CAT Exam 2024 : CAT Registration, Notification, Exam Date, Eligibility, Pattern, Syllabus, Preparation Tips, Cut Off, PYQP

The official CAT 2024 notification is expected on July 30, 2024. The notification will consist of all important information related to the CAT exam date, application forms, registration fees, eligibility criteria, exam pattern, number of test centres, reservation criteria, and syllabus. Candidates can download the PDF files of the notification from the links given below:

Candidates appearing for the exam must be aware of the CAT 2024 important dates provided in the table below so that they don't miss out on any important event.

The following table displays some of the major highlights of the CAT 2024:

The CAT registration process 2024 consists of three stages: (i) registration to generate the CAT User ID and Password; (ii) logging in with the generated User ID and Password to fill out the application form; (iii) submission of the application form after entering the relevant details and making online payment to complete the application process. To complete the registration process, the User ID and Password will be sent to the registered email address or registered mobile number after the OTP has been verified. The application form can be completed in a single session or over multiple sessions.

Only on the official CAT 2024 website, iimcat.ac.in, can candidates complete the online registration process for CAT. For general candidates, the CAT registration fee has been increased to INR 2500. For the PwD/DA and SC/ST categories, the registration fee stands at INR 1200. The only way to pay the CAT registration fees is through online mode using methods such as net banking, debit, or credit cards. The size of the photograph that the candidates were required to upload must be 1200x1200 pixels.

The CAT eligibility criteria 2024 are the basic requirements that candidates must fulfill when registering for the examination. Only those candidates who meet the eligibility criteria will be allowed to seek MBA/PGDM admission through the CAT exam at some of the most prestigious management institutes and B-schools in the country. The eligibility criteria are put in place by the exam conducting authorities of CAT 2024 to make sure that every aspirant who wishes to pursue management education in a CAT-accepting institution meets a certain standard. That being said, the CAT 2024 eligibility criteria is as follows:

Educational Qualifications Required

• Candidates must have obtained a bachelor’s degree or equivalent in any stream from a recognized university.
• Candidates must have scored at least 50% aggregate marks in their undergraduate course (45% for reserved category students).
• Candidates with professional degrees/qualifications like Chartered Accountancy, Company Secretary, Cost and Management Accountancy, etc. are also eligible for CAT.

Age Requirement

• Candidates are not required to meet any age requirements when applying for the CAT exam. However, since candidates must be bachelor’s degree holders, CAT aspirants are typically older than a particular age bar.

Exceptions to Educational Qualifications

• One of the most common exceptions to the CAT eligibility criteria when it comes to educational qualifications is that candidates who are in the final year of their Bachelor’s degree course are also allowed to appear for the CAT exam. However, such candidates have to meet certain conditions, the most important of which is the submission of requisite documents at the specified time to ensure that their admission to MBA/PGDM programs through the CAT exam is not revoked.

Note:The CAT eligibility criteria for various aspects is explained in further detail in the CAT notification and also the official website for CAT. Candidates must make sure that they check the eligibility criteria before applying for the exam to avoid any problems during the admission process.

The CAT 2024 question paper will comprise 66 questions of 198 marks in total. There is a sectional limit of 40 minutes for each of the three sections, including VARC, DILR, and QA. The CAT exam pattern 2024 can be found below. 

CAT Marking Scheme

The CAT syllabus 2024 PDF is quite extensive. The conducting IIMs don't have a fixed CAT syllabus, so MBA aspirants can get an idea of the CAT syllabus by going through CAT previous years' question papers, sample papers, and mock tests. CAT syllabus will include topics from sections such as Quantitative Aptitude (QA), Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC), and Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR). The questions asked in the exam are mostly based on Middle School Maths and English topics. The table below highlights the important topics from the CAT syllabus: 

Candidates appearing for the CAT 2024 exam must prepare well to score a good percentile that can get then into IIMs. Here are some of the best CAT 2024 preparation tips students should follow.

