CAT Eligibility 2022: Check CAT Age Limit, Qualification, Marks, & Reservation
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Content Writer | Updated On - Aug 1, 2022
CAT Eligibility Criteria 2022 is that the candidate must have completed a graduation with a minimum of 50% marks. Also, 5% relaxation in qualifying marks will be given to reserved category candidates.
- Candidates in the final year of graduation are also allowed to complete CAT 2022 Registration. Moreover, there is no age limit to appear for the exam.
- Also, candidates with the reserved category can take the benefit of reservation policy while filling the online application form. Check CAT 2022 Reservation
CAT Eligibility 2022 Key Highlights
| Abbreviation | Common Admission Test |
| CAT Conducting Body | Indian Institute of Management |
| CAT Minimum Educational Qualification | Bachelors Degree |
| CAT Minimum Marks | 50% (General and NC/OBC) |
| Relaxation | 5% for reserved categories |
| CAT Age Limit | None |
CAT Eligibility Criteria 2022: Age Limit
There is no upper and lower limit criteria prescribed by the authority.
| Criteria | Details |
|---|---|
| Upper Age Limit | Not Applicable |
| Lower Age Limit | Not Applicable |
CAT Eligibility Criteria 2022: Educational Qualification
Here is the minimum Educational Qualifications for CAT:
- The candidate should have completed his/her Bachelor’s degree program in any stream from a recognized university or have an equivalent qualification that is recognized by the Ministry of HRD, India.
- For general and NC-OBC category candidates, the minimum percentage required in the bachelor’s degree is 50%.
- Candidates from the reserved categories must attain a minimum aggregate percentage of 45% in the bachelor's program.
- For candidates who are awarded grades or CGPA, the conversion of grades or CGPA will be according to the process certified by the university/ institute.
- Candidates in the final year of the program or awaiting their results can also apply. In such cases, a candidate will have to submit a certificate issued by the Principal/Registrar of the College/Institution latest by the specified date. The certificate should state that the candidate has completed the requirements of the course.
The academic qualification details of CAT Eligibility are tabulated below:
| Qualification | University | Pass Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Engineering Degree – B. Tech/ B.E. | Recognized by MHRD/ UPSC/AICTE | 50% (45% for SC, ST, PWD candidates) |
| Bachelor’s Degree from any University | Recognized by UGC | 50% (45% for SC, ST, PWD candidates) |
| Students who are pursuing the final year of their Bachelor’s degree can also take the examination. | Continuing graduation from University Recognized by MHRD/ UPSC/AICTE or UGC | 50% (45% for SC, ST, PWD candidates) |
| CA/CS/ICWA/Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries of India (FIAI) | Recognized by MHRD/ UPSC/AICTE | 50% (45% for SC, ST, PWD candidates) |
CAT Eligible Degrees
There are certain degrees that are considered equivalent to a bachelor's degree. Candidates who possess or are pursuing any of these degrees are also eligible to appear for CAT 2022. The equivalent qualifications valid for appearing in CAT are listed below:
- Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or Technology of 4-years duration completed after 10+2 or Post B.Sc. or Post Diploma.
- A degree equivalent to a bachelor's degree in Engineering and Technology of Professional Societies recognized by MHRD/UPSC/AICTE such as AMIE by Institution of Engineers, India or AMICE by Institute of Civil Engineers of India.
- Qualification is equivalent to a bachelor’s degree recognized by the Association of Indian Universities, New Delhi.
- Candidates with CA/CS/ICWA degree (Gen: 50% & SC/ST/ PWD: 45%) can also apply.
- A candidate with any other qualification not listed here can also apply, but they will have to produce an equivalency certificate issued by the Association of Indian Universities, New Delhi.
CAT Eligibility: Marks Calculation
As the respective Institutes or universities from which candidates have passed their graduation follow their own practice to calculate aggregate marks, percentage calculation in CAT will be based on that.
- Note 1: A recognized university is one that is constituted by an Act of the Central or State Legislature. It also includes any university or institute which is established by an act of Parliament or is declared as deemed to be a University under Section 3 of the UGC Act of 1956.
