CAT 2020 Registration, Application Form, Eligibility, Reservation, Application Fee and Exam Centres

CAT 2020 Registration will be initiated from Application in the first week of August 2020 and the last date of registration will be in the third week of September.Notification entreating the eligible candidates for CAT 2020 Registration is likely to be released during the end of July 2020. Candidates who are interested to register must have a valid personal and communication address before enrolling for the examination. 

• CAT 2020 Registration is an online process which includes creating a login ID, filling a detailed application form and paying the fees.
• Candidates must be in their last year of graduation or must have completed their graduation with 50% marks to be eligible for CAT 2020 Registration.
• CAT 2020 Registration fees is INR 1900 for candidates belonging to the general category and INR 950 for the candidates belonging to the reserved category.
• The duration of CAT 2020 Examination will be 180 minutes and the candidates will have to attempt 100 questions.

Check CAT 2020 Exam Pattern

CAT 2020 Registration - Important Dates

The dates mentioned below are tentative and are always subject to change in the future.

CAT 2020 Results will be released in the first week of January 2021. Candidates can check the same on iimcat.ac.in.

CAT 2020 Registration

Registration Trends in CAT Over the Years

Know How to Prepare for CAT 2020?

CAT 2020 Registration and Application

Step 1: CAT 2020 Registration

• Visit the official CAT website iimcat.ac.in 
• Go to the “New Candidate Registration”. 
• Candidates will be required to fill in details like Name, Date of Birth, Email Address, Mobile Number in the CAT 2020 Registration form. 
• A One Time Password will be generated after entering which candidates will receive login credentials on their registered Email Id and Phone Number. 

Step 2: On finishing CAT 2020 Registration Process, applicants have to re-login themselves to complete the Application Form. 

Step 3: Fill CAT 2020 Application form by entering personal details, academic qualifications, work experience if any, programmes to opt for, exam center preference.

Step 4: When form filling procedure is completed, candidates have to pay the required fee to successfully submit the form. 

CAT 2020 Registration - Documents Required for CAT 2020 Application

Some of the Important Documents required for CAT 2020 Registration and Application process without any error are:

• Class 10 Mark sheet
• Class 12 Mark sheet
• Graduation Certificate and Mark Sheets
• Copy of Birth certificate
• Proof of permanent residence
• Caste category certificate
• PWD category certificate 
• Scribe certificate
• Credit card/debit card or net banking credentials
• Proof of work experience
• Scanned passport size photograph 

CAT 2020 Registration - Candidate Query Form

Students can fill a student query form if they are facing any query related to the Application form, Fees Payment, Admit Card. Following steps need to be followed for doing the same.

• This form can be filled after finishing CAT 2020 Registration.

• Firstly, Click on Candidate query form and Log New Query.
• Select the Problem Type.

• Submit details of the problem.
• You can constantly check the status of your query by providing the registration and grievance details under Select Filter Criteria.

CAT 2020 Application Form

General steps to fill the form:

Application form will only be filled after the successful CAT 2020 Registration. You will have to follow the below mentioned steps.

• Firstly, candidates are advised to read the information bulletin.
• Login to the official CAT website.

To login, go through the following steps:

1. Click on the “Existing user” tab.
2. In the new login window, Login ID and Password sent to your registered email id and mobile number.
3. Click on the login Tab.

• After successfully logging in, the candidates will be required to add details in 5 sections - Personal Details, Academics, Work Experience, Program Preferences and Payment of Application fee.

CAT 2020 Application Form Details

Personal Details:

• In this section, you will be required to enter your Guardian’s details, Gender, Nationality, Category you belong to, Address, etc.

• Provide the alternative email id and mobile number if available.
• After duly filling the personal details, you will be asked to upload necessary documents.
• On uploading the documents, you can “Save and Continue” to the next section.

Academic Details:

In this section, students will be required to enter their academic details, starting from class 10 results to the most recent qualification.The details include SSC/10th results, HSC/12th results, Bachelor’s Degree details, post-graduate degree details (if any) and any other professional degrees.

Work Experience

In this section, candidates are required to mention the details of their work experience until July 31, 2021. The work experience should be calculated in months and not years.

Note - Only the work done after Graduation is considered by IIM’s.

There are certain steps that must be taken to fill this section of the for:

• Check for the relevant box stating your work type.
• Mention the number of months you’ve worked in the field.
• If your work area is not listed, check the box marked as “Other”.
• At the end of the section, the total number of months you’ve worked will be automatically calculated.
• Click on “Save and Continue” and move on to the next section.

Program Preference

In this section, candidates can select their preference of programs offered at various IIMs and the preferred city for an interview. Candidates will also be required to enter their exam city preference. They can select four different cities. After finishing, they can “Save and Continue”.

