• Written By Mrinalini_M
  • Last Modified 24-05-2023

CAT Eligibility Criteria 2023: Qualification & Reservation

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CAT Eligibility Criteria 2023: The Indian Institute of Management (IIM) conducting body prescribes the eligibility criteria for Common Admission Test (CAT) in its notification. The official notification for the year 2023 will be tentatively released on July 31, 2023. The eligibility for the exam has remained unchanged for several years, and it won’t change this year. Candidates planning to appear for the exam can check the eligibility from the official website – iimcat.ac.in, or directly from this page.

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The eligibility criteria include several factors such as educational qualification, age limit, reservation and so on. To be eligible, candidates must hold a bachelor’s degree in any stream with a minimum of 50% aggregate marks. If applicants apply for the exam without satisfying the mandatory eligibility norms, then they will be disqualified from the entrance exam. Check out the article to know more about the eligibility criteria.

CAT Exam Eligibility Criteria 2023

Candidates applying for IIM CAT 2023 exam must ensure that they satisfy all the necessary eligibility criteria. They must have completed a bachelor’s degree from a well-recognized college. Work experience has its points in an interview, but this is not a basic criterion. During the selection process at IIMs, the concerned authorities will verify the eligibility of the candidate at various stages.

The eligibility criteria may vary based on the candidate’s category. Let’s have a look at the below tabular representation of the overview of eligibility criteria:

ParticularsDetails
Academic QualificationGraduation/ Bachelor’s Degree
Marks Required in Graduation50% (45% for SC/ST /PwD)
Age Limit for CAT 2023No Age Restrictions
Work ExperienceNot Mandatory
ReservationAs per Category

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CAT Eligibility Criteria 2023: Academic Qualification

IIM lays out certain eligibility conditions of academic qualifications that every applicant must meet before applying for CAT 2023.

  • Candidate must have completed a bachelor’s degree program in any stream from any university that the Ministry of HRD, India recognises.
  • The minimum percentage that is required for a bachelor’s degree in General and OBC category candidate is 50%.
  • Candidates who belong to the reserved category must attain a minimum of 45% in the bachelor’s course.
  • For candidates who are awarded grades or CGPA, the grades will be according to the process certified by the university.

Let’s look at the table below that represents the academic educational qualification details.

QualificationAffiliationPercentage
Bachelor’s degree from any University/ InstituteRecognized by UGC50% aggregate marks (45% marks of SC/ST/PwD)
Engineering degree – B.Tech/ B.E from any University/ InstituteRecognized by MHRD/ AICTE50% aggregate marks (45% marks of SC/ST/PwD)
Students who appeared in the final year of examinationRecognized by MHRD/ AICTE./ UGC50% aggregate marks (45% marks of SC/ST/PwD)

Note: Applicants in their final year of graduation have to submit a certificate from the Registrar/Principal of their particular Institution or University. This certificate certifies that they fulfilled all of the criteria for equivalent qualification as of the date the certificate is issued.

Number of Attempts: A candidate can appear for the CAT exam as many times as he/she wishes to i.e. No restriction on the number of attempts.

CAT Eligibility 2023: Admissible Degrees

Candidates must have the following degree, then-candidate must apply for CAT 2023. Let us have a look at the below table for seeking admission into the Business school and IIms.

DegreeUniversity Criteria
B.E, B.TechRecognized by AICTE/ MHRD/ UPSC
U.G. from a well-recognized UniversityRecognized by UGC
Pursuing final year of Bachelor’s degreePursuing UF from a well-recognised board i.e. AICTE, MHRD, UPSC or UGC

CAT Eligibility Criteria with Backlogs

CAT aspirants who have an academic backlog during graduation can apply and register for CAT 2023 without any issues. It is to be noted that the candidate’s score or percentage equivalent to grades/ CGPA will be based on the practice followed by the respective University/ Institution. If a University or Institution has no scheme to convert Grade/ CGPA into equivalent marks, the percentage score will be calculated by dividing the candidate’s CGPA by the maximum possible CGPA and multiplying the result by 100.

IIM CAT 2023 Eligibility: Reservation Criteria

The admissions selection factors for IIMs will vary from institution to institution. They adhere to the limitations on reservations imposed by the Indian government. Check the table below to learn about the CAT eligibility requirements for the reserved categories:

CategoryReserved Percentage
Scheduled Caste (SC)15%
Scheduled Tribe (ST)7.5%
NC-OBC (Non-creamy Other Backward Classes)27%
Economically Weaker Sections (EWS)Up to 10%
PwD (Person with Disability)5%

CAT Reservation Policy for Person with Disability

PwD applicants have to show a PwD certificate given by an appropriate authority. This is one of the important eligibility requirements that PwD candidates must meet. Individuals with different types of disabilities who are eligible for PwD reservations include:

  • Low-vision/ blind candidates
  • Candidates with hearing impairment
  • Candidate with a locomotive disability or cerebral palsy.

CAT 2023 Exam Eligibility Criteria for Final Year Students

Often it is observed that candidates hold this common doubt that is the final year students eligible to appear for the CAT exam. Candidates who are in the final year of the program and are awaiting the results can also apply. The final-year applicants for bachelor’s degrees are allowed to attend the exam, and they must clear the same with the required percentage.

To comply with CAT exam eligibility criteria, candidates need to furnish some additional documents, which include:

  • Candidates who do not possess their final degree certificate with the total grade obtained must provide an additional document with the Principal’s signature verifying that the candidate currently has over 50% marks in the course.
  • After the admission of the candidate to B-schools, the candidate will be required to furnish their final certificate from graduation to continue their studies.

If a foreign candidate studying in the final year of graduation or post-graduation must fill out the form making sure that they satisfy the eligibility criteria of CAT.

CAT Eligibility 2023: Important Points

Some important points regarding CAT 2023 eligibility criteria are as under:

  • Candidates must ensure they fulfil all the eligibility criteria listed above before applying for the exam.
  • The eligibility criteria are just the minimum requirements to appear for CAT 2023. The participating institutes might have their own set of requirements to select candidates.
  • Meeting the minimum eligibility criteria doesn’t guarantee that one will be shortlisted by IIMs.
  • If the authorities find any of the information provided by the candidate is wrong or misleading at any stage of the selection process, his/her candidature will be cancelled.
  • The authorities will not allow any change in the category of the candidates after the registration is over. So, candidates must be careful while filling up the CAT application form.

Quick Links –

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CAT Application FormCAT Exam Centre

FAQs on CAT Exam Eligibility Criteria 2023

Following are the frequently asked questions and their answers related to CAT Eligibility 2023:

Q: Where can I get the detailed CAT Eligibility Criteria 2023?

A: Candidates can get the detailed eligibility standards for CAT 2023 exam from this article.

Q: Who is ineligible for CAT 2023?

A: Candidates who score less than 50% in graduation and the candidates whose UG degree is issued by an Institute but not recognized by UPSC, UGC, or AICTE are ineligible for CAT 2023.

Q: Are candidates with backlogs eligible to apply for CAT Exam?

A: Yes. Candidates with a backlog are eligible to apply for the CAT exam. They must click on “Are you in the final year of your bachelor’s degree”? The candidate must click on this and fill out the application form.

Q: Is it possible for candidates to appear for CAT Exam in more than one slot?

A: No, this is not possible. A candidate cannot appear for more than one slot to appear for the CAT examination.

We hope this article on CAT Eligibility Criteria 2023 has helped you. Stay tuned to Embibe for more updates on CAT 2023!

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