestowed to PwD. The following lists the several kinds of disabilities that are covered by the PwD reservation:

 

CAT Eligibility Criteria 2024 - Marks Calculation

The CAT percentage computation will be predicated on the fact that the individual colleges or universities where the candidates have earned their degrees will compute the total marks per their protocols.

Marks will be converted into percentages based on the practice verified by the relevant school or university to calculate the CGPA and grades per CAT Eligibility Criteria.

In a different scenario, the percentage will be determined by dividing the student's CGPA by the highest CGPA and multiplying the result by 100 if no institution or university offers any improvement plans.

For instance,

With a maximum CGPA of 10 and a candidate's CGPA of 8.8, 8.8/10 = 0.88 and 100 = 0.88 X 100 = 88% are the results.

 

Who is not qualified for CAT 2024?

 

CAT Eligibility Criteria: Work Experience Requirements

 

CAT Eligibility Criteria vs. IIM Eligibility Criteria

IIMs have different eligibility requirements for holding CATs. A few small inconsistencies should be noted by every applicant hoping to study at an IIM.

While there is no age restriction for both the CAT 2024 and the IIM qualification, the two-year bachelor's degree that meets the CAT Eligibility Criteria 2024 is not recognized by IIMs, and their management programs demand a three-year bachelor's degree.

There are no differences between the IIM qualification and the CAT exam qualification other than that.

 

CAT Syllabus 2024

The CAT syllabus is an overview of the courses, chapters, and key themes from each of the three divisions that may contain exam questions. To prepare for the CAT 2024 and get high scores, the first step is to familiarize yourself with the CAT syllabus for 2024. The CAT syllabus, however, is never formally released by IIMs since the exam's objective is to assess the test-taker's fundamental analytical, logical reasoning, and critical thinking skills—qualities that cannot be determined by a predetermined list of themes and subjects. Therefore, the CAT syllabus is established by analyzing the trends and question papers from the previous year's CAT.

Here are the five main CAT 2024 changes to look forward to:

 

FAQs for CAT Eligibility criteria 2024

Q1. Is there a maximum age to take the IIM CAT exam? Are 12th-grade grades relevant for the CAT?

IIM does not advise applying for CAT 2024 based on any age requirements. The CAT exam 2024 considers the candidate's entire academic history.

 

Q2. How can I confirm if I fall under the NC-OBC group?

By using the CAT official website, candidates can find out if they fall within the NC-OBC category.

 

Q3. Is a final-year student eligible to apply for CAT 2024?

Indeed, applicants for the Common Admission Test 2024 may be those who took or plan to take the final year exam.

 

Q4. When does the application procedure for CAT 2024 start? Which IIM is planning the CAT 2024?

The CAT 2024 application process was made available on August 1, 2024. CAT 2024 will take place in IIM Calcutta on November 24, 2024.

 

Q5. Is it possible for a candidate to take the CAT exam more than once?

No, a candidate is not permitted to appear for the exam more than once.