CAT Exam Eligibility Criteria: Check Age Limit, Education Qualification & Reservation

Overview: The CAT exam eligibility criteria 2025 require a graduation degree in any stream from a recognised university. Some factors like age limit, education qualification and reservation are also part of CAT eligibility criteria 2025. Read on to know more!

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• Common Admission Test (CAT is an online MBA entrance exam conducted by one of the IIMs (Indian Institute of Management) and other top business schools in the country. 
• Every year, around 3 lakh candidates appear for the CAT exam. Thus, it is important to meet the CAT exam eligibility for IIM. 
• Before registering for the CAT exam, aspirants must refer to the official notification to verify the CAT eligibility criteria 2025.

Scroll down to know the complete details about the eligibility criteria for the CAT exam 2025!

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CAT Exam Eligibility Criteria 2025: Major Highlights 

What is the eligibility for CAT exam? Here are the key factors that determine the eligibility for CAT exam 2025:

CAT Exam Criteria 2025	Requirement
CAT Age limit	There is no upper age limit for CAT exam
CAT Eligibility Educational Qualification	Bachelor’s degree in any stream
CAT Eligibility Marks in Graduation	50% (General/ NC-OBC/ PwD) and 45 % (SC/ST/EWS)
CAT Eligibility Work Experience	Not Compulsory
CAT Eligibility Reservation Criteria	As per category

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CAT Exam Eligibility Criteria 2025: Education Qualification 

What is the eligibility for CAT exam in India? Candidates applying for CAT exam should know all about CAT exam 2025 eligibility education qualification:

Educational Qualification for CAT Exam 2025	Affiliation Required	Pass Percentage Required
Bachelor’s Degree in any stream from any University	Recognised by UGC	General/EWS/NC-OBC: 50% SC, ST, PwD candidates: 45%
Engineering Degree – BTech/ BE	Recognised by MHRD/AICTE *	General/EWS/NC-OBC: 50% SC, ST, PwD candidates: 45%
Students in their final year of a Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) are also eligible to take the CAT exam.	Continuing graduation from University Recognized by MHRD/AICTE or UGC	General/EWS/NC-OBC: 50% SC, ST, PwD candidates: 45%
(CA/CS/ICWA/Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries of India (FIAI)	Certification granting organisation	General/EWS/NC-OBC: 50% SC, ST, PwD candidates: 45%

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Category Wise CAT Exam Eligibility Percentage 2025

There are also eligibility criteria for CAT exam for different categories. Here is the table showing the same:

Category	Eligibility Criteria for CAT Exam 2025
CAT Exam Eligibility Criteria for General	minimum of 50% in bachelor's degree
CAT Exam Criteria for EWS	minimum of 50% in bachelor's degree
CAT Eligibility Criteria for OBC	minimum of 50% in bachelor's degree
CAT Eligibility Criteria for SC	minimum of 45% in bachelor's degree
CAT Eligibility Criteria for ST	minimum of 45% in bachelor's degree
CAT Exam Criteria for PwD	minimum of  45% in bachelor's degree

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CAT Exam Age Limit 2025

What is the CAT age limit? Most MBA entrance exams have an CAT age limit, but the CAT exam does not have such criteria. As per the CAT exam 2025 eligibility age, there is no age limit yet.

CAT Exam Eligibility Criteria Age Limit	Details
CAT minimum age limit	There is no minimum age limit. Must have completed graduation with the required percentage.
CAT maximum age eligibility	There is no maximum age limit. With a bachelor's degree and a minimum percentage, you can apply at any career stage.

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CAT Exam Eligibility Criteria Reservation Policy 

As per the legal requirements, the CAT eligibility criteria for different categories have the following seats reserved respectively for all the categories:

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CAT Exam Eligibility 2025: Work Experience

Candidates are not required to have prior work experience during the CAT registration process. However, IIMs may consider work experience in the later stages of their admission process.

If you have some prior work experience, then here is the list of documents you need to submit during the admission process at IIMs:

• Work experience certificate provided by the company
• Your Joining letter/Certificate
• Last three month’s salary slips 

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CAT Exam Eligibility Criteria 2025: Person with Benchmark Disabilities

Under The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, 5% of seats are reserved for Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwD), defined as individuals with at least 40% of a specified disability, as certified by an authority)

The Act lists specific disabilities, including blindness, deafness, locomotor disabilities, autism, intellectual disabilities, and more, ensuring inclusive education opportunities.

Note: Candidates from reserved categories (SC/ST/NC-OBC/EWS/PwD) should review eligibility for CAT exam carefully before applying. Although IIMs aim to adhere to legal reservation proportions, these candidates must meet minimum eligibility and performance standards for admission consideration.

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Can Students in the Last Year of their Bachelor's Degree Apply? 

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 if selected, you will be allowed to join the program provisionally and only if you submit a certificate from the Registrar of your University (issued on or before the date as stipulated by the respective IIM) stating that you have completed all the requirements for obtaining the Bachelor’s degree on the date of issue of the certificate.

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CAT Exam Criteria: CAT Percentage Calculation

The CAT exam 2025 eligibility percentage of marks obtained by the candidate would be calculated based on the practice followed by the respective University or institution.

Regarding grades/ CGPA, the conversion to percentage of marks would be based on the procedure certified by the respective University or institution. 

If any University 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."

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CAT Entrance Exam Eligibility Criteria 2025: Selection Criteria

A candidate needs to understand that:

• IIMs may verify CAT exam eligibility criteria for 2025 in India at various stages of the selection process. 
• Mere fulfilment of the CAT exam eligibility age limit will not ensure consideration for shortlisting by IIMs. 
• A valid and unique email account and a mobile phone number are necessary throughout the selection process.

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Is There Any Difference Between IIM Eligibility and CAT Exam Eligibility Criteria?

Well, the eligibility for both the Indian Institute of Management and CAT exam is almost similar.

The major difference is that you need to meet the cut off criteria for IIMs while you should have graduation degree to be eligible for CAT exam 2025.

Are Backlog Candidates Eligible for CAT 2025?

Yes, don’t worry; candidates with backlogs are eligible for CAT exam 2025.

The only requirement is that the candidate has a graduation degree with a minimum percentage per his category.

Check | Detailed CAT Exam Syllabus 2025

Who is Not Eligible for CAT Exam 2025?

• A candidate who failed to have a bachelor’s degree in any stream.
• A candidate who has scored less than 50% in their graduation (GEN/NC-OBC/PwD) and less than 45% (SC/ST/EWS).
• A candidate has a graduation certificate, which is not authorised by the UGC/AICTE/MHRD and fails to meet the CAT exam criteria.
• Lastly, if a candidate is pursuing a dual degree and has yet to complete either, they are also not eligible for the CAT exam 2025.

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Conclusion

CAT Exam Eligibility Criteria for IIMs 2025 are designed to ensure that the test candidates possess the skills and aptitude necessary to succeed in a competitive business environment with no specific age limit for the CAT exam.

Besides IIMs, thousands of other B-schools offer MBAs based on CAT scores. Therefore, it is important to note that the CAT Eligibility Criteria 2025 may vary for other management colleges, so it is important to check with the institute before applying for the CAT.

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