CAT 2025: Registration, Exam Dates, Eligibility, Pattern, Syllabus

CAT 2025 Notification will release in the month of June/ July 2024. Interested students can register from August 2024. As per the sources, it is expected that CAT 2025 will be held on 24th November 2024 by IIM Calcutta.

Your chances of getting into IIMs is based on your performance in CAT exam as well as in Interview round.
So, Prepare Wisely.

CAT Preparation Strategy || Books || Syllabus

CAT is a national level entrance exam which is a pre-requisite for admission in PG and fellow/ doctorate programmes of IIMs. Also, qualified students can apply for admission in various non- IIMs listed on the website.

All you need to know about CAT 2025 Exam:

• Searching for Syllabus to crack CAT 2025? Check Detailed CAT Syllabus
• What to Cover In CAT Syllabus? Refer CAT Preparation Tips & Books
• CAT 2025 Exam Date – 24th November 2024 (Expected), Check CAT Exam Dates
• When will CAT 2025 Registration process begin? Check CAT Registration
• Want to know if you are eligible for CAT 2024? Lets check CAT Eligibility Criteria

Still Confused? Comment Your Query Here. 

IIM CAT 2025 will be conducted in three slots/ sessions. Candidates can appear for exam in computer-based test (CBT) mode. Here, we have provided complete information about CAT 2025 application form, exam dates, eligibility, exam pattern, syllabus, etc.

CAT 2025 Overview

CAT 2025 Exam Dates

Check in the below table tentative details related to CAT Exam Dates 2025:

CAT 2025 Registration

Here, candidates interested to register can know details about the CAT Registration Form 2025:

• CAT 2025 registration process will begin few days after the release of notification in July/ August 2024.
• Interested candidates can apply only through online mode through the provided online link.
• Last date to fill application will be till second/ third week of September 2024.
• Before registration, candidates must make sure that they have valid /unique email address and mobile number for any communication.
• As soon as candidates will register, unique Id and password will be generated using which candidates can fill application form.
• If candidates are not able to complete the application in single session, then they can complete it in multiple session.
• No changes in the details will be allowed once the application fee payment is done.
• Students are requested to verify all the details submitted in the form to be authentic. In case of any false information, the form will be rejected at once.
• Candidates who belong to SC, ST and PWD category need to upload their category certificates during registration. No change in category will be entertained after completion of registration.
• Correction in few details will be allowed only during the correction period after the end of registration process.

CAT 2025 Registration Fee:

• Registration fee can only be submitted through online mode.
• Candidates will be provided – SBI ePay and Bill Desk modes to pay application fee.
• Fee once paid will not be refunded under any circumstances.

Payment of application fee needs to be done only once, irrespective of number of institutions he/ she is applying for.

How to Register for CAT 2025 Exam

To know about CAT 2025 registration process, check below:

• Visit the online website (Link will be given above)
• Click on the option provided as – ‘New Candidate Registration.’
• Generate OTP for completing the registration process.
• Now start filling the details – Name, Email, DOB, Mobile number, etc. and confirm. Entries submitted here cannot be changed so must confirm before the final submission.
• Now login with provided user id and password and start filling other details.
• Fill your personal, academic, work experience, etc. details
• Enter your work experience, programmes, test city.
• Now pay the application fee using the payment method provided.
• Download and save the application for further references.

CAT 2025 Application Correction

Registered applicants can make changes in few details of CAT 2025 Application form. Details like – Photograph, Signature & test city can be edited after closure of registration window.

Editing/ Modification of details in application form can only be done through online mode. Students are required to enter their login details to make correction in the form.

Cat Correction Window will open in the month of September 2024. After last date of correction, no candidates will be allowed to edit details.

CAT 2025 Eligibility Criteria

Know CAT Eligibility Criteria 2025 in the below provided section before proceeding to register for exam:

• Qualifying Degree: Applying candidate must hold Bachelor’s degree securing awarded by recognised University or possess an equivalent qualification recognised by Ministry of Education, Govt of India.
• Minimum Marks: Candidates must have obtained atleast of 50% marks for General/EWS/ OBC-NC (45% in case of ST/ SC/ PWD) in their qualifying degree. The percentage of marks secured by students will be calculated based on practices followed by the respective Institution/ University.
• Appearing: Those candidates appearing in final year of Bachelor’s degree or its equivalent / awaiting their results can also apply.
• IIMs Criteria: Students must note that IIMs will verify the eligibility of candidates at various stages during selection process. So, mere fulfilment of basic eligibility will not ensure admission into IIMs.

