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Updated By Intajur Rahaman on 05 Dec, 2025 08:19
In order to appear for CAT 2025 exam, you need to satisfy the CAT 2025 eligibility criteria specified by the conducting IIM, which will be released online at iimcat.ac.in. IIM Kozhikode will release the CAT eligibility requirements along with the notification. You are eligible to apply if you have completed your bachelor's degree. There is no specific age limit for appearing for the CAT 2025.
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Predict My CollegeIf you are going to appear for the CAT 2025 exam, it is important that you know the CAT 2025 eligibility criteria, which will be released by IIM Kozhikode on its official website shortly. You should have a Bachelor's degree in any stream from a recognised university with at least 50% marks in aggregate. However, if you are from the SC, ST, or PwD category, the minimum percentage is reduced to 45%. The same conditions apply to final-year students. You may apply for the exam even if you are in your final year, and provisional admission can be offered to you if you reach the percentage required once your result is announced. Here's the direct link to check the official CAT eligibility criteria 2025 PDF:
CAT 2025 Eligibility Criteria PDF Download (To be Activated) |
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The CAT 2025 exam was conducted on November 30, 2025. The CAT 2025 Notification was released on July 27, 2025, and registration ended on September 20, 2025. Before applying, ensure that you read the eligibility criteria as per IIM Kozhikode carefully. If you do not meet the required criteria, your CAT 2025 registration form will be rejected, and you will not be permitted to appear for the test. Get the complete information related to the CAT eligibility criteria 2025 below.
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Attempt nowYou can find the CAT eligibility 2025 for the General and NC-OBC categories below.
Minimum Qualification for CAT 2025: A Bachelor’s Degree from a recognized University or educational institution is the minimum CAT eligibility 2025 required for registration. You can also have professional degrees such as CA/CS/ICWA.
Minimum Percentage Required for CAT 2025: You must score 50% in graduation or its equivalent in any stream.
People Also Ask
Ques: What is the qualification for CAT 2025?
Ans: The qualification for CAT 2025 includes a valid bachelor’s degree or equivalent in any stream from any university established by an act of the central or state legislature in India or any educational institution established by an Act of Parliament or declared to be deemed as a university under Section 3 of the UGC Act, 1956, or possess an equivalent qualification recognized by the Ministry of HRD, Government of India, with a minimum of 50% marks or equivalent CGPA (45% in case of SC/ST/PwD candidates).
Ques: Who is eligible for IIM 2025?
Ans: General category candidates with a bachelor's degree in any discipline with a minimum of 50% marks or equivalent Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) and SC, ST and PwD category candidates with a minimum of 45% or equivalent CGPA are eligible for IIM 2025. Candidates are also required to submit the Common Admission Test (CAT) score that is valid on the date of application submission at the IIM.
If you are interested in applying for the CAT exam 2025 under the SC, ST, and PwD categories, you must note the following CAT Eligibility 2025.
Minimum Qualification for CAT: The required CAT exam qualification is a bachelor’s degree from a recognized University or educational institution. You can also have professional degrees such as CA/CS/ICWA.
Minimum Percentage Required for CAT: You must score 45% in graduation or equivalent in any stream.
CAT 2025 Eligibility for Final Year Students: If you are in your final year of graduation or awaiting results can also apply. However, the final admission will be subject to the aggregate score in graduation.
There is no age limit set by the exam conducting authorities of CAT for any category of candidates who are applying for the exam. All groups who meet the minimum qualification and percentage required for the CAT exam are eligible to apply for it.
Since the CAT eligibility 2025 requires you to have completed a Bachelor's degree, it is expected that you will be over a certain age automatically. Also, it is important to note that even though you need not meet a certain age limit to appear for CAT, when applying for MBA admissions, you may be required to meet an age criteria depending on the course and institute you pick.
People Also Ask
Ques: What is the age limit for CAT 2025?
Ans: No specific age limit has been mentioned for the CAT, hence aspirants are allowed to appear for the exam at any age. Work experience is also not mandatory for taking the CAT exam, which implies that the exam is open to both freshers and experienced candidates. However, work experience can be considered as a significant factor during admission to specific B-Schools.
If you have professional degrees such as Chartered Accountancy/ Company Secretary/ ICWA (Cost Management Accountant) with 50% marks (45% for reserved categories), you also satisfy IIM CAT eligibility. The CAT exam percentage is calculated based on the procedure followed by the respective university or institution. If there is no provision at the university or institution for converting CGPA into equivalent marks, the equivalence would be established by dividing the CGPA by the maximum possible CGPA and multiplying the result by 100.
Note: The authorities may verify your eligibility at various stages during the CAT selection process at IIMs. Another thing that you must keep in mind is that meeting the minimum CAT Eligibility 2025 will not guarantee admission to the IIMs. In addition, throughout the selection process, you must maintain a valid and unique email account and phone number.
If you are in your final year, it is common to feel uncertain of your eligibility for the CAT entrance exam. Check the following points to know the CAT exam eligibility for final-year students.
Freshers and individuals with previous work experience typically make up between 40% and 60% of CAT applicants. Thus, the number of students taking the CAT in their last year is relatively considerable. Clearing the CAT exam eligibility is the first step. The following additional documentation must be provided by you to meet the CAT eligibility 2025:
It is frequently questioned whether your job experience will have an impact on the whole application and exam procedure because it is a requirement for the CAT application form. The significance of job experience in the CAT exam is clarified in the following points:
A certain percentage of seats are reserved for the unreserved category in the IIMs required by law. If you are from the Reserved category, you must go through the CAT eligibility 2025 before applying. Check the table below to learn about the CAT reservation criteria for different categories:
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% |
Note: Being eligible for reservation under various categories does not guarantee admission at IIMs. You are shortlisted if you fulfill the prescribed eligibility criteria, score the minimum required percentile in the CAT exam, and perform well in subsequent rounds of the admission process.
