Common Admission Test (CAT) 2024

The Common Admission Test (CAT) is a national-level management aptitude test that candidates must pass in order to be admitted to MBA programs at 20 IIMs and over 1,200 B-schools in India. CAT exam also helps applicants to get admission to Executive MBA, Ph.D., and FPM programs. IIMs will announce the CAT 2024 result in the second week of January 2025.

Candidates who register for the exam will have to take the test in November 2024. After appearing for the test, they will be allowed to check their results online at iimcat.ac.in. Based on the CAT result, they will be shortlisted for a group discussion (GD), a written ability test (WAT), and a personal interview (PI). Read on to find out more.

Check out the table below for the key highlights of the Common Admission Test 2024 exam:

Particulars	Details
CAT Full Form	Common Admission Test (CAT)
Conducting Body	Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow
Exam Level	National
Application Process	Online
Frequency of Exam	Once a Year
Exam Purpose	Admission into IIMs, SPJIMR, FMS, MDI, IMT, and over 1,200 B-Schools in India
Courses Offered	MBA/ PGDM in Various Streams
Number of Sections	3 sections: Quantitative Ability (QA), Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC), and Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR)
Medium of Exam	English (CBT mode)
CAT Helpdesk	1800-2090-830
Official Website	https://iimcat.ac.in

IIMs will issue the CAT 2024 notification in July 2024, on the official website – iimcat.ac.in. The notification includes details related to the exam date, registration process, eligibility, and so on. Till then, you can check out the previous year exam notifications by clicking on the links below:

• CAT 2023 notification (PDF)
• CAT 2023 information brochure (PDF)

CAT 2024 Important Dates

IIMs released the CAT 2024 exam schedule on its official website. Check out the important dates and events related to the Common Admission Test 2024 from the below table:

CAT 2024 Events	CAT 2024 Dates
CAT 2024 Official Notification Release Date	July 2024
CAT 2024 Registrations Start	August 2024
Registrations End	September 2024
Form Correction	September 2024 (Tentative)
Admit Card Release	October 2024
Mock Test Release Date	November 2024 (Tentative)
CAT 2024 Exam Date	November 2024
Answer Key Release Date	December 2024 (Tentative)
Answer Key Challenge Process	December 2024 (Tentative)
CAT 2024 Result Declaration	January 2025

The minimum eligibility criteria for the CAT exam 2024 is graduation in any stream. Candidates applying for this exam can check the detailed eligibility criteria below:

CAT Age Limit

There will be no age or attempt limit for CAT applicants.

CAT Educational Qualification

The following are academic requirements that candidates must meet in order to apply for the CAT exam:

• Candidates must hold a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent in any discipline from a recognised college or institute.
• Applicants must have a 50 percent or higher average in the appropriate exam (45 percent for SC/ ST/ PWD candidates) or equivalent.
• Professional degree holders (CA, CS, or ICWA) are also eligible.

CAT Eligibility for Final Year Students

Candidates in their final year of a Bachelor’s degree/equivalent qualification examination, as well as those who have finished their final examination and are waiting for results, are eligible to apply.

Get complete details on CAT eligibility & reservation criteria 2024 here.

The online registration for the CAT 2024 exam will begin in August 2024. IIMs will close the CAT exam registration window on September 2024. As the CAT 2024 registration form is to be available online, registration for the CAT test will be done only on the official website, iimcat.ac.in.

Get complete details on CAT 2024 application form here.

How To Fill Out CAT 2024 Application Form?

To apply online for the Common Admission Test 2024, follow the steps outlined below:

• 1st Step: Visit the official website – iimcat.ac.in.
• 2nd Step: Select New Registration.
• 3rd Step: To register, enter your name, date of birth, nationality, phone number, and email id.
• 4th Step: Fill out the application form by logging in with the credentials received in the registered email.
• 5th Step: Enter the personal and academic information.
• 6th Step: Upload a passport-sized photo and a scanned signature.
• 7th Step: Choose your preferred courses and IIMs.
• 8th Step: Choose your preferred test cities.
• 9th Step: Pay the application fee with a credit/debit card or through net banking.

