CAT 2025 Registration Commences Today via IIM Kozhikode Portal

The wait is over for lakhs of MBA aspirants across India. The Common Admission Test (CAT) 2025 registration officially opens today, August 1, 2025, at 10:00 AM, via the dedicated portal, iimcat.ac.in. This year, Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Kozhikode has been entrusted with the responsibility of conducting the prestigious national-level management entrance examination.

CAT 2025 serves as the gateway to admission into postgraduate management programmes offered by the 21 Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and numerous other top-tier business schools and universities across the country. Aspiring management professionals are urged to mark this date and initiate their application process without delay.

Key Dates and Deadlines to Remember:

• Registration Start Date: August 1, 2025 (10:00 AM)
• Registration End Date: September 13, 2025 (5:00 PM)
• Admit Card Release: November 5, 2025
• CAT 2025 Exam Date: November 30, 2025 (Sunday), to be conducted in three sessions.
• Result Announcement: Expected in the first week of January 2026.

Eligibility and Application Process:

To be eligible for CAT 2025, candidates must hold a Bachelor's degree with at least 50% marks or an equivalent CGPA from a recognized university. A relaxation of 5% (i.e., 45%) is applicable for candidates belonging to Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), and Persons with Disabilities (PwD) categories. Final-year Bachelor's degree students are also eligible to apply.

The application process is entirely online and involves the following steps:

1. Visit the Official Website: Navigate to iimcat.ac.in.
2. New User Registration: Register as a new user by providing a valid name, email ID, mobile number, and Date of Birth. An OTP verification will follow, leading to the generation of login credentials.
3. Fill Application Form: Log in with the received credentials and meticulously fill in all personal, academic, and work experience details.
4. Select Programs and Test Cities: Choose preferred IIM programmes and select up to six test cities for the examination.
5. Upload Documents: Upload scanned copies of essential documents, including a recent passport-size photograph, signature, and category certificates (if applicable), as per the specified format and size.
6. Pay Application Fee: Pay the non-refundable application fee online. For General category candidates, the fee is INR 2,600. For SC, ST, and PwD categories, the fee is INR 1,300.
7. Review and Submit: Carefully review all entered details before final submission. Download and print the confirmation page for future reference.

Exam Pattern Overview:

CAT 2025 will be a Computer-Based Test (CBT) with a duration of 120 minutes (2 hours), divided into three sections, with a sectional time limit of 40 minutes for each:

• Section 1: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC)
• Section 2: Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR)
• Section 3: Quantitative Ability (QA)

Each correct answer will fetch +3 marks, while incorrect answers in Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) will incur a penalty of -1 mark. There is no negative marking for Type-In-The-Answer (TITA) questions.

Aspirants are strongly advised to begin their preparation early, focus on conceptual clarity, regularly attempt mock tests, and stay updated with official announcements on the CAT website to optimize their chances of success.