After IIM Calcutta released the CAT 2024 Exam Date notification in July 2024 sending a wave of happiness and stress amongst aspirants all at once. The last date to register for the examination was extended from September 13 to September 20, 2024, giving a second chance to the aspirants who missed out on filling out the examination form. If you’re a CAT aspirant, this blog will cover everything you need to know about the CAT 2024 notification, registration dates, eligibility criteria, and much more. Let’s dive right in! Shall we?

CAT 2024 Exam Date Revealed

As per the CAT 2024 notification, like any other year, this year’s CAT (Common Admission Test) was conducted on the last Sunday of November, which was November 24, 2024.
The CAT 2024 exam was conducted in three shifts:

• Morning shift (8:30 AM – 10:30 AM)
• Afternoon shift (12:30 PM – 2:30 PM)
• Evening shift (4:30 PM – 6:30 PM)

All About The CAT Exam Notification

The notification released on July 28 was all over the internet and every other newspaper out there, stating the key highlights of the upcoming examination. The highlights include the CAT 2024 exam date, eligibility criteria, reservations, registration fees, important dates, test centres, a disclaimer, and a note for aspirants.

CAT 2024 Eligibility Criteria

There haven’t been any major changes in the eligibility criteria for registration for the CAT examination in 2024. If you’re an aspirant, you need a score of at least 50% (or equivalent CGPA) in your undergraduate degree in any stream from a recognised institution. However, there is a relaxation of 5% for SC, ST, and PwD candidates who need a score of 45% (or equivalent CGPA) in their undergraduate degree if they wish to register for CAT 2024.

The notification also mentioned that clearing the minimum cutoffs released by the IIMs won’t guarantee selection or calls for interviews. There will be other factors that might affect your candidature and selection in any of the IIMs. However, if in any case, you don’t get calls from any IIMs then you can always pursue your professional MBA course from reputed universities like the K.R. Mangalam University which has been consistently offering an average package of 7.5 – 11 LPA for the past 5 years while the highest package that was snagged offered a CTC of whopping 36 LPA.

Also Read: MBA Entrance Exam 2024: Latest Updates 

CAT Registration Fees and Portal

The CAT 2024 Registration Fee had slightly spiked compared to last year when there were two different registration fees for Unreserved and Reserved Groups.

1. Schedule Tribes (ST), Schedule Castes (SC), and PwD aspirants must pay Rs 1,250 for exam registration.
2. All the candidates that don’t fall under the above categories must pay Rs 2,500 towards their CAT 2024 registration fees.

The registration portal was live from August 1 on the official CAT website, https://iimcat.ac.in/. As an aspirant, you must fill out your form as soon as possible to avoid any last-minute crashes that might happen due to heavy traffic loads.

Note: Unlike other exams, there is no registration fee concession for female candidates.

Test Centres

To ensure a fair and smooth commencement of the examination, this year there will be 170 test cities, which is a 9% increase in test cities compared to 2023. This will ensure that there are enough centres to accommodate the speculated 3 lakh aspirants that will be appearing for the examination this year.

Disclaimer and Note

The notification concluded with a disclaimer and a note where it’s stated that the advertisement was a mere notification of the examination. Moreover, in case of any legal issues or inquiries, one will have to go to the state’s judiciary, which is in Kolkata, to confirm that the exam will be conducted by IIM Calcutta in 2024.

The note mentioned in the notification stated that aspirants should create and maintain a valid and exclusive email address and a mobile number while and after registering for the examination.

CAT 2024 Important Exam Dates

Below are some of the most important updates and dates for the CAT 2024 aspirants:

K.R. Mangalam University MBA Programme

It’s speculated that there will be over 3 Lakh aspirants appearing for the CAT 2024 examination however, it’s a fact that there are only around 25,000 seats available in the IIMs. All the aspirants who don’t make it often opt for Tier II colleges. However, you don’t need to settle for anything less than a Tier I college even if you don’t score well in your CAT attempt and for that, you can get enrolled in the K.R. Mangalam University MBA Program course that offers one of the top tier training, world-class infrastructure, and one of the best ROIs in the market.

K.R. Mangalam MBA Details

Conclusion

Since the CAT 2024 exam date has been officially announced, it’s high time that aspirants step up their preparation. Go through your study materials, get your hands on some good-quality videos, motivate yourselves, and most importantly, get consistent with your efforts and preparation strategies. Don’t forget to keep an eye on the latest notifications and alternative universities offering MBA programmes like K.R. Mangalam University to not miss out on your career growth.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which IIM is going to conduct the CAT 2024 exam?

IIM Calcutta will conduct the CAT 2024 examination with inputs of professors from different IIMs across the country.

What is the official CAT exam 2024 registration date?

Registrations for CAT 2024 will start from August 1, 2024 (10 AM onwards) and will continue till September 13, 2024 (till 5 PM).

What is the CAT registration process?

To register for CAT 2024, aspirants must go to the official registration portal, https://iimcat.ac.in/, and create an account. Once the registration forms are out, you can fill in your required details (make sure all your documents are available) and go to the checkout page. Verify your details, and proceed to pay and register yourself for the examination.

What is the CAT 2024 application form fee?

Reserved category aspirants, including SC, ST, and PwD, are required to pay Rs 1,250 as a registration fee. On the other hand, any aspirant who doesn’t fall under the mentioned reserved categories must pay Rs 2,500 towards their CAT 2024 exam registration.

Is there any age limit for CAT aspirants?

There is no age limit to appear for the CAT exam (neither lower nor upper). To appear for the exam, an aspirant must be a graduate and have the minimum required marks in their undergrad degree course from a recognised institution.

Is the CAT 2024 Registration Date Extended?

The last registration date for the CAT 2024 examination was extended from 13 September to 20 September 2024.