CAT Application Fees

Check out the registration fees for Common Admission Test from the below table. The applicant must pay the -below-mentioned fee online through credit/debit card or net banking as per their category.

Category	CAT Application Fee
General/ NC-OBC	INR 2,400
SC/ST/PWD	INR 1,200

At the time of filling CAT application form 2024, candidates were allowed to choose six exam centres based on their preferences from the list given below:

Test Cities
Port Blair	Hamirpur	Mumbai
Guntur	Jammu	Nashik
Nellore	Bokaro	Satara
Vijayawada	Dhanbad	Palghar
Kakinada	Hazaribagh	Ulhasnagar
Rajahmundry	Jamshedpur	Shillong
Visakhapatnam	Ranchi	Aizawl
Kurnool	Belagavi(Belgaum)	Kohima
Tirupathi	Bengaluru	Balasore
Vizianagaram	Hubballi(Hubli)	Cuttack
Itanagar	Mysuru(Mysore)	Sambalpur
Dibrugarh	Kalaburagi(Gulbarga)	Berhampur
Silchar	Shivamogga(Shimoga)	Dhenkanal
Guwahati	Dharwad	Bhubaneswar
Tezpur	Mangaluru(Mangalore)	Rourkela
Jorhat	Udupi	Puducherry
Aurangabad-Bihar	Kannur	Pathankot
Darbhanga	Ernakulam	Ludhiana
Arrah	Kollam	Amritsar
Muzaffarpur	Kottayam	Bhatinda
Bhagalpur	Kozhikode	Patiala
Patna	Thrissur	Jalandhar
Mohali	Trivandrum	Sangrur
Chandigarh	Bhopal	Ajmer
Bhilai Nagar	Jabalpur	Jaipur
Bilaspur	Ujjain	Sikar
Raipur	Gwalior	Alwar
Delhi	Sagar	Jodhpur
Faridabad	Indore	Udaipur
Gurugram	Satna	Bikaner
Ghaziabad	Bhopal	Kota
New Delhi	Jabalpur	Madurai
Greater Noida	Ujjain	Chennai
Noida	Gwalior	Salem
Meerut	Sagar	Trichy
Panaji	Indore	Coimbatore
Ahmedabad	Satna	Vellore
Mehsana	Amravati	Tirunelveli
Vadodara	Jalgaon	Hyderabad
Anand	Nagpur	Karimnagar
Rajkot	Pune	Warangal
Gandhinagar	Solapur	Allahabad
Surat	Navi Mumbai	Bareilly
Ambala	Ahmednagar	Kanpur
Hisar	Kolhapur	Muzaffarnagar
Karnal	Nanded	Agra
Kurushetra	Raigad	Gorakhpur
Panipat	Thane	Lucknow
Rohtak	Vasai	Varanasi
Shimla	Aurangabad	Aligarh
Jhansi	Moradabad	Dehradun
Haldwani	Roorkee	Asansol
Durgapur	Bankura	Burdwan
Kolkata	Hooghly	Kalyani
Siliguri	Srinagar	Imphal

Additionally, check out state-wise CAT exam centre lists. Also, candidates should check the exam centre on their admit cards.

The CAT exam pattern consists of three sections: Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Ability (QA). Candidates must answer both MCQ and non-MCQ-type questions. As per the pattern, the QA section poses more difficult questions as compared to other sections. Check out the CAT 2024 exam pattern from the table below:

Paper Pattern and Structure
Sections	VARC, DILR & QA
Duration of Exam	40 Minutes Per Section (Total 120 Minutes)
Total Number of Questions	66
Section-wise Number of Questions	– VARC- 24 – DILR- 20 – QA- 22
Total Marks	198
Language of Question Paper	English
Number of Answer Choices	Four
Type of Questions	MCQs and Non-MCQs
Marking Scheme	– 3 marks for every correct answer – Negative marking of 1/3 for every incorrect MCQ response – No negative marking for wrong non-MCQ answer

Get detailed CAT 2024 Exam Pattern here.

