CAT Examination Updates
Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Kozhikode, the conducting body released CAT notification updates 2019 on July 28. The notification of CAT 2019 gives all the important dates pertaining to eligibility criteria, application form, admit card, response sheet, answer key and result. Details of the participating IIMs and the programs offered are available in the CAT notification update 2019.
CAT 2019 Highlights
| Particulars | Details |
| Name of test | Common Admission Test (CAT) |
| Purpose of test | Qualifying test for admission to the PGP, FPM programs at the IIMs and PGDM as well as MBA programs at other B schools |
| Conducted by | IIM Kozhikode |
| Exam type | National level |
| Periodicity | Once in a year |
| Score or Grade Validity | Till December 31, 2020 |
| Total Number of Registrations | 2,40,338 in 2018 |
| Number of Test Takers | 2,09,405 in 2018 |
| Pattern of Test | MCQs and Non-MCQs |
| Number of Questions | 100 |
| Test Duration | 3 hours |
| Negative Marking | +3 for every correct answer-1 for each wrong answer in MCQsNo negative marking for Non-MCQs or TITA |
| Syllabus | Questions from VARC, QA, and DI & LR |
| Mode of Conduct | Computer-based test |
| CAT 2019 Convener | IIM Kozhikode |
| Reservation of seats in IIMs and B-schools | As per the Government of India regulations |
| CAT 2019 Official Website | https://iimcat.ac.in/ |
| CAT 2019 Helpdesk contact details | Dr. M.G. SreekumarHead, Media Relations, IIMK |+91- 9447654066 |mgsree@iimk.ac.in |
| CAT center office contact details | +91- 9447654066mgsree@iimk.ac.in |
| Score or Grade Used by | 20 IIMs and 1000 plus B-schools in India |
What’s New in CAT 2019
- CAT 2019 will be conducted in 156 cities. In 2018, the exam was held in 147 cities across India. This means an increase of 9 exam cities where students can appear for CAT.
- CAT 2019 Scores are valid till December 31, 2020, only. Thereafter no queries regarding its issuance will be entertained by IIM Kozhikode.
CAT 2019 Important Dates Updates
It is an important part of the exam strategy to be aware of the exam deadlines and other dates. CAT 2019 dates are listed below for the reference of all CAT aspirants. Knowing the important dates of CAT 2019 will aid them to avoid missing application deadlines, chalking a preparation strategy for success and checking all important information on time.
CAT Important Dates Updates
| Events | Dates |
| Release of CAT 2019 Notification | July 28, 2019 |
| Application Commencement | August 7, 2019 (10 a.m) |
| Last date to apply | September 25, 2019 (ended) |
| Re-upload of blur/improper photograph in CAT Application form | September 28, 2019 (10:00 am to September 30, 2019 (5:00 pm) |
| Issuing Admit Card | October 23, 2019 (5 p.m) |
| CAT 2019 Tutorial/Mock Test | The third week of October 2019 |
| CAT 2019 Exam | November 24, 2019 (Forenoon Slot – 9 am-12 pm)November 24, 2019 (Afternoon Slot – 2:30 pm-5:30 pm) |
| Candidate Response File | Last week of November 2019 |
| Releasing of Answer Key | The first week of December 2019 |
| Last date to file an objection (if any) based on the official answer key | The first week of December 2019 |
| Announcement of CAT 2019 Result | The second week of January 2020 |
| CAT Score valid till | December 31, 2020 |
CAT 2019 Exam Centres Updates
374 CAT 2019 exam centers will be located across 156 cities in India. In 2018, two new exam states have been added- Mizoram and Nagaland and exam was held in 147 cities. While filling the CAT 2019 registration form, CAT applicants are required to select four exam centers city in the order of preference. The final CAT exam center will be allotted by the exam conducting IIM and the exam center details including address and Google map will be printed on the CAT admit card 2019.