- Note 2: In the case of Universities that award grades or CGPA, but do not have a procedure for conversion of grades to the percentage, the equivalent percentage will be calculated by the given process:
- Candidate’s CGPA/Maximum CGPA) X 100 = Equivalent Percentage
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CAT Eligibility 2022 for Final Year Students
The eligibility criteria for CAT is graduation, although final year students of various bachelor's degree courses can also take the test. However, a candidate will be admitted into a course only if he clears graduation with at least 50% marks. IIMs and other management institutes verify CAT eligibility at various stages of the selection process. After taking CAT 2022, shortlisted candidates must follow the following instructions-
- They must show an original certificate from the Principal/Head of the Department/Registrar/Director of the University/Institution certifying that they have obtained 50% marks or equivalent (45% in case of reserved category) based on latest available grades/marks.
- They must also submit a set of photocopy of the original certificates at the time of the interview.
For the PGP in IIMs, selected candidates will be allowed to join the program provisionally only if they submit a certificate, stating-
- They have completed all the requirements (the results may, however, be awaited) for obtaining the bachelor’s degree/ equivalent qualification on the date of issue of the certificate.
- Their admission will be confirmed only when they submit the original mark sheet and degree certificate of having passed the bachelor’s degree/equivalent qualification referred to in the certificate issued by the Principal/Registrar of their college/institute.
- They must obtain at least 50% marks or equivalent. They must submit a photocopy of the mark sheets and degree certificate.
- Non-fulfillment of this condition will automatically result in the cancellation of the provisional admission.
- IIMs would not allow any candidate to join their program in case the candidate is unable to complete all the requirements for a bachelor degree.
CAT Eligibility vs IIM Eligibility: What is the Difference?
There are certain differences between eligibility norms of IIMs and CAT eligibility and candidates due to appear for the exam must be aware of those differences.
- There is no age limit defined in the eligibility norms of IIMs or CAT.
- Though 2 Years Bachelors's degree is not accepted by IIMs though acceptable to appear for CAT as per the old educational system.
- Apart from this, there are no particular differences unless defined by IIMs in particular.
- Work experience is preferential in IIMs along with the diversity of academic and co-curricular activities which are not mandatory to appear for CAT. Read More CAT IIM Admission Process
Who isn’t eligible for CAT?
The following aspirants are not eligible to sit for CAT:
- If the score of the candidate is less than 50% in graduation (45% for SC/ST/PwD candidates), he or she is not eligible to apply for CAT.
- The candidates pursue both their bachelor's degree and professional degree but have yet to complete both of them.
- The candidate will be considered ineligible to appear for the exam if his/her graduation is not recognized by the UGC/AICTE/MHRD.
Work Experience Requirement for IIM
- It is not mandatory for candidates to hold any prior work experience.
- Although the CAT Application Form does ask for it, it is not a necessary condition to fulfil.
- It must be noted that at the time of final selection, this work experience may be given some weightage by the IIMs. However, the exact weightage is never revealed and it varies from one IIM to another.
- The bottom line is that work experience does not come into play till the last stage of final selection, and even then it does not play a deciding factor.
- IIMs have been known to have a mixed batch comprising both fresh graduates and students with work experience.
Quick Links for CAT Preparation:
- Best Android Apps to Prepare for CAT
- CAT Subject Wise Preparation Tips
- CAT Previous Year Question Papers
CAT Reservation Criteria 2022
- IIMs follow the reservation guideline of the central government for admission to their MBA programs.
- Consequently, the reservation norms are also applicable to CAT 2022.
- There are two types of reservations of seats at IIMs – Caste based reservation and Reservation for Differently abled individuals.
- Following the 124th Amendment Bill in the Constitution of India, IIMs have also introduced the EWS quota this year.
- Persons who are not covered under the scheme of reservation for SCs, STs, and OBCs and whose family has a gross annual income below Rs 8 lakh are only identified as EWS for the benefit of reservation.
Caste Based Reservation Policy
The candidates falling in the SC, ST, or NC-OBC category fall under the aegis of Caste-based reservation policy. The rules which apply to these categories are as follows:
- Candidates who belong to the SC or ST categories must have scored an aggregate of 45% in their Bachelor’s degree program.
- Candidates who belong to the NC-OBC category must have scored an aggregate of 50% in their Bachelor’s degree program.