Also Read: CAT 2025 Reservation Policy
If you have a benchmark disability, you are categorized as PwD when it comes to the CAT exam. If you fall under this category, you are allowed certain concessions and benefits in order to compensate for your disabilities. If you fall under this category, you must not be less than 40% of a specific disability as specified in the Schedule of the RPwD Act 2016. The disabilities that fall under the CAT PwD category are as follows:
You are not eligible for the CAT exam according to the CAT eligibility criteria 2025 if you:
Here are some additional CAT Eligibility 2025 facts that you should know:
SC or ST category students must submit the caste certificate in a format approved by the Government under the CAT eligibility 2025. Also, the caste/tribe that you belong to must be listed in the Government of India schedule. The caste certificate should clearly state:
(a) Name of your caste/tribe;
(b) Whether you belongs to the SC or ST category;
(c) District and the State or Union Territory of your ordinary residence; and
(d) The appropriate Government of India schedule under which the caste/tribe is approved by it as SC or ST.
You must upload a copy of the SC/ ST/ NC-OBC/ PwD certificate(s) during CAT registration 2025. Failure to do so will lead to the rejection of your CAT registration.
At the time of interviews, you must show the SC/ ST/ NC-OBC/ PwD certificate(s) and submit a photocopy to clear the CAT exam eligibility criteria. If you fail to do so during the selection process at IIMs, you will not be considered under the reserved category.
Also Read: How to Apply for Category Certificates for CAT 2025
Many times, you ponder over the question of whether there is any difference between IIM and CAT exam eligibility. To ensure all the speculations over this question are put to rest, CollegeDekho provides you with the only difference in the CAT exam and IIM eligibility criteria. If you have graduated from the old two-year graduation system and satisfy the CAT exam 2025 eligibility criteria, but you cannot pursue your desired management course at IIM. If you want to pursue management at any of the IIMs after qualifying for the CAT exam must have completed your graduation from the contemporary three-year graduation system. Except for this, there is no difference in IIM and CAT exam eligibility criteria.
Also Read:
Want to know more about CAT
No, CAT eligibility criteria do not involve 12th marks. A student's aggregate score in the bachelor's degree is considered while registering for CAT. However, during the election process, a few IIMs give 10% weightage to a candidate's marks in the Class 12th.
The CAT exam eligibility criteria are set by the conducting authority. One of the IIMs is responsible for deciding CAT eligibility criteria 2024 which are released along with CAT 2024 notification. The basic CAT exam qualification includes a bachelor's degree with 50% marks (45% for reserved categories).
Yes, students with a backlog are eligible for CAT 2025 as long as they clear their graduation with at least 50% marks (45% in case of reserved categories) before the final admission. If you are not able to clear the backlog before the IIM selection process, then your application will be rejected.
Yes, there is a 5% reservation for Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwD) in CAT 2025. Government regulations provide that 27% of seats are reserved for applicants from the NC-OBC, 15% for candidates from the SC, 7.5% for candidates from the ST, 5% for candidates with benchmark disabilities (PwD), and up to 10% for applicants from Economically Weaker Sections (EWS). The IIMs adhere to the government of India's specified reservation policies.
If an applicant has not completed their bachelor's degree, they are still eligible for CAT 2025 only if they are studying in the final year of their degree. Students cannot register for the CAT exam 2025 if they are 12th pass or if they are in the first and second year or third/fourth/fifth year (depending upon the degree). Also, the candidate is not permitted to apply for the CAT if their degree score is lower than 50% (45% for ST, SC or PwD categories).
Yes, students who have completed their CS professional degree are eligible to appear for CAT 2025. As stated by the conducting authority, anyone who is studying in their final year of graduation or has completed their graduation by obtaining at least 50% aggregate can take the CAT exam irrespective of their academic background.
Yes, aspirants who are in the final year of their bachelor's degree are eligible for the CAT exam 2025. By the organising authorities, regardless of academic background, anyone who is studying in their last year of graduation or has graduated with at least a 50% mark is eligible to take the CAT 2025 exam.
The CAT exam eligibility 2025 includes that a candidate must hold a bachelor's degree in any field from an accredited institution or possess a comparable credential recognized by the Indian Ministry of HRD. The minimum percentage required for CAT for general category candidates is 50% while 45% is required for reserved categories. There is no CAT exam age limit. Also, work experience is not mandatory, however, students having some may be given an advantage during the selection process.
No, there is no CAT exam age limit. Also, there is no cap on the number of times one can take the CAT exam 2024. The only criterion to sit for CAT is that the applicants must be studying in their final year or obtained a bachelor's degree with a minimum of 50% aggregate. However, candidates must remember that if they are targeting to work for a reputed firm, a few companies consider the number of CAT attempts a candidate takes as an eligibility criterion.
Yes, final-year students can apply for the CAT 2025. As stated by its administrating authority, candidates who are appearing for their final year or who already have appeared for their final year, irrespective of the field of their academic background, can apply for the CAT exam 2025. As it takes nine to twelve months to adequately prepare for the CAT, it is a perfect time for aspirants to study for the exam while also simultaneously completing their final year of college.
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