CAT 2025 Reservation Policy: Category-Wise Seats, Fees, Eligibility & Documents Required

CAT 2025 Reservation Policy: Category-Wise Seats, Fees, Eligibility & Documents Required

Ongoing Event

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

Alen Tom ShajiUpdated on 06 Nov 2025, 03:51 PM IST

CAT 2025 Reservation: CAT 2025 reservation policy follows the regulation of the Indian government. According to that 27% of IIM MBA seats are allotted for OBC candidates, 15% for SC, 7.5% for ST, and up to 10% of seats are reserved for EWS candidates. Meanwhile, 5% of seats are reserved for PwD candidates according to the CAT 2025 reservation policy set by the Ministry of Education, Govt. of India. Indian Institute of Management follows the CAT reservation policy for offering IIM MBA seats. Read this article to know about the CAT exam reservation policy, CAT reservation fees and CAT reservation documents.

CAT 2025 Reservation Criteria

This Story also Contains

  1. CAT Reservation 2025 : Documents Required
  2. CAT 2025 Reservation : List of Documents
  3. CAT 2025 Reservation Fees
  4. IIM Admission Reservation Criteria 2025
  5. CAT Reservation 2025 for General Category
  6. CAT 2025 Reservation for OBC Category
  7. CAT Reservation 2025 for SC/ST Category
  8. CAT Reservation 2025 for PWD Category
  9. CAT Reservation 2025: Eligibility Criteria
  10. IIM Admission 2025-2027: Category wise Class Composition
CAT 2025 Reservation Policy: Category-Wise Seats, Fees, Eligibility & Documents Required
CAT Reservation

The reservation in the CAT 2025 exam, IIM reservation policy and list of documents are available on the CAT 2025 official website, iimcat.ac.in and also mentioned in the CAT notification 2025. The category-wise CAT 2025 reservation certificates needed to be submitted for the CAT reservation 2025 verification.

CAT 2025 Reservation Policy and Certificates

Category

Reserved Percentage

CAT 2025 Reservation Certificates

NC-OBC (Non-Creamy Other Backward Classes)

27%

NC-OBC Certificate

SC (Scheduled Caste)

15%


SC/ST Certificate

ST (Scheduled Tribe)

7.5%

Economically Weaker Sections (EWS)

up to 10%

EWS Certificate

PwD (Person with Disability)*

5%


  • PWD Certificate Form 5
  • PWD Certificate Form 6
  • PWD Certificate Form 7

*Based on the physical disability, candidates can download and fill out any one of the forms to avail of the seats under the CAT exam reservation for the PwD category.

Check out: IIM Admission Criteria

CAT Reservation 2025 : Documents Required

To verify the category of the applicants, it is necessary to submit the relevant documents as proof of category certificate and income certificate. The certificate must be collected from the government officials. A copy of the category/caste certificates must be submitted at the time of document verification in front of the admission cell of the institution. The candidate must carry the original CAT reservation 2025 documents for verification. If the candidates fail to submit the CAT exam documents, the admission process of the candidates will be cancelled.

CAT 2025 Reservation : List of Documents

Candidates must be ready with the following CAT exam reservation documents to apply for the CAT 2025 and further rounds of the admission process. The below documents are to be uploaded at the time of CAT 2025 registration in the prescribed size and format.

  • ID proof
  • OBC Certificate (applicable for OBC candidates only)
  • SC Certificate (applicable for SC candidates only)
  • ST Certificate (applicable for ST candidates only)
  • EWS Certificate (applicable for economically backward candidates only)
  • Disability certificate (applicable for specially challenged candidates only)
  • Income certificate
  • Identification affidavit
  • Scribe EducationalQualifications Affidavit
  • Academic certificates
  • CAT authorisation form
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Browse for the Reservation in CAT 2025 Cut off Marks (Category-Wise)

CAT 2025 Reservation Fees

As per the CAT 2025 registration policy, there are no additional fees to be paid for the CAT registration to apply under any category. Based on the category where candidates are in can fill out the CAT application form. The below table the CAT registration fees to be paid by the candidates from various categories.