CAT Selection Process 2024

IIMs and other CAT 2024 participating management institutes will conduct the selection procedure for the exam in the following stage:

• Written Ability Test (WAT)
• Group Discussion (GD),  and
• Personal Interview (PI)

For the past few years, the CAT 2024 exam syllabus has remained unchanged. Check out the topics included in the Common Admission Test syllabus from the below table:

Sections	Syllabus
Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC)	Reading Comprehension, Para Jumbles, Para Summary, Odd Sentence Out, etc.
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR)	Set Theory (Variables), Puzzles, Coding-Decoding, Series, etc.
Quantitative Aptitude (QA)	Number System, Algebra, Arithmetic, Geometry, etc.

Get detailed subject-wise CAT syllabus 2024.

The CAT exam is challenging for students to pass on the first attempt. However, if they plan a proper strategy and timetable for this exam, they will undoubtedly succeed in passing it with an excellent percentile. Check out some CAT exam preparation tips below:

1. Go through syllabus and exam pattern – Candidates should familiarise themselves with the CAT test format and the latest syllabus before beginning their studies. The CAT exam is divided into sections, and candidates must manage their time according to the complexity of each section. 
2. Create a study plan – It is one of the most crucial aspects of exam preparation. Students must adhere to a strict preparation and study plan. This will assist them in completing the syllabus on time and passing the exam with 100+ percentiles. 
3. Practice previous year question papers – Students must prepare from the previous year’s question papers in addition to learning from books. It will help them to learn about the difficulty level, types of questions asked, and more. It will also enable them to aware of their areas of strength and weakness.
4. Attempt mock tests – To pass the CAT exam, candidates need to have a lot of logical thinking, which they can acquire by attempting mock tests on Embibe. It will help them to manage their time for each section easily.
5.  Maintain a healthy lifestyle and avoid stress – It is critical to have a healthy mind and body in order to concentrate better during exam preparation. Maintain a nutritious diet that includes fresh fruits and vegetables. Avoid eating junk food and drinking alcoholic beverages. Practice yoga and meditation to improve concentration while studying for the CAT exam.
6. Revision – Candidates must revise the entire syllabus and important topics one week before the examination. 

The CAT 2024 admit card will be released in October 2024, only for the candidates who completed the application process successfully. It was a mandatory document to be brought to the exam centre. The Common Admission Test 2024 hall ticket included the details related to the CAT exam centre address, the exam day and time, the reporting time, a link to a Google map to locate the exam site, and exam day recommendations.

Get steps to download CAT hall ticket 2024.

Indian Institute of Management (IIMs) will release the CAT Answer Key 2024 in December 2024, tentatively. The last date to download the response sheet will likely be in December 2024. Candidates who appeared in the exam can download the official answer key to estimate their final scores.

Get steps to download CAT Answer Key 2024.

The Indian Institute of Management (IIMs) will likely release the CAT 2024 exam results in the second week of January 2025. According to the CAT result 2022, there were 11 toppers who obtained a perfect 100 percentile. However, the IIM CAT result link was only available online on the official website- iimcat.ac.in. Candidates must log in with their registered CAT login ID and password to view and download the scorecard. 

Check the steps to download CAT 2024 result here.

The CAT 2024 cutoffs for admission to the IIMs are expected to be in the 95 to 100 percentile range for all categories. However, the CAT 2024 cutoff percentile for top IIMs for general category candidates is expected to be around the 98 to 100 percentile. To achieve a total score of more than 100, one must obtain at least 35 marks in VARC, 30 marks in DLRI, and 37 marks in QA.

Expected CAT Cutoff 2024

Check below the table indicating the expected qualifying IIM cutoff:

IIM	Qualifying CAT Cutoff
IIM Ahmedabad	85
IIM Bangalore	85
IIM Calcutta	85
IIM Lucknow	90
IIM Indore	90
IIM Kozhikode	85
IIM Amritsar	90
IIM Nagpur	85
IIM Sambalpur	93
IIM Trichy	93
IIM Raipur	93
IIM Ranchi	90
IIM Kashipur	94
IIM Vizag	80
IIM Udaipur	93
IIM Bodhgaya	93
IIM Shillong	75
IIM Sirmaur	92
IIM Rohtak	95
IIM Nagpur	85
IIM Jammu	93

Check out CAT 2024 cut-off for more details.

