Has CAT 2025 Registration Dropped by 46,000 — or Has It Surpassed Last Year’s 3.29 Lakh?

Has CAT 2025 Registration Dropped by 46,000 — or Has It Surpassed Last Year’s 3.29 Lakh?

Himanshu ShekharUpdated on 24 Sep 2025, 10:17 AM IST

The official CAT 2025 registration number are yet to be released, but social media is buzzing with speculation. A lot of social media posts are hinting towards a drop in the CAT 2025 registrations. As per these posts, the number of CAT registrations have dropped by 46000 compared to last year. On the other hand, some CAT coaching experts are stating that the number of CAT 2025 registration has surpassed last year's CAT registration number. According to one such social media post, the number of CAT registration 2025 stood at 3,42,598, as of September 20, 2025 (4:37 PM).

LiveCAT 2025 Result LIVE: IIM Kozhikode to declare results at 6 pm; login link at iimcat.ac.inDec 24, 2025 | 9:48 AM IST

Recent parliamentary committee data have highlighted low representation of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes in faculty positions across Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs). Against 1,880 sanctioned posts in 21 IIMs, fewer than 200 teachers belong to these communities, raising questions over the implementation of the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Teachers’ Cadre) Act, 2019.

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Has CAT 2025 Registration Dropped by 46,000 — or Has It Surpassed Last Year’s 3.29 Lakh?
Has CAT 2025 Registration Dropped by 46,000 — or Has It Surpassed Last Year’s 3.29 Lakh?

CAT Registration & Exam-Day Attendance Statistics Over the Years

Last year, 3.29 lakh candidates registered for the CAT exam, out of which 2.93 lakh appeared—resulting in an approximate participation rate of 89%. The table below shows both the CAT registration numbers and the count of candidates who actually took the exam.

Year

Number of candidates registered for CAT exam (Lakh)

Number of candidates appeared for CAT exam (Lakh)

Attendance Rate (%)

2024

3.29

2.93

89

2023

3.28

2.88

87.8

2022

2.55

2.22

87

2021

2.3

1.92

83.4

2020

2.27

1.9

83.4

2019

2.44

2.09

85.9

From the data above, it is evident that a significant number of candidates who register for the CAT exam actually appear for it. The gap between CAT registration and appearance is usually due to personal reasons, last-minute cancellations, or changes in the aspirants’ career plans. However, with the growing demand for management education, we can expect a rise in CAT 2025 registration numbers.

Expected Number of CAT 2025 Registrations

CAT registrations have been steadily rising over the past few years. For 2025, experts anticipate that over 3.5 lakh candidates are likely to register for CAT 2025. This prediction is based on current trends, which show consistent growth in the number of applicants each year. The table below has the number of CAT 2025 registrations up to the last date, based on numbers circulating on the internet and social media.

CAT 2025 Registration Dates

Number of CAT Registration 2025

CAT 2025 registration till September 8, 2025

2,00,013

CAT registration till September 10, 2025

2,27,750

CAT 2025 registration till September 11, 2025

2,45,350

CAT registration till September 12, 2025

2,65,709

CAT registration till September 13, 2025

2,95,045

CAT 2025 registration till September 20, 2025 (Till 12:11 PM)

3,35,927

CAT registration till September 20, 2025 (Till 4:37 PM)

3,42,598

CAT 2025 registration closed on September 20, 2025, at 5:00 PM. IIM Kozhikode is expected to open the CAT 2025 application correction window tentatively in the last week of September 2025. During this correction window, candidates will be able to update certain details such as their photograph, signature, and test city preferences.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: When will CAT 2025 registration start?
A:

CAT 2025 registration began on August 1 and eligible candidates can register for CAT 2025 till September 13, 2025.

Q: What is the last date to register for CAT 2025?
A:

The last date to register for CAT 2025 is September 13, 2025. However, candidates can expect the extension of five days or a week.

Q: How many candidates registered for CAT 2024?
A:

Last year around 3.28 lakh candidates registered for the CAT exam out of which 2.93 lakh candidates appeared for the same.

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Questions related to CAT

On Question asked by student community

Have a question related to CAT ?

CAT does not restrict eligibility based on stream. Candidates from commerce, arts, science, engineering or any other background can appear for CAT and apply to MBA programmes offered by IIMs and other top B-schools.

The basic eligibility criteria for CAT are:
You must hold a bachelor’s degree in any discipline from a recognised university with at least 50 percent marks (45 percent for SC, ST and PwD categories). Final-year graduation students are also eligible to apply.

Being a commerce graduate can actually be an advantage in areas such as accounting, finance, economics and business studies, especially during MBA coursework in finance, marketing and operations.

After qualifying CAT, admission depends on multiple factors including CAT percentile, academic background, work experience (if any), performance in GD, WAT and personal interview rounds. Many IIMs and B-schools follow a diverse academic background policy, which means non-engineering candidates, including commerce graduates, often receive additional weightage.

Apart from IIMs, several reputed institutes such as FMS Delhi, SPJIMR Mumbai, MDI Gurgaon, IMT Ghaziabad, and many state and private universities also accept CAT scores for MBA admissions.

So, as a commerce graduate, you are fully eligible to appear for CAT and pursue an MBA, provided you meet the minimum academic requirements and perform well in the selection process.

If you want, I can also help you with realistic CAT percentile targets based on your academic profile or suggest suitable MBA colleges.


Hello aspirant,

With a CAT 2025 raw score of 84 and strong sectionals, your expected percentile may fail in the high 98 range , depending on scaling. Your excellent academics and 2 years of work experience strengthen your profile .IIM Lucknow calls are possible but competitive for EWS engineers , while FMS Delhi looks mainly at CAT score and VARC , so you have a reasonable chance there . Final calls depend on cutoffs and composite score.

FOR REFERENCE : https://bschool.careers360.com/articles/cat-cutoff

Hope the details will help you.

THANK YOU

Hello aspirant ,

For MANAGE Hyderabad MBA , the OBC cutoff in CAT 2024 was generally around 85-90 percentile for shortlist consideration , tough exact figures vary by section and profile . For CAT 2025, if fewer candidates appeared , the cutoff might slightly adjust , but percentile based cutoffs dont change drastically year to year. A minor decrease is possible , but you should still aim for 90+ percentile to be competitive. Factors like VARC, QA-LRDI and overall profile influence the final shortlist.

FOR REFERENCE : https://bschool.careers360.com/articles/cat-cutof f

Hope the details will help you.

THANK YOU

Hello,

For a raw score of 56 in CAT 2025 Slot 3, your expected overall percentile is likely to be in the range of the 90th-95th percentile. The exact percentile can vary slightly on the final normalization process and the process and performance of all test-takers. In this article you'll find more about the CAT result.

I hope it will clear your query!!

Hello,
With a projected CAT percentile of 87% but not clearing sectional cutoffs, your chances at top IIMs are limited because they require both overall percentile and sectional minimums. However, you still have a good shot at other reputed management institutes and non-IIM B-schools. Consider colleges like NMIMS, SPJIMR, IMT, TAPMI, Great Lakes, and other well-ranked private or state-level B-schools that accept CAT scores and weigh your profile holistically. Your academic record, BSc in Animation with 80%, and 5 years of work experience at Ubisoft India are strong points and may help in institutes that value work experience in their selection process. Also, explore institutes that accept XAT, MAT, or CMAT, where your profile can be competitive.
Hope this helps you.