CAT 2023 Exam
Common Admission Test (CAT) exam 2023 will be held on 26th November 2023 (tentative). CAT is an online test that is held annually by the IIM to get admission in the top B schools of India. As per the latest CAT exam pattern the exam consists of four sections, viz, QA, DILR, and VARC for a duration of 2 hours. More than 2.5 lakh candidates register for CAT exam every year for which the CAT exam centre is located across India. By having a valid CAT score, a candidate can take admission in any of the top MBA colleges in the country. However, the IIMs are the most preferred B schools by a majority of candidates. Get to know more information about CAT 2023 exam on this page such as last date apply, notification release date, eczema date, eligibility criteria, steps to fill the form of CAT exam, etc.
CAT 2023 Exam Highlights
Candidates can go through the major highlights of CAT 2023 exam in the following table below.
CAT 2023 Exam Particulars |
CAT Exam Details |
CAT Full Form |
Common Admission Test (CAT) |
CAT 2023 Conducting Institute |
IIM Lucknow |
Exam Level |
National |
Exam Frequency |
Once a year |
CAT Exam Date |
26th November 2023 |
CAT Exam Timings |
Session 1: 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM Session 2: 12:30 PM to 2:30 PM Session 3: 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM |
CAT Exam Fees |
Rs. 2,300 for General category and Rs. 1,150 (Reserved category) |
Eligibility Criteria |
Graduation with at least 50% aggregate (45% for SC/ST students) |
Purpose of CAT exam |
Admission into IIMs, SPJIMR, FMS, MDI, IMT and over 1,200 B-Schools in India |
Courses Offered |
MBA/PGDM |
CAT syllabus subjects |
Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC) Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) Quantitative Ability (QA) |
CAT pattern |
Computer Based Test (CBT) with MCQs and non-MCQs |
CAT exam website |
https://iimcat.ac.in |
CAT 2023 Exam Date
IIM Lucknow has announced the tentative exam date for CAT 2023 exam. However, the final exam date will be released along with the notification. You can check out the important details for CAT exam in the table below.
CAT 2023 Exam Events |
CAT 2023 Dates (tentative) |
CAT 2023 Notification releases on |
31st July 2023 |
CAT 2023 registrations window opens on |
First week of August 2023 |
Registration for CAT 2023 exam ends on |
Third week of September 2023 |
CAT form correction date |
Last week of September 2023 |
CAT 2023 admit card releases on |
Last week of October 2023 |
CAT mock test link activation |
Fourth week of October 2023 |
November 26 2023 |
|
CAT answer key release |
First week of December 2023 |
Answer key challenge process |
First week of December 2023 |
CAT result declaration date |
First week of January 2024 |
How to fill CAT Application Form 2023?
Interested and eligible candidates can apply for CAT 2023 exam only through the online mode. A candidate needs to fill out all the details carefully in it and upload all the documents to successfully register for CAT exam.
CAT 2023 Registration Process
CAT registration 2023 process is a three stage process. The following are the stages to fill out CAT registration form.
- Online CAT 2023 registration
- Filling up CAT exam form 2023
- Payment of CAT exam fee
Steps to fill CAT 2023 application form
The steps to fill CAT application form 2023 is given below.
- Visit CAT 2023 official website which is iimcat.ac.in
- On the home page, click on the link that displays “New Candidate Registration”
- A new page will open where you would be required to enter the basic details such as your name, date of birth, email address, mobile number, etc.
- An OTP will be generated and sent to your registered email Id and mobile number. Enter that OTP for the purpose of verification.
- Thereafter, login using the CAT 2023 credentials and fill out the details such as communication address, academic details, work experience, exam centre etc.
- Once you have filled in the application form, proceed to make the payment and take print out of the application form.
CAT 2023 Application Fee
All the candidates who fill out the CAT 2023 application form are required to pay the application fee as per their category. Here is the application fee for CAT exam for each category of candidate.
Candidate's Category |
CAT Form Fee |
General/EWS/NC-OBC candidate |
Rs. 2300 |
SC/ST/PwD candidate |
Rs. 1150 |
CAT 2023 Eligibility Criteria
CAT 2023 eligibility criteria is the first and foremost step that clarifies if you can appear for the exam or not. So before applying for the exam, carefully read the list of criteria so that you do not have to face any disqualification during the selection stage. The CAT eligibility criteria has been specified below here.
CAT Educational Qualification
- Candidates applying for the CAT 2022 exams must have completed their Bachelor's program.
- Candidates in the final year of their undergraduate studies are also eligible to apply for the CAT exam.
- Candidates from the General category must have secured a minimum of 50% marks in their qualifying degree exams while those in the SC/ST and PWD categories must have secured a minimum of 45% in their qualifying exam.
CAT 2023 selection process
CAT selection process is a three stage process. However, each IIM or an MBA college ay chose to have a different set of criteria to select candidates that may include a Group Discussion or Personal interview. Check the CAT selection process below.
- Written Ability Test (WAT)
- Group Discussion (GD)
- Personal Interviews (PI)
You must note that both IIMs and non IIMs are CAT score accepting colleges. IIMs consider only the CAT exam score to select candidates and no other cores. However, the non IIMs may consider other scores as well for the purpose of selection such as CAT, MAT, etc.
Take CAT mock test to secure your seat
CAT 2023 Exam Pattern
CAT exam consists of three sections, VARC, DILR and Quantitative Aptitude. Every section has to be attempted by the candidates appearing for CAT 2023 exam. The CAT question paper consists of both MCQ and Non-MCQ type questions. The difficulty level of the questions in CAT exam is found to be high. Here is an overview of the CAT exam pattern.
CAT Exam Pattern |
|
Mode of CAT exam |
Computer Based Test |
Duration of exam |
120 minutes where each section is for 40 minutes |
CAT exam slots |
Morning: 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM Afternoon: 12:30 PM to 2:30 PM Evening: 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM |
Number of questions in CAT exam |
66 |
Total Marks in CAT exam |
198 |
Medium of exam |
English |
Type of questions |
MCQ and non-MCQ |
Read CAT exam related articles:
CAT 2023 Admit Card
IIM Lucknow will be releasing the CAT 2023 Admit Card 10 days prior to the exam date. Candidates who complete the CAT 2023 Registration process will be able to download the CAT Admit Card through the link which will be available on the official website. The admit card is a mandatory document that has to be submitted at the exam centre when appearing for the exams.
The CAT exam call letter will include details such as the candidate's name, roll number, exam centre address, exam date, exam timing, etc. You must ensure that you have taken a print out of the CAT admit card to the exam hall.