Application Fee

Those who wish to get admitted to the courses must commence by CAT 2020-21. Candidates are required to pay an application fee of Rs 1900/- and Rs 950/- for the ones who belong to categories such as ST, SC and PWD.Certain transaction fee is deducted depending on the mode of payment. For reference it is tabulated below:

Things to be kept in mind while filling the CAT 2020 Application Form

There are certain do’s and don'ts that should be kept in mind while filling the application form:

• Candidates must use Internet Explorer (Version 11 or above), Mozilla Firefox (Version 50-61) or Google Chrome (Version 50 - 69) for filling the application form.
• Fields marked with * in the application form are to be filled mandatorily.
• Only use the mouse or touchpad to switch between two sections. Do not use the Tab key.
• Candidates can finish filling the unfinished application forms later.
• No changes can be made to the application once the application fee is paid.
• The spelling of your name must match with your class 10 Certificate. Necessary documents such as an affidavit must be submitted in case of any changes made in the name.
• The scanned photograph must not exceed 80 KB.
• Candidates applying for PGP courses at the IIMS need to select the same interview city for all their selections due to the Common Admission Process (CAP).

CAT 2020 Photograph and Signature Specifications 

Candidates are required to have a recent (not older than 6 months) photograph with a white background. Particular Specifications are mentioned below: 

CAT 2020 Registration - Eligibility Criteria

• Candidates must have obtained a bachelor’s degree with a minimum aggregate of 50% or its equivalent CGPA score. For reserved categories like SC/ST, this aggregate is reduced to 45%. 
• Candidates who are pursuing their final year and are waiting for their final year graduation results can also appear for the exam. Students who are scheduled to appear for their final year examinations are eligible to apply provided they present the certificate by June 30, 2021.
• Furthermore, the ones who have completed the master’s program are eligible to apply, provided they have relevant work experience. 

Percentage of Marks or Conversion or CGPA Conversion will be calculated on the pattern followed by the particular College/Institute. 

CAT 2020 Registration - Reservation Criteria

Candidate Reservation based on caste and PWD certificate is as stated by the Central Government list and provision act. In addition to that, candidates having the reserved category privilege must apply with relevant scanned copies of the caste certificate which must be represented in a legal format as specified in the certificates and performance section on the official website of the CAT exam 2020.

As we know already, Candidate Reservation based on caste and PWD certificate is as stated by the Central Government list and provision act. The Indian Government Policy for CAT 2020 has been divided into 4 categories. They are as follows:

• 15% of the total seats are reserved for candidates of Scheduled Caste. 
•  7.5% of the total seats are reserved for candidates of Scheduled Tribe. 
• 27% of the total seats are reserved for candidates of Backward Classes (OBC, NC)
• 3% of the total seats are reserved for candidates of PWD Differently Abled candidates

Use the online mode to avail the admit card. You can receive the admit card from the official website. This card is crucial as it contains details of name, address, exam centre, date of examination, time etc.

CAT 2020 Form Correction

It is very important to note that any changes to be made in the application form can only be made until the online fee payment is made. However, there will be a limited time window after the payment when the details can be modified.

How to apply for CAT 2020 Form Correction?

• Open the official website.
• Click on the “Existing user” option.
• Login using your Login ID and Password.
• Navigate through different sections and make necessary changes.
• Click on “Save and Continue”.

CAT 2020 Exam Centres

The Exam centres for CAT 2020 are in 136 cities of India. Some of those cities are listed below: 

Vijayawada, Ahmedabad, Blair, Purnea, Visakhapatnam, Tirupati, Rohtak, Chandigarh, Faridabad, Gurgaon, Rajkot, Gaya, Bahadurgarh, Anand, Guwahati, Dibrugarh, Itanagar, Raipur, Sonipat, Palwal, Panipat, Jamshedpur, Ranchi, Dhanbad, Pune, Aurangabad, Mumbai, Surat, Vadodara, Jabalpur, Sagar, Gwalior, Indore, Ahmednagar, Nagpur, Nanded, Solapur, Thane, Shillong, Bhubaneswar, Madgaon, Amravati, Nashik, Gandhinagar Aurangabad, Navi Mumbai, Verna, Shimoga, Tumkur, Udupi, Bengaluru, Bidar, Bhopal, Kollam, Kolhapur, Chikballapur, Davanagere, Mangalore, Mysore, Trivandrum, Jalgaon, Ramnagara, Kasaragod, Thrissur, Berhampur, Ambala, Ratnagiri, Satara, Belgaum, Hasan, Kolar, Mandya, Cuttack, Kochi, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Jammu, Balasore, Rourkela & Sambalpur.

CAT 2020 Syllabus and Exam Pattern

CAT 2020 is basically a computer-based test that mandates the candidate to choose the right answer for each question using a mouse click on the option. This should not be perplexed with the internet-based test format. This test is limited to a few computer terminals allotted to each candidate at the test centre. Calculators are strictly prohibited; however, he/she can use the on-screen calculator. Therefore, it is advisable for a candidate to take up multiple mock tests from the CAT Exam 2020-21 websites to get a clear-cut idea about how the exam takes place and to obtain the right kind of practice for the same. 

