CAT Exam Age Limit 2025: No Upper Age Restriction to Apply for IIM Admissions

CAT Exam Age Limit 2025: No Upper Age Restriction to Apply for IIM Admissions

Himanshu ShekharUpdated on 16 Sep 2025, 11:56 AM IST

CAT Exam Age Limit: IIM do not specify the age eligibility for the CAT entrance exam. Candidates belonging to any age group can appear for the CAT 2025 exam. The Common Admission Test (CAT) is the biggest MBA entrance exam for admission to the best MBA/PGDM colleges nationwide. It is the exam through which candidates can join the prestigious IIMs (Indian Institute of Management). To apply for the CAT, the candidates must satisfy the eligibility criteria specified by the CAT conducting body, IIM Kozhikode.

LiveCAT 2025 Result LIVE: IIM Kozhikode to announce result soon at iimcat.ac.in; cut off, MBA admission processDec 22, 2025 | 9:02 AM IST

A high percentile in CAT 2025 is required to qualify for the second round of selection for IIMs and other top MBA programmes. Candidates with scores between 153 and 132 are likely to fall within the 99th percentile, helping them estimate admission chances at preferred colleges.

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This Story also Contains

  1. CAT Exam Age Limit for MBA Admission
  2. CAT Age Limit for General Category
  3. CAT Age Limit for OBC
  4. CAT Age Limit for SC/ST/EWS and PwD
  5. CAT Age Limit for IIMs
  6. CAT Age Limit for Working Professionals
CAT Exam Age Limit 2025: No Upper Age Restriction to Apply for IIM Admissions
CAT Age Limit

CAT Exam Age Limit for MBA Admission

According to the CAT eligibility criteria, there is no upper age limit for applying for the CAT exam. The latest age limit for the CAT exam eligibility criteria to be met by all the CAT aspirants for applying for the CAT 2025 is given below.

  • A bachelor's degree in any stream or its equivalent from a recognised university.
  • Should secure a minimum of 50% marks or equivalent CGPA for the open category and 45% marks for the SC/ST/PwD category, giving a relaxation of 5%.
  • The final-year students of bachelor's degrees are also eligible to apply for the CAT exam. However, such candidates will have to submit the certificate of completion from the principal or registrar of their university or institution on or before the date stipulated by the respective IIMs.
  • Candidates with work experience will be given some added preference/weightage. However, work experience is not mandatory as per the CAT exam eligibility 2025.
  • There is no upper age limit for the CAT exam 2025. Candidates, regardless of age, can apply for this CAT exam.

CAT Age Limit for General Category

There is no CAT age limit for applicants from the General category. This means that anyone can appear for this entrance exam at any age, provided they make sure that they fulfil the CAT educational qualification and other eligibility.

CAT Age Limit for OBC

Similar to the General category, there is no age limit for the applicants belonging to the Other Backwards Classes non-creamy layer (NC-OBC) category. Candidates must ensure that they fulfil the educational qualification to be able to sit for the CAT exam 2025.

CAT Age Limit for SC/ST/EWS and PwD

There is no fixed age limit for candidates belonging to SC, ST, EWS and PwD sections. All can appear provided they fulfil the educational criteria.

CAT Age Limit for IIMs

Candidates taking the CAT exam aim to get into IIMs, as they are considered to be the best management institutions in the country. Everything about the IIMs is a league apart, from infrastructure to placements to the extended worldwide alumni network. Age limit can be a question for candidates wanting to go for IIM. As a matter of fact, the IIMs do not have any prescribed age limit.

Also Read: MBA Admission Process 2025-27

CAT Age Limit for Working Professionals

Working professionals aspiring to take the CAT exam might wonder if age is a barrier to their dream MBA. To their knowledge, there is no age limit for the CAT entrance exam specified, even for working professionals. IIMs have special MBA programs for working professionals. The work experience of the working professional works as an added advantage for their application to the IIMs and other top MBA/PGDM colleges.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: Is 70 a good score in CAT?
A:

A 70 percentile in the CAT exam is considered to be a moderate score that is not ideal for the top-tier IIMS. However, they can still provide access to a good number of reputable Tier 2 and Tier 3 schools with solid MBA programs. 

Q: What is the maximum age limit to give CAT?
A:

There is no maximum age limit for a candidate willing to take the CAT exam. As long as the candidate meets the prescribed CAT eligibility criteria specified by the exam conducting body they are good to go.

Q: How many times can I give the CAT exam?
A:

There is no restriction on the number of attempts that a candidate has for the CAT exams. That means a candidate can give as many attempts as they want for the CAT exam. To get admission through CAT, a candidate must qualify for the CAT cutoff required by the college.

Q: What is a good score for CAT?
A:

A good CAT score will depend on the college that a candidate aims for. If the goal is to pursue an MBA from IIMs then a good score would be percentile between 98-99.9. Other than IIMs a percentile between 90-99 would be considered good enough.

Q: What are the eligibility criteria for CAT?
A:

The eligibility criteria for CAT specify that a candidate must have a bachelor’s degree in any stream from a UGC-recognized college with at least 50% marks or equivalent CGPA (45% for reserved category candidates). Final-year students are also eligible given they satisfy the eligibility criteria at the time of admissions.

Q: Can I give a CAT exam at the age of 40?
A:

Yes, anyone at the age of 40 can take the CAT exam, as there is no upper age limit. Although the candidate must hold a standard qualification to be eligible to apply for the CAT exam. Many people in their late 30s or 40s take the CAT exam for their professional and personal growth. 

Q: Is there a limit on CAT attempts?
A:

No, there is no limit on the number of CAT attempts as the candidate can appear for the exam any number of times. 

Q: How many CAT attempts are allowed?
A:

There is no limit to the number of times you can attempt the Common Admission Test (CAT), as the CAT exam authority does not have any restriction on the number of attempts. One can appear for the exam as many times as needed to achieve the desired score.

Q: Is 70 a good score in CAT?
A:

A 70 percentile in the CAT exam is considered to be a moderate score that is not ideal for the top-tier IIMS. However, they can still provide access to a good number of reputable Tier 2 and Tier 3 schools with solid MBA programs. 

Q: How many CAT attempts are allowed?
A:

There is no limit to the number of times you can attempt the Common Admission Test (CAT), as the CAT exam authority does not have any restriction on the number of attempts. One can appear for the exam as many times as needed to achieve the desired score.

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Questions related to CAT

On Question asked by student community

Have a question related to CAT ?

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.

Good Morning,

NIT Rourkela CAT cutoff range is between 70-85 percentiles for the general category. 70 is the minimum percentile needed to apply, and 85 is the highest percentile. However, the maximum percentile depends on the particular year competition. It can be changed.

Thank You.

If you filled the UGC NET form under EWS but you don’t have a valid EWS certificate, then forget using the EWS category. They won’t accept it. You’ll automatically be treated as General category during document verification.


And no, this won’t make your form “invalid” or “illegal.” It just means you won’t get the EWS benefit.


So yes — you can still go for General category posts and Professor recruitment. Just don’t try to submit a fake/invalid certificate; that will get you disqualified.

Hello,
If your CAT admit card shows your surname first followed by your first name as entered in the form, it is correct. You do not need to worry about this format as long as it matches the details you provided. Ensure all other information on the admit card is accurate and carry it to the exam along with the required identification documents.
Hope this helps you.