CAT Notification 2025 OUT: 10 Things You Must Note

CAT 2025 Notification Release Date

CAT notification is out — the moment every MBA aspirant has been waiting for! As per the CAT 2025 notification released by IIM Kozhikode, the notification is live on the official website, iimcat.ac.in. The CAT 2025 exam will be conducted on November 30, 2025 and the CAT registrations will start from August 1, 2025. Furthermore, the CAT exam will be conducted in a computer-based test mode.

Take a look at the following CAT 2025 notification which as been released in the newspaper.

CAT 2025 Conducting Body

As per the CAT exam 2025 will be held on November 30, 2025 and will be conducted by IIM Kozhikode, following the traditional rotation system where different IIMs take turns every year to conduct the CAT exam. The institution will be responsible for handling everything, from registration to result declaration.

The conducting body of CAT 2025 is responsible for playing a huge role in setting the exam tone, exam pattern, and even how efficiently the exam will be conducted.

CAT 2025 Exam Dates Confirmed

With the wait over, the CAT 2025 exam date has officially been confirmed in the notification released by IIM Kozhikode. The CAT exam will be held on November 30, 2025 and will be conducted in three slots: Morning, Afternoon and Evening.

As mentioned earlier, CAT will be a computer-based test (CBT) conducted across 170+ cities in India. Therefore, candidates select their preferred cities during the registration process.

CAT 2025 Registration Starts Soon!

The countdown to CAT 2025 registration has started. As per the official CAT 2025 notification released, the CAT registration process will begin on August 1, 2025, which will exclusively start on the official website — iimcat.ac.in. All candidates will have until the third week of September 2025 to fill out the application form, upload documents and pay the CAT 2025 exam fees.

CAT 2025 Application Fee

The official CAT 2025 notification from IIM Kozhikode confirms the CAT application fee structure for the upcoming MBA entrance exam. All candidates must keep in mind that the CAT registration fee once paid is non-refundable and must be paid only - via credit/debit card, net banking or UPI.

Here are the CAT registration fees that must be paid at the time of filling out the CAT registration form.

CAT 2025 Eligibility Criteria

As per the CAT 2025 notification by IIM Kozhikode, CAT 2025 eligibility criteria have been finalised. All aspirants planning to take the CAT exam must ensure that they go through the eligibility criteria before registering.

• All candidates must hold a Bachelor’s degree (any discipline) from a UGC/AICTE recognised university in India. Candidates with professional degrees such as CA, CS, ICWA, and PIAI are also eligible for the CAT exam.

• Aspirants who come from General/NC-OBC/EWS categories will need at least 50% aggregate marks (or an equivalent CGPA). Candidates from SC/ST/PwD categories must have a minimum of 45% aggregate marks.

• In case you are in the final year of your undergraduate or awaiting your results, you are eligible — but your admission will be provisional. To further pursue your MBA, you will need to provide a certificate from your University’s Principle or Registrar confirming that you will complete your degree requirements within the given stipulated timeframe.

• Finally, there is no set age limit and no cap on the number of attempts that a candidate can take. One can take the CAT exam as many times as you wish or at any stage of their career.

CAT 2025 Exam Pattern

IM CAT is known for never releasing the official CAT exam pattern. Candidates can get an idea of the same by going through previous year question papers. The CAT exam follows an MCQ and non-MCQ format and is conducted for a duration of 120 minutes. The total number of questions would be around 66 to 68, with a sectional time limit of 40 minutes for each section. The CAT exam will be divided into three sections: VARC, DILR and QA.

CAT 2025 Admit Card Release

Based on the official CAT 2025 notification released by IIM Kozhikode, the CAT 2025 admit card will be issued starting November 5, 2025 till November 30, 2025.

Here are the following steps to find out how you can download the CAT 2025 admit card:

• Go to the official CAT website, iimcat.ac.in.

• Log in using your CAT registration ID and password.

• Next, you will need to navigate to the option ‘Download Admit Card’ and follow the prompts.

Once you have downloaded the CAT 2025 admit card, you will need to verify the following details:

• Candidate’s name, photograph, signature

• Registration number, DOB

• CAT exam date, slot & reporting time

• Assigned test centre address

• Exam day instructions and identification requirements are mentioned on the back of the CAT admit card.

CAT 2025 Answer Key & Release Date

The provisional answer key and individual response sheets will be released in the first week of January 2026, just a few days after the CAT exam.

To view your CAT 2025 result, all candidates will need to log in to the official CAT website to download their answer key and compare responses. Following the release of the result, an objection window will be open for 3-4 days post-release, which will allow candidates to challenge any discrepancy that one might have by paying the fees per objection.

The final CAT answer key, after considering all valid objections, will be published by the third week of December 2025.

Top Colleges Accepting CAT Scores

There are many prestigious institutions, which include IIMs and top IITs, accept CAT scores for pursuing MBA programs. Take a look at the following list which enlists top colleges accepting CAT scores.