CAT officially known as Common Admission Test is a national-level entrance test organized by one of the IIMs on a rotational basis. It is one of the most prestigious MBA entrance tests in India which allows candidates to get admission into India’s top management institutes.
It is expected that CAT 2024 will be organized by IIM, Lucknow in November 2024. It is a computer-based test that is conducted across 156 cities in India. Candidates seeking admission into the IIMs and India’s top business school must appear for CAT Exam.
Interested and eligible candidates can apply for CAT Exam 2024 online after the release of the official notification. Through this post, candidates can check complete information regarding the CAT registration process, eligibility, exam pattern, etc.
Table of Contents
CAT 2024 Exam Dates
The tentative exam dates for CAT EXAM 2024 are listed below.
| Events | Dates |
| Release of official notification | July 2024 |
| Commencement of the online registration process | August 2024 |
| End date to apply | September 2024 |
| Release of CAT admit card | November 2024 |
| Date of CAT Exam | November 2024 |
| Availability of answer keys | December 2024 |
| Announcement of result | December 2024 |
| Beginning of the common admission process (CAP) | January 2025 |
CAT Eligibility Criteria
Candidates who are planning to appear in the upcoming CAT exam must check the eligibility criteria before applying for the exam. The details about eligibility criteria are mentioned below.
Candidates should have done Bachelor’s degree from a recognized university in any discipline with a minimum of 50% marks in aggregate (45% in case of candidates belonging to reserved category).
candidates appearing in the final year of the qualifying examination can also apply for CAT 2024, however, they have to submit proof of their educational qualification within the specified time as mentioned by the authority.
Candidates having a professional degree in CA/ ICWA/ CS can also apply.
CAT Application Form 2024
CAT 2024 registration process will probably commence in the 1st week of August 2024. The conducting body will release the application form on its official website. Candidates should do the registration on the online portal. For online registration, candidates have to fill all the required fields.
Once the registration is done, login credentials will be provided to the candidates. By using these login details, candidates can fill out the CAT application form. After that, candidates have to upload all the required documents.
For successful application submission, candidates need to pay the required application fee. Don’t forget to take the printout of the duly filled form.
CAT Application fee
Candidates from the general category have to pay Rs 2250 as the CAT Exam fee. Whereas the application fee for the reserved category is RS 1150/. The application fee can be paid through online mode.
Examination Pattern
CAT 2024 will be held in online CBT mode. The entrance test will be organized into 3 shits. The test will consist of a total of 66 questions from 3 different sections. Each question carries 3 marks. 1 mark will be deducted for each wrong response. Two hours are provided to complete the exam. The section-wise distribution of questions is mentioned below.
| Sections | Number of questions |
| Verbal ability and reading comprehension | 24 |
| Data Interpretation and logical reasoning | 20 |
| Quantitative ability | 22 |
CAT Syllabus
For better CAT exam preparation, the candidates need to check the entire syllabus and prepare accordingly. The syllabus of CAT includes topics from three different subjects. The details on CAT Syllabus are provided below.
| Sections | Topics |
| Quantitative Aptitude | Quantitative Aptitude –Geometry Time and Work, Number System, Algebra, Mensuration and Arithmetic |
| Logical Reasoning & Data Interpretation | Puzzles, Blood Relation, Seating Arrangement, Syllogism, Coding and Decoding Tables, Data Case lets, Graphs |
| Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension | Reading Comprehension, Para Summary, Para Jumbles, Verbal Ability, Odd Sentence Out |
CAT Preparation Books
Below are the highly recommended books for CAT exam preparation.
Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation for the CAT by Nishit K. Sinha
Quantitative Aptitude Quantum CAT Common Admission Tests for Admission into IIMs by Sarvesh K. Verma
How to Prepare for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for CAT by Arun Sharma
CAT Admit Card
Candidates who registered successfully will be allowed to download the CAT hall ticket from the official website. CAT Admit card will contain the details related to the CAT examination centre, the date and time of the exam, the candidate’s name & roll number etc. CAT hall ticket is an important document to carry at the exam centre.
CAT Result
The conducting body will announce the CAT Result most likely on December 2024. Candidates can check their CAT Scorecard through the official website of CAT IIM.
FAQs
It is expected that IIM, Lucknow will organize CAT 2024.
Candidate can take a maximum of an 8-attempt overall lifetime.
The level of the exam is quite difficult. Consistent preparation is necessary to crack the exam.
Candidates can fill out the application form via online mode.