CAT exam is an MBA exam that is held once a year, usually in November. The exam is held for admission of graduate candidates into B schools in the country. The exam is held on a rotational basis by the IIMs of the country. This year, IIM Calcutta is conducting the CAT exam on 24 November 2024. Get more updates below.
CAT 2024 Exam
CAT 2024 Notification has been released online on the CAT official website which is iimcat.ac.in. CAT 2024 registration has started from 1st August 2024. The Common Admission Test (CAT) exam 2024 is an annually conducted national-level management aptitude test that is conducted annually by IIM.
By cracking the CAT exam, candidates become eligible to take admission in MBA courses offered by its 20 campuses and over 1200 other B schools in India. More than 2 lakh graduates apply for CAT exam each year for which the CAT exam centre is located across India.
CAT Exam Latest Updates:
CAT 2024 Exam Highlights
CAT Exam Highlights |
CAT 2024 Exam Particulars | CAT Exam Details |
CAT Full Form | Common Admission Test (CAT) |
CAT 2024 Conducting Institute | IIM Calcutta |
Exam type | MBA Exam |
Type of Exam | Entrance exam for admission into MBA course |
Exam Frequency | Once a year |
CAT Exam Date | 24th November 2024 |
CAT Exam Timings | Session 1: 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM Session 2: 12:30 PM to 2:30 PM Session 3: 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM |
CAT Exam Fees | Rs. 2,400 for General category and Rs. 1,200 (Reserved category) |
Eligibility Criteria | Graduation with at least 50% aggregate (45% for SC/ST students) |
Purpose of CAT exam | Admission into IIMs, SPJIMR, FMS, MDI, IMT and over 1,200 B-Schools in India |
Courses Offered | MBA/PGDM |
CAT syllabus subjects | Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC) Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) Quantitative Ability (QA) |
CAT pattern | Computer Based Test (CBT) with MCQs and non-MCQs |
CAT exam website | iimcat.ac.in |
CAT 2024 Exam Date
IIM Calcutta has published the CAT 2024 exam date on its website. The candidates can apply online from 1st August to 13th September 2024. The exam date is 24th November 2024. Check the important dates associated with CAT 2024 exam in the table below.
CAT Exam 2024: Important Dates |
CAT 2024 Exam Events | CAT 2024 Dates (tentative) |
CAT 2024 registration window opens on | 1st August 2024 |
Registration for CAT 2024 exam ends on | 13th September 2024 |
CAT 2024 admit card releases on | 5th November 2024 |
CAT exam date | 24th November 2024 |
CAT answer key release | December 2024 |
Answer key challenge process | December 2024 |
CAT result declaration date | December 2024 |
CAT Exam Full Form
CAT is a national level MBA exam. CAT full form is the Common Aptitude Test. CAT is an annually conducted exam for various Post Graduate and Fellow/Doctorate programmes of IIMs. CAT 2024 scores allow a candidate to apply for MBA programs in IIMs and other B schools of the country. A candidate can appear as many times as he/she wants in the CAT exam. Hence, there is no limitation on the number of attempts for CAT exam provided he/she fulfils the eligibility criteria for it.
CAT 2024 Notification PDF
IIM Calcutta has published the much-awaited CAT notification PDF 2024 on its website. The notification gives you the complete details regarding the CAT exam which is needed to be known by any CAT exam aspirant. The direct link to download the CAT 2024 notification has been shared here.
How to fill CAT Application Form 2024?
Interested and eligible candidates can apply for CAT 2024 exam only through the online mode. The CAT registrations begin from 2nd August and will end on 13th September 2024. A candidate needs to fill out all the details carefully in it and upload all the documents to successfully register for CAT exam.
CAT 2024 Registration Process
CAT registration 2024 process is a three stage process. The following are the stages to fill out CAT registration form.
- Online CAT 2024 registration
- Filling up CAT exam form 2024
- Payment of CAT exam fee
Steps to fill CAT 2024 application form
The steps to fill CAT application form 2024 is given below.
- Visit CAT 2024 official website which is iimcat.ac.in
- On the home page, click on the link that displays “New Candidate Registration”
- A new page will open where you would be required to enter the basic details such as your name, date of birth, email address, mobile number, etc.
- An OTP will be generated and sent to your registered email Id and mobile number. Enter that OTP for the purpose of verification.
- Thereafter, login using the CAT 2024 credentials and fill out the details such as communication address, academic details, work experience, exam centre etc.
- Once you have filled in the application form, proceed to make the payment and take print out of the application form.
CAT 2024 Application Fee (Revised)
IIM Calcutta has increased the CAT 2024 fee for all categories of candidates. The CAT exam fee for General/EWS/NC-OBC is Rs. 2400 while for SC/ST/PwD candidates, it is Rs. 1200/- Check the following table to know the CAT exam fee.
CAT Exam Fee 2024 |
Candidate's Category | CAT Form Fee |
General/EWS/NC-OBC candidate | Rs. 2400 |
SC/ST/PwD candidate | Rs. 1200 |
CAT 2024 Eligibility Criteria
CAT 2024 eligibility criteria is the first and foremost step that clarifies if you can appear for the exam or not. So before applying for the exam, carefully read the list of criteria so that you do not have to face any disqualification during the selection stage. The CAT eligibility criteria has been specified below here.
CAT Educational Qualification
- Candidates applying for the CAT 2022 exams must have completed their Bachelor's program.
- Candidates in the final year of their undergraduate studies are also eligible to apply for the CAT exam.
- Candidates from the General category must have secured a minimum of 50% marks in their qualifying degree exams while those in the SC/ST and PWD categories must have secured a minimum of 45% in their qualifying exam.
CAT 2024 Selection process
The selection process for CAT exam involves three stages. CAT selection process is a three stage process. However, each IIM or an MBA college ay chose to have a different set of criteria to select candidates that may include a Group Discussion or Personal interview. Check the CAT selection process below
- Written Ability Test (WAT)
- Group Discussion (GD)
- Personal Interviews (PI)
You must note that both IIMs and non IIMs are CAT score accepting colleges. IIMs consider only the CAT exam score to select candidates and no other cores. However, the non IIMs may consider other scores as well for the purpose of selection such as CAT, MAT, etc.
Take CAT mock test to secure your seat
CAT 2024 Exam Pattern
CAT exam consists of three sections, VARC, DILR and Quantitative Aptitude. Every section has to be attempted by the candidates appearing for CAT 2024 exam. The CAT question paper consists of both MCQ and Non-MCQ type questions. The difficulty level of the questions in CAT exam is found to be high. Here is an overview of the CAT exam pattern.
CAT Exam Pattern |
Mode of CAT exam | Computer Based Test |
Duration of exam | 120 minutes where each section is for 40 minutes |
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 in CAT exam | 66 |
Total Marks in CAT exam | 198 |
Medium of exam | English |
Type of questions | MCQ and non-MCQ |
CAT Syllabus 2024
IIM has not prescribed the CAT syllabus in the notification. The syllabus is compiled based on the past year exam trend. Candidates can refer to the CAT syllabus for effective exam preparation.
CAT 2024 Admit Card
IIM Calcutta will be releasing the CAT 2024 Admit Card in the month of November. Candidates can now download the call letter up to 24th November which is the up to the exam date. Candidates who complete the CAT 2024 Registration process can download the CAT Admit Card through the link which shall be made available on the official website. The admit card is a mandatory document that has to be submitted at the exam centre when appearing for the exams.
The CAT exam call letter includes details such as the candidate's name, roll number, exam centre address, exam date, exam timing, etc. You must ensure that you have taken a print out of the CAT admit card to the exam hall.
Check other competitive exams below