The eligibility criteria are the requirements that the candidate must fulfill to be eligible to apply for the exam. Candidates must check the eligibility criteria before applying for the CAT examination. Only candidates who meet the eligibility criteria can apply for the exam. This article will give you complete information regarding the CAT Eligibility Criteria 2024.
Understanding CAT Eligibility for 2024
Overview of CAT Eligibility Criteria
To appear for the CAT entrance exam in 2024, candidates must meet certain eligibility criteria regarding their qualifications. Here’s a breakdown:
- Qualification: Bachelor’s Degree
- Educational Requirement: Must hold a Bachelor’s degree.
- Marks in Graduation: 50% (General Category), 45% for SC/ST, and Differently Abled (DA) candidates.
- Work Experience: Not Compulsory
- Reservation: As per category
Now, let’s delve deeper into the requirements for CAT eligibility to gain admission to top B-schools in India.
Educational Qualifications for CAT Exam Eligibility
Candidates aiming to appear for the CAT exam must meet the educational criteria outlined for 2024. Here’s what you need to know:
- Bachelor’s degree completion with at least 50% for General Category and NC-OBC and 45% for SC/ST/PwD candidates.
- The degree must be from a university recognized by the MHRD.
- If the university uses grades or CGPA, candidates must convert them to percentages per university guidelines.
Calculating CAT Eligibility Marks
The calculation of marks for CAT eligibility follows these steps:
- Universities/institutes have their criteria for assigning graduation marks.
- If the university provides grades or CGPA, use their conversion method. Otherwise, directly convert CGPA to percentage.
Eligibility of Final Year Students
Final year students should note:
- They are eligible for CAT.
- Upon selection, they must clear their bachelor’s degree and provide proof.
- Failure to meet this requirement will nullify their admission results.
- The proportion of freshers versus candidates with work experience in CAT typically ranges between 40% and 60%. Consequently, many final year students take the CAT exam each year.
How to Fill the CAT Application Form?
Documents Required for Final Year Students
- Final-year students must provide additional documents to meet CAT eligibility criteria since they don’t yet have their final degree certificates.
- These documents must be signed by authorized personnel to verify that the candidate has achieved over 50% marks in their course.
Work Experience and CAT Eligibility
- While the CAT application form includes a section for work experience, it’s not mandatory for appearing in the exam.
- Work experience is considered during the later stages of admission to IIMs but does not affect CAT scores or eligibility.
Differences Between CAT Exam and IIM Eligibility
- While both CAT Exam and IIM eligibility criteria align in some aspects, there are minor differences.
- For example, while CAT accepts a 2-year bachelor’s degree, IIMs require a 3-year bachelor’s degree for their Management Programs.
Ineligibility for CAT Exam
- Candidates who haven’t completed their bachelor’s degree or failed to meet the qualifying marks are ineligible for CAT.
- Graduation from a university not recognized by UGC/AICTE/MHRD renders candidates ineligible.
Reservation of Seats
- CAT follows government policies regarding reservations for underprivileged categories, including SC, ST, OBC, EWS, and PwD.
- Separate categories and reservation percentages are allocated for each group, with specific disability criteria.
| Category | Reservation |
|---|---|
| Scheduled Caste | 15% |
| Scheduled Tribe | 7.5% |
| Other Backward Classes of NC-OBC | 27% |
| Economically Weaker Section | Up to 10% |
| Person with Disability | 5% |
CAT Eligibility Criteria Key Points 2024
We advise all the candidates to check the CAT Eligibility Criteria before filling CAT Application Form. Here we are proving the Eligibility Criteria:
- Candidates should have a bachelor’s degree in any stream from recognized universities or boards.
- For General and OBC graduates, Candidates must have a minimum of 50% marks, and for SC/ST/PWD graduates, they must have a minimum of 45% marks.
- There is no age limit.
- CA/CS/ICWA professional degree holders are also eligible to apply.
- Appearing candidates may also apply for CAT Exam.
- Candidates appearing in the final year of the qualifying exam or who have completed the degree requirements and waiting for the result are also eligible to apply.
- Candidates belonging to the reserved categories must carefully note the eligibility requirements before applying. It should be noted that while it is the endeavor of IIMs that the candidates belonging to SC/ST/PWD/NC-OBC categories join the Program in proportions mandated by the law, they have to meet the minimum eligibility criteria and a certain minimum level of performance to be considered for the admission process.
- IIMs may verify eligibility at various stages of the selection process, the details of which are provided at the website www.iimcat.ac.in. Applicants should note that the mere fulfillment of minimum eligibility criteria will not ensure consideration for shortlisting by IIMs. Candidates must declare and maintain a valid and unique email account and phone number throughout selection.
Conclusion
Understanding CAT exam eligibility criteria and required documents is crucial before CAT preparation.
Candidates should have the necessary documents for CAT registration and subsequent admission processes.
In this post, we explain the eligibility criteria in detail for you!
All the best for your exams!
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