Amity University-Noida MBA Admissions 2026
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The Common Admission Test (CAT) is one of the most competitive MBA entrance examinations in India. Every year, lakhs of management aspirants appear for CAT to secure admission to the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and other leading B-schools. After the announcement of the CAT 2025 results, one of the most searched questions among MBA aspirants is how many students appeared for CAT 2025.
This article explains the CAT 2025 candidate statistics in detail, including total registrations, number of students who actually appeared for the exam, attendance trends, and comparisons with previous years.
As per the data released by the CAT conducting authority, IIM Kozhikode, around 2.58 lakh candidates appeared for the CAT 2025 examination across all three slots. The CAT 2025 exam was conducted on November 30, 2025, in multiple test centres across India.
Although nearly 2.88 lakh candidates registered for CAT 2025, not all registered candidates appeared for the examination. This gap between registrations and actual attendance is observed every year.
The CAT 2025 participation data can be summarised as follows:
Total candidates registered for CAT 2025: approximately 2.88 lakh
Total candidates who appeared for CAT 2025: approximately 2.58 lakh
Absentee rate: around 10 to 11 percent
The attendance percentage for CAT 2025 remained high, indicating consistent interest in MBA and PGDM programmes across the country.
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Every year, a section of registered candidates does not appear for the CAT exam. Some of the common reasons include:
Candidates opting for other MBA entrance exams
Inadequate preparation or lack of confidence
Personal or health-related issues
Change in academic or career plans
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Despite these factors, CAT continues to record one of the highest attendance rates among national-level entrance examinations.
CAT 2025 was conducted in three slots: morning, afternoon, and evening. The number of candidates was almost evenly distributed across all three sessions to ensure fairness and normalisation.
On average, each slot accommodated more than 85,000 candidates. The exam was held in over 400 cities, making CAT 2025 one of the largest computer-based examinations conducted in India.
A comparison with previous years highlights the growth in the number of CAT test-takers:
CAT 2024: approximately 2.54 lakh candidates appeared
CAT 2023: approximately 2.22 lakh candidates appeared
CAT 2022: approximately 2.22 lakh candidates appeared
CAT 2021: approximately 1.92 lakh candidates appeared
The data indicates that CAT 2025 recorded one of the highest numbers of appearing candidates in the history of the examination.
The large number of candidates appearing for CAT 2025 reflects several trends in management education:
Increasing competition for IIM and top MBA colleges
Strong demand for MBA and PGDM programmes
Greater awareness of CAT among students and working professionals
Rising importance of management education for long-term career growth
With nearly 2.6 lakh candidates competing for a limited number of seats, CAT 2025 remained highly competitive.
A higher number of appearing candidates usually results in:
Higher cutoffs for top IIMs and leading MBA colleges
Increased competition in the 90 percentile and above range
Greater emphasis on academic profile, work experience, and diversity during shortlisting
Candidates seeking admission to top MBA institutes for the 2026–28 batch are expected to face intense competition during the selection process.
Approximately 2.58 lakh students appeared for CAT 2025, making it one of the most competitive CAT examinations so far. With registrations close to 2.9 lakh, CAT continues to attract a large pool of MBA aspirants every year.
Understanding participation trends helps candidates realistically assess competition levels and prepare better for upcoming MBA admission cycles.
On Question asked by student community
If by OC you mean Open Category/General category in India, and you have 95%+ throughout your academics (Class 10, Class 12, and graduation) , then your CAT percentile target depends on the B-schools you're aiming for.
Here's a general guideline:
| Target B-school | Safe CAT Percentile (General Category) |
|---|---|
| Indian Institute of |
Hello,
Getting an MBBS seat in Karnataka with 460 marks is quite difficult, even if you belong to Category 1, Ex-serviceman, and HK category in government colleges. However, you have a good chance of getting a seat in the private medical colleges through the government-quota seats in private medical colleges.
Hello Dear Student,
Yes, you have a very strong chance of securing a 'Category-A' (convenor quota) BDS seat at the Panineeya Institute of Dental Sciences in Hyderabad with 377 marks.
You can check, find and access more information here:
https://medicine.careers360.com/articles/re-neet-2026-safe-score-for-bds
Hope it helps!
Hello Dear Student,
Low-Tier IIIT CSE vs Jadavpur University B.Arch (for MBA Aspirants)
If your primary goal is to pursue an MBA later, switching from CSE at a lower-tier IIIT to B.Arch at Jadavpur University solely for academic diversity is generally not the best strategy.
B.Arch and MBA Preparation
Hello Dear Student,
EWS eligibility for CAT 2025-26 hinges on current financial records, but a renewed certificate is required for final IIM admissions. If future income exceeds the 8 lakh threshold, candidates will likely lose EWS status and be reclassified to the General category rather than facing seat cancellation.
Hope
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