CAT Exam 2023

Everything you want to know! 

The administration of an organisation calls for not just skill but also an in-depth familiarity with a variety of management concepts. Many people are motivated to study for MBA admissions exams by the possibility of earning a substantial income, in addition to other benefits.

The Common Admission Test, often known as the CAT, is one of several MBA admission examinations that prepare the path for the acquisition of higher education in management. The most prestigious Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) need applicants’ CAT scores before accepting them into their MBA or PGDM programs.

 Twenty Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) offer undergraduate, graduate, doctoral, and executive programs in management.

 The CAT test for 2023 is scheduled to take place on November 27, 2023. On July 31, 2023, the notice for CAT 2023 was released to the general public. It will be carried out in a computer-based format across more than 400 examination centres across India. The CAT test will be broken up into three separate sessions, just as it was last year. 

 IIM Bangalore is responsible for organising and running the CAT 2023 exam. The deadline to register for CAT 2023 is September 14, 2023, and registration opens on August 3, 2023. The MCQs and non-MCQs on the CAT are spread out throughout the course of a two-hour exam.

 According to the most recent trend, it is anticipated that there will be 66 questions in all. The format of the CAT test has seen several changes over the last few years, but it is quite likely that it will remain the same this time around. The results of CAT 2023 will be released in January of 2023. By reading this post, you will gain knowledge on every aspect of CAT 2023.

What is CAT?

The Common Admission Test (CAT Exam) is a management entrance exam that is given at the national level and is administered by the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) for admission into more than 100 business schools in India. The administration of the test is delegated to one of the more seasoned IIMs on an annual basis. More than two lakh people take the Common Admissions Test each year, but only a few thousand of them get into the top business schools that they want to attend. Other top business schools in India, such as MDI (Gurgaon), IITs, SP Jain (Mumbai), IMT (Ghaziabad), FMS (Delhi), KJ Somaiya Institute of Management Studies (Mumbai), Great Lakes Institute of Management (Chennai), and Xavier Institute of Management (Bhubaneshwar), also accept CAT scores.

Syllabus for CAT Exam

Notification of the CAT Exam 2023 and Registration

The CAT exam is always conducted in November of each year. The in-depth notice is often posted on the official website between the months of July and August, at which point you will need to register online. The notice will tell you the important dates, the cost of applying, the MBA/PGP programs, and other important details.

CAT Exam 2023: Important Information to Remember

  • It is required that the CAT application form be submitted online.
  • The CAT 2023 test will be administered in over 150 different cities throughout India.
  • The registration period for the CAT has been extended to roughly 45 days after it first opened.
  • The most crucial thing for CAT candidates to do is to ensure that they have a cell phone number and a legitimate email account. This will ensure that the selection process goes as smoothly as possible.
  • After a month has passed since the CAT test, the results are made public.

CAT Exam 2023: Important Dates

Here is an overview of the dates of CAT 2023:

Event Dates
CAT 2023 Notification Release 31 July, 2023
CAT 2023 Registration Starts 3 August, 2023
CAT 2023 Registration Ends 14 September, 2023
CAT 2023 Admit Card Release 27 October, 2023
CAT 2023 Exam Date 27 November, 2023
CAT 2023 Answer Key Release First/Second week of December 2023
CAT 2023 Result Declaration Second week of January 2023

CAT Exam 2023: The Application and Registration Procedure

When applying online for the CAT 2023, be sure to follow the instructions listed below:

  • To create your login credentials, go to the official website and click the button that says “Register Now.” Please provide the necessary information (name, date of birth, email address, etc.).
  • In addition to that, an email and a text message will be sent to you about your login details.
  • The next step requires you to enter your user ID and password in order to proceed. After that, you will need to finish filling out your CAT application form and upload scanned copies of the required papers.
  • Always ensure that you have clicked the “Save & Continue” button before going on to the next stage. The CAT application form may also be completed in several sessions; all that is required is to log in again and do so.
  • You need to include data on your employment experience, if appropriate, in addition to the information about your personal life and your academic background. You will also have to choose the interview locations from the options given and say which programs or institutions (IIMs) are the most important to you.
  • In the end, you will need to pay the CAT application fee using Net Banking, a credit or debit card, or one of the other available payment methods. After you have submitted the form and paid the fee, you will no longer have the ability to make any changes to it. Therefore, verify the form thoroughly before submitting it and making the payment.

CAT Exam 2023 Admit Card

You will need to visit the official website in order to get the admit card for the CAT 2023. The CAT admission card includes information such as the location of the test center, the time you should report for the exam, the exam’s start and end times, a link to a Google Map that will help you find the facility, and any other necessary exam day instructions. 

You need to provide a hard copy of the admission card that you have printed off to the testing location. Follow these instructions to successfully download your CAT 2023 admission card:

On the official website, enter your CAT user ID together with your password to log in.

