If you are planning to sit for CAT, the national level entrance examination for MBA courses, it is time you learn all about the eligibility and also the application process. Candidates cannot attempt the exam without their CAT admit card and this makes it important to understand the application process in detail.
Candidates are granted admissions into the top management schools in India based on their CAT scores, and many leading educational institutes in India, including the IIMs, accept the scores from CAT exam. Till date, more than 100 colleges accept CAT scores. The CAT 2017 will be conducted by IIM Lucknow this year.
How is the CAT Exam Conducted?
The CAT exam is an online examination. Every year, the exam is conducted in the first week of December. The exam is expected to be held on 3 December this year. The notification for the exam was released on 30 July, and candidates can fill up their applications online from the official CAT website.
Once the application process is complete, candidates are given the CAT admit card in the month of November 2017. The admit card is a must-have to sit for the CAT exam. This has to be carried along with you on the day of the examination along with the other required documents.
What You Need to Know About the Eligibility Criteria?
Candidates who wish to apply for CAT 2017 need to meet the below-mentioned requirements.
- Applicants need to be a graduate and need to have an aggregate of 50% or the equal CGPA.
- The minimum percentage is 45% in case of SCs, STs and physically challenged individuals.
- Candidates who are in their final year and are appearing for their final year exam can also apply for CAT 2017.
- Candidates who have given their examination but are awaiting their results can also apply for the CAT examination.
Know How You Can Apply for CAT 2017?
The application procedure of CAT 2017 is much similar to that of the other online entrance examinations. Candidates can fill up the application online by logging into the official website of CAT. The application window got active in the first week of August.
Candidates need to fill a registration form for CAT 2017 and create a profile. Once done, they would receive a system generated login ID and password, and the candidate needs to login using those credentials.
After logging onto the CAT website, candidates can start filling the valid details like personal information, educational details, work experience, if any, preferred city where they want to sit for the exam, and so on. They can also choose the IIM they wish to apply it. Once filled, do remember to verify the details as you will not be able to change details after submitting the online application.
The last step of the application process is the payment of the application fee. This can be paid online via the online payment gateway.
The application fee for CAT is INR 1,700/- for the General and the OBC candidates. The fee is INR 850 for the students from SC, ST and PwH categories. The amount is just the application fee. There can also be other charges that can be applicable over and above the application fee.
Once the exam is completed and the results are announced, IIMs send out the call letters to the selected candidates on an individual basis. The admission rules for different IIMs are different. So, if you are an IIM aspirant, you might have already started with your preparation. If not, it is time you do so. Remember that you can only achieve success with hard work.