IIM CAT MBA Entrance Exam – Complete Details | Exam Dates | Admit Card | Syllabus | Best Books | Study Materials
IIM CAT Exam: The CAT Exam is the most popular of all IIM entrance exams held every year. Getting an MBA from a reputed institution is a dream for many aspirants. Applicants seeking admission to MBA programs must appear for the CAT Exam. The CAT Exam is an entry requirement for admissions into the IIMs and India’s top business schools. By reading through this post, you can learn all about CAT, CAT eligibility criteria, as well as the time needed to complete the entire syllabus to get through CAT and various other programmes offered by IIM.
IIM CAT Exam
CAT Entrance Exam is the most popular national-level MBA exam in India, as it is the gateway for all IIMs to study MBA. Note that, there is no official syllabus for CAT Exam, as the authority does not release all the details related to this. The total exam duration is 120 minutes (40 minutes sectional time limit) and a total of 66 questions can be expected in the upcoming CAT 2023. Below we have mentioned all the relevant information that the candidates should know before applying for the upcoming CAT Exam 2023.
Purpose of the IIM CAT Exam?
The purpose of the CAT Entrance Exam is to provide a common score for admissions to all MBA colleges. All participating MBA Colleges release cutoffs based on CAT Exam scores and call individuals for further rounds. Applicants who wish to pursue MBA from top business colleges in India must apply for the CAT 2023. Besides the IIMs, 88 non-IIM institutions use their scores for admission into their MBA courses. So, the main thing is that CAT Exam is for MBA students only, who are interested to join top IIMs to study MBA as per their choice of subjects.
IIM CAT 2023 Latest Updates
Below we have listed all the important schedules (tentative) of the upcoming IIM CAT Exam for your convenience.
- 26 November 2023: CAT Exam 2023 is expected to be held tentatively on the last Sunday of November 2023, as per the last year’s trends.
- First week of August 2023: The exam registration will be started tentatively by the first week of August 2023, by the conducting IIM. The candidates are requested to fill out the CAT Form as soon as it is released to avoid the last-minute hassle.
- Last Week of July 2023: The authority will release the notification by 31 July 2023 (tentatively), like every year.
IIM CAT Notification 2023
CAT Exam 2023 notification is expected to be released by the last week of July 2023; last year CAT Notification was released on 31 July 2022 on the official website. Along with the CAT Exam notification, details about the exam application, registration details, important dates, syllabus, and other details will also be announced by conducting authority. Applicants must go through the CAT 2023 Notification to ensure they understand all the essential details about the exam.
☛ Download CAT Exam 2023 Notification PDF (To be Activated)
The IIM CAT Exam Information Bulletin contains the basic information about the CAT MBA Exam that every applicant must know.
IIM CAT Eligibility Criteria 2023
The minimum eligibility criteria to apply for IIM CAT exam is graduation in any stream. Read below detailed IIM CAT eligibility criteria:
- Candidates must possess a bachelor’s degree with minimum 50 per cent aggregate or equivalent CGPA (45 per cent aggregate for SC, ST and PWD/DA category) from a recognised university to appear in CAT 2023.
- Candidates who have completed a professional degree (CA/CS/ICWA/FCAI) with the required percentage can also appear for CAT.
- Candidates appearing for the final year of bachelor’s degree/equivalent qualification or awaiting the result are also eligible to apply for CAT 2023 exam.
IIM CAT Registrations 2023
IIM CAT 2023 registration will commence in the first week of August and conclude in the third week of September 2023. Candidates will have to register at the iimcat.ac.in website to fill the online application form. Check below CAT registration and application process 2023:
- Go to the official website
- Click on ‘new registration’
- Enter name, date of birth, nationality, phone number and email ID to register
- Log in with the ID received in email to fill the application form
- Enter personal and academic details
- Upload a passport sized photo and scanned signature
- Select preferred courses and IIMs
- Select preferred test cities
- Pay application fee via credit/debit card or net banking
CAT Exam Date 2023
| CAT 2023 Events | CAT 2023 Exam Date (Tentative) | Details |
| Declaration of Official Notification | Last Week July 2023 | IIM releases the official information bulletin or CAT Exam notification on the official website. |
| Released CAT Exam 2023 Registration Form | First Week of August 2023 | Candidates who wish to apply for CAT 2023 can apply online. |
| CAT Registration Last Date 2023 | To be Declared | It is advised that applicants must fill out the application form before the last date. |
| Application Form Correction | To be Declared | Applicants may change the details mentioned in the CAT Exam registration form, including photographs, test cities and signatures. |
| CAT Mock Test Release | To be Declared | To ensure that applicants are well-versed in the exam, IIM releases the official CAT 2023 mock test. |
| CAT 2023 Admit Card Declaration Date | To be Declared | Admit Card for CAT Exam is issued to all applicants who have successfully registered for the exam. |
| CAT Exam Date 2023 | 26 November 2023 (Tentative) | CAT Exam is scheduled to be held on the last Sunday of November 2023 (as per the trends). |
| Declaration of Answer Key | To be Declared | IIM will release the CAT exam answer key on the official portal after the exam for the candidates who will appear for the exam. |
| Declaration of CAT Result 2023 | To be Declared | The results are declared in the form of a CAT scorecard. |
IIM CAT Exam 2023: Exam Highlights
Here are the ey highlights of CAT 2023 for MBA aspirants who are planning to appear for it this year. Take a look at the table below:
| CAT Exam Particulars | CAT 2023 Details |
|---|---|
| CAT Full Form | Common Admission Test (CAT) |
| Conducting Institute | IIM Bangalore |
| Exam Level | National |
| Exam Frequency | Once a year |
| CAT Exam Date | November 26, 2023 |
| CAT Exam Timings |
|
| CAT Exam Fees | INR 2,300 (General category) and INR 1,150 (Reserved category) |
| Eligibility Criteria | Graduation with 50% aggregate (45% for SC/ST students) |
| Number of Applications | 2.55 lakh (in 2022) |
| Number of Test Takers | 2.22 lakh (in 2022) |
| Exam Purpose | Admission into IIMs, SPJIMR, FMS, MDI, IMT and over 1,200 B-Schools in India |
| Courses Offered | MBA/PGDM |
| CAT syllabus |
|
| CAT pattern | Computer Based Test (CBT) with MCQs and non-MCQs |
| No. of test cities | 150 |
| CAT exam website | https://iimcat.ac.in |
| Exam helpdesk no. | 1-800-210-1088 (Toll Free) |
What are the Latest Changes in CAT Exam?
There was no change in the exam pattern or syllabus of CAT last year. However, a few changes were seen in registration process. Check the latest changes in CAT below:
- Fee hike from INR 2,200 to INR 2,300 for General category candidates and from INR 1,100 to INR 1,150 for Reserved category candidates.
- Candidates had to mention their COVID-19 vaccination status in the CAT application form.
- Eligibility criteria for CAT was extended for FCAI degree holders. Now, they are also eligible to appear for the CAT.
Download CAT Previous Year Question Papers
By Team Learning Mantras