List of CAT 2019 exam centres
| Exam State | Exam Cities |
| Andaman and Nicobar Islands | Port Blair |
| Andhra Pradesh | Tirupati, Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, Kurnool, Nellore, Kakinada, Guntur, Rajahmundry, Vizianagaram |
| Arunachal Pradesh | Itanagar |
| Assam | Guwahati, Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Silchar, Tezpur |
| Bihar | Muzaffarpur, Patna, Purnea, Aurangabad, Gaya, Darbhanga |
| Chandigarh | Chandigarh |
| Chattisgarh | Bhillai, Raipur, Bilaspur |
| Delhi-NCR | Delhi-NCR |
| Goa | Goa |
| Gujarat | Rajkot, Surat, Vadodara, Ahmedabad, Anand, Gandhinagar, Mehsana |
| Haryana | Panipat, Rohtak, Hisar, Ambala, Kurukshetra, Karnal |
| Himachal Pradesh | Shimla, Hamirpur |
| Jammu and Kashmir | Jammu, Samba |
| Jharkhand | Bokaro, Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Dhanbad, Hazaribagh |
| Karnataka | Belagavi(Belgaum), Bengaluru, Dharwad, Hubballi(Hubli), Kalaburagi(Gulbarga), Mangaluru(Mangalore), Mysuru(Mysore), Shivamogga(Shimoga), Udupi |
| Kerala | Kannur, Ernakulam, Kollam, Kottayam, Kozhikode, Thrissur, Trivandrum |
| Madhya Pradesh | Bhopal, Gwalior, Indore, Jabalpur, Sagar, Satna, Ujjain |
| Maharashtra | Amravati, Ahmednagar, Aurangabad-Maharashtra, Jalgaon, Kolhapur, Mumbai, Nagpur, Nanded, Nashik, Pune, Raigad, Satara, Solapur, Ulhasnagar |
| Meghalaya | Shillong |
| Mizoram | Aizawl |
| Nagaland | Kohima |
| Odisha | Balasore, Berhampur, Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Rourkela, Sambalpur |
| Puducherry | Puducherry |
| Punjab | Amritsar, Bhatinda, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Mohali, Pathankot, Patiala, Sangrur |
| Rajasthan | Ajmer, Alwar, Bikaner, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Kota, Sikar, Udaipur |
| Tamil Nadu | Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Salem, Tirunelveli, Trichy |
| Telangana | Karim Nagar, Warangal, Hyderabad |
| Uttar Pradesh | Agra, Aligarh, Allahabad, Bareilly, Gorakhpur, Jhansi, Kanpur, Lucknow, Meerut, Moradabad, Muzaffarnagar, Varanasi |
| Uttarakhand | Roorkee, Dehradun, Haldwani |
| West Bengal | Asansol, Bankura, Burdwan, Durgapur, Hooghly, Kalyani, Kolkata, Siliguri |
CAT Application Form Status Updates
After submitting the CAT 2019 registration/application form in online mode, a pop-up message will appear on the display screen with information pertaining to the application status (success/reject). Also, an SMS will be sent to the registered mobile number along with an email to the registered email ID confirming the same.
Once the application form is successfully submitted, the application status appears as “Successfully Submitted.” In case there is an error it will appear as “Application Rejected.”
CAT 2019 Application Form Correction
Applicants who have made mistakes in their CAT application form will be offered a chance to correct these mistakes. The authorities will open the correction window for images tentatively on September 26, 2019. The facility will remain available until September 29, 2019. The correction window facility will be opened only after the completion of the CAT application process. IIM Kozhikode will open a correction window for a limited period of time and candidates must use the same to edit and correct their mistakes, if any. It is to be noted that corrections will be allowed only for fields like percentage of secured marks, work experience and programs selected. Corrections will NOT be allowed in personal details, academic details, exam city preference, etc. after submission of the application form. If candidates have made a mistake while filling the application form like ((Date of birth, email address, mobile number etc), candidates must register again with a new email ID. CAT 2019 application will be considered for the latest registration and the Admit Card will be issued for the same. Please note that candidates will not receive a refund or Admit Card for your earlier registration. The edit option is only available for your photograph and signature. For the rest of the fields, candidates need to contact the CAT help desk in cathelpdesk@iimcat.ac.in and Toll-free: 18002090830 to do appropriately depending on your call.
CAT Application Trends
The application trends for CAT for the past ten years are given below in the table and they indicate an increase in the number of candidates who have appeared in the entrance exam.
Application Trends for CAT Exam
| Year | No. of Registration | No. of Test Takers |
| 2018 | 2,40,338 | 2,09,405 |
| 2017 | 231,000 | 1,99,632 |
| 2016 | 2,32,434 | 1,95,000 |
| 2015 | 2,18,664 | 1,79,602 |
| 2014 | 1,96,988 | 1,67,829 |
| 2013 | 1,94,516 | 1,73,714 |
| 2012 | 2,14,000 | 1,95,000 |
| 2011 | 2,05,000 | 1,86,000 |
| 2010 | 2,04,000 | 1,85,000 |
| 2009 | 2,41,000 | 2,30,000 |
| 2008 | 2,90,000 | 2,76,000 |
| 2007 | 2,50,000 | 2,30,000 |
CAT Admit Card 2019 Update
The admit card of CAT 2019 will be released on October 23, 2019, in online mode. Candidates will have to log in and download the same as IIM Kozhikode will not send the CAT to admit card through any other means. Only applicants who have successfully completed their CAT registration 2019 will be able to download the CAT admit card 2019. Since the admit card of CAT 2019 is an important identity document, it must be carried to the exam hall on the exam day for identification purposes. Candidates are advised to keep the CAT admit card safe till the completion of the admission process.
How to download CAT 2019 Admit Card?
- Open the CAT 2019 official website
- Login using CAT User ID and Password (created during registration)
- Click on the tab ‘Admit Card’
- The admit card will appear on the screen
- Download the admit card and keep a soft copy for future use
- Take print copies and keep them safe.
The CAT Admit Card/Hall Ticket 2019 will mention the following details –
- Name of the candidate
- Date of birth of the candidate
- CAT 2019 Registration Number and User ID
- Category – Whether the candidate belongs to General category or Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe or Differently Abled
- Date and slot of CAT 2019
- Name of the CAT exam center including address
- Candidate’s signature
- Candidate’s photograph
- Exam day instructions
- Note – A new inclusion since last year: Google Map Link- The exact location of the test center will be displayed on the admit card which can be checked on Google Maps by clicking on the Google Map link.
- Reference Number
- Emergency Number
How to correct discrepancies in CAT Admit Card 2019?
For any discrepancy in the CAT 2019 Admit Card/Hall Ticket, applicants must contact the exam authority immediately to get it rectified/ corrected. Helpline details are as follows
