CAT 2025: Last date to register for IIM MBA entrance exam extended

Sharing the update, Prof. PN Ram Kumar CAT 2025 Convener and IIM Kozhikode faculty member said: “To accommodate the significant volume of requests from MBA aspirants, we have decided to extend the application deadline for CAT 2025. The new deadline will be September 20, 2025. This extension will provide all interested candidates with an adequate opportunity to complete their applications.”

CAT 2025 is slated to be held in approximately 170 cities on November 30 in three sessions. The duration of the test will be 120 minutes.

At the time of registration, the candidates have to select any five test cities, as per their preference, from a drop-down menu. After the last date of registration, candidates will be allotted one among the five preferred cities subject to availability. In the rare case that a candidate is not allotted any of the preferred cities, he/she will be allotted a nearby city. The candidates can download the admit cards from November 5.

For this year, the registration fee has been set at Rs 1,300 for candidates belonging to SC, ST, and PwD categories, while all other applicants will need to pay Rs 2,600.

Conducted annually, it evaluates candidates on three sections – verbal ability and reading comprehension (VARC), quantitative ability (QA), and data interpretation and logical reasoning (DILR).

A high percentile score, generally above 90-99 depending on the IIM, is essential to secure a call for the next stage of the admission process.

Each IIM uses its respective criterion to shortlist candidates for the next stages, considering CAT scores, academic records, work experience, and diversity factors. While CAT scores are critical, their weightage varies. Older IIMs like IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, and IIM Calcutta often give more importance to CAT scores, whereas newer IIMs may balance it with other factors including work experience, marks scored in Class 10, 12 and graduation, etc.