CAT 2024: Application Form, Eligibility & Exam Date

Common Admission Test or CAT is the most prestigious management entrance exam through which the candidates can get admission to top management Institutes in India. This exam is a gateway for admission to 20 IIMs and other government & private management institutions in India. It is a national level exam which is conducted by different IIMs on a rotational basis. The candidates looking for admission through CAT exam need to fill the application form in online mode. It is expected that the application process of the CAT 2024 exam will commence from the month of August 2024.

This exam will be held in online mode across 147 (approx.) exam centres in India. Both objective and descriptive type of questions will be asked in the exam. The aspirant should check the eligibility criteria carefully before submitting the application form.

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CAT 2024 Main Highlights

  • The registration and application process of CAT 2024 exam will take place online through the official website.
  • Please note that clearing the CAT exam does not guarantee the admission to IIMs. Actually, you need to clear many more rounds of admission such as Group discussion, Personal Interview etc. in order to get the admission.
  • Both MCQ and Non-MCQ type of question are included in the CAT exam.
  • In order to clear this exam, you need to perform well in all three sections i.e. Quantitative Ability (QA), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC).
  • The exam will take place in the online mode. In this exam, the candidates have to answer 100 questions carrying 3 marks each.
  • The candidates are advised to check the eligibility criteria carefully before submitting the application form because the application fee is non-refundable.

CAT 2024 Important Dates

Here is the tentative schedule for the CAT 2024 exam.

Important EventsTentative Dates
Date of Release of official notificationLast week of July 2024
Starting of online registration2nd week of August 2024
Last date to register online3rd week of September 2024
Release of Admit Card for the exam4th week of October 2024
Date of entrance exam4th week of November 2024
Announcement of Result2nd week of January 2025
Starting of admission process1st week of February 2025

Eligibility Criteria

In order to apply for the CAT 2024 exam the candidates must fulfill the eligibility criteria below:

  • In order to apply, the candidates must have a bachelor’s degree from a recognized institute/ university with at least 50% marks.
  • In case the applicant belongs to the SC/ ST/ PWD category then he/she just requires a minimum of 45% marks at the graduation level.
  • Those aspirants who are awaiting their result of the graduation final year exam can also apply.
  • The candidates who are going to appear for the final year exam of graduation in the year 2024 can also apply.
  • The applicants who have completed the professional degree programmes (CA/ CS/ ICWA) can also apply if they have at least 50% marks (45% for SC/ ST/ PWD candidates).

Note: There is no age limit in order to apply for the CAT exam.

CAT 2024 Application form

The application process of CAT 2024 exam is divided into 6 steps:

1st Step: Online registration on the official website by providing some basic details

2nd Step: Logging into the application portal using registration ID and password

3rd Step: Filling up the application form by providing your educational and academic details.

4th Step: Providing your preference of cities for Interview centre

5th Step: Select your Exam centre city

6th Step: Making online application fee payment

Detailed Application Procedure

  • In order to apply, the aspirants need to register themselves online through the official website iimcat.ac.in.
  • After registration, the candidates will get a registration ID and Password.
  • Then, the candidates have to log in to the portal and start filling the application form.
  • In the application form, the aspirants need to enter all their academic, personal and contact details. All the entered details should be accurate because the documents will be verified during the later stages of admission.
  • Additionally, the candidates have to provide the details of their work experience and preference of exam centre cities in the application form.
  • In addition to this, the aspirants need to upload the scanned images of all the important documents.
  • After submitting the application form, the candidates should pay the application fee to conclude the application process.
  • The applicants should keep a printout of the submitted application form for the future requirement.

Application Fee

  • The application fee for General and OBC candidates is Rs. 1900/- and Rs. 950/- for SC/ ST/ PWD candidates.
  • Applicants have to pay the application fee in online mode using options like a credit card, debit card or Internet Banking.

