CAT Eligibility Criteria 2026, Check Eligibility Across Categories

The CAT exam eligibility criteria refer to the list of pointers that candidates should fulfil in order to meet whether they are eligible to sit for the exam or not. It is important for the candidates to cross-check multiple aspects related to eligibility criteria. Candidates belonging to the general category should meet a minimum of 50% marks in academics or an equivalent CGPA, whereas there is a 5% relaxation in the case of SC/ST category students. Additionally, there are several pointers that need to be counted with eligibility criteria of CAT exam, including work experience, do final-year students eligible to sit in an examination, age limit, number of CAT attempts, etc.

This blog covers the detailed aspects of CAT eligibility criteria and percentage of seat reservation across categories. let’s discuss it in a detailed manner.

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What is the CAT eligibility criteria?

According to the basic eligibility criteria of the CAT exam, candidates should have a minimum of 3 years of a bachelor’s degree from a recognized university and cover minimum marks of 50% or equivalent CGPA in the case of General/EWS/OBC candidates, whereas 45% marks or equivalent CGPA in the case of SC/ST/PwD categories. If you are a final-year student, then you should carry valid proof from the authorities to go with the provisional admission. Work experience is not mandatory, and the number of attempts in a CAT exam is also not fixed, but if you have work experience, it will create an advantage during the IIM admission process. To get the complete information about CAT eligibility criteria, check the table specified below.

Basic CAT Exam Eligibility Criteria

Particulars	Details
Exam Conducting Body	One of the IIMs on a rotational basis.
Academic Qualifications	A minimum of 3 years for a bachelor’s degree from a recognised institution or a UGC/AICTE/MHRD-approved one.
Minimum Marks (For General/EWS/OBC)	50% marks or equivalent CGPA is required
Minimum Marks (For SC/ST/PwD)	45% marks or equivalent CGPA is required
Final Year Students	Eligible for provisional admission if carrying valid proof from the university authorities.
Work Experience	Not mandatory (if you have it, then it will be advantageous during the admission process at IIMs).
Age Limit	No age limit
No. of  CAT Attempts Allowed	No limits on giving CAT attempts

Are final-year students eligible for the CAT exam?

If you are a final-year student and confused about whether you are eligible to sit for a CAT exam or not, then here is a complete explanation about your query.

The candidates who are eligible to sit for the CAT exam in their final year under conditions where they have to provide the order of proof from the principal/registrar from their university or institution during the admission process.

CAT Eligibility Criteria for Working Professionals

1. The working professional must hold a bachelor’s degree with a minimum 3-year tenure in any discipline from a recognised university.
2. The minimum marks required for the working professionals belonging to the General, EWS, and OBC categories are 50% marks or equivalent CGPA; for SC, ST, and PwD candidates, they are 45% marks or equivalent CGPA.
3. Working professionals must hold degrees awarded by universities or institutes recognised by the Ministry of Education, Government of India, or equivalent bodies like the UGC/AICTE.

Is IIM or CAT Eligibility Criteria Same?

Getting admission in IIMs is competitive in nature because they assess candidates based on aptitude skills across major sections. CAT exam works as a basic eligibility criteria for candidates to appear in the further selection process of IIMs. So, we can say to admit as a student in top MBA colleges like IIMs, you should qualify Common Admission Test as a necessary test requirement. Since, CAT eligibility criteria or IIM eligibility criteria both are same. The detailed coverage about the CAT exam eligibility is specified in the later sections.

Complete Breakdown on CAT Eligibility Criteria

The CAT exam eligibility is an important criterion that the candidate must fulfil in order to be a part of the entrance test. They should read the official notification PDF, which is used to determine whether they meet the basic requirements to appear in the Common Admission Test. This section covers the detailed breakdown of components like academic qualification, final-year student eligibility to sit for the examination (“Is age limit an important factor to cover as CAT eligibility criteria?”), important documents required for the verification purpose, and, most importantly, “Do candidates with backlogs appear for the Common Admission Test?” Let’s discuss these important components in a detailed manner.

CAT Eligibility Criteria: Academic Qualification

• A candidate must hold a bachelor’s degree of a minimum of 3 years in any discipline from a recognised university.
• The minimum marks required for General, EWS, and OBC candidates are 50% marks or equivalent CGPA; for SC, ST, and PwD candidates, they are 45% marks or equivalent CGPA.
• Candidates must hold degrees awarded by universities recognised by the Ministry of Education, Government of India, or equivalent bodies like UGC/AICTE.

CAT Exam Eligibility Criteria: Final Year Student 

• Candidates in their final year of a bachelor’s degree or awaiting results are eligible to apply. They must provide a certificate from an authorised person at their university stating that they are in their final year of graduation. Such candidates are provisionally admitted, and admission will get confirmed once their proof of graduation with the required percentage is submitted.

CAT Eligibility Criteria: Professional Degree Holders

Candidates who have completed professional courses such as Chartered Accountant (CA), Company Secretary (CS), and Cost Accountant (ICWA) are also eligible to appear for the CAT exam, provided they have scored the minimum percentage required, which is 50% marks or equivalent CGPA for General/EWS/OBC category students and 45% marks or equivalent CGPA for SC/ST/PwD category students.

CAT Exam Eligibility: Age Limit

There is no upper or lower age limit for appearing in the CAT exam. As long as you meet the academic qualifications, you can appear for the exam, whether you are a graduate, a working professional, or someone returning to academics after a gap. The table mentioned below covers the CAT age criteria for the lower age limit and upper age limit.

