Careers360 Logo
ask-icon
share
    How Many Students Appeared for CAT 2025? Complete Candidate Statistics Explained
    • MBA
    • MBA Exams
    • CAT Exam
    • How Many Students Appeared for CAT 2025? Complete Candidate Statistics Explained

    How Many Students Appeared for CAT 2025? Complete Candidate Statistics Explained

    Team Careers360Updated on 24 Dec 2025, 11:11 PM IST

    The Common Admission Test (CAT) is one of the most competitive MBA entrance examinations in India. Every year, lakhs of management aspirants appear for CAT to secure admission to the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and other leading B-schools. After the announcement of the CAT 2025 results, one of the most searched questions among MBA aspirants is how many students appeared for CAT 2025.

    How Many Students Appeared for CAT 2025? Complete Candidate Statistics Explained
    How Many Students Appeared for CAT 2025?

    This article explains the CAT 2025 candidate statistics in detail, including total registrations, number of students who actually appeared for the exam, attendance trends, and comparisons with previous years.

    How Many Students Appeared for CAT 2025?

    As per the data released by the CAT conducting authority, IIM Kozhikode, around 2.58 lakh candidates appeared for the CAT 2025 examination across all three slots. The CAT 2025 exam was conducted on November 30, 2025, in multiple test centres across India.

    Although nearly 2.88 lakh candidates registered for CAT 2025, not all registered candidates appeared for the examination. This gap between registrations and actual attendance is observed every year.

    CAT 2025 Registration vs Appeared Candidates

    The CAT 2025 participation data can be summarised as follows:

    • Total candidates registered for CAT 2025: approximately 2.88 lakh

    • Total candidates who appeared for CAT 2025: approximately 2.58 lakh

    • Absentee rate: around 10 to 11 percent

    The attendance percentage for CAT 2025 remained high, indicating consistent interest in MBA and PGDM programmes across the country.

    Why Is There a Gap Between Registration and Attendance?

    Every year, a section of registered candidates does not appear for the CAT exam. Some of the common reasons include:

    • Candidates opting for other MBA entrance exams

    • Inadequate preparation or lack of confidence

    • Personal or health-related issues

    • Change in academic or career plans

    Birla Institute of Management Technology, Greater Noida

    AACSB Accredited | Highest CTC: 22 LPA

    Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai

    Globally Recognized by AACSB (US) & AMBA (UK) | 18 LPA Avg. CTC for PGPM 2026

    Despite these factors, CAT continues to record one of the highest attendance rates among national-level entrance examinations.

    Slot-Wise Distribution of CAT 2025 Candidates

    CAT 2025 was conducted in three slots: morning, afternoon, and evening. The number of candidates was almost evenly distributed across all three sessions to ensure fairness and normalisation.

    On average, each slot accommodated more than 85,000 candidates. The exam was held in over 400 cities, making CAT 2025 one of the largest computer-based examinations conducted in India.

    CAT 2025 Candidate Numbers Compared to Previous Years

    A comparison with previous years highlights the growth in the number of CAT test-takers:

    • CAT 2024: approximately 2.54 lakh candidates appeared

    • CAT 2023: approximately 2.22 lakh candidates appeared

    • CAT 2022: approximately 2.22 lakh candidates appeared

    • CAT 2021: approximately 1.92 lakh candidates appeared

    Past 10 years CAT Question Papers with Solutions
    Ace CAT with confidence! Download the Past 10 Years' CAT Question Papers with detailed answers to understand exam trends, improve accuracy, and maximize your percentile.
    Download Ebook

    The data indicates that CAT 2025 recorded one of the highest numbers of appearing candidates in the history of the examination.

    What Does High CAT 2025 Participation Indicate?

    The large number of candidates appearing for CAT 2025 reflects several trends in management education:

    • Increasing competition for IIM and top MBA colleges

    • Strong demand for MBA and PGDM programmes

    • Greater awareness of CAT among students and working professionals

    • Rising importance of management education for long-term career growth

    IBSAT

    Gateway to IBS Hyderabad & 8 other IBS campuses | Scholarships worth 10 CR

    Lal Bahadur Shastri Institute of Management, Delhi

    Highest CTC: 24 LPA | Average CTC: 12.32 LPA | 85 Placement Partners

    With nearly 2.6 lakh candidates competing for a limited number of seats, CAT 2025 remained highly competitive.

    Impact on CAT 2025 Cutoffs and MBA Admissions

    A higher number of appearing candidates usually results in:

    • Higher cutoffs for top IIMs and leading MBA colleges

    • Increased competition in the 90 percentile and above range

    • Greater emphasis on academic profile, work experience, and diversity during shortlisting

    Candidates seeking admission to top MBA institutes for the 2026–28 batch are expected to face intense competition during the selection process.

    Key Takeaway

    Approximately 2.58 lakh students appeared for CAT 2025, making it one of the most competitive CAT examinations so far. With registrations close to 2.9 lakh, CAT continues to attract a large pool of MBA aspirants every year.

    Understanding participation trends helps candidates realistically assess competition levels and prepare better for upcoming MBA admission cycles.

    Articles
    |
    Upcoming Mba Exams
    Ongoing Dates
    NMAT Slot Booking Date

    20 Aug'26 - 17 Dec'26 (Online)

    Certifications By Top Providers
    Brand Management
    Via Indian Institute of Management Bangalore
    Accounting and Finance
    Via Indian Institute of Management Bangalore
    Certificate Programme in Human Resource Management
    Via Indian Institute of Technology Delhi
    Certificate Program in Digital Marketing and Applied Analytics
    Via Indian Institute of Technology Bombay
    Online PGDM
    Via Jaipuria Institute of Management, Noida
    Corporate Law
    Via National Law University, New Delhi
    Explore Top Universities Across Globe

    Questions related to CAT

    On Question asked by student community

    Have a question related to CAT ?

    Hello, for AP NEET PG Category C seats, NRI documents are generally required if you are applying under the NRI quota, and eligibility depends on the applicable counselling rules. The fee payment currency and procedure should be confirmed from the current Dr. NTRUHS notification at its official website drntr.uhsap.in.

    Hello, CAT aur B-school entrance exams ke baare mein aap exam dates, eligibility, registration, exam pattern, syllabus, colleges ya admission process ki information dekh sakte hain. Aapki requirement ke according relevant details yahan mil sakti hain: https://bschool.careers360.com/exams

    Hey there,

    For a B.Sc. with Chemistry, Botany and Zoology (CBZ), if the CAT application asks separately for:

    • Degree Name: B.Sc.
    • Graduation Stream: Science
    • Discipline: enter/select Science if that is an available option.

    If the Discipline dropdown has a more specific option such as “Biological Sciences,” “Life Sciences,” or “Zoology/Botany,”

    Hey there,

    Yes. With 2 years of work experience, you are eligible to target the regular 2-year MBA at IIM Calcutta as long as you have a bachelor's degree with at least 50% marks (45% for SC/ST/PwD). Work experience is not required for eligibility.

    Which exam do you need?

    For