Great Lakes - PGDM & PGPM Admissions 2026
Admissions Open | Globally Recognized by AACSB (US) & AMBA (UK) | 17.3 LPA Avg. CTC for PGPM 2024
CAT Application Date:01 Aug' 25 - 13 Sep' 25
CAT (Common Admission Test) is one of the most reputed and anticipated MBA entrance exams in India. The CAT exam is the gateway for aspiring candidates to the prestigious IIMs and other top rated B schools in the country. The CAT exam is given by more than 2 lakh candidates every year. The selection of candidates in the IIMs is done based on the specified CAT cutoff. CAT 2025 will be held on November 30, 2025. The number of candidates clearing CAT this year is expected to be in line with earlier trends. Last year, around 2.93 lakh candidates appeared for the CAT 2025 in 3 slots as per the report from CAT officials. The candidates clearing the CAT exam account for less than 10 per cent of the total candidates that appear for the CAT examination every year.
No, the Common Admission Test (CAT) is not held two times a year. The exam is conducted only once around November every year for admissions to MBA programmes in IIMs and other participating institutes.
The total number of candidates that clear the CAT examination is roughly around 10,000. This number is less than ten per cent of the total candidates given the total number of candidates appearing for the CAT exam crosses two lakhs (approximately) every year. Out of these candidates, only a handful of the candidates can gain admission into IIMs and other top B schools.
Check out the table below to see the total number of candidates who appeared for the CAT 2025 exam.
Gender | Number of candidates attended the CAT exam |
Male appeared candidates | 1.86 lakhs |
Female appeared candidates | 1.07 lakhs |
Transgender appeared candidates | 5 |
Total candidates appeared in CAT last year | 2.93 lakhs |
Total candidates applied for CAT last year | 3.29 lakhs |
Also See: How Many Students Took CAT Exam?
The marks required to clear the CAT exam vary every year. The marks vary from one institute to another depending on their specified CAT cutoff. The CAT cutoff for different IIMs as well as non-IIMs is given in the table below.
Name of the College | CAT Cutoff 2025 (Expected) |
99-100 | |
99-100 | |
99 | |
97+ | |
97+ | |
97-98 | |
95+ | |
95+ | |
95+ | |
94 | |
94 | |
94 | |
94 | |
92 | |
92 | |
92 | |
90 | |
95 | |
95 | |
99 | |
94 | |
98+ | |
90+ | |
99+ | |
90+ | |
95+ | |
95+ | |
85+ | |
90+ | |
95+ | |
85+ |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Every year, it is estimated that approximately 5,500 students get admitted into 21 IIMs, with the total number of seats across all IIMs being slightly higher.
The CAT exam is given by over 2 lakh candidates every year. The number of students giving the CAT exam varies from 2.5 to 2.9 lakh every year.
The success rate for the CAT exam based on previous year records is around 2%. The success rate for IIMs through CAT is even lesser than that.
The pass percentage of the CAT exam is decided by the individual college. CAT exam also has sectional pass percentage for all three sections. The CAT pass percentage ranges from 60 to 80 for the overall CAT exam.
The CAT cutoff for IIM is between 99 to 100 percentile. This is the CAT percentile at which the final selection of a candidate generally happens. The qualifying CAT percentile for CAT ranges from 70 to 80 depending on the particular IIM. At this percentile a candidate becomes eligible to apply to the particular IIM for its selection process.
On Question asked by student community
Yes, you can pursue an MBA at Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University (BBAU), Lucknow, through the CAT exam.
Eligibility Criteria:
Educational Qualification: A bachelor's degree with at least 50% marks (45% for SC/ST/PwD candidates) from a recognized university.
Entrance Exam: A valid CAT score is required for admission.
Admission Process:
Application: Register online through the BBAU admission portal.
Entrance Exam: Appear for the CAT exam and obtain a valid score.
Counseling: Shortlisted candidates will be called for counseling based on their CAT scores.
Document Verification: Submit necessary documents for verification.
Fee Payment: Complete the fee payment to confirm admission.
Course Details:
Duration: 2 years (full-time).
Specializations: Finance, Marketing, Human Resource Management, among others.
Placement Opportunities:
BBAU has a strong placement record, with top companies recruiting MBA graduates.
For more details and to apply, visit the official BBAU MBA admission page
Hello Amgothu
With 305 marks in ICAR PG and being from ST category, your chances of getting an AIEEA (CAT) seat is good, especially in plant sciences and less competitive subjects
Hello
As you said you by mistakenly done that, you don't need to get worry regarding that ,
Just inform the help desk and carry the correct certifications , the state certificate will not disqualify you .
The steps you can follow is -
1. You can check if the correction window is available or not
2. Contact the CAT desk immediately.
Hope this helps
In CAT registration, you cannot create a new user ID with the same mobile number, even if you use a different email ID. Each mobile number and email can be linked to only one account. If you already registered once, the system will not accept a duplicate with that number. To register again, you must use a new mobile number and new email ID. If you lost your old login, you can recover it through the forgot password/user ID option on the CAT portal.
Yes, you can fill the CAT form even if you currently have a backlog. CAT eligibility requires you to be in your final year of graduation or already graduated backlogs don’t stop you from applying.
While filling the form:
Enter the aggregate percentage/CGPA of marks you have obtained up to the latest semester for which results are declared (in your case till 4th semester).
There will be an option to mention that you have a backlog.
If you clear the backlog later, you’ll just need to show the updated marks during admission.
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