FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Registration 1. Who is eligible to take the exam? A candidate: Holding Bachelor s Degree with at least 50% marks or equivalent CGPA [ 45% in case of the candidates belonging to Scheduled Caste(SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Differently Abled (DA) categories], awarded by any of the Universities incorporated by an act of the central or state legislature in India or other educational institutions established by an act of Parliament declared to be deemed as a University under Section 3 of the UGC Act, 1956 Possessing an equivalent qualification recognized by the Ministry of HRD, Government of India (including the Associate Membership Examination (AMICE) of the Institution of Civil Engineers (India) as an equivalent qualification). The percentage of marks obtained by the candidate in the bachelor s degree would be calculated based on the practice followed by the university/institution from where the candidate has obtained the degree. In case the candidates are awarded grades/cgpa instead of marks, the conversion of grades/cgpa to percentage of marks would be based on the procedure certified by the university/institution from where the candidate has obtained the bachelor s degree. In case the university/institution does not have any scheme for converting CGPA into equivalent marks, the equivalence would be established by dividing the candidate s CGPA by the maximum possible CGPA and multiplying the result with 100. Candidates appearing for the final year of bachelor s degree/equivalent qualification examination and those who have completed degree requirements and are awaiting results can also apply. IIMs may verify eligibility at various stages of the selection process, the details of which are provided at the website www.iimcat.ac.in. Note: The CAT application data is treated as final, and no change in it is permitted at a later stage. In case of detection of any variation in the data provided at the CAT selection stage with the actual data, your candidature may be nullified. Prospective candidates must have the following throughout the selection Process: Valid and unique Email ID CAT User ID (provided to you via email after completion of your online registration)
2. I have completed my Bachelor s Degree, do I need to give overall percentage of marks or as per my University standards? As per CAT 2014 eligibility criteria you have to give percentage according to your university norms. 3. I have not completed my Bachelor s Degree/I am in final year of Bachelor s degree, what marks do I need to enter in the Application form? As per CAT 2014 eligibility criteria you have to give Aggregate percentage up to the last marks statement received from the University. 4. I am not pursuing or completed my Bachelor s degree or any Professional degree like CA/CS/ICWA etc., am I eligible to appear for CAT 2014? As you are not appearing/completed any Bachelor Degree or not completed any Professional degree like CA/CS/ICWA etc. you are not eligible to appear for CAT 2014. 5. I have completed my 10 th /12 th standard from CBSE Board. Do I need to enter marks mentioned on Mark list? As per CAT 2014 Criteria you have to mention Aggregate percentage of marks for all subjects irrespective of your Board regulations. 6. Can I appear CAT for practice purpose, though I am aware that I am not eligible? No, this is not permitted. 7. Is there any age restriction for taking the CAT exam? No, there is no age restriction for taking the CAT exam. 8. What is the fee for the CAT exam? The fee is Rs.1600 for General and NC-OBC Candidates. However, if you belong to the SC/ST/PWD (DA) category the applicable fee is Rs.800.
9. Where do I pay my fees? The CAT exam fee is payable at the time of online registration via a valid credit, debit card or online net banking facility. 10. When and how do I register for CAT 2014? Online registration for CAT 2014 is between the period of Wednesday, 6th August 2014 10:00AM and Tuesday, 30th September 2014 11:59PM. Additional instructions for the online registration and application process are available in the Registration Guide and Registration video published on the website: www.iimcat.ac.in. 11. Can I use my coaching institute s or a friend s email address when registering for CAT? No, you need to have a valid and unique email address. All correspondence until CAT 2014 and during the selection stage will be communicated using this email address. 12. When will CAT 2014 be held and can I choose an exam date? CAT will be held over two days with two sessions (forenoon and afternoon) each: Sunday, 16th November 2014 Saturday, 22nd November 2014 Based on your selection of preferred exam city, you will be allotted the exam date, session slot and exam centre, subject to availability. 13. From where can I get the list of exam centres? List of exam centres will be available on the website www.iimcat.ac.in from second week of October 2014. This list will be updated as more exam centres are allocated for CAT 2014. Currently, you may view all the exam cities where CAT exam can be given. 14. When will I get my Admit Card? Admit card will be available for view and print from Thursday, 16th October 2014 onwards. You will have to log onto the CAT website with your registered User ID. You will be eligible for an Admit Card only upon submission of online application form. You will receive an automated email confirmation upon successful submission.
