CAT 2024: Exam Dates, Registrations, Eligibility, Pattern, Syllabus, Cut-Offs, Old Question Papers

What is the CAT Exam 2024?

The Common Admission Test (CAT) is a national-level management aptitude test conducted by the IIMs for admission in the MBA programs across the twenty-one IIMs ( Including NITIE Mumbai under IIM Mumbai, if so). More than 1200 other B-schools across India also acknowledge it. Every year, more than 2 lakh students sit for CAT; the figure touched a record high of 3. 30 lakh applications registering for CAT 2023. It is administered in three time slots in a single day across around 400 centers across 137 cities in India. CAT assesses business aptitude across three main sections: Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitive Ability (QA), which are generally moderately challenging to strenuous.

CAT 2024 Exam Highlights

The table below shows some of the key highlights of the CAT exam.

Courses Offered Through CAT at IIMs

In addition to full-time MBA programs, the CAT score is accepted for admission to Executive MBA, PhD, and FPM programs at IIMs and other B-schools. The exam is open to graduates, postgraduates, and working professionals. Below is a list of courses offered by IIMs through CAT.
 

CAT Eligibility Criteria 2024

• Candidates must have a bachelor's degree from a recognised university to be eligible for CAT 2024.

• The minimum aggregate requirement is 50% or equivalent CGPA (45% for SC, ST, and PWD/DA categories).

• The bachelor's degree can be obtained through regular or distance learning and should be a 3-year program.

• Those with professional degrees like CA/CS/ICWA/FCAI meeting the percentage criteria are eligible to apply for CAT.

• Candidates in their final year of bachelor's degree or awaiting results can also appear for CAT 2024.

CAT 2024 Registration

CAT 2024 registration is set to commence in early August 2024, with the detailed schedule announced on July 30, 2024, at the Simchat.ac.in website. The application process will be conducted online and will continue until the third week of September 2024. In 2023, IIM Lucknow received a record-high of 3.30 lakh applications for CAT, marking a 30% increase from 2022. Out of these, 3.28 lakh applications were deemed valid, and 2.88 lakh candidates appeared for the exam, making it the highest number of applicants since the inception of CAT.

What are CAT Exam Fees?

The CAT exam fee must be paid upon submission of the application form. The form will only be considered submitted once the fee payment is completed. Candidates must ensure payment and submission of the application form by the specified deadline. Below are the current CAT registration charges.

CAT Admit Card 2024

The CAT admit card for 2024 will be available for download from the third week of October 2024. The specific release date and official notification will be announced on July 30, 2024. It is mandatory for candidates to bring their CAT 2024 admit card to the exam centre; they must do so to ensure they are allowed entry to the exam. Candidates are advised to download their admit cards before the exam day and obtain two printouts. The CAT hall ticket can be downloaded until the exam day is November 24, 2024. Please refer to the official communication for detailed information on the CAT admit card 2024, including download procedures, exam day instructions, and guidelines.

How to Download CAT 2024 Admit Card?

• Visit the official CAT 2024 Official Website.

• Click on the 'Login' tab.

• Enter your registration ID and password.

• Navigate to the 'admit card' section.

• Click the download button to save the CAT 2024 admit card to your desktop.

• Take a printout of the admit card for future reference.

• The CAT exam authority will also send a direct link to the CAT 2024 admit card PDF to candidates' registered email IDs.