CAT 2024 Exam Pattern

Here is the exam pattern of CAT 2024 that every aspirant needs to know:

  • Mode of Examination: Online (Computer Based Test)
  • Number of Questions: 100 questions
  • Duration of Exam: 3 hours (1 hour for each subject)
  • Number of Sessions: 2
  • Type of Questions: Both objective type and non-objective type (descriptive type) questions
  • Total Marks: 300
  • Marking Pattern: 3 marks will be awarded for each correct answer
  • Negative Marking: For objective type MCQs, 1 mark will be deducted for every incorrect answer. There will be negative marking for the Non-MCQ descriptive type questions.
SubjectsNumber of QuestionsMaximum Marks
Quantitative Ability (QA)34102
Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR)3296
Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC)34102
Total100300

CAT 2024 Syllabus

The subject wise syllabus of CAT 2024 is as follows:

Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR): Data charts, Data Tables, Graphs – Line X-Y Graphs, Data analysis and Data comparison among others, Pie charts, Conclusion, Blood Relations (Family Tree), Assumption, Syllogism, Linear and matrix arrangement, Direction sense and Decision Making etc.

Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC): Completion of last sentence of Paragraphs, Fill in the blanks with correct vocabulary words, Phrasal Verbs Usage, Facts, Inference and Judgement, Critical Reasoning, Analogies, Out of Context Sentence in Jumbled paragraphs, Passages on Science & Culture, Business & Economic RC Passages, RC passages from various English Literature books.etc,

Quantitative Ability (QA): Complex Numbers, Permutation and Combination, Surds and Indices, Profit and Loss, Speed, Time and Distance, Time and Work, Averages, Interest (Simple and Compound), Trigonometry, Mixtures and Allegations, Set Theory, Probability Functions, Linear Equations, Quadratic Equations, Venn diagrams and other topic based questions, etc.

CAT 2024 Admit Card

  • The admit card for CAT 2024 will release in online mode through the official website.
  • The candidates need to download and take a print out of the admit card on a plain A4 size paper.
  • All the important information regarding the candidate such as Name, registration number etc. along with exam date, time and venue will include in the admit card.
  • Please note that the candidates have to provide their User ID and Password in order to download the admit card.
  • No candidate will be allowed to appear for the exam without a valid admit card and photo identity proof.

CAT 2024 Answer Key

  • The authorities will release the provisional answer key after conducting the CAT exam 2024.
  • Applicants should note the answers keys will be released separately for different exam slots.
  • The candidates will get the option to challenge the answer keys within a stipulated time.
  • After considering all the challenges, the authorities will release the final answer key.
  • Please note that there is no option to challenge the final answer keys. The scorecard of the candidates will be created on the basis of final answer keys.

CAT 2024 Result

  • The exam authorities will declare the result of CAT 2024 exam on the official website.
  • In order to check the result, the candidates have to log in to the portal.
  • The result card of the CAT exam will have both scaled and percentile scores.
  • The section-wise score will be available on the scorecard.
  • Every candidate should take a printout of the CAT rank card for future requirement.

CAT 2024 Admission Procedure

  • Please note that there is no provision for any centralized counselling after the declaration of CAT Result.
  • The Institute who accepts the CAT score will release their cut off for admission.
  • The candidates who will get more than the cut off marks need to get in touch with that particular institute.
  • In order to provide the final admission, the institutes may conduct various other tests as well such as Group Discussion and Personal Interview etc.

Frequently Asked Questions

Question – 1 Can I apply for CAT 2024 exam in Offline mode?

Answer– No, the application process of CAT will take place in online mode only.

Question – 2 what is the age limit for CAT exam?

Answer – Please note that there is no age restriction in order to apply for the CAT exam. The students of any age from any category can apply for the exam.

Question – 3 is there any negative marking in CAT 2024 exam?

Answer – The negative marking in the CAT exam is applicable for objective type multiple choice questions only. One mark will be deducted for every incorrect multiple choice question. There is no provision for negative marking.

Question – 4 what are the exam centre cities of CAT exam?

Answer – CAT is a national level exam which will be held at around 147 cities across India. While filling the application form, you will get the option to select 4 exam centre cities as per your preference.

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