CAT Exam Eligibility Criteria 2025 – The detailed eligibility criteria for the CAT 2025 exam will be outlined at iimcat.ac.in. It is mandatory for candidates to meet each of the CAT 2025 eligibility criteria, or else he or she will not be considered for admission.
Among the important CAT eligibility criteria include age limit, qualifying exam passed, and minimum marks.
To appear in the CAT 2025 exam, the candidate must have passed Bachelor’s Degree with at least 50% marks or equivalent CGPA (SC, ST, and PwD candidates need 45%). There is no age limit for appearing in the CAT 2025 exam.
The candidate must correctly select their category when filling out the CAT 2025 application form. If the candidate chooses the wrong category, there is also a chance that the candidate may be disqualified.
Keep reading to learn the full details of CAT 2025 eligibility criteria, including category-wise reservation of seats.
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CAT Eligibility Criteria 2025 – Age Limit, Qualifying Exam, Minimum Marks
The detailed CAT 2025 eligibility criteria for appearing in the CAT 2025 exam are outlined in the table below.
| Particular | Eligibility Criteria |
| Qualifying Exam | The candidate must hold a Bachelor’s degree with minimum marks. OR, Completed professional degree (CA/CS/ICWA (CMA)/Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries of India (FIAI)) with minimum percentage. Category-wise minimum marks: General, EWS and NC-OBC candidates: 50% SC/ST/PwD candidates: 45% |
| Appeared/ Awaiting Results | Candidates appearing for the final year of Bachelor’s degree or equivalent qualification examination and those who have completed degree requirements and are awaiting results can also apply. However, such candidates, if selected, will be allowed to join the programme provisionally, only if they submit a certificate from the Principal/Registrar of their University/Institution (issued on or before the date as stipulated by the respective IIM) stating that they have completed all the requirements for obtaining the Bachelor’s degree/equivalent qualification on the date of issue of the certificate. |
| Age Limit | There is no age limit for appearing in the CAT 2025 exam. |
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- Best Books to Prepare for CAT 2025 – Section-wise Study Material, How and What to Study
- CAT Question Paper 2025 – Download Previous Years’ Papers, When & How Many to Solve
- CAT Exam Syllabus 2025 – Section-wise Topics, Weightage
CAT Eligibility Criteria 2025 – Category-wise Reservation of Seats
The reservation of seats for the CAT 2025 exam is given in the table below.
| Category | Reservation Criteria |
| Scheduled Caste (SC) | 15% |
| Scheduled Tribe (ST) | 7.5% |
| Other Backward Class Non-Creamy Layer (NC-OBC) | 27% |
| Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) | 10% |
| Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwD | 5% |
CAT Eligibility Criteria 2025 – PwD Reservation
5% seats are reserved for Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwD).
“Person with Benchmark Disability” means a person with not less than forty percent (40%) of a specified disability where a specified disability has not been defined in measurable terms and includes a person with disability where the specified disability has been defined in measurable terms, as certified by the certifying authority.
“Specified disability” means the disabilities as specified in the Schedule of the RPwD Act 2016. The categories of disability are:
- Blindness and low vision
- Deaf and hard of hearing
- Locomotor disability including cerebral palsy, leprosy cured, dwarfism, acid attack
- victims and muscular dystrophy.
- Autism, intellectual disability, specific learning disability and mental illness
- Multiple disabilities from amongst persons under clauses (a) to (d)
- Other ‘specified disabilities’ mentioned in ‘The Schedule’ of the RPwD Act 2016
CAT Eligibility Criteria 2025 – Additional Information for SC, ST, NC-OBC, EWS & PwD
- If the candidate belongs to SC or ST categories, the respective caste/tribe must be listed in the GoI schedule. The caste certificate submitted to the IIM must be in the GoI approved format and should clearly state: (a) Name of the caste/tribe; (b) Whether the candidate belongs to Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe; (c) District and State or Union Territory of the candidate’s ordinary residence; and (d) the appropriate GoI schedule under which the candidate’s caste/tribe is approved by it as Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe.
- A copy of the SC/ST/NC-OBC/EWS/PwD certificate(s) must be uploaded at the time of the CAT application registration. Failure to upload the caste certificate will result in the rejection of a candidate’s CAT registration.
- The caste certificate must be shown and a photocopy must be submitted at the time of interviews. Moreover, the certificate must be submitted at the time of joining the program of any of the IIMs. Failure to do so during the post CAT selection process will result in the candidate not being considered under the reserved category.
- Candidates are encouraged to apply for a UDID card (PwD Category) and upload the same for the application.
Also Read:
- How to prepare for CAT 2025
- CAT cut-off 2025 – Check Institute-wise Opening and Closing Ranks, Factors
- IIM Selection Process 2025
- CAT Answer Key 2025 – Date, How to Download, Objection Window, Calculate Probable Score
CAT Application Form 2025
The application form of CAT 2025 is expected to open sometime in August 2025.
The application form will has to filled and submitted online at iimcat.ac.in. Candidates who meet the CAT 2025 eligibility criteria must apply for the exam before the last date.
Note that exam officials will verify the eligibility of the candidate at the time of CAT 2025 counseling. If a candidate is found to be lacking in the eligibility department, the candidate can be disqualified.