CAT 2025 Registration at 2.95 Lakh: Exam Trends, Gender Stats & Percentile Insights

CAT 2025 Registration at 2.95 Lakh: Exam Trends, Gender Stats & Percentile Insights

Ongoing Event

CAT Admit Card Date:12 Nov' 25 - 30 Nov' 25

Atul AdeUpdated on 04 Nov 2025, 02:11 PM IST

As per the new CAT 2025 notification, CAT 2025 registration number is 2.95 Lakhs. For all Indian students who are management education aspirants and want to get into the top management schools in India, it is the Common Admission Test (CAT) exam score that holds the key. CAT 2025 is going to be as tough and competitive as its predecessors. Hence, it is imperative that you understand the CAT exam trends really well. By knowing how many people register for the CAT 2025 exam, what scores they get and which subjects are tested more, you can get better insight and prepare smartly to score well.

CAT 2025 Registration at 2.95 Lakh: Exam Trends, Gender Stats & Percentile Insights
CAT application data

This article is all about the evolution of the CAT exam, giving CAT aspirants an in-depth look into the exam. By carefully studying past CAT exam trends, you can set yourself up for a successful career in management.

CAT 2025 Registration: Trends Over the Years

There has been a continuous increase in CAT exam registrations over the years, indicating its popularity and the importance of its scores among management aspirants. Year 2023 witnessed the highest number of registrations – 3.5 lakh. This upward trend emphasises the importance of strategic preparation by CAT aspirants aiming for top B-Schools.

The number of registration has increased around 70 per cent and the number of appeared candidates has increased more than 72 per cent in the span of three years. Let's take a look at the registration data over the past few years:

CAT 2025 Exam Trends: Number of Registrations Over The Years

Year

No. of Applications Registered

No. Of Applicants Appeared

20252.95 Lakh-
20243.29 Lakhs2.93 Lakh

2023

3.5 lakh

2.88 lakh

2022

2.55 lakh

2.22 lakh

2021

2.30 lakhs

1,91,660

2020

2.3 Lakh (Approx)

1.90 lakh

2019

2,44,169

2,09,926

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Management education aspirants saw the evolution of the CAT exam in 2009. It was in this year that the coveted management exam switched to online mode instead of pen and paper for the first time. Such changes in CAT 2025 Exam were a big adjustment for aspirants who were used to marking answers on optical mark recognition (OMR) sheets. The exam duration also increased to two hours and 15 minutes because of the online mode.

CAT Exam Percentile Score: Number and Gender of Candidates

Percentile scores serve as a crucial metric in the CAT exam, determining candidates' relative performance. The table below presents percentile scores alongside the number and gender distribution of candidates. It also gives information on how many toppers belonged to which states within India.

The male dominance is clearly shown in the toppers list, emphasising the need for initiatives to promote gender diversity in management education. Also most of the toppers students came from states like Maharashtra, Delhi and Gujrat etc.