CAT Age Criteria 2026

Talking about the age criteria to sit for the CAT exam is not applicable for either the lower age limit or the upper age limit. This is one of the common queries majorly asked by students and working professionals based on the CAT eligibility criteria.

Age Limit	CAT Criteria
Lower Age Limit	Not Applicable
Upper Age Limit	Not Applicable

CAT Exam Eligibility Criteria: Documents Required for Eligibility Verification

The documents mentioned in this section are required as per the CAT eligibility criteria. Please have a detailed look across all components.

• Bachelor’s degree certificate and all semester/year marksheets.
• Final year certificate (for final year students).
• SC/ST/OBC-NCL/EWS/PwD certificate (if applicable).
• Identity proof.
• Work experience certificate (if applicable).

CAT Eligibility Criteria: Candidates with Backlog

The candidates with backlogs in their undergraduate courses are also eligible to apply for the CAT examination. However, they must clear their backlogs before the final admission round, as respective institutes may ask for an undertaking or clarification during WAT-PI rounds. Candidates should be very careful about having a backlog because their admission can get cancelled if final graduation requirements are not met on time.

CAT Eligibility Criteria for PwD Candidates

According to the official RPwD Act, 2016 (Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016), the candidates who possess the status of “Person with Benchmark Disability” have 5% of seats reserved for them according to the reservation status. There are some basic disability terms mentioned below.

1. Low Vision and Blind
2. Deaf and hard of hearing
3. Locomotor disabilities including cerebral palsy, leprosy (cured), dwarfism, acid attack victims and muscular dystrophy.
4. Autism, intellectual disability, specific learning disability and mental illness
5. Multiple disabilities from amongst persons under clauses from ‘d’ to ‘a’
6. Other relevant disabilities are mentioned under “The RPwD Act, 2016″.

Important Note: Candidates will not be allowed to change the category after the successful CAT registration. Candidates should focus more while registering for the Common Admission Test.

CAT Eligibility Criteria Based on Reservation

There are certain reservation criteria for reserved categories seeking MBA admissions. Candidates from reserved categories must carefully check the CAT eligibility criteria before applying. Applicants must fulfil the minimum eligibility and performance standards to be considered for admission through the CAT exam for an MBA.

Category	Reservation (%)
Scheduled Caste (SC)	15%
Scheduled Tribe (ST)	7.5%
OBC-NCL	27%
EWS	10%
PwD	5%

To claim the reservation, candidates must submit the valid certificates in the prescribed format, and they should be issued by recognised authorities.

CAT Eligibility Criteria: Gap Years and Work Experience

Having gap years and work experience doesn’t affect your CAT eligibility criteria to appear for the CAT exam. The IIMs (Indian Institutes of Management) do not have any restrictions regarding the number of gap years after graduation. In the similar manner, work experience is also not mandatory to appear. Later, having work experience with any candidate can add weightage during the IIM selection process.

1. Candidates with gap years can easily apply for the CAT exam without any restrictions as long as they meet the CAT eligibility criteria.
2. It is important for candidates that they explain the reason behind gap years during interviews, like in WAT and PI rounds of the IIM admission process.
3. Having prior work experience is not a mandatory thing, but if any candidate possesses work experience, then they can fetch extra marks or points during the selection process.

CAT 2026 Eligibility Criteria: Important Points to Remember

1. During the application process of the CAT exam (Common Aptitude Test), it is important for students to note a few, but again important, points in mind to avoid any rejection or confusion during the IIM admission process.
2. There are some important points that students need to remember.
3. They should hold a bachelor’s degree from a recognised university.
4. They should meet the minimum marks criteria (like 50% required if the candidate belongs to General/EWS/OBC, whereas 45% is required if they belong to SC/ST/PwD).
5. Keep all their important academic documents ready for the CAT 2026 application form or for later stages (if applicable).

Percentage of Seat Reservation: CAT Exam Eligibility

The table specified below covers the percentage of seat reservations across General Category, Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), Other Backward Classes (NC-OBC), Economically Weaker Section (EWS) and Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwD).

Categories	Reservation Percentage
General Category	40.5%
Scheduled Caste (SC)	15%
Scheduled Tribe (ST)	7.50%
Other Backward Classes (NC-OBC)	27%
Economically Weaker Sections (EWS)	10%
Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwD)	5%

CAT Eligibility Criteria: Who Is Not Eligible?

The aspirants who will not be eligible for the CAT 2026 exam are mentioned below:

• Candidates who have not completed any recognised bachelor’s degree.
• Candidates who have scored below the required minimum percentage. (50% or 45%)
• Candidates who have a diploma degree without a full-time bachelor’s degree.
• As per CAT exam eligibility criteria, candidates are not able to submit required academic or category documents during admission.
• Candidates with unrecognised or unapproved degrees, including from fake universities.

Conclusion: CAT Eligibility Criteria

The CAT exam is a dream for lakhs of aspirants who want to pursue their MBA degrees from top IIMs or B-schools. Meeting these CAT eligibility criteria is the very first and important step towards appearing for the CAT 2026. It is important for students to make sure they completely check with the guidelines and fulfil all the respective requirements before applying to avoid last-minute issues.

FAQs: CAT Eligibility Criteria 2026