CAT Entrance Exam 2023: Every year Indian Institute of Management (IIM), conducts the Common Admission Test (CAT) for admission to B-Schools. CAT 2023 will be conducted across 156 cities by IIM Lucknow across the country and as an estimated, more than 2.5 lakh candidates are going to appear for CAT 2023 Exam. The graduates who have been looking for admission to various Post Graduate and Fellow/Doctorate programmes at various IIMs & Non-IIMs institutes have to mandatorily qualify CAT Exam which is one of the top MBA Entrance Exam.
CAT Entrance Exam 2023
The registration process for CAT exam 2023 will start from 01st August 2023 onwards and the last date for online registration is 13th September 2023. The CAT 2023 Exam Date has been decided for 26th November 2023 (three sessions). The validity of the CAT score is for 1 year only. The candidates interested in Common Admission Test must read the details about the Online computer-based examination that has been discussed in the below article. including the registration process, exam date, admit card release date, exam pattern, and more.
CAT Exam 2023 Notification
Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow has uploaded the official notification for the Common Admission Test on its website @iimcat.ac.in on 30th July 2023 for the students planning to grab admission to various Post Graduate and Fellow/Doctorate programmes of IIMs & some of the Non-IIMs institutes. Download the CAT Exam 2023 Notification pdf from the direct link below and read all details regarding the CAT Examination.
CAT 2023 Exam Notification PDF-Click to Download
CAT 2023 Exam Summary
IIM, Ahmedabad will be conducting CAT 2023 Exam for the entrance of graduates to business schools. The candidates interested in CAT Exam should check the below overview table for the exam.
CAT 2023 Examination | |
Exam Conducting Body | Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Lucknow |
Exam Name | Common Admission Test (CAT 2023) |
Courses Offered | Post Graduate and Fellow/Doctorate programmes |
Type of Exam | Entrance Test |
Frequency | Once in a year |
Eligibility | Graduate |
Examination Mode | Online Computer-Based Test |
Sessions | 3 Sessions |
Duration of Exam | 2 hours |
Registration Dates | 02nd August to 13th September 2023 |
Validity of CAT score | 1 year |
No. of Test Centres | 150 cities |
Official website | www.iimcat.ac.in |
CAT 2023 Exam Date
The important dates for the CAT entrance exam 2023 have been released along with its official notification. The online registration for CAT Exam 2023 will start from 02nd August 2023 at 10 am onwards. Common Admission Test CAT 2023 will be conducted in three sessions on 26th November 2023. Check all the important dates for CAT 2023 from the below table.
CAT Exam 2023 Notification | |
CAT 2023 Details | Dates |
CAT 2023 Notification | 30th July 2023 |
CAT Exam 2023 Registration Start | 02nd August 2023 (10 am) |
CAT 2023 Registration Deadline | 13th September 2023 (5 pm) |
CAT Admit Card 2023 | 25th October 2023 |
CAT Exam Date 2023 | 26th November 2023 (Sunday) Session 1: 8:30 am – 10:30 am Session 2: 12:30 pm – 02:30 pm Session 3: 04:30 pm – 06:30 pm |
CAT Answer Key 2023 | December 2023 |
CAT 2023 Solution Key Challenge Process | December 2023 |
CAT 2023 Result Declaration | 2nd week of January 2023 |
CAT Exam 2023 Registration
Interested graduates who have been looking for admission to B-schools must submit their registration form for Common Admission Test for which the registration window will be open from 02nd August 2023 to 13th September 2023. Any application will not be entertained after this date.
Link to Register for CAT 2023 Exam [Inactive]
CAT Exam Fees 2023
The CAT exam registration fees for the candidates of the General category is Rs, 2300 and Rs. 1150 for SC, ST and PwD candidates. During the process of CAT 2023 Registration, the candidate has to pay the required application fee which is to be paid through online mode only (Credit/Debit Card or Net Banking).
Category | Application fee |
General Category | Rs. 2200/- |
SC/ST/PWD Category | Rs. 1100/- |
How to Register for CAT 2023 Exam?
Step-1: Login to the IIM CAT official website @iimcat.ac.in or register from the above link.
Step-2: Click on “Register” mentioned under New Candidate Registration and create a user ID by entering details such as name, date of birth, email ID and phone number.
