CAT Eligibility Criteria 2023 Check Age Limit, Education Qualification & Documents Required

Summary: This article will provide an overview of the CAT Eligibility Criteria 2023, including age limits, educational qualifications, and nationality requirements. Learn who is eligible for the CAT exam.

Common Admission Test (CAT) is a computer-based national-level management entrance test conducted every year by an older Indian Institute of Management (IIM) on a rotational basis for getting a postgraduate degree in management from any of the 20 IIMs and 100+ other top-notch B-Schools spread across India.

Let's learn everything about CAT Eligibility Criteria 2023! 

Read to find out whether or not you are eligible to appear for CAT 2023.

Download FREE Study Material for CAT Exam 2023 by SuperGrads

Note: 

• Notification for CAT 2023 is expected to be released by the end of July, and the registrations are expected to begin in the first week of August.
• This year, IIM Lucknow will conduct CAT tentatively on Sunday, 26th November 2023.

CAT Eligibility Criteria 2023

So, who is eligible for the CAT exam?

Candidates applying for CAT 2023 should fulfil any one of the conditions: 

Eligibility for CAT exam:

• General, EWS and cat eligibility for OBA categories - Graduate with a minimum of 50% in Bachelor's degree 
• Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Persons with Disability (PwD) categories - Graduate with a minimum of 45% of Bachelor’s degree 
• Candidates who have completed professional degrees CA/CS/ICWA/ Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries of India with the required percentage 
• Final-year Bachelor’s degree students can also apply. 

CAT eligibility age limit? 

No age limit is defined as of yet for CAT Exam Eligibility Criteria 2023 and IIMs.

It should be noted that a candidate appearing for the final year of the Bachelor’s degree/equivalent qualification examination and those who have completed degree requirements and are awaiting results can also apply.  

However, it may be noted that such candidates, if selected, will be allowed to join the program provisionally only if they submit a certificate from the Principal/Registrar of their University/Institution (issued on or before the date as stipulated by the respective IIM) stating that they have completed all the requirements for obtaining the Bachelor’s degree/equivalent qualification on the date of issue of the certificate.  

Check: CAT Exam Subjects 2023

CAT Eligibility Criteria 2023: Person with Benchmark Disabilities

“Person with Benchmark Disability” means a person with not less than forty percent (40%) of a specified disability where a specified disability has not been defined in measurable terms and includes a person with a disability where the specified disability has been defined in measurable terms, as certified by the certifying authority.   

“Specified disability” means the disabilities as specified in the Schedule of The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016. The categories of disability are:  

• Blindness and low vision 
• Deaf and hard of hearing 
• Locomotor disability, including cerebral palsy, leprosy cured, dwarfism, acid attack victims and muscular dystrophy 
• Autism, intellectual disability, specific learning disability and mental illness  
• Multiple disabilities from amongst persons under clauses (a) to (d)  
• Other ‘specified disabilities’ mentioned in ‘The Schedule’ of the RPwD Act 2016  

Note: CAT conducting authority encourages candidates to apply for a UDID card (PwD Category) and upload the same for the application. 

It is important for the reserved category candidate to:  

• Note the eligibility requirements carefully before applying.
• Meet the minimum eligibility criteria and a certain minimum level of performance to be considered for the admission process.
• Understand that no change in the category is entertained after CAT registration.

Check: CAT Books 2023

Can students in the last year of their bachelor's degree apply? 

CAT exam eligibility for IIM

Yes! Candidates appearing for the final year of the Bachelor’s degree/equivalent qualification examination and those who have completed degree requirements and are awaiting results can also apply.

However, it may be noted that such candidates, if selected, will be allowed to join the program provisionally only if they submit a certificate from the Principal/Registrar of their University/Institution (issued on or before the date as stipulated by the respective IIM) stating that they have completed all the requirements for obtaining the Bachelor’s degree/equivalent qualification on the date of issue of the certificate.

Check: CAT Exam Admission Process 2023

CAT Eligibility Criteria 2023: CAT Percentage Calculation

• The percentage of marks obtained by the candidate would be calculated based on the practice followed by the respective University/ Institution.  
• Regarding grades/ CGPA, the conversion to percentage of marks would be based on the procedure certified by the respective University/ Institution. 
• 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 by 100.  

A candidate needs to understand that:  

• IIMs may verify eligibility at various stages of the selection process. 
• Mere fulfilment of the minimum eligibility criteria will not ensure consideration for shortlisting by IIMs. 
• A valid and unique email account and a mobile phone number throughout the selection process are a must.  

Check: CAT Exam Pattern 2023

CAT Eligibility Criteria 2023: Selection Criteria

IIMs may verify eligibility at various stages of the selection process, the details of which are provided at the website www.iimcat.ac.in.

Applicants should note that the mere fulfilment of the minimum eligibility criteria will not ensure consideration for shortlisting by IIMs. 

Candidates must declare and maintain a valid and unique email account and mobile phone number throughout the selection.

Check: CAT Exam Previous year question paper

CAT Exam Reservation Policies 2023

The IIMs fulfil all the legal requirements as stated by the Government of India regarding reservation of seats, stated as under: 

• 15% of the seats are reserved for Scheduled Caste (SC) 
• 7.5% for Scheduled Tribe (ST)  
• 27% of the seats are reserved for Other Backward Classes (OBC) belonging to the “non-creamy” layer (NC-OBC) 
• Up to 10% of the seats are reserved for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS)  
• 5% seats are reserved for Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwD) [as per the provisions of The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016]  

Check: How to get good scores in the CAT exam

Conclusion

CAT Exam Eligibility Criteria 2023 are designed to ensure that the candidates who take the test possess the skills and aptitude necessary to succeed in a competitive business environment. Apart from IIMs, thousand of other B-schools offer MBAs based on CAT scores. Therefore, it is important to note that the CAT Exam Eligibility Criteria 2023 may vary for other management colleges, so it is important to check with the institute before applying for the CAT.

Check: CAT Exam Preparation 2023