15. What details will be mentioned in the Admit Card? The admit card will contain the following details: Name of the candidate Exam date Time (Forenoon or Afternoon Session) Exam Centre address User ID 16. Will the Admit Card be sent to me as a hard copy or by mail? No. The admit card will be only available on the CAT Website when you log on using your CAT 2014 User ID. Note: Admit Card is a mandatory document required to take the exam. You must bring a print out of your Admit Card to the exam centre. 17. Are there any special provisions for Differently Abled candidates? Yes. Please refer to the FAQs for PWD/DA Candidates for more details. 18. What are the time slots for CAT 2014 Exam? CAT 2014 will have 2 sessions each, Forenoon and Afternoon, on the two exam days. Candidates will be assigned to anyone of the four sessions, subject to availability and city preference. 19. Can I appear for more than one slot for CAT 2014? No. You cannot appear for more than one slot. It will be deemed as a fraudulent activity if one attempts to appear more than once for CAT 2014. To ensure this, Admit Cards, photo IDs, candidate pictures and biometric information will be checked. 20. (A) If I have made any mistake(s) while registering for CAT 2014, can I make changes later to rectify? You may select Existing User Login on CAT website to make changes to your personal details, such as address, educational information or exam city preferences. For security reasons, editing of candidate s full name, date of birth, email id, mobile no, State and Country will not be allowed. However, if you have genuinely made a mistake in entering your Date Of Birth, State, etc., you will have to show evidence of the correct data at the time of examination/interview/admission else your candidature will be nullified.
Note: The ability to edit application profile will be available only until you have not submitted the Application Form. Once you have submitted and made the exam fee payment, you will NOT be allowed to make any more changes. You may only view and print thereafter. 20. (B) I have made mistake(s) in entering Percentage of Marks/Category/Gender/Work Experience/etc., what should I do now? If you have made a mistake in filling out details for those fields which will affect selection process, such as Percentage of Marks, Category, Gender, Work Experience, etc. then you are advised to re-register with a new email ID. Your CAT 2014 application will be considered for the latest registration and Admit Card issued for the same. Note: You will not receive a refund or Admit Card for your earlier registration. Failure to re-register in such circumstances may lead to nullification of your candidature. 21. What are the timings to contact the Candidate helpdesk? The FAQs, online guides and videos are designed to enable self-service. You are requested to use these tools which can guide you through the entire process and help answer most of your queries. In case you are still facing issues, then CAT Candidate Helpdesk is available by phone, Monday to Saturday from 9:00AM to 6:00PM. CAT Candidate Helpdesk will be closed on Sundays and on the following list of National/Public holidays: Friday, 15th August 2014: Independence day Thursday, 02nd October 2014: Gandhi Jayanti Friday, 03rd October 2014: Dussehra Thursday, 23rd October 2014: Diwali 22. If I do not get my Admit Card, whom should I contact? The Admit Card needs to be directly printed from the CAT 2014 website using your User ID and Password. It will be available for printout from Thursday, 16 th October 2014 onwards. The admit card will not be mailed to your postal address. If you are unable to view your Admit Card post log in, refer to the help desk details given below. Toll free: 1800-2100-151 Email: cat2014helpdesk@iimcat.ac.in
23. In case the website does not work and I am unable to complete my application, what should I do? If the registration website is not accessible for any reason, please close your Internet browser and try again. Also, ensure you are using the correct version of the Internet browser recommended: Browser Versions Supported Internet Explorer 7, 8, 9 Mozilla Firefox 14 to 28 Google Chrome 20 to 33 The Registration/Application form is best viewed in Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome browsers. You may also refer to the help desk details given below for instructions: Toll free: 1800-2100-151 Email: cat2014helpdesk@iimcat.ac.in 24. I have not completed any graduation course but I am in the final year of a professional course, am I eligible for CAT 2014? NO, for applying CAT 2014 you should full fill any one of the following conditions: a) Completed Bachelor s degree with required percentage*. b) Completed professional degree (For example, CA) with required percentage*. c) Should be in the final year of Bachelor s degree with required percentage*. * For SC/ST and PWD(DA) candidates should have minimum 45%. For General and NC-OBC candidates minimum is 50%. 25. I am a General category candidate and got 49% in the Bachelor s degree. I have also completed Master s degree with 51%, am I eligible to apply for CAT 2014? NO, as per CAT eligibility you should have obtained 50% or more in the Bachelor s degree. 26. I am a PWD/DA category candidate with 44% in the Bachelor s degree and 46% in the Master s degree, am I eligible to apply for CAT 2014? NO, as per CAT eligibility you should have obtained 45% or more in the Bachelor s degree.