Step-3: Click on ‘Generate OTP’ and the OTP will be sent to the registered mobile number.
Step-4: Enter the OTP and verify your CAT registration.
Step-5: Now click on ‘Login’ as mentioned under Registered Candidate Login and enter the registration number generated in the previous step.
Step-6: Enter all the information in the application form including personal, academic details, work experience (if any).
Step-7: Upload scanned signature and photograph in the prescribed format.
Step-8 Select a minimum of test cities and preferred IIM campuses for WAT-PI shortlisting
Step-9: Pay CAT application fees online via debit/credit card or net banking and click on “Submit”.
Step-10: Download your CAT 2023 Application Form for future reference.
CAT Exam Eligibility 2023
The courses offered through CAT 2023 are of Post Graduate and Fellow/Doctorate programmes, therefore holding a graduation degree is mandatory. Check the detailed eligibility criteria including educational qualifications from the below section
IIM CAT Academic Qualification
1. Candidates who have scored 50% marks (aggregate) or equivalent CGPA in bachelor’s degree (General) and 45% for SC/ST/people with disabilities are eligible to register for CAT 2023.
2. The candidates who are in the final year of their Graduation or waiting for results are also eligible to appear in the CAT entrance exam.
3. The candidates who have completed their professional degree in CA/CS/ICWA with 50% marks (45% for SC/ST/PwD) can also apply for CAT 2023.
CAT 2023 Exam Pattern
Before beginning with the preparation for CAT Exam, the candidates must be aware of the detailed CAT Exam Pattern which is followed by IIM to conduct the entrance test. Below we have discussed all the important points for IIM CAT 2023.
1. The CAT 2023 Exam will be conducted through Online Computer Based and the duration of CAT 2023 has been revised to 2 hours.
2. There will be three sections in CAT 2023 Exam:
- Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension
- Data Interpretation and logical reasoning
- Quantitative Ability
3. Number of Questions will be 76 questions for 228 marks and per section distribution is as follows
- VARC – 26 Questions
- DILR – 24 Questions
- QA – 26 Questions
4. Each correct answer will be awarded +3 marks and a penalty of 1 mark for each incorrect answer.
CAT 2023 Exam Pattern | |||
Sections | No. of Questions | Marks | Time Duration |
Quantitative Aptitude (QA) | 26 | 78 | 40 minutes |
Logical Reasoning & Data Interpretation (LRDI) | 24 | 72 | 40 minutes |
Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) | 26 | 78 | 40 minutes |
Total | 76 | 228 | 120 minutes |
Click For Detailed CAT 2023 Exam Pattern
CAT 2023 Syllabus
Unlike the Exam pattern, The CAT syllabus has not been changed over the years, the topics covered in CAT 2023 syllabus are as follows:
Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension: Reading Comprehension, Verbal Ability, Para jumbles, Para summary, Sentence Completion, Inferences and more.
Logical Reasoning & Data Interpretation: Tables, Graphs, Data Caselets, Blood Relation, Seating Arrangement, Syllogism, and more
Quantitative Aptitude: Geometry, Algebra, Number System, Arithmetic, Mensuration, and others
Click For Detailed CAT 2023 Syllabus
Changes Made to CAT 2023
There have been numerous changes made to CAT 2023 from the previous years and all the changes from exam duration to the number of centres selected has been mentioned in the below table.
Parameters | Previously | Current |
Exam duration | 3 hours | 2 hours |
Exam slots | 2 | 3 |
Total questions | 100 | 76 |
Total score | 300 | 228 |
Questions in VARC section | 34 | 26 |
Questions in DILR section | 32 | 24 |
Questions in QA section | 34 | 26 |
Exam City | 425 | 158 |
No. of Exam Centre to choose | 4 | 6 |
Universities Accepting CAT Scores
Following IIM & Non-IIM universities accept admissions to Postgraduate & doctorate programs through CAT Scores.
IIM Universities Accepting CAT Scores
Check the list of IIM Universities that accept CAT scores for admission to postgraduate and doctorate programmes.
