CAT Eligibility Criteria 2024: Qualification, Age Limit, Reservation for IIM CAT Exam

CAT eligibility criteria 2024 include the fulfilment of educational qualification, age, the percentage in graduation, work experience, etc. Some of the IIMs give weightage to Class 10th, and 12th marks and work experience. However, work experience is not mandatory and freshers can apply for IIM CAT exam as well. Get details about IIM CAT eligibility on this page here. 

CAT Eligibility Criteria 2024 

The Indian Institute of Management (IIM) has released the CAT eligibility criteria 2024 along with the official notification. The candidates who intend to do CAT 2024 registration must go through the detailed CAT eligibility before they fill out the application form. 

CAT registration 2024 shall begin from 1st August and will end on 13th September 2024. The CAT exam date is on 24th November in online mode. Check the detailed IIM CAT eligibility criteria 2024 such as educational qualification, percentage required, reservation criteria, age limit other factors in this post. Check the major highlights of CAT eligibility in the following table below. 

CAT Eligibility 2024 - Key Highlights

CAT Eligibility Criteria 2024 Age Limit 

There is no age limit restriction to apply for CAT exam 2024. Any candidate who has a graduation degree or is pursuing graduation from a recognised university is eligible to apply for CAT exam. 

CAT Educational Qualification 

Candidates who are willing to apply for CAT 2024 exam have to ensure that they have or are pursuing the following given graduation degree from a recognised university. 

What is the minimum Percentage for CAT Exam?

IIM has set a minimum percentage requirement that has to be obtained by every candidate in aggregate in graduation. The candidates who are from General and other categories must have obtained at least 50% in aggregate in graduation. On the other hand, those who belong to the Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Persons with Disability (PwD) categories] should have obtained at least 45% in aggregate in graduation.  

If any University/Institution confirms that there is no scheme for converting CGPA into equivalent marks, the equivalence would be established by dividing the candidate’s CGPA by the maximum possible CGPA, and multiplying the result with 100.

Read about CAT syllabus and CAT exam pattern here.

CAT Eligibility Criteria 2024 12th Marks 

The marks secured by candidates in their class 12th is not taken into consideration while registering for CAT exam. However, some of the prestigious IIMs do take into consideration the marks secured by candidates in class 12th to determine the merit list for admission into that particular IIM. A certain amount of weightage is given to class 12th marks as well as class 10th marks. 

CAT Exam Eligibility - Can candidates with backlog apply for CAT exam?

The question of whether a candidate with a backlog can apply for CAT exam or not is one of the frequently asked questions by any CAT exam aspirant. To make it clarified for you, yes, candidates with a backlog can apply for CAT exam without any difficulty. 

The only condition that one has to fulfil while applying for CAT exam is that he/she should have scored more 50%  (45% for the reserved category) in the degree (even in supplementary) can apply for CAT 2024. 

IIM CAT 2024 Eligibility - Reservation Criteria

The criteria for admission into IIMs is governed by the IIM’s own procedure. The reservation guidelines for admission into IIMs is applicable as per the government guidelines. Check the following table to know about the CAT eligibility for OBC, MBC, SC, ST, PwD, and General categories of candidates. 

CAT Eligibility Criteria - Work Experience Requirement

Work experience is not mandatory to apply for CAT exam 2024. However, in case a candidate has prior work experience or internship experience, then it is a boost for him/her. IIMs give a certain weightage to those who have work experience. The weightage of work experience varies from one IIM to another. 

What courses are offered through CAT at IIMs?

The following given courses are offered through the CAT exam.

What is the difference between IIM Eligibility Vs CAT Eligibility?

Candidates who wish to pursue a course from IIM should be aware of certain factors that differentiate between IIM eligibility and CAT eligibility. The CAT score is accepted by the 20 IIMs that are spread across the country as well as over 1200 B schools of the country. A majority of candidates intend on pursuing a degree from IIM over other B schools. 

• The IIMs conduct their own personal interview and group discussions. 
• IIMs might consider taking class 10th and 12th marks for admission to MBA courses.
• Work experience is not mandatory to appear in CAT exam. However, some IIMs give weightage to work experience during the selection process. 
• Candidates without work experience need not panic about their CAT selection process in MBA courses for IIMs do take freshers as well