CAT 2024: How Many Students Appeared? Check Official Numbers and Insights…
CAT 2024 exam was successfully held on November 24, 2024. A total of 2.93 lakh candidates appeared for the CAT exam out of 3.29 lakh registered and eligible candidates. The overall attendance for CAT 2024 was approximately 89%.
CAT 2024 exam was successfully held on November 24, 2024. A total of 3.29 lakh MBA aspirants had registered for the exam. But how many candidates actually appeared for CAT 2024 exam since about 10-15% of those who register went absent in past editions. Also, what percentage of total candidates were female? IIM Calcutta has released data on actual CAT 2024 test takers. Check Official Numbers, and Insights from MBAUniverse.com analysis of historical trends.
CAT 2024 Number of Test Takers are…
Let’s start with key numbers on CAT 2024 exam test takers. According to IIM Calcutta (CAT 2024 Convenor), a total of 2.93 lakh candidates appeared for the CAT exam out of 3.29 lakh registered and eligible candidates. These CAT test takers numbers were eagerly awaited by MBA Directors, admission teams, test-prep companies, aspirants and media alike.
Higher Attendance Rate
The overall attendance for CAT 2024 was approximately 89%. This is higher CAT attendance than in past years. In CAT 2023, attendance was 88%, in CAT 2022 attendance was 87% and in CAT 2021 attendance was just 83%. In number terms, about 5000 additional candidates took CAT 2024 compared to CAT 2023. So, this is positive trend as higher percentage of test takers result in a larger pool of MBA aspirants.
Male Vs Female Ratio Is…
Another important data point released by IIM Calcutta is that of the 2.93 lakh candidates who appeared for the exam, 1.07 lakh are female candidates, while 1.86 lakh are male candidates. There were 5 transgender candidates. So the percentage of Male candidates was 63%.
CAT 2024 Test Takers Numbers: Key highlights
- Total Number of Candidates Registered: 3.29 lakhs
- Total Number of Candidates who Took the Exam: 2.93 lakhs
- Percentage of Candidates Who Took the Exam: 89%
- Additional Number of Candidates (2024 Vs 2023): 5,000
- Number of Male Candidates: 1.86 lakh (63%)
- Number of Female Candidates: 1.07 lakh (37%)
CAT Test takers Over the Years: Comparative Analysis
MBAUniverse.com presents a historical account of how CAT numbers have changed in last few years.
| CAT Year | Total Registered Candidates | Actual Test Takers | Percentage Attendance |
| CAT 2024 | 3,29,000 | 2,93,000 | 89% |
| CAT 2023 | 3,28,000 | 2,88,000 | 88% |
| CAT 2022 | 2,55,501 | 2,22,184 | 87% |
| CAT 2021 | 2,29,969 | 1,91,660 | 83.40% |
| CAT 2020 | 2,27,835 | 1,90,144 | 83.40% |
| CAT 2019 | 2,44,169 | 2,09,926 | 86% |
| CAT 2018 | 2,41,000 | 2,09,405 | 87% |
| CAT 2017 | 2,31,067 | 1,99,632 | 86.40% |
Source: MBAUniverse.com Analysis of CAT data released by respective IIMs
As is well known, Common Admission Test (CAT) is the largest MBA entrance exam for 21 IIMs, FMS, MDI, SPJIMR, IITs among others. IIM Calcutta conducted CAT 2024 exam on November 24, 2024 in three slots. Overall, CAT 2024 difficulty level was easier than CAT 2023. IIM Calcutta Faculty Prof Ramya T Venkateswaran is the CAT 2024 Convener.
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