27. I have completed my Bachelor s degree in May-June 2014 but have back log, am I eligible to apply for CAT 2014. Yes, as per CAT 2014 eligibility, candidates who are completing their degree by May 2015 are eligible. However, the candidate should select Yes to the question Are you in the final year of Bachelor Degree. 28. (A) I have done 5 years integrated course of B.Tech and MBA. As per my university norms first 3.5 years is considered to be B.tech and remaining 1.5 years is considered to be MBA, how do I enter my marks? As per your University norms, you will enter the aggregate percentage of first 3.5 years under Bachelor s Degree and remaining 1.5 years under Master s degree (if desired). 28. (B) I have completed 5 year dual degree course (Btech+Mtech, BS+MS, Btech+MSC etc.). How do I enter my marks for bachelor degree? As per your university norms you have to enter the aggregate of marks which are equivalent to bachelor degree and if any marks are there for master degree you enter the same in master degree. 29. (A) I have NC-OBC/SC/ST certificate in the format uploaded on the CAT 2014 website, can I use this certificate or do I have to download certificate template from CAT website and fill again? If your certificate fulfils the following conditions, then the same can be uploaded: a) The certificate should have been issued by competent authority. b) The name of the caste and caste number should appear in the certificate c) The Ministry's resolution/order number should be available d) The certificate should be in Hindi or English only 29. (B) Is there a validity for NC-OBC Certificate? Refer the Government of India website http://www.ncbc.nic.in for details. 29. (C) Who is the authority that issues NC-OBC certificate? Refer the Government of India website http://www.ncbc.nic.in for details.
30. I have changed my name with due procedure after completing my degree, do I enter the name as per the degree certificate or the changed name? You have to enter your changed name and you have to produce supporting documents for change of name at the time of examination, interview and admission. 31. What screen appears once a candidate logs into the website post registration? Post successful registration, you will use the system generated User ID and Password to log into the website. Upon logging in, you will first see the Registration Summary page and then the screen would automatically refresh to show the Application Form. Based on your internet connectivity, the refresh might be quicker or longer. 32. What should I do if I have not received the password or have lost the SMS? In the event of not receiving or lost the system generated password SMS, simply click on Forgot Password on the Existing User login page. You will be prompted to enter a Captcha string and post which, new password will be sent to you on your registered email address. Please note, regenerated passwords will not be sent as an SMS. 33. I am unable to view my Application Summary or Download Application Form tabs. You will see the two tabs, Application Summary and Download Application Form, only if your application has been submitted with successful online payment of examination fees. Else, upon login, you will continue to see the five tabs of the Application Form. 34. I have done 10+2+2 degree, how should I enter my degree marks, since there is no provision for 2 years duration under bachelor degree? You may enter 10 th /SSC and 12 th /HSC marks in the respective fields. Enter the bachelor degree marks, under bachelor degree field with the duration as 3 years and select year of commencement and completion accordingly. Note: This pattern and degree should be recognised by UGC, AIU or equivalent bodies for eligibility to CAT 2014.
35. I have done 10+1+1+2 degree, how do I enter my degree marks, since there is no provision for 2 years duration under bachelor degree? You may enter 10 th /SSC, then next 2 years marks under 12 th /HSC. The remaining 2 years marks can be put under bachelor degree field mentioning the duration as 3 years, and select year of commencement and completion accordingly. Note: This pattern and degree should be recognised by UGC, AIU or equivalent bodies for eligibility to CAT 2014.