Simply follow the link that says “Download CAT Admit Card.” Your hall will be shown, and you will have the option to download and print a copy of it. You may also save a copy of it in digital form for future reference.

Do's and Don'ts on the Day of the CAT Exam 2023

You need to have certain documents in your possession prior to coming to the test. At the testing facility, you are asked to carry the following items with you at all times:

  • Admit Card: Ensure that you have two printed copies of your admission cards, each of which should have a picture of you attached to it.
  • Identity Documentation: You are expected to carry a picture identification with you (employer ID, PAN card, Aadhaar card, driving license, passport, or voter ID). If you have recently changed your name, you will also be asked to provide a document or certificate proving your new identity.

Things that are strictly prohibited in the CAT center:

  • Any electronic device, such as a calculator, watch, phone, or tablet, including:
  • Jewelry and other items made of metal.
  • Items such as bags, jackets, clothes with pockets, and footwear
  • Eatables or drinks
  • One notable exception is that anyone who has any kind of metal implant in their body is required to provide a medical certificate attesting to this fact.

CAT Exam 2023 Answer Key

On the official website of the CAT 2023, the answer key and the candidate response sheet will be made available about a week after the conclusion of the test. If you want to get the CAT answer key 2023 from the official website, follow the instructions listed below:

  • On the official website, you will need to log in using your CAT user ID and password.
  • Simply pick the “download as PDF” option after clicking on the “CAT 2023 answer key.”
  • Please take note that the time for submitting objections to the CAT answer key will remain available for four days after its publication. To file a complaint about this kind of mistake or inconsistency, you will need to fill out an online form on the official website, send in the document or documents that support your complaint, and pay the fee that is listed.
  • The results of the College Admission Test (CAT) will be released in the month of January 2023. The PDF version of its scorecard is available for download on the site’s official page. The following instructions will walk you through the process of checking and downloading your CAT 2023 result: On the official website, look for a tab labeled “CAT scorecard/result.”
  • Please include your CAT application number and password if you have them.
  • Find the area labeled “scorecard,” and then download the report containing your CAT score.
  • Your scorecard for the CAT 2023 will include your individual sectional scores, the sectional percentiles for those scores, your total score, and your overall percentile.

Exam Locations for the CAT Exam 2023

The CAT exam is given in a variety of Indian locations. Therefore, the applicants may choose their desired cities from the provided list in a simple and expedient manner. Based on data from the previous year, here is a full list of places where you can take the CAT: 

State Exam Centres
Andaman & Nicobar Islands Port Blair
Andhra Pradesh Guntur; Kakinada; Kurnool; Nellore; Rajahmundry; Tirupathi; Vijayawada; Visakhapatnam
Arunachal Pradesh Itanagar
Assam Dibrugarh; Guwahati; Silchar
Bihar Aurangabad; Muzaffarpur; Patna; Purnea
Chandigarh Chandigarh
Chhattisgarh Bhilai; Raipur
Delhi-NCR Delhi, New Delhi, Faridabad, Gurugram, Noida, Panipat, Ghaziabad, Greater Noida, 
Goa Madgaon; Panaji
Gujarat Ahmedabad; Anand; Gandhinagar; Rajkot; Surat; Vadodara
Haryana Ambala; Bahadurgarh; Hisar; Palwal; Rohtak; Sonipat
Himachal Pradesh Simla; Waknaghat
Jammu & Kashmir Jammu; Samba, Kashmir
Jharkhand Bokaro; Dhanbad; Jamshedpur; Ranchi
Karnataka Banglore; Belagavi (Belgaum); Dharwad; Gulbarga; Hubli; Mangalore; Mysore; Udupi
Kerala Ernakulam; Kasaragod; Kollam; Kozhikode; Malappuram; Thrissur; Trivandrum
Madhya Pradesh Bhopal; Gwalior; Indore; Jabalpur; Sagar
Maharashtra Ahmednagar; Amravati; Aurangabad; Jalgaon; Kolhapur; Mumbai, Navi Mumbai; Nagpur; Nanded; Nashik; Pune; Raigad; Satara; Solapur; Thane; Ulhasnagar
Meghalaya Shillong
Odisha Balasore; Berhampur; Bhubaneswar; Cuttack; Dhenkanal; Sambalpur; Rourkela
Puducherry Puducherry
Punjab Bhatinda; Chandigarh; Fatehgarh Sahib; Jalandhar; Ludhiana; Mohali; Pathankot; Patiala; Ropar; Sangrur
Rajasthan Ajmer; Alwar; Jaipur; Jodhpur; Kota; Sikar; Udaipur
Tamilnadu Chennai; Coimbatore; Madurai; Namakkal; Thanjavur; Tiruchirappalli; Tirunelveli
Telangana Hyderabad; Karim Nagar; Warangal
Uttar Pradesh Agra; Allahabad; Barabanki; Bareilly; Ghaziabad; Gorakhpur; Greater Noida; Kanpur; Lucknow; Mathura; Meerut; Muzaffarnagar; Noida; Varanasi
Uttarakhand Dehradun; Roorkee
West Bengal Asansol; Bankura; Burdwan; Durgapur; Hooghly; Howrah; Kalyani; Kolkata; Siliguri

