CAT Eligibility 2024: Education Criteria, Age limit, Category-wise Relaxation

CAT Eligibility 2024: The Common Admission Test (CAT)  is among the most sought-after entrance examinations for admission to MBA programs in top management colleges of India. In order to be eligible to take the CAT 2024 exam, candidates must meet the eligibility criteria established by the IIMs. This year IIM Calcutta will conduct the CAT exam and will also be responsible for prescribing the eligibility requirements.

As per the CAT eligibility criteria, candidates must have completed graduation with a minimum of 50% marks. However, candidates from the reserved categories will be given a 5% relaxation in qualifying marks. Candidates in the final year of their graduation can also take the exam. Students must note there is no age limit to appear for the CAT exam. 

CAT 2024 will be held on the last Sunday of November i.e. November 24, 2024. Candidates qualifying for the CAT will be eligible to appear for a Written Ability Test (WAT) and  Personal Interview (PI). The final selection of candidates into IIMs is based on a variety of factors, including their performance in the CAT, their academic record, and their performance in the personal interview and written ability test (WAT).

CAT Eligibility 2024

The CAT eligibility criteria 2024 are prescribed by the IIMs in the CAT 2024 official Notification. Some of the key eligibility criteria for CAT 2024: 

CAT Eligibility 2024: Educational qualifications 

To be eligible to take the CAT, candidates must meet certain educational and age requirements. In general, candidates must have a bachelor's degree from a recognized university, with at least 50% aggregate marks (45% for reserved categories).

Candidates in their final year graduation are also eligible to apply, provided they complete their degree requirements before the start of the CAT selection process. Meanwhile, candidates with backlogs can also apply for the examination.

In the table below, aspirants can check their educational eligibility for applying in  CAT 2024.

CAT Eligibility 2024: Category-Wise Relaxation

There are also several relaxations in the CAT 2024 educational criteria based on the candidates’ category. In the below-mentioned table, candidates can check the complete details for the prescribed Category wise relaxation:

In the case of PWD (Person With Disability) category candidates are required to bring a PWD certificate issued by a competent authority. The List of disabilities in which eligibility relaxation can be availed are as follows:

• Blindness or partial blindness,
• Hearing disabilities
• Locomotor disabilities (cerebral palsy, dwarfism, muscular dystrophy, leprosy cured, and acid attack victims), Other disabilities include autism, any mental illness, intellectual disabilities, learning disabilities, etc.

The eligibility to avail PwD Reservation is mentioned in Section 39 of the PwD Act, 1995. PwD candidates are advised to check the list of all disabilities under this category. Candidates applying for the PWD category should have at least 40% of disability as certified by any medical authority.

CAT Eligibility 2024: Age Limit

As per the recent updates, IIMs do not specify any age criteria for appearing for CAT Exam However, the IIMs may impose their own age restrictions for their specific programs. It is always best to check with individual institutions for their specific eligibility criteria.

CAT Eligibility Criteria - Work Experience Requirements

• Candidates are not required to have any prior work experience.
• It should be mentioned that IIMs could provide a professional experience with some weightage while preparing the final merit list. The precise weightage, however, has never been made public and tends to differ from one IIM to another IIM.