How many students appear for CAT exam?
According to IIM Indore, around 1.90 lakh applicants took the CAT 2020 exam on November 29. Earlier, IIM Indore Director Himanshu Rai stated that despite the COVID-19 pandemic, around 83.5 percent of aspirants took the CAT last year.
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Prof. Harshal Lowalekar, the convener of CAT 2020, gave data on student attendance in the exam. According to the data, there were a total of 2,27,835 candidates enrolled for the exam. There were 1.47 lakh males and almost 80,000 girls among the 2.27 lakh hopefuls. On the CAT exam day, the total number of test-takers across all three slots was 1,90,143. The first shift had the lowest attendance of any shift (8:30 AM to 10:30 AM). Students in the second and third shifts were roughly equally represented.
CAT 2020 Registration: Gender wise break up
| Gender | Candidates who registered |
| Female | 80,135 |
| Male | 1,47,699 |
| Transgender | 1 |
| Total | 2,27,835 |
CAT 2020: Slot wise Attendance
According to IIM Indore data, approximately 12,000 candidates were absent in each exam slot, and the average number of students who took the CAT 2020 fluctuated between 59,000 and 65,000.
| Slot | Candidates Scheduled | Candidates Present | Present Percentage | Candidates Absent |
| Slot 1 (8:30 AM to 10:30 AM) | 72,166 | 59,580 | 82.560% | 12,586 |
| Slot 2 (12:30 AM to 2:30 PM) | 78,265 | 65,556 | 83.762% | 12,709 |
| Slot 3 (4:30 PM to 6:30 PM) | 77,404 | 65,007 | 83.984% | 12,397 |
| Total | 2,27,835 | 1,90,143 | 83.456% | 37,692 |
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CAT 2021 Registrations
IIM Ahmedabad (IIMA), the convening IIM for CAT 2021, shared the exam registration number shortly after the closure of CAT Registrations on September 22. “Approximately 2.31 lakh candidates have successfully enrolled for CAT 2021,” according to IIMA. The number of candidates who registered for the CAT last year was 2.28 lakh. It should be noted that CAT 2021 registrations are significantly fewer than the 2.44 lakh individuals who registered for the pre-Covid CAT 2019 exam.
CAT Registration Trends – Only 1.95 % CAGR in 10 Years
In the last ten years, CAT exam registrations have increased only modestly. From 2013 to 2019, the number of CAT exam applicants increased from 2.05 lakhs to 2.44 lakhs. On a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) basis, this is a 1.95 percent increase. If we consider CAT 2020 registrations, which have dropped significantly to 2.28 lakhs as a result of COVID 19, the CAGR will be even lower.
Check the number of candidates registering for CAT during the last 11 years is:
CAT Registration Number in Lakhs
CAT 2021 Release by IIMA: Key Points
Aside from CAT 2021 registration numbers, IIMA has released the following information on 24.9.2021. Some points are simply reiterations of already stated facts:
- The CAT 2021 exam will be held on November 28, 2021. (Sunday).
- The format of the test will stay the same as the previous year, with three shifts of two-hour examinations consisting of three sections: I Verbal and Reading Comprehension Ability, ii) Quantitative Ability, and iii) Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning Ability
- Candidates will be granted 40 minutes for each section, with PwD candidates receiving an additional 13 minutes and 20 seconds for each section.
- Given the possibility of time constraints in completing the CAT exam last year as a result of adjustments made, the CAT Committee is attempting to reduce the number of questions across all three sections – QA, DILR, and VARC – for CAT 2021.
- On November 28, 2021, CAT 2021 will be held at over 400 test centres spanning over 159 cities in India.
- Mock tests and tutorials to help students grasp the format of the test will be available on the CAT website beginning in the last week of October 2021.
The Common Admission Test (CAT) is the most popular MBA entrance test, leading to admission to 150+ MBA programmes, including 20 IIMs, FMS, MDI, SPJIMR, and IITs, among others.