CAT Exam 2023 Result & Scorecard

The scorecard for the CAT Result 2023 will be posted on the official website as soon as it becomes available. According to the timeframe that was used in the past, the CAT 2023 results are not likely to be announced until January 2023. The results of the CAT are sent to applicants in the form of a scorecard, which may be accessed by logging in. On the scorecard for the CAT 2023, each candidate’s results and percentile (both for each section and for the whole test) are listed.

Instructions on How to Check Your CAT Exam 2023 Result

Follow the steps below to make sure that your CAT MBA result is correct.

  • Simply enter your user ID and password in order to access the official website.
  • You’ll find the scorecard over there.
  • According to the schedule, the result will be posted on the same website.
  • You can also save a copy of your cumulative scorecard on your computer for use in the future.

CAT Score versus Percentile

Both the CAT score and the percentile are included on the CAT Scorecard and Results. The CAT score you get is valid for one year from the day you got the result. Both concepts should be well understood because of the significance they each bring to the application process for admission to IIMs and other MBA programs. 

Using the normalization procedure that was made available by IIM, raw CAT scores are transformed into CAT percentiles. You should learn how to figure out your CAT percentile so that you can do well on the next test.

One of the most important steps in the process is to figure out a candidate’s overall and sectional CAT percentile scores.

Step 1: The total number of applicants who applied for the CAT 2023 across all three slots.

Step 2: Each applicant who submitted an application and took the CAT will be assigned a rank.The scaled scores that were earned in the QA, DILR, and VARC sections will be used to determine this.

When determining the CAT scaled scores, numerous elements and actions are taken into consideration in order to normalise the score that is achieved by each CATspirent. In the first step of the normalisation process for the CAT, the raw scores of each applicant are determined by tallying the number of correct and erroneous answers they provided.

After that, the raw ratings for each candidate are normalised by taking into account the following factors:

  • The degree of difficulty of the CAT examination slot or shift in which the test was taken by the candidate
  • counts as one of the top scorers in that position overall.

This method is used for calculating section-wise scaled scores in addition to overall results.

Syllabus and Exam Pattern for CAT Exam 2023

To know what will be covered in the 2023 CAT exam, you need to refer to the latest CAT exam template. Under the new guidelines, the CAT exam will only take 120 minutes and will have 64 questions, up from 66 last year. Find out more about the new CAT pattern 2023 including exam times, grading, how questions are presented, and more.

Eligibility Requirements for the CAT Exam 2023

In order to be considered eligible for the CAT test, candidates need to satisfy a number of requirements. Make sure that you have the required level of education, which is as follows:

Candidates need to have a Bachelor’s degree or a degree that is comparable to a Bachelor’s degree from a board or institution that is recognized. Students who are in their last year of undergraduate study are eligible to take the CAT test as well.

Candidates are required to have earned a grade point average of at least 50% in their bachelor’s degree or its equivalent. Please refer to the New Eligibility Criteria for CAT 2023 for more information.

It is important to keep in mind that the precise qualifying requirements for admission to MBA programs vary not just across different business schools but also between different courses offered by the same institutions.

In addition, nearly all business schools set aside spots in their student bodies for underrepresented groups of applicants. Check out the official websites of the universities in question since they will have more information about qualifying requirements.

We hope we have given you all the information about the CAT Exam 2023, and we are sure you will have no issue in applying for the same if you meet the eligibility requirements. We wish you all the best, and if you are interested in getting information about any other exam, we’ve got you covered. Please check our Exam pattern and Syllabus page for CAT exam 2023. ( Put in the internal link here) 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How long will the scores from the CAT be valid

The CAT score will be valid for one year after it has been reported, except at schools that let applicants apply for delayed admission after showing proof of enough work experience.


How much does it cost to file an objection to the CAT Exam 2023 answer key?

During the process of challenging the answer key, you will be required to pay Rs. 1200 per question


Is it possible for me to schedule the test at the time slot of my choosing?

The CAT is given over the course of a single day in shifts of two to three. On the other hand, a slot or shift is something that can only be given out by the authorities.


How many times do I have the opportunity to take the CAT?

There is no limit placed on the number of times one may take the CAT exam.


Is it possible for me to compete in more than one CAT slot?

No, you are not permitted to take part in a CAT session for more than one time slot at a time