The distribution of seat reservation based on caste is given below:
| CATEGORY | PERCENT OF SEATS RESERVED |
|---|---|
| Scheduled Caste (SC) | 15% |
| Scheduled Tribe (ST) | 7.5% |
| Other Backwards Classes – Non-Creamy Layer (NC-OBC) | 27% |
| EWS | 10% |
CAT Essential Certificates
Those applying under the Differently Abled category must upload a PwD/DA certificate at the time of applying. They also need to produce the original certificate at the time of interview in the desired format:
- NC-OBC Certificate
- SC-ST Certificate
- DA/PwD Certificate
- Format for Final Year Certificate
- Format for Candidate Identification Affidavit
CAT Eligibility 2022 FAQs
Ques. I am in the final year of Bachelor’s degree. What marks should I enter in my application form as per CAT eligibility criteria?
Ans. Candidates in the final year of graduation can fill up the form by providing the required details as asked in the form. But a candidate will be admitted into a course only if he clears graduation with at least 50% marks.
Ques. I am a General category candidate with 49% in the Bachelor’s and 51%, for my Master’s degree. Am I eligible to apply for CAT 2022?
Ans. No. You should have 50% or more in your graduation. Last the authority had removed the minimum marks criteria but for this year to get the updated details candidates will have to wait for the release of official notification.
Ques. I will be completing my Bachelor’s degree in May-June 2022 but have a backlog. Am I eligible to apply for CAT 2022?
Ans. Yes, candidates who complete their degree by May 2022 are eligible to appear for CAT but the candidate will be admitted into a course only if he clears graduation with at least 50% marks.
Ques. Where are the notifications related to CAT 2022 Eligibility Announced?
Ans. All the updated information and Notifications related to CAT 2022 Eligibility are announced on the official website of CAT i.e. iimcat.ac.in.
Ques. What are the Academic Qualifications required for CAT 2022?
Ans. Candidates must possess a Bachelor's degree having a minimum of 50% marks or have an equivalent GPA. Candidates who belong to the reserved category are given a relaxation of 5%, i.e., candidates who belong to the reserved category must have 45% of their bachelor’s degree.
Ques. What if a particular university or Institute does not have a Grade calculating procedure as mentioned in CAT eligibility criteria?
Ans. Candidates whose universities or Institutes do not have any grade calculating procedure will be required to divide the candidate’s marks with the maximum marks and then multiply it by 100.
Ques. What are the ‘Specified Disabilities’ required for PWD candidates to give CAT 2022?
Ans. The categories of disability are:
- In the case of blindness and low vision
- deafness or if a candidate is hard of hearing
- locomotor disability including cerebral palsy, leprosy cured, dwarfism
*The article might have information for the previous academic years, please refer the official website of the exam.
Ask your question
Answered Questions
If you are aiming for old IIMs such as IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, IIM Calcutta, IIM Lucknow, you will need to score above 99 percentile in CAT. For IIMs and other top-tier B-Schools in India, the CAT cutoff stays above 90 percentile.
If you have a good profile, and 99+ CAT score, you can expect to get calls from old IIMs, XLRI, JBIMS, IIFT, FMS, etc.
Here are some of the things that you will realize after appearing for the CAT examination.
- Spend the first few minutes going over the papers before diving in. Browse through the problems and start with the ones that you know you can solve in one go. CAT prioritizes solving not sequence.
- If you aren’t sure about an answer, leave it. Concentrate on other problems. You shouldn’t spend more than 2-3 minutes on a single problem.
- Don’t use the elimination method, if you can solve the problem in less than 1 minute. Do rough work thoroughly. Don’t answer any questions, just by guessing.
- There will be a few lengthy questions. Try to ignore these. Even CAT toppers don’t score the full marks.
CAT doesn’t test your knowledge. The only thing matters are how much you score. So, try to attempt as many questions as you can correctly.
Take a look at the below table to know what CAT score will fetch what CAT percentile, for 2022.
| Percentile | Score VA-RC | Score DI-LR | Score QA | Overall Score |
| 90% | 29 | 1 | 26 | 72 |
| 95% | 32 | 20 | 29 | 81 |
In 2021, for 90 percentile the required score was 59 and for 95 percentile the required score was 72.