The examination paper is split into 3 sections and each section contains a predefined number of MCQs and Non-MCQ questions that need your attention. All the MCQ type questions carry a negative marking of -1 for each wrong answer that you mark. However, a correct answer will fetch you 3 marks. All questions will carry equal marks and there will be no negative marking for non-MCQ type questions.

The CAT 2020 Syllabus is not outlined by the IIMs. The examination typically includes the sections that test the candidate’s ability, including verbal ability and reading comprehension, Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning and Quantitative Ability.

• CAT English/ Verbal ability section includes reading comprehension, verbal reasoning, Fill in the blanks, syllogisms, analogies, sentence correction, idioms, Antonyms & Synonyms.
• The Maths/Quant Ability section consists of Mensuration, Percentages, Averages, Geometry, Profit & Loss, Time & Work, Permutation Combination, Trigonometry, probability, algebra, Number systems, quadratic and linear equations.
• CAT Data Interpretation comprises Charts (column, bar, pie), Tables, Venn diagram graphs (line, area), Interpretation and analysis of data based on text, etc.
• Logical
• Reasoning includes Blood Relations, Clocks, Logical Sequence, Seating Arrangement, Calendars, Binary logic, premise, Conclusion, Assumption, Linear and matrix arrangement, etc. 

IIMs in Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bangalore, Bodh Gaya, Calcutta, Indore, Jammu, Kashipur, Kozhikode, Lucknow, Nagpur, Raipur, Ranchi, Rohtak, Sambalpur, Shillong, Sirmaur, Tiruchirapalli, Udaipur and Vishakapatnam insists the candidate appear for two phases of CAT tests. The first phase is the CAT 2020 written examination conducted during the month of December 2020.

Based on the candidate preference for IIMs, the institutes can select the eligible candidates and intimate them to appear for the second phase of the examination. The examination is grouped into different sections like the Written Ability Test, Group Discussions, Personal Interview etc. This basically depends on the management criteria of the IIM conducting the test. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Ques: When will CAT 2020 Admit Card be released?

Ans: The admit card of CAT 2020 can be downloaded on and after October 23, 2020 (Tentatively). The candidates can download it from the official website.

Ques: If I lose my hall ticket at the exam centre, can I still be able to appear for the exam?

Ans: Yes, you can download the admit card at the exam centre. If you are not able to do it then you should inform the authorities about the same and then the duplicate admit card will be downloaded with their help. 

Ques: What stationeries should I be carrying on the exam day?

Ans: Candidates are prohibited from carrying anything except admit card and the photo ID. At the exam center the pen and paper will be provided to you and that will be for the rough work on the sheet which will also be provided by them and it should be submitted back before leaving the exam hall. 

Ques: Is there any travel allowance for reserved category candidates?

Ans: No traveling allowance will be issued to the candidates irrespective of the fact whether they are from reserved or non-reserved categories.

Ques: What is the deadline to enter the CAT 2020 exam centre?

Ans: For the morning shift exam, candidates will not be allowed to enter the exam hall post 8:45 AM. For the evening shift, candidates will not be allowed inside the exam hall post 2:15 PM.

Ques: What are the items banned from being carried at the CAT 2020 exam centre?

Ans: Candidates will not be allowed to carry any of the following items:

• Mobile Phones
• Pen, pencil
• Books/ chits/ sheets/ clips
• Electronic Gadgets
• Watches
• Calculator
• Stationary

Ques: Is a calculator allowed in the CAT 2020 exam?

Ans: Yes, but you will be provided with an on-screen calculator to calculate answers. No calculator is allowed in the examination hall. 

Ques: What are the different ID proofs that can work as valid photo Id proof?

Ans: Check the following:

• College ID
• Employer ID
• Driving License
• Passport
• PAN Card
• Voter ID
• Aadhaar Card
• Identification Affidavit

Ques: During the application form correction window, what all details can be edited?

Ans: Only the following details can be edited

• Programs selected
• Percentage of marks scored
• Work experience

So candidates must be really careful while submitting their application form.

Ques: What are Documents required to fill CAT application form?

Ans: Following documents are required to fill CAT 2020 application form:

• Passport size photograph and signature to be in scanned form. 
• An attested SC/ST/OBC certificate.
• PwD Certificate signed and attested by respective authorities.

Ques: How to Register for Non-IIM participating institutes in CAT Exam?

Follow the steps given below to register to Non-IIM institutes:

Step 1: Visit the official website iimcat.ac.in

Step 2: On the right part of the screen a link for CAT 2020 is available, navigate to it. 

Step 3: click on the button where "Downloading of MOU and the Application Form" is written.

Step 4: Pay the required fees.

Step 5: Fill the application form of CAT 2020 and MOU very carefully. Then send the scanned copies duly filled-in, signed and stamped along with the required enclosures (mentioned inside application form) through email.

Step 6: Stamped and signed MOU (2 copies), Application Form (single copy) in original and other hard copies of documents as specified along with Application Form must be sent duly filled to the Admissions Office of IIM Kozhikode.