• Familiarise yourself with the CAT syllabus first.
• Establish a solid foundation in fundamental concepts at the start of your CAT exam preparation.
• Create a comprehensive study schedule with designated time slots for every topic and section.
• Include CAT mock tests and previous year question papers extensively in your preparation plan.
• Take a CAT mock test at the beginning to determine your level of preparation.
• Identify your areas of strength and weakness.
• Focus on increasing accuracy and speed by practising under time constraints to improve time management abilities.
• Solve and analyse sample question papers, and go through a thorough subject-wise exam evaluation.
• Aim to cover at least 70% of the syllabus in 2-3 months.
• Read CAT books by authors like Arun Sharma and Nishit K Sinha.
• Enroll in online courses and exam preparation offered by coaching institutes like Unacademy, Career Launcher, IMS India, T.I.M.E., etc.
• Attempt both overall exam questions and section-specific questions for regular practice.

Like sample papers, CAT previous year question papers help candidates understand the syllabus, pattern, and marking schemes. Solving the old year papers benefits in the preparation and understanding of the types of questions and topics.

For fool-proof CAT exam preparation, MBA aspirants must solve CAT sample papers to get insight into the CAT syllabus, exam pattern, and marking scheme and understand the types of questions they may encounter during the exam. From full-length to short-time or sectional quizzes, there are many CAT sample papers available online. Solving the sample papers can help candidates analyze their preparation level and work on the weaker areas. They are also important for enhancing your final exam performance and boosting your confidence. Download the CAT sample papers from the links given below before the CAT exam date to score high:

CAT books are crucial elements of exam preparation. MBA aspirants must refer to them for the CAT 2024 syllabus and study them thoroughly to have a conceptual clarity of important CAT topics. They are a great source of knowledge about all the necessary concepts. Candidates preparing for the CAT exam must have a list of the best books for CAT 2024 exam given below:

• Quantitative Aptitude for MBA Entrance Examinations- Abhijit Guha
• How to prepare for Quantitative Aptitude for CAT- Arun Sharma/TATA McGRAW HILL
• Higher Algebra- Hall and Knight
• Course in Mental Ability and Quantitative Aptitude- Edgar Thorpe
• Word Power Made Easy- Norman Lewis
• How to Prepare for the Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for the CAT- Arun Sharma & Meenakshi Upadhya

The CAT 2024 mock test is a dummy exam created just like an exact duplicate of the actual examination. It is conducted online on the official website (iimcat.ac.in) to make candidates familiar with the exam environment and help them understand how to attempt the CAT exam. The CAT 2024 official mock test is available for candidates on the CAT website. To attempt the CAT mock tests, you need to sign in on the login screen, go through the instructions and start the test. Students can refer to the CAT Mock Test Navigation Guide PDF to become familiar with the instructions, features, and procedures of the Computer-Based Test:

Also Read: Importance of CAT Mock Test During Preparation

The CAT admit card 2024 includes the exam centre location, exam timing, reporting time, a link to a Google Map to help you find the test centre and examination day guidelines. On the CAT exam date, applicants must bring a printout of their admit card and an identity card to the examination centre.

Steps to Download CAT Admit Card 2024

1. Visit the CAT's official site (iimcat.ac.in.)
2. Enter your User ID and password.
3. Click on the 'Download CAT Admit Card' link.
4. The screen will show the admit card.
5. Take a print of the document after downloading it.
6. Keep a photocopy of your hall ticket for future use.

Checking CAT previous years' question paper analysis is a great way to understand the difficulty level and the number of good attempts in the exam. CAT 2024 exam analysis will be updated here after the exam concludes. Take a look at the CAT previous years' question paper analysis done by experts and candidates who took the exam:

The CAT response sheet 2024 will be released along with the provisional answer key on the official website a few days after the exam. The CAT response sheet will contain all the responses that a candidate has given to all questions asked in the CAT 2024 question paper. Candidates will be able to check their own answers against the official solutions to the CAT questions when the response sheet is released and they will also have the opportunity to object against the CAT answer key if any discrepancies are found.

In order to download the CAT response sheet candidates must have their CAT User ID and Password. On the official CAT 2024 website @iimcat.ac.in candidates will be able to use their login credentials to access and download the CAT response sheet 2024.