Check the list of MBA colleges that accepts CAT score below:

College	Cutoff Round 1	Fees
IIM Bangalore – Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore	PGPM Opening Percentile – 99	₹ 23,00,000 (Total Fees)
Indian Institute of Management – [IIMA], Ahmedabad	PGPM Opening Percentile – 99	₹ 23,00,000 (Total Fees)
Indian Institute of Management – [IIMC], Kolkata	MBA Opening Percentile – 99	₹ 23,00,000 (Total Fees)
Indian Institute of Management – [IIM], Lucknow	PGP-ABM Opening Percentile – 97	₹ 10,05,000 (1st Year Fees)
Indian Institute of Management – [IIM], Indore	PGPM Opening Percentile – 97	₹ 16,00,000 (Total Fees)
Indian Institute of Management – [IIMK], Kozhikode	Post Graduate Program in Management Finance Opening Percentile – 97	₹ 20,50,000 (Total Fees)
Department of Management Studies, Indian Institute of Technology – [DOMS], Roorkee	MBA Finance Opening Percentile – 95	₹ 4,13,500 (1st Year Fees)
Indian Institute of Management – [IIMU], Udaipur	MBA Opening Percentile – 93	₹ 7,97,000 (1st Year Fees)
Indian Institute of Management – [IIM], Tiruchirappalli	PGPM Quantitative Techniques & Operations Management Opening percentile – 94	₹ 16,50,000 (Total Fees)
Department of Management Studies, IIT Madras – [DoMS IIT Madras], Chennai	MBA Finance Opening Percentile – 85	₹ 4,00,000 (1st Year Fees)
SP Jain Institute of Management and Research – [SPJIMR], Mumbai	PGDM Finance Opening Percentile – 92	₹ 19,00,000 (Total Fees)
NIT Trichy, Tiruchirappalli	MBA Human Resource Management Opening Percentile – 80	₹ 1,39,750 (1st Year Fees)
Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai	PGDM Finance Opening Percentile – 85	₹ 11,76,000 (Total Fees)
Indian Institute of Management – [IIM], Raipur	PGP-OM Opening Percentile – 94	₹ 7,27,600 (1st Year Fees)
Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies -[JBIMS], Mumbai	MHRD Opening Percentile – 96	₹ 7,00,000 (Total Fees)
Symbiosis Institute of Business Management – [SIBM], Pune	MBA Finance Opening Percentile – 98	₹ 9,80,000 (1st Year Fees)
Symbiosis Centre for Management and Human Resource Development – [SCMHRD], Pune	MBA Human Resource Management Opening Percentile – 96	₹ 9,60,000 (1st Year Fees)
Indian Institute of Management – [IIM], Rohtak	PGPM Opening Percentile – 95	₹ 8,35,000 (1st Year Fees)
Indian Institute of Management – [IIM], Shillong	Post Graduate Programme in Marketing Opening Percentile – 94	₹ 1,46,000 (Total Fees)
Indian Institute of Management – [IIM], Kashipur	MBA Opening Percentile – 93	₹ 7,82,500 (1st Year Fees)
International Management Institute – [IMI], New Delhi	PGDHRM Opening Percentile – 90	₹ 9,11,850 (1st Year Fees)
Indian Institute of Management – [IIMR], Ranchi	MBA Human Resource Opening Percentile – 94	₹ 8,80,000 (1st Year Fees)
Prin. L. N. Welingkar Institute of Management Development & Research – [WeSchool], Mumbai	PGDM Opening Percentile – 75	₹ 6,50,000 (1st Year Fees)
T. A. Pai Management Institute – [TAPMI], Manipal	PGDM Opening Percentile – 80	₹ 7,55,000 (1st Year Fees)
ICFAI Business School – [IBS], Hyderabad	MBA Finance Opening Percentile – 68	₹ 8,01,000 (1st Year Fees)
Loyola Institute of Business Administration – [LIBA], Chennai	PGDM Finance Opening Percentile – 70	₹ 15,38,800 (Total Fees)
FORE School of Management – [FSM], New Delhi	PGDM International Business Opening Percentile – 85	₹ 8,49,000 (1st Year Fees)
Institute of Management Studies, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi	MBA International Business Opening Percentile – 85	₹ 49,807 (1st Year Fees)