- IIM Calcutta
- IIM Ahmedabad
- IIM Bangalore
- IIM Lucknow
- IIM Kozhikode
- IIM Indore
- IIM Shillong
- IIM Rohtak
- IIM Ranchi
- IIM Raipur
- IIM Udaipur
- IIM Nagpur
- IIM Tiruchirappalli
- IIM Kashipur
- IIM Visakhapatnam
- IIM Bodh Gaya
- IIM Amritsar
- IIM Sambalpur
- IIM Sirmaur
- IIM Jammu
Non-IIM Universities Accepting CAT Scores
Check the list of Non-IIM Universities that accept CAT Scores for admission to postgraduate and doctorate programmes.
- FMS, Delhi University
- SPJIMR, Mumbai
- MDI, Gurgaon
- IMT, Ghaziabad
- IIT Kanpur-IME
- IMI, Delhi
- IIT Delhi – DoMs
- IIT Bombay-SJMSOM
- IIT Madras-DoMs
- IIT Roorkee-DoMs
- IIT Kharagpur-VGoSM
- IIT Dhanbad-ISM
- Great Lakes Institute of Management
- IMT, Nagpur
- IMI, Kolkata
- IPE, Hyderabad
- ITM, University
- Institute of Management, Nirma University
- IIITM, Gwalior
- Goa Institute of Management (GIM), Goa
CAT 2023 Exam Centre
The candidates can choose a minimum of 6 cities for the option of Exam centres. The official CAT notification 2023 has pointed out that the CAT exam centre is reduced from 158 to 150 for CAT 2023. The below listed 150 cities has been selected as CAT 2023 Exam Centre.
Port Blair | Hamirpur | Mumbai |
Guntur | Jammu | Nashik |
Nellore | Bokaro | Satara |
Vijayawada | Dhanbad | Palghar |
Kakinada | Hazaribagh | Ulhasnagar |
Rajahmundry | Jamshedpur | Shillong |
Visakhapatnam | Ranchi | Aizawl |
Kurnool | Belagavi (Belgaum) | Kohima |
Tirupathi | Bengaluru | Balasore |
Vizianagaram | Hubballi | Cuttack |
Itanagar | Mysuru(Mysore) | Sambalpur |
Dibrugarh | Kalaburagi (Gulbarga) | Sorry |
Silchar | Shivamogga | Dhenkanal |
Guwahati | Dharwad | Bhubaneswar |
Tezpur | Mangalore(Mangalore) | Rourkela |
Jorhat | Udupi | Puducherry |
Aurangabad-Bihar | Kannur | Pathankot |
Darbhanga | Ernakulam | Ludhiana |
Arrah | Kollam | Amritsar |
Muzaffarpur | Kottayam | Bhatinda |
Bhagalpur | Kozhikode | Patiala |
Patna | Thrissur | Jalandhar |
Mohali | Trivandrum | Sangrur |
Chandigarh | Bhopal | Ajmer |
Bhilai Nagar | Jabalpur | Jaipur |
Bilaspur | On your fingers | Sikar |
Raipur | Gwalior | Alwar |
Delhi | Sagar | Jodhpur |
Faridabad | Indore | Udaipur |
Gurugram | Satna | Bikaner |
Ghaziabad | Bhopal | Kota |
New Delhi | Jabalpur | Madurai |
Greater Noida | On your fingers | Chennai |
Noida | Gwalior | Salem |
Meerut | Sagar | Trichy |
Panaji | Indore | Coimbatore |
Ahmedabad | Satna | Vellore |
Mehsana | Amravati | Tirunelveli |
They’re gone | Jalgaon | Hyderabad |
Anand | Nagpur | Karimnagar |
Rajkot | Pune | Warangal |
Gandhinagar | Solapur | Allahabad |
Surat | Navi mumbai | Bareilly |
Ambala | Ahmednagar | Kanpur |
Hisar | Kolhapur | Muzaffarnagar |
Karnal | Nanded | Agra |
Kurushetra | Rays | Gorakhpur |
Panipat | Thane | Lucknow |
Rohtak | Potters | Varanasi |
Shimla | Aurangabad | Aligarh |
Jhansi | Moradabad | Dehradun |
Haldwani | Roorkee | Asansol |
Durgapur | to the bank | Burdwan |
Kolkata | Hooghly | Kalyani |
Siliguri |