ADMISSION NEWS

Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs)

Website: www.iimcat.ac.in

Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bangalore, Bodh Gaya, Calcutta, Indore, Jammu, Kashipur, Kozhikode, Lucknow, Nagpur, Raipur, Ranchi, Rohtak, Sambalpur, Shillong, Sirmaur, Tiruchirappalli, Udaipur, Visakhapatnam

The Indian Institutes of Management will conduct computer-based Common Admission Test 2018 (CAT 2018) on Sunday, 25th November, 2018 in two sessions. CAT 2018 will be conducted by IIMs as a pre-requisite for admission to various management programmes of IIMs. These programmes are:

A.     Post Graduate Programmes in Management (PGP):

B.     Fellow Programmes in Management (FPM) [equivalent to Ph.D.]

Separate advertisements may appear for programmes other than PGP specific to each participating IIMs. Before a prospective candidate makes a decision to appear for CAT 2018, he/she must visit the website and/or read programme advertisement of the concerned IIM and specific programmes to ensure accurate and updated information on which programmes they want to apply for, eligibility requirements and admission processes. The CAT 2018 Scores are allowed to be used by the listed non-IIM member institutions. List of non-IIM member institutions that have registered to avail the CAT 2018 scores is provided at www.iimcat.ac.in. Please note that IIMs have no role in the selection process of non-IIM institutions.

INFORMATION SOURCES: CAT website

Help Desk Number: 18002090830

Eligibility:

The candidate must hold a 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 Persons With Disability (PWD) categories], awarded by any University or educational institution as incorporated by an Act of the Parliament or State legislature in India or declared to be deemed as a University under Section 3 of the UGC Act, 1956, or possess an equivalent qualification recognized by the Ministry of HRD, Government of India. The percentage of marks obtained by the candidate would be calculated based on the practice as followed by the respective University/Institution. In case of grades / CGPA, the conversion to percentage of marks would be based on the procedure as certified by the respective University/ institution. If any University/institution confirms that there is no 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. However, it may be noted that such candidates, if selected, will be allowed to join the programme provisionally, only if they submit a certificate from the Principal / Registrar of their University/institution (issued on or before the date as stipulated by the respective IIM) stating that they have completed all the requirements for obtaining the Bachelor’s degree/equivalent qualification on the date of the issue of the certificate. IIMs may verify eligibility at various stages of the selection process.

For more details on eligibility candidates are advised visit the “CAT 2018 Eligibility‟ section of the CAT website. Candidates should note that the mere fulfillment of minimum eligibility criteria will not ensure consideration for shortlisting by IIMs.

RESERVATIONS:

As per the legal requirements, 15% of the seats are reserved for Scheduled Caste (SC), 7.5% for Scheduled Tribe (ST) candidates, 27% of seats for Other Backward Classes candidates belonging to the “Non-Creamy” layer (NC-OBC), and 5% for Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwD). As defined in The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 (RPwD Act 2016), “person with benchmark disability” means a person with not less than forty percent (40%) of a specified disability where specified disability has not been defined in measurable terms and includes a person with disability where specified disability has been defined in measurable terms, as certified by the certifying authority.

“Specified Disability” means the disabilities as specified in the Schedule of the RPwD Act 2016. The categories of disability are:

a)     blindness and low vision,

b)     deaf and hard of hearing,

c)     locomotor disability including cerebral palsy, leprosy cured, dwarfism, acid attack victims and muscular dystrophy,

d)     autism, intellectual disability, specific learning disability and mental illness, and

e)     multiple disabilities from amongst persons under clauses (a) to (d)

f)       Other 'specified disabilities' mentioned in 'The Schedule' of the RPwD Act 2016.

For the purpose of being considered for reservations, the applicable Central Government list as on the last date of CAT registration shall be binding. No subsequent changes will be effective for CAT 2018 and any subsequent selection process of the IIMs.

The candidates belonging to the reserved categories need to also note the eligibility requirements carefully before applying. It should be noted that while it is the endeavor of IIMs that the candidates belonging to SC/ST/PwD/NC-OBC categories join the programme in proportionsmandated by the law, they have to meet the minimum eligibility criteria and a certain minimum level of performance to be considered for the admission process. The candidates should read the updated description of selection process followed by each IIM on their respective websites.

No change in the category will be entertained after CAT registration; hence, the applicants are advised to give attention while registering.

How to Apply:

PAYMENT OF CAT REGISTRATION FEE:

·         Rs. 950 for SC, ST and PwD category candidates.

·         Rs.1900 for all other categories of candidates.

Please note that a candidate needs to pay registration fee only once, irrespective of the number of institutes he/she is applying for. SC, ST and PwD candidates must upload a copy of their SC/ST/PwD certificates at the time of registration. Fee once paid cannot be refunded under any circumstances.

REGISTRATION FOR CAT:

The registration window opens on 8th August, 2018 and will close at 5:00 p.m. on 19th September, 2018. The details will be available in the registration guide. At the time of registration, the candidates have to select any four Test Cities as per their preference from the drop down menu. After the last date of registration, candidates will be allotted one among the four 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 24th October, 2018 till 25th November, 2018.

TEST CENTRES

CAT will be conducted in centers spread across around 147 test cities. Test cities will be mentioned in CAT website and the name of the test centre will be indicated in the Admit Card. IIMs reserve the right to change or cancel any test centre / city and / or change the test time and date at their own discretion.

CAT 2018 SCORE

Candidates' CAT 2018 score card will be made accessible at the CAT website. Candidates may also be intimated individually by SMS. The CAT results are likely be declared by second week of January, 2019. CAT 2018 score is valid only till December 31, 2019 and will accordingly be accessible on the website. Thereafter, no queries related to issuance of CAT 2018 score cards will be entertained.

ADMISSION PROCESS:

Please note that each IIM is independent to mandate their own eligibility criteria (including academic cut-offs and relative weights) and follow different selection processes. Performance in CAT 2018 examination is an important component for consideration in the selection process. IIMs may also use previous academic performance of the candidates, relevant work experience and other similar inputs in short-listing of candidates at various stages of the selection process. For more information, candidates must refer to the respective websites of the IlM.

DISCLAIMER

Instances of any incorrect information or process violation detected at any stage of the selection process will lead to immediate disqualification of the candidate from the selection process and he/she will not be allowed to appear for CAT in future. If such instances go undetected during the current selection process but are detected in subsequent years, such disqualification will take place with retrospective effect. Candidates must retain this Information Bulletin for future reference. Any dispute concerning CAT 2018 would be subject to jurisdiction of the competent courts within the territorial jurisdiction of city of Kolkata only.

IMPORTANT Candidates must declare and maintain a valid and unique email account and a mobile phone number throughout the selection process.

Important Dates:

Registration Opens: 8^th August, 2018

Registration Closes: 19^th September, 2018 (5.00 p.m.)

Admit Card download: 24^th October to 25^th November 2018

Test Date: 25^th November, 2018

Result declaration: Second week of January, 2019 (Tentative)

Comments:

To know more Information about CAT Entrance please visit: www.iimcat.ac.in