The CAT answer key 2024 along with the CAT response sheet will be released after the conclusion of the exam. CAT final answer key will be released along with the result in early December. To access the CAT answer key 2024, candidates will need to log into the CAT official website and enter their CAT Login ID and password:

• The answer key will only be available for candidates who took the CAT exam. 
• The CAT exam answer key PDF is released along with an objection form. The aspirants who find discrepancies with the CAT answer key get the option to challenge the answer key by submitting an objection to the CAT centre. They also need to pay 1200 for every question they challenge.
• If the objection found by the candidate is valid, the measures taken by IIMs will apply to all the candidates.
• If there is no change even after the candidate has objected, it will not be considered.
• The CAT final answer key is prepared after considering and reviewing all objections submitted.
• CAT answer key helps the candidates verify their answers and figure out their expected score for the CAT exam for MBA admission to IIMs and other top B-schools.

The CAT 2024 scorecard will likely be out in the second week of January. CAT result 2024 will be available for download on the official website (iimcat.ac.in) once it is released by the exam conducting authority.

CAT Exam Result Highlights

• The CAT result date and time will be released on the official website.

• IIMs send the CAT exam score via SMS to all the candidates who took the exam.

• Once the CAT result is out, IIMs inform that the CAT scorecard is live.

• The CAT scorecard can be downloaded when the result is declared.

• The CAT scorecard consists of a candidate's scaled score and percentile score.

• The raw scores of candidates are not mentioned on the CAT scorecard.

• CAT exam score will only be valid till December 31.

• Using our CAT Percentile Predictor 2024 will be helpful in result calculation.

• Students can also use our CAT College Predictor 2024 to determine which colleges suit them the best.

Each IIM has its selection procedure for admission to top PGP/MBA/PGDM programs. Applicants must clear both the sectional and overall CAT cut off 2024 to be eligible for admission. Here is the CAT 2024 expected cutoff percentile for IIMs and Non-IIM institutes as predicted by the experts:

Expected IIM CAT Cutoff Percentile

Expected Non-IIM CAT Cutoff Percentile

After the CAT 2024 exam, one must have a clear understanding of the CAT 2024 selection process. Notably, IIMs have their individual selection process, and the admission process of IIMs usually includes the score obtained in the CAT exam, academic record, and performance in PI & WAT rounds. There are three general stages through which the IIM admission process is conducted through CAT 2024. 

• Stage 1: CAT Exam Performance
• Stage 2: Shortlisting by IIMs for Personal Interview Round
• Stage 3: IIMs Final Selection Process comprising WAT & PI Round

The final selection depends on the collective performance in all the stages. Students must note that old IIMs conduct separate admission processes while the baby or new IIMs conduct a Common Admission Process for MBA admission after the CAT exam.

Popular IIMs Conducting Admission Process

Top IIMs in India, including IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Calcutta, IIM Lucknow, IIM Bangalore, IIM Indore, IIM Kozhikode, IIM Shillong, IIM Nagpur, IIM Rohtak, and IIM Visakhapatnam, shortlist students and conduct the admission process to finalize candidates for PGDM/MBA admission. They provide high weightage to diversity, academics, work experience, and CAT exam scores.

Around 9-11 IIMs, conduct a Common Admission Process (CAP) to finalize and select students. One of the 6 baby/new IIMs coordinates this admission process. Candidates will have to participate in common WAT and PI rounds for 9 to 11 new IIMs, such as IIM Kashipur, IIM Ranchi, IIM Raipur, IIM Udaipur, IIM Trichy, IIM Sambalpur, IIM Bodh Gaya, IIM Sirmaur, and IIM Jammu.

Several MBA colleges in India accept CAT scores for admission. These include top IIMs in India and several other MBA colleges, such as FMS Delhi, MDI Gurgaon, SPJIMR Mumbai, SJMSoM IIT Mumbai, DoMS IIT Delhi, etc. Check the list of CAT 2024 participating colleges provided below.

Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) Category

Non-IIM MBA Colleges Category

Every year a handful of students manage to score a very high percentile score in CAT and rank among the top CAT candidates across the country. The CAT 2024 toppers list will be updated once the CAT results are published:

CAT 2023 Topper’s List

Check out the list of CAT 2023 toppers mentioned in the table below:

MBA aspirants seeking admission into IIMs and other B-Schools in India can consider joining a coaching institute for fool-proof CAT exam preparation. The best CAT 2024 coaching institutes in India provide aspirants with the best study material and preparation guides. The experienced staff conducts doubt-clearing sessions regularly. These coaching centres provide a platform for several CAT applicants to exchange their views and ideas on various CAT-related matters. A few coaching centres also give demo sessions to candidates who want to enrol in CAT preparation. Some of the top coaching institutes in India that prepare students for CAT and other MBA entrance exams are listed below:

• IMS
• Career Launcher
• Bulls Eye
• Byju’s Classes
• Endeavour Careers
• Erudite
• PT Education
• TIME
• MBAguru
• Prudence Academy

This year, the CAT exam will most likely be conducted by IIM Calcutta. IIMs are responsible for conducting the CAT exam every year on a rotational basis. The conducting body for the exam is also responsible for all the activities such as the release of the CAT official notification, CAT online registration, conducting the exam, declaration of the result, and screening qualified students for admissions.

Through the CAT exam, one can get admission into 21 IIMs and more than 1,000 management schools across India. IIM Lucknow, IIM Calcutta, IIM Ahmedabad, and IIM Bangalore are regarded as some of the top premier B-Schools in India, providing world-class management education, practical training, and lucrative placement opportunities to students. Take a look at the past years conducting bodies of CAT.

IIM Calcutta will release the details of CAT 2024 exam centres in the official notification. While filling out the application form, candidates can select any 6 exam centres for the CAT exam as per their preference. Here's a list of the test cities in which CAT exam was conducted last year:

The CAT exam date is approaching, and all the MBA aspirants are getting done with their final preparation. However, no amount of preparation will help you crack the exam if you are not aware of the guidelines for CAT 2024. Candidates can refer to the official CAT Test Day Guide PDF given below for a comprehensive list of instructions and guidelines regarding the CAT exam.

Here are some requirements you must know in advance to keep your confidence high and avoid any last-minute hassle.

For all candidates who intend to take the CAT exam, it is critical to be aware of the timetable. The CAT notification includes all the information about the CAT exam slot timings. To accommodate all applicants, the CAT exam is normally offered on a single day in three separate sessions. Candidates have the option of selecting their test city based on convenience as the exam is offered in a number of test cities across the nation. The table below lists the CAT exam slot timings:

On the CAT exam date, candidates are expected to arrive at the exam center at the reporting time mentioned on their admit cards for a smooth experience. Arriving late or not carrying important documents can lead you into trouble. Thus, ensure you reach on time and carry everything important to the exam center. Here’s the CAT exam day flow that every candidate needs to follow:

• Arrive at the exam center
• Locate the lab from the notice board
• Get the CAT admit card checked
• Submit bags, mobile phones, etc.
• Undergo frisking
• Get all the approved documents verified
• Reach the lab/block
• Complete biometric capture
• Locate console
• Login to the test screen
• Verify and confirm profile details
• Read instructions and agree to the declaration
• Start the CAT exam
• Finish the test and submit feedback
• Return the notepad and pen to the exam invigilator
• Exit the test tab
• Exit the exam center

The table below provides important links for the CAT exam that every candidate must check:

CAT test takers will have to agree to a Non-Disclosure Agreement, which means that the test takers are barred from disclosing any sort of content about the CAT exam. Candidates who violate the rules will have to face a punishment of up to three years in jail and should also pay a fine of up to INR 2,00,000. 

During the admission or selection process, if it is found that a candidate has furnished any incorrect information or has violated any process, he/she will be barred from participating in the selection process. Also, the candidate will not be allowed to appear for the CAT exam in the future.

Candidates applying for the CAT exam must note that they are free to contact the concerned authorities if they have any issues or queries related to the exam. 

Contact Details for Queries Related to Registration, Payment, and Document Uploading

Contact Details for Academic Queries such as Eligibility, Category, and PwD Certificate