CAT Exam Date, Registration, Notification, Syllabus

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CAT Eligibility Criteria

Candidates applying for the CAT exam must ensure that they meet all of the CAT eligibility requirements for 2023. They must have earned a Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution. IIM Ahmedabad's CAT eligibility standards do not indicate a maximum age limit for applicants. Work experience is valuable in the post-exam interview, but it is not a criterion for qualifying. The competent authorities would verify the candidate's CAT eligibility 2023 at various stages during the selection process at IIMs. Candidates should keep in mind that meeting the CAT exam's minimum eligibility requirements does not guarantee admission to the IIMs.

Highlights of CAT Eligibility in 2023

Abbreviation Common Admission Test
CAT Conducting Body Indian Institute of Management
CAT Minimum Educational Qualification Bachelors Degree
CAT Minimum Marks 50% (General and NC/OBC)
Relaxation 5% for reserved categories
CAT Age Limit None

Eligibility Criteria for the CAT in 2023: Age Limit

The authority has not established any upper or lower limit criteria.

Upper Age Limit Not Applicable
Lower Age Limit Not Applicable

Educational Qualifications for CAT Eligibility Criteria 2022

The following are the minimum educational requirements for CAT:

  • The candidate must have finished a Bachelor's degree programme in any track from a recognised university or possess an equivalent qualification recognised by India's Ministry of Human Resource Development.
  • The minimum percentage necessary in the bachelor's degree for general and NC-OBC category candidates is 50%.
  • In the bachelor's programme, candidates from the reserved categories must achieve a minimum aggregate percentage of 45 percent.
  • Candidates who are given grades or a CGPA will have their grades or CGPA converted according to the university/approved institute's process.
  • Candidates in their final year of study or awaiting their results are also eligible to apply. In such instances, a candidate must present a certificate from the College/Principal/Registrar Institution's by the stated deadline. The certificate should reflect that the candidate has met all of the course's criteria.

The following is a list of CAT Eligibility academic qualifications:

Engineering Degree ? B. Tech/ B.E. Recognized by MHRD/ UPSC/AICTE 50% (45% for SC, ST, PWD candidates)
Bachelor?s Degree from any University Recognized by UGC 50% (45% for SC, ST, PWD candidates)
Students who are pursuing the final year of their Bachelor?s degree can also take the examination. Continuing graduation from University Recognized by MHRD/ UPSC/AICTE or UGC 50% (45% for SC, ST, PWD candidates)
CA/CS/ICWA/Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries of India (FIAI) Recognized by MHRD/ UPSC/AICTE 50% (45% for SC, ST, PWD candidates)

CAT Eligible Degrees

Certain degrees are considered to be comparable to a bachelor's degree. Candidates who have earned or are working toward one of these degrees are also eligible to take the CAT 2023 exam. The following are the equivalent qualifications for taking the CAT:

  • After 10+2, a 4-year bachelor's degree in engineering or technology, or a post-B.Sc. or post-diploma.
  • Professional Societies recognised by MHRD/UPSC/AICTE as equal to a bachelor's degree in Engineering and Technology, such as AMIE by Institution of Engineers, India or AMICE by Institute of Civil Engineers of India.
  • The qualification is recognised by the Association of Indian Universities in New Delhi as equivalent to a bachelor's degree.
  • Candidates having a CA/CS/ICWA degree (Gen: 50%, SC/ST/ PWD: 45%) are also eligible to apply.
  • Candidates with any other qualifications not listed here are eligible to apply, but must provide an equivalence certificate from the Association of Indian Universities in New Delhi.

Eligibility for the CAT: Marks Calculation

Because the individual Institutes or institutions from which candidates received their diplomas have their own method of calculating aggregate marks, the percentage calculation in the CAT will be based on this.

Note 1: A recognised university is one that was established by a Central or State Legislature Act. It also covers any university or institute created by an act of Parliament or designated as a university under Section 3 of the UGC Act of 1956.

Note 2: If a university awards grades or a CGPA but does not have a system for converting grades to percentages, the corresponding percentage will be determined using the following formula:

CGPA of the candidate/CGPA of the maximum candidate) X 100 = Equivalent Percentage Must Read News

CAT Eligibility in 2023 Final Year Students'

Graduation is the only requirement for taking the CAT, but students in their last year of several bachelor's degree programmes can also take the test. However, an applicant will be admitted to a course only if he receives at least 50% on his graduation exam. At several phases of the selection process, IIMs and other management institutes check CAT eligibility. Shortlisted applicants must follow the guidelines below after taking CAT 2023:

  • They must present an official certificate from Principal / Head of Department/Registrar/Director of the University/Institution verifying that they received 50% or equivalent (45% in the case of reserved category) based on the most recent available grades/marks.
  • At the time of the interview, they must also provide a set of photocopies of the original certificates.