2024

2023

2022

Overall Percentile

Total Numbers


Total Gender

numbers


Total State Wise Numbers


Total Numbers

Total Gender

numbers

Total State Wise Numbers

Total Numbers

Total Gender

numbers

Total State Wise Numbers

100

14Female - 1
Male -
13

1 – Andhra Pradesh

1 - Delhi

1 Haryana

1- Kerala

1- Madhya Pradesh

5- Maharashtra

1- Odisha

2- Telangana

1- Uttar Pradesh


14 - Nos

All Males

1 – Andhra Pradesh

1 - Delhi

1 – Gujarat

1 – Jammu & Kashmir

1 - Karnataka

1 - Kerala

4 – Maharashtra

1 – Tamil Nadu

2 - Telangana

1 - Uttar Pradesh

11 - Nos

All Males

2 - Delhi

1 - Gujarat

1 - Haryana

1 - Kerala

1 - Madhya Pradesh

2 - Maharashtra

2 - Telangana

1 - Uttar Pradesh

99.99




29 - Nos

Male-28

Female-01

1 – Bihar

7 - Delhi

2 – Haryana

4 4 - Karnataka

9 - Maharashtra

1 - Tamil Nadu

2 - Telangana

2 - Uttar Pradesh

1 - West Bengal

22 - Nos

Male-21

Female-01

2 - Delhi

3 - Gujarat

2 - Karnataka

3 - Madhya Pradesh

3 - Maharashtra

1 - Punjab

1 - Rajasthan

1 - Tamil Nadu

1 - Telangana

2 - Uttar Pradesh

3 - West Bengal

99.98




29 - Nos

All Males

1 - Bihar

3 – Delhi

1 - Gujarat

1 - Haryana

1 - Karnataka

1 - Kerala

8 - Maharashtra

1 - Odisha

3 – Rajasthan

1 – Tamil Nadu

3 - Telangana

3 – Uttar Pradesh

2- West Bengal

22 - Nos

Male-19

Female-03

1 - Andhra Pradesh

1 - Bihar

2 - Delhi

2 - Haryana

1 - Karnataka

1 - Kerala

1 - Madhya Pradesh

4 - Maharashtra

2 - Odisha

5 - Rajasthan

1 - Uttar Pradesh

1- West Bengal

Discipline and Percentiles

Discipline-wise performance analysis gives insight into the strengths and weaknesses of candidates across different educational backgrounds. While engineering graduates dominate the top percentiles, non-engineering candidates also demonstrate competitive performance. However, the inclusion of female candidates in engineering disciplines seems like a positive shift towards gender-inclusive education.

Before going for the personal interview round, it will be beneficial to identify which IIM is most suited for your academic journey.

Discipline and Percentiles:

2024

2023

2022

Percentile


Discipline


Discipline


100

Eng -13
Non Eng- 1

Engg – 11

Non-Engg – 3

All Males

Engg – 10

Non-Engg – 1

All Males

99.99

Eng- 28
Non Eng - 1

Engg – 22

Non-Engg - 07

1-Female (Engg)

Engg – 16

Non-Engg - 06

1-Female (Engg)

99.98

Eng 22
Non Engg -8

Engg – 20

Non-Engg -09

All Males

Engg – 15

Non-Engg -07

3-Female (Engg)

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Out of the 3.28 lakhs registered candidates, 36 per cent were females, 64 per cent were males, with a nominal representation from the transgender community. Category-wise distribution showcased varied proportions, with General category candidates comprising the majority with 68 per cent, EWS at 4.8 per cent among other categories. .

CAT in 2022: Among the 2.22 lakh candidates who appeared for the exam, 35 per cent were females, 65 per cent were males, with a marginal representation (just four candidates) from the transgender community.

The CAT exam is one of the most popular and major management entrance exams in India. It is most important to understand the CAT registration trends, percentile distributions, CAT Exam Trends and changes in CAT Exam as these will help you understand your changes at the coveted IIMs and other B-schools which accept CAT scores.

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Questions related to CAT

On Question asked by student community

Have a question related to CAT ?

Hello and thank you for reaching out with your concern. If you have entered an incorrect Date of Birth (DOB) in your CAT 2025 application and the admit card has already been released, please don’t worry. First, carefully check the official CAT website for any instructions regarding correction of errors after the admit card is generated. Usually, changes to personal details like DOB are not permitted once the admit card is issued, but you should contact the CAT helpdesk or exam authorities immediately through their official email or helpline.

Hi there,

You have to apply separately for each symbiosis college, like SIBM Pune, as they as not automatically included. The CAT form automatically includes many IIMs, but the SNAP exam is a separate test that is given for admission to Symbiosis Institute, which requires its own separate application and fee.

Hope it helps!!!

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Hello,

To get admitted to the Institute of Management Studies (IMS), BHU, for an MBA in 2026, you must clear the CAT entrance exam. For that you need to fill out the application form of the CAT in August 2026, which you can get on the Official CAT website

I hope it will clear your query!!

Hello

You can get all the papers on the Careers360 website. To access the paper and download it for practice, just visit here:

https://design.careers360.com/articles/nift-cat-2024-question-paper-with-solutions

Hope it will help you!!