How Many Students Clear CAT Exam Every Year?

How Many Students Clear CAT Exam Every Year?

Team Careers360Updated on 29 Aug 2025, 10:29 AM IST

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.

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Fore School of Management fee structureCAT 2025: FORE School of Management fee structure. (Image: Official website)

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How Many Students Clear CAT Exam Every Year?
How Many Students Clear CAT Exam

Total Candidates clearing the CAT Exam

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.

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Students Took the CAT Exam: Statistics (Last Year's)

Check out the table below to see the total number of candidates who appeared for the CAT 2025 exam.

GenderNumber of candidates attended the CAT exam
Male appeared candidates1.86 lakhs
Female appeared candidates1.07 lakhs
Transgender appeared candidates5
Total candidates appeared in CAT last year2.93 lakhs
Total candidates applied for CAT last year3.29 lakhs
CAT 2025 Percentile Predictor
Use the CAT Percentile Predictor to estimate your score, gauge your performance, and know your chances of getting shortlisted by IIMs.
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Also See: How Many Students Took CAT Exam?

Marks required to clear the 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.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: What is the success rate of CAT?
A:

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.

Q: What is the pass percentage of the CAT exam?
A:

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.

Q: How many students give the CAT every year?
A:

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.

Q: What is the CAT cutoff for IIM?
A:

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.

Q: How many students get into IIM every year?
A:

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. 

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Questions related to CAT

On Question asked by student community

Have a question related to CAT ?

Hello,

If your CAT admit card DOB is different from your Aadhaar card DOB, here is what you should do step by step:

  • Check CAT Admit Card Instructions
  • Contact CAT Helpdesk Immediately
  • Carry Supporting Documents - On exam day, carry Aadhaar card plus another ID proof (like PAN card, Passport, or School Certificate) to avoid issues.

If the error is in Aadhaar, apply for correction at an Aadhaar Seva Kendra.

If the error is in CAT application/admit card, only IIM CAT authorities can correct it. That’s why contacting them is essential.

Hope you undserstand.

Hello,

Here are Documents Required for CUSAT CAT (NRI Quota):

  1. Academic Documents includes (Class 10-mark sheet, Class 12-mark sheet, Transfer Certificate)
  2. NRI Sponsorship Documents
  3. Other Supporting Documents (Candidate’s passport, Proof of residence abroad)

To know more access below mentioned link:

https://engineering.careers360.com/articles/cusat-cat-application-form

Hope it helps.

You can get the previous year's CUSAT CAT papers in pdf format sample papers from careers360 article. Follow the link given below from careers360 to get the the CUSAT CAT previous years question papers.

Link- https://engineering.careers360.com/articles/cusat-cat-sample-papers

Hello,

Since the CAT application form correction window is closed, you must contact the CAT help desk immediately to explain the situation, as you can't edit a wrong date of birth after submission. If it's a major error like date of birth, you may need to go to the exam center with proof and the correct admit card, although getting it corrected before the exam date is the most important first step.

I hope it will clear your query!!

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!!!