Institute of Management, Nirma University, Ahmedabad	MBA Family Managed Business & Entrepreneurship Opening Percentile – 85	₹ 5,52,000 (1st Year Fees)
Institute of Management Technology – [IMT], Ghaziabad	PGDM Marketing Opening Percentile – 90	₹ 19,50,000 (Total Fees)
Alliance University, Bangalore	MBA Finance Opening Percentile – 75	₹ 13,50,000 (Total Fees)
University Business School, Panjab University – [UBS], Chandigarh	MBA Opening Percentile – 85	₹ 18,725 (1st Year Fees)
Goa Institute of Management – [GIM], North Goa	PGDM Opening Percentile – 88	₹ 9,32,500 (1st Year Fees)
Lovely Professional University – [LPU], Jalandhar	MBA Financial Markets Opening Percentile – 80	₹ 3,22,000 (1st Year Fees)
Birla Institute of Management Technology – [BIMTECH], Greater Noida	PGDM Retail Management Opening Percentile – 60	₹ 10,00,000 (Total Fees)
Jaipuria Institute of Management, Noida	PGDM Opening Percentile – 50	₹ 5,87,500 (1st Year Fees)
Jaipuria Institute of Management, Lucknow	PGDM Opening Percentile – 50	₹ 5,50,000 (1st Year Fees)
Jagan Institute of Management Studies – [JIMS] Rohini, New Delhi	PGDM Opening Percentile – 75	₹ 15,90,000 (Total Fees)
Institute of Management Technology – [IMT], Nagpur	PGDM Finance Opening Percentile – 85	₹ 6,42,000 (1st Year Fees)
Jagdish Sheth School of Management – [JAGSOM], Bangalore	PGDM Finance Opening Percentile – 75	₹ 14,40,000 (Total Fees)
IIHMR University, Jaipur	MBA Hospital & Health Care Management Opening Percentile – 50	₹ 9,60,000 (Total Fees)
Institute of Public Enterprise – [IPE], Hyderabad	PGDM International Business Opening Percentile – 70	₹ 4,55,000 (1st Year Fees)
Christ University, Bangalore	MBA Finance Opening Percentile – 70	₹ 3,80,000 (1st Year Fees)
Prin. L.N. Welingkar Institute of Management Development & Research- [WeSchool], Bangalore	PGDM Business Design Opening Percentile – 70	₹ 6,50,000 (1st Year Fees)
SDM Institute for Management Development – [SDMIMD], Mysore	PGDM Marketing Opening Percentile – 70	₹ 11,20,000 (Total Fees)
Xavier Institute of Management and Entrepreneurship – [XIME], Bangalore	PGDM Finance Opening Percentile – 75	₹ 11,50,000 (Total Fees)
ITM Business School Kharghar – [ITM], Navi Mumbai	PGDM Marketing Opening Percentile – 78	₹ 10,45,000 (Total Fees)
Indus Business Academy – [IBA], Bangalore	PGDM Human Resource Management Opening Percentile – 70	₹ 4,81,000 (1st Year Fees)
Indian Institute of Social Welfare and Business Management – [IISWBM], Kolkata	MBA Marketing Management Opening Percentile – 70	₹ 3,09,000 (1st Year Fees)
SCMS Cochin School of Business, Kochi	PGDM Human Resource Management Opening Percentile – 75	₹ 3,75,000 (1st Year Fees)

Let us take a look at a few frequently asked questions related to CAT 2024.

Q: When will the CAT 2024 result be announced?

A: The CAT 2024 result will be declared in January 2025.

Q: What is the CAT 2024 exam date?

A: The CAT 2024 exam will be administered in November 2024, in three slots (shifts). 

Q: When will IIM shortlisting process begin for admission through CAT?

A: The Common Admission Test (CAT) shortlisting process will begin on February 2024, tentatively.

Q: Is the CAT exam tough?

A: Yes. The Common Admission Test is regarded as one of the most difficult MBA entrance tests. However, proper preparation and determination are essential for passing this exam.

Q: Who will conduct CAT 2024?

A: IIM will conduct the CAT 2024 exam.