CAT Attempt Limit 2025: How Many Times Can You Take the CAT Exam?

CAT Attempt Limit 2025: How Many Times Can You Take the CAT Exam?

Ongoing Event

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

Team Careers360Updated on 18 Jun 2025, 10:09 AM IST

The CAT attempt limit is not specified. The CAT (Common Admission Test) is held once every year for admission to IIMs and other top-rated MBA/PGDM colleges. CAT 2025 will be held on November 30, 2025. There is no specific CAT attempt limit, which is a relieving factor as the CAT exam itself puts a bit of pressure on the aspirants. The CAT attempt limit might not be there, but the candidates should go for a CAT exam maximum attempt of 2 (3 in rare cases), as it does take a toll on the personal and professional life of the candidate.

CAT Attempt Limit 2025: How Many Times Can You Take the CAT Exam?
CAT Attempt Limit

CAT Attempt Limit for Different Categories

For candidates belonging to different categories, there is no CAT attempt limit specified. The eligibility criteria, however, differ slightly for different categories. The CAT eligibility criteria for different categories are given in the table below.

Category

CAT Eligibility Criteria

CAT Exam Attempt Limit

General

Bachelor’s Degree with 50% marks or equivalent CGPA from a UGC-recognized institute.

Unlimited

SC/ST/PwD

Bachelor’s Degree with 45% marks or equivalent CGPA from a UGC-recognized institute.

Unlimited

CAT Attempt Limit for IIM Admission 2025-27

The IIMs have not prescribed any CAT exam attempt limit as part of their eligibility criteria. The candidates across all age groups are shortlisted based on their CAT 2025 percentiles. To get shortlisted candidates need to have a CAT percentile at par with the CAT cutoff for a particular IIM. For final selection, the candidate needs to perform well in the group discussion (GD) and personal interview (PI) rounds.

Candidates having work experience in significant roles have the chance to make their profile stand out among other applicants. Work experience is not mandatory as per the eligibility criteria of the IIMs.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: How many times can CAT be taken?
A:

The CAT exam can be taken by the candidates for any number of times they wish to. There is no specified number of CAT attempts limit barring a candidate. The CAT exam is held once every year by one of the IIMs. The CAT score is accepted by different IIMs and top management institutes across the country.

Q: What is the validity of the CAT score?
A:

The validity of the CAT score is one year from the date of declaration. The valid CAT score for admission will be acceptable by a college for a given academic year only. For the next year, candidates will be required to take the CAT exam for a valid CAT score.

Q: What is the fee for the CAT exam?
A:

The registration fee for the CAT exam is Rs. 2400 for General Category candidates and Rs. 1200 for candidates belonging to reserved categories. The CAT exam fee can be paid online through various modes like credit/debit cards, net banking, and UPI.

Q: Which is the best IIM in India?
A:

IIM Ahmedabad is considered to be the best IIM in India. It has the highest CAT cutoffs among the peer IIMs. As per the NIRF ranking, IIM Ahmedabad bagged the number one spot for colleges in the management category.

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Questions related to CAT

On Question asked by student community

Have a question related to CAT ?

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!!

Hello dear candidate,

Yes, you have a very good chance of getting a BPT seat with 488 out of 600 and TS EAMCET rank of 14,000 under the ST category.

As the cut off of BPT for ST category students are generally between 25,000 to 45,000 ranks, depending upon the college and you have TS EAMCET rank of 14,000.

Thank you.