Hey Vijay:)

Thanks for reaching out!

OEC,(Other Eligible Communities) is a state-specific reservation category used in Kerala,and it is not recognised as a separate category in central-level exams like the CAT.

For Central govt exams candidates must choose from the recognised categories: General,SC,ST,OBC-NCL,EWS or PwD.If your community is listed under OEC-SC or OEC-ST in Kerala,you should check whether it falls under SC or ST in the central list and apply accordingly.

Similarly,If your OEC community is in the central OBC list and you meet the non-creamy layer(NCL)rules,you can apply as OBC-NCL, otherwise you need to apply under the general category.

You can verify caste's status in the central list on the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) website.

Hope this clears your doubt!

Hello!

Basically in  the CAT exam, reservation is only given for categories like General, OBC NCL, SC, ST. The OEC  category is a only recognised by state not by central.If your OEC community is also listed under the Central OBC-NCL category then you can get reservation by applying under OBC-NCL with a valid certificate. But if your community is not in the central list you will have to apply as a General category candidate even if your state gives you reservation benefits under OEC.So if your category is not mentioned in the CAT exam then you will not get any benefits and will be treated same as general category students.