The Common Admission Test (CAT) is an all-India test conducted by the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) for admission to the Post-graduate (PGP) and Fellow Programs in Management (FPM) courses of several management institutes across India. With approximately 2 lakh registrations per year, it is the most important exam for entrance to any MBA course in India.
Some of the most prominent institutes accepting CAT scores are:
Each institute uses a combination of CAT scores, written assessment (WAT), group discussion (GD) and personal interview (PI) to select candidates. However, the weightage assigned to various parameters may differ across institutes. The CAT score is used separately by each institute along with other parameters i.e. academic performance, work experience, group discussion, written assessment and interview performance etc. to select candidates. The weightage assigned to CAT score may differ for each institute.
CAT 2023 will be conducted on November 26, 2023 (tentative) in two slots in test centres across approximately 156 cities. Candidates will be allowed to give a choice of four cities as test centres (in order of preference). However, the exam slot will be directly assigned to the student. CAT 2023 is likely being conducted by IIM Lucknow.
| Section | No. of Questions | Time Limit | Marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension | 24 | 40 minutes | 3/-1 (0 for TITA) |
| Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning | 20 | 40 minutes | 3/-1 (0 for TITA) |
| Quantitative Ability | 22 | 40 minutes | 3/-1 (0 for TITA) |
CAT will be conducted in three slots, like CAT 2021.
The exam duration has been retained at two hours.
Each section has to be completed in 40 minutes and the section order is fixed for all test takers i.e., VARC - DILR - QA
The scoring and equating process will be updated once the relevant document for CAT 2022 is released.
Candidates should have a Bachelor's Degree, with at least 50% marks or equivalent CGPA. This criterion is relaxed to 45% in case of candidates belonging to Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Persons With Disability (PWD) categories, from recognized institutes or Universitites.
Candidates currently appearing for the final year of their Bachelor's degree/equivalent qualification examination or awaiting their final year results can also apply. However, these results are provisional in nature, and are subject to the candidate submitting his/her certificates within the deadline stipulated by the institute.
| Event | Dates |
| Registrations | August 7, 2023 (10 a.m.) to September 12, 2019 (5 p.m.) |
| Download of Admit Card | October 23, 2023 (5 p.m. onwards) |
| Exam date | November 26, 2023 |
| Results | Second week of January 2024 |
Prepare for CAT with C Cube using the CAT Self Learning Program or CAT Test Pack - designed to boost your CAT prep and provide a simulated testing experience while preparing for CAT 2023.