Exams with no age limit: CAT, GATE and NEET UG
Some big exams have no upper age limit. For these, waiting doesn't close a door. What it costs is the study time you meant to put in.
Your numbers
Common answers are filled in. Change the ones you know.
Typical: 150 minutes. Put in yours.
Your own guess. Set it to 0 if you're not sure.
It only changes the order on your statement.
What waiting costs you
182 hours
You'd have about 182 hours of practice by now
At your planned pace, that's 364 hours a year.
Your small stepDo one 10-minute session today, and put tomorrow's session in your calendar with a time and a place.
How we worked this out
- Gap: 420 minutes planned minus 0 done = 420 minutes a week.
- 420 minutes × 26 weeks ÷ 60 = 182 hours.
- How much it matters to you: 7 out of 10. It only changes the order on your statement.
Sources
- Gollwitzer & Sheeran (2006): Writing a simple 'When ___, I will ___' plan makes people noticeably more likely to follow through (a medium-to-large effect across 94 studies).
How it works
CAT, for admission to the IIMs, has no age limit and no limit on attempts.
GATE has no age limit either.
NEET UG had an upper age limit of 25 for General until 2022, when the National Medical Commission removed it.
So the calculator here counts the study hours you've missed against the time you planned.
Sources
- Gollwitzer & Sheeran (2006)
- CAT rules, via Careers360 (2026): You need a bachelor's degree with 50% (45% for SC, ST and PwBD). Check iimcat.ac.in.
- GATE rules, via Physics Wallah (2026): Each year's organising IIT publishes the rules. Check its GATE page.
- The Tribune (2022): Check the NTA's NEET UG bulletin for your year.
Rules last checked: October 2026. They can change at any time, so check the official page before you plan anything.
Questions people ask
So I can wait as long as I like?
The exam will still be there, but your study hours won't add up on their own. Each week of waiting is time you planned and didn't use.
Do these exams have other rules?
Yes. CAT needs a bachelor's degree with 50% marks (45% for SC, ST and PwBD), and GATE and NEET have their own rules. Check each official page.
Putting off more than one thing?
Pick up to five and get your Delay Statement: what to do first, what can wait, and one small step for today.
Want a nudge to act on it?
The app turns what you're putting off into a short list for each day: your Top 3 and one small step at a time. It's free.
We show what waiting costs on your own plans. We never tell you what to buy or invest in. Rules and averages change, so check the official pages before you plan anything.