Category

CAT 2025 Exam Fees

General/OBC/EWS

Rs. 2600

SC/ST/PWD

Rs. 1300

Also Read: How to fill out CAT 2025 application form

IIM Admission Reservation Criteria 2025

Indian Institute of Management reserves seats for the reserved candidates from SC, ST, OBC, EWS and PWD categories. Based on the IIM reservation policy, candidates from these categories also get reservations in the CAT cut off marks and a relaxation of 5% of marks in the bachelor's degree to get shortlisted for the next rounds of IIM Admission criteria.

See also: IIM Fees for MBA

CAT Reservation 2025 for General Category

There is no reservation for the general candidates in applying for the CAT exam, CAT 2025 cutoff marks and MBA admission criteria. As per the Government of India reservation policy, the candidates from the general category are not eligible for any reservation in getting seats at IIMs. General candidates can get the IIM MBA admission straightforwardly only without any reservation in the CAT exam.

CAT 2025 Reservation for OBC Category

CAT 2025 exam reservation for the OBC candidates is 27%. The reservation policy for the non-creamy layer backward class is mentioned in the CAT notification 2025. CAT reservation for OBC category is fully dependent on the central list of state-wise OBCs eligible for the reservation. For the latest updates on the Central Government list of OBC candidates, applicants can visit the official website of National Commission for Backward Classes - ncbc.nic.in. before filling out the NC OBC Certificate for CAT 2025.

CAT Reservation 2025 for SC/ST Category

The CAT reservation 2025 for SC and ST categories is 15% and 7.5% respectively. The candidates who meet the MBA eligibility criteria and submit the SC/ST certificate documents will get the benefits of IIM admission under the SC/ST category. Candidates from SC or ST categories can use the same certificate as proof to submit before the authorities of IIM MBA admission for reservation in CAT exam.

CAT Reservation 2025 for PWD Category

As per the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 Government of India, candidates with disabilities irrespective of any category will get 5% of seats for the IIM MBA admission. Based on the physical disability of the applicant, candidates can fill out the certificate from the CAT official website and attest it by the notified medical authority. The physical disabilities considered for the CAT exam under the CAT 2025 reservation policy for PwD category are below:

  • Blindness or low vision
  • Deaf
  • Locomotor disability
  • Autism or intellectual disability
  • Other disabilities are mentioned under 'The Schedule' of the RPwD Act 2016.
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CAT Reservation 2025: Eligibility Criteria

To apply for the CAT exam, the applicants must fulfil the minimum CAT eligibility requirements as mentioned below. The candidates who failed to meet the MBA eligibility requirements will not be allowed to attend the CAT 2025 exam.

  • Candidates from the general category must have a 3 year bachelor’s degree from an approved university with 50% of the minimum aggregate of marks.
  • As per the reservation in CAT exam, Candidates from the reserved category are eligible to apply for the CAT exam with 45% marks from a bachelor’s degree as minimum aggregate.

IIM Admission 2025-2027: Category wise Class Composition

IIMSGeneralEWSNC-OBCSCSTPwD
IIM Ahmedabad18920103573016
IIM Bangalore20150138773920
IIM Calcutta23391307235-

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: What are the CAT reservation percentages for different categories of candidates?
A:

The CAT 2024 exam follows the reservation criteria set by the Government of India. The CAT reservation policy says 27% for OBC, 15% for SC, 10% for EWS, 7.5% for ST and 5% for PWD.

Q: What documents are required for CAT reservations 2024?
A:

Candidates who meet the CAT reservation criteria will get the favours in the CAT registration and IIM admission process. It is mandatory to submit the valid and latest documents given by the government authority to verify the candidate's category, income certificate for EWS and disability certificate for PwD applicants.

Q: How does the CAT reservation policy affect CAT cut off and IIM MBA admissions?
A:

Reserved candidates have to meet low CAT cut off marks compared to the general category. However, candidates from all categories must obtain minimum qualifying marks for the CAT exam. The CAT reservation policy is considered while releasing the shortlist and final IIM MBA admission offer letter.

Q: Can a candidate apply under both OBC and EWS categories for CAT 2024?
A:

No, the applicants can do the CAT registration 2024 only under one 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.