CAT Reservation Criteria

Students can check below the CAT Reservation Criteria as legally prescribed by authority:

CAT 2025 Exam Pattern

Go through the below provided details to know complete about CAT Exam pattern 2025:

• Exam Date: CAT 2025 Exam will be held in fourth week of November 2024.
• Exam mode: The exam will be held in online CBT (computer-based test) mode.
• Exam Sessions/ Shifts: There will be three sessions – 8.30 am to 10.30 am (1^st session), 12.30 pm to 2.30 pm (2^nd session) and 4.30 pm to 6.30 pm (3^rd session).
• Exam Duration: Paper will be of 120 minutes. For PWD, 160 minutes are allotted.
• Time Allotted Section Wise: For each section, candidates are provided 40 minutes (53 minutes & 20 seconds for PWD). No candidate can switch to another section while answering questions in a section.
• Number of Sections: There will be three section – Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (Section 1), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (Section 2) and Quantitative Ability (Section 3).
• Total Questions: CAT Paper will consist of total 66 questions.
• Type of Questions: Paper will contain objective and subjective type of questions.
• Total Marks: Paper will be of total 198 marks.
• Marking: For each correct answer, candidates will be awarded 3 marks.
• Negative marking: No negative marking will be there for incorrect answer.

Check the section wise distribution of questions in below provided table:

CAT 2025 Syllabus

The Syllabus of CAT 2025 can be checked by the students online from the website. The questions in the exam will be from various sections – Verbal ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) and Quantitative Aptitude (QA).

Check CAT Syllabus topic/ section wise discussed in below mentioned table:

CAT 2025 Preparation Tips

Follow these CAT preparation tips recommended to excel in the exam with good score:

• Firstly, make a proper study routine or schedule and stick to it.
• Start your exam preparation as early as possible to complete the whole syllabus on time.
• Revision is very important so candidates must keep a spare time at the end to revise all important topics.
• Make short notes of the topics you have studied.
• Attempt the mock test provided on the website to know the pattern better and be aware of CBT pattern.
• Solve previous year question papers and sample papers on daily basis for good practice.
• Do not study for too long hours. Take sufficient breaks in between your studies for smooth learning flow.

CAT Books 2025

CAT books recommended by various experts/ professionals are listed below to ace the exam:

• How to Prepare for QUANTITATIVE APTITUDE for CAT – by McGraw Hill
• Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for CAT – By Pearson
• CAT: Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning – by GK Publications
• CAT Mock Test 15 Sample Question Papers – by Oswaal Books and Learning Private Limited

CAT Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

CAT 2025 Admit Card

Registered candidates of CAT 2025 will be able to download their admit cards online from the website. The admit cards will be uploaded in fourth week of October 2024. No slot booking will be done for scheduling the dates of exam. Students will be required to enter their details – User Id and Password to download admit card.

On the day of exam, students must bring the CAT admit card and follow the instructions provided in it. In case students find any error in the details presented in admit card, then he/she must contact the concerned authority before the exam date.

CAT Exam Centres

CAT 2025 will be held in various exam centres situated in various cities of the country. As per the record, the exam was last year held at 375 test centres located in 167 test cities. The complete details of exam city and centre allotted to the student will be mentioned in the issued admit card.

No candidate will be entertained regarding change of exam centre and only IIMs reserve the right of adding/ removing/ canceling or changing of any exam city/ centre/ exam time.

Below is the list of the states and the exam cities where the exam centres are located:

CAT 2025 Answer Key

CAT 2025 Response Sheet along with the answer key will be made available in 1^st week of December 2024. Students will be able to view response sheet and questions papers online on the website. Using the answer key, students will be able to calculate their probable scores.

First, the provisional answer key will be released by the authority. Candidates will be able to submit objections against the answer key for the provided period. After considering the objections, the final CAT answer key will be released along the result announcement.

CAT 2025 Result

CAT Results 2025 will be declared online on the website in second week of January 2024. Students will be able to access their results by entering their login details. Students will be communicated about their results individually by SMS.

The result cum scorecard will mention various details such as – Candidate’s name, login details, DOB, Gender, category, date, and time of exam, contact details, scores/ percentile obtained (sectional and overall) and other instructions.

CAT scorecard will be valid for one year till 31^st December 2025 and can be downloaded accordingly from the website. The authority will not entertain any query related to the issuance of scorecards.

CAT 2025 Cut Off

CAT Cut Off 2025 will be published by various IIMs along with their admission policy. The cut off will vary for various institutions. It will be released for various categories – General, EWS, OBC- NC, ST, SC and DAP. Students must qualify total, and sectional cut off to be eligible for admission.

The cut percentile will be released for various subjects (VARC, DI & LR and QA) for the Personal Interview (PI) process. Students can check percentile for PGP, PGP-ABM, PGP-SM, etc. on the website.

CAT 2025 Selection/ Admission Procedure

Students who have qualified CAT 2025 with qualifying percentile will be considered eligible for participation in admission/ selection procedure of various IIMs. However, various other factors will also be considered like past academic performance, gender, relevant work experience, academic diversity, etc.

The shortlisting criteria of various IIMs for interview round will be independent of each other. The criteria for selection may include – Written ability test (WAT), Group Discussion (GD) and Personal Interviews (PI) rounds. For verification process during admission, students must bring their mark sheet, degree certificates, reservation category certificates, CAT scorecard, etc.

Also, the CAP (Common admission procedure) is organised by various IIMs. It is a single window selection procedure for MBA admissions into the newly introduced IIMs.

CAT Participating Institutions

Here, we have named all the participating IIMs with their state location:

If you have any other query related to CAT 2025, you can ask us in the comments section below.