Selected candidates for the PGP at IIMs will be allowed to start the programme on a provisional basis only if they produce a certificate stating-

  • On the date of issue of the certificate, they have fulfilled all prerequisites for getting a bachelor's degree/equivalent certification (results may be awaited).
  • Their admission will be approved only when they produce the original mark sheet and degree certificate indicating that they have completed the bachelor's degree/equivalent qualification mentioned in the certificate issued by the Principal/Registrar of their college/institute.
  • They must receive at least a 50% or equivalent grade. They must supply a photocopy of their grades and a copy of their diploma.
  • Failure to meet this criteria will result in the provisional admission being revoked automatically.
  • If a candidate is unable to fulfil all of the criteria for a bachelor's degree, IIMs will not allow them to join their programme.

Difference between CAT and IIM Eligibility

There are several distinctions between IIM eligibility and CAT eligibility, and applicants who plan to take the exam should be aware of them.

  • The eligibility rules for IIMs and CAT do not specify an age limit.
  • Though IIMs do not accept a two-year bachelor's degree, it is acceptable to sit for the CAT under the former educational system.
  • Apart from that, there are no significant distinctions until they are specifically established by IIMs.
  • In IIMs, work experience is preferred, as are a variety of academic and co-curricular activities that are not required to take the CAT.

Who isn't eligible for CAT?

The following candidates are ineligible to take the CAT:

  • If a candidate's graduation score is less than 50% (45% for SC/ST/PwD candidates), he or she is not eligible to apply for the CAT.
  • Both a bachelor's degree and a professional degree are being pursued by the candidates, but neither has been completed.
  • If the candidate's degree is not recognised by the UGC/AICTE/MHRD, he or she will be disqualified to take the exam.

IIM Requirements for Work Experience

Candidates are not required to have any prior work experience.

  • Although it is requested on the CAT Application Form, it is not a mandatory requirement.
  • It should be noted that the IIMs may give this work experience considerable weightage when making final selections. The specific weighting, however, is never given, and it varies from one IIM to the next.
  • The bottom line is that employment experience is not considered until the very end of the final selection process, and even then, it is not a deciding factor.
  • IIMs are noted for having a diverse student body that includes both recent graduates and students with professional experience.

CAT 2023 Exam Reservation Scheme

The percentage share of total seats for CAT candidates who meet the eligibility to apply for reservation is shown in the table below. NC stands for Non-Creamy (NC) Layer in the table.

CAT Exam Reservation
Category Percentage of Seat Reserved
Scheduled Caste (SC) 15% of the total seats.
Scheduled Tribes (ST) 7.5% of the total seats.
Physically Disabled 5% of the total seats.
Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) upto 10 % of seats
NC-OBC 27% of the total seats.

CAT 2023; Eligibility Criteria for Persons with Disabilities

A disabled person, according to the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 (RPwD Act 2016), is someone who does not have a disability that is not less than 40% (for a specific disability) as verified by a competent body. The same act is used as a guide when determining the CAT qualifying criteria for candidates who are disabled.

The indicated impairment in the CAT eligibility 2023 is clearly stated as follows:

  • Low eyesight and blindness,
  • Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals,
  • Cerebral palsy, leprosy cured, dwarfism, acid attack victims, and muscular dystrophy are examples of locomotor disability; Autism, intellectual disability, specific learning disability, and mental illness are examples of mental illness; and Multiple disabilities are examples of people who fall under clauses (a) to (d).
  • Other ‘specified disabilities' included in the RPwD Act 2016's 'The Schedule'

Note: Candidates seeking benefits or concessions under the guise of being in the 'Reserved Category' must meet the CAT 2022 eligibility requirements. Aspirants have until the CAT Registration deadline to contest or claim their reservation.

SC/ST Candidates' Instructions

Candidates must have a copy of their caste/class certificate to gain reservation concessions after ensuring that they meet the CAT 2023 eligibility criteria. If it is not uploaded, the candidate's registration will be revoked. Furthermore, a SC/ST candidate who belongs to a specific tribe or caste is only eligible for reservation if the tribe or caste's name appears on the Government Schedule List.

The community certificate that the candidate submits during the IIM Admission must clearly contain the following details after satisfying the CAT eligibility 2023.

  • The caste/name. tribe's
  • Whether the candidate is a member of a Scheduled Caste or Tribe.
  • The applicable Government of India schedule under which the candidate's caste/tribe is authorised as Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe, as well as the district and state or union territory of the candidate's original domicile

CAT 2023 Eligibility Criteria for Foreign Nationals

Foreign nationals, PIOs, and NRIs must have a Bachelor's degree with a minimum of 50% (candidates in the SC/ST and PWD categories must have a minimum of 45%) to be eligible for the CAT. The certification must come from one of the universities recognised by the Ministry of Human Resource Development of the Government of India. Candidates who will take the final test are eligible to take the CAT exam as well. Those who have completed their studies and are waiting for their results can also apply for the exam.

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