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CAT

CAT

Common Admission Test

Overview

Common Admission Test is a computer-based MBA entrance examination that is organized by all the IIMs on a rotational basis. IIMs select a Convener every year for overseeing all aspects of the CAT test . (Convener is the person who is responsible and sees all the possibilities for managing everything for the exam day). 

In 2021, the Prof. M P Ram Mohan has been appointed by IIM as a Convener for the examination.

Through CAT exam you can get admission in 20 IIMs and over 1,200 top B-Schools in India for MBA/PGDM courses and also for the Post Graduate Programs (PGP). 

CAT Exam Highlights:

Features  Details 
Exam Name CAT (Common Admission Test) 
Conducting Body IIM
Exam Level National Level Exams
Exam schedule Last week of November,
Course Offered MBA/PGDM
Exam Helpdesk No. 1-800-209-0830 (Toll-Free)

Eligibility

  • You must have a Graduation degree with minimum 50% aggregate (45% aggregate for SC, ST and PWD category candidates) or equivalent from any recognized university or institute.
  • Candidates must have done a professional degree in CA/ CS/ ICWA with the required percentage.
  • If you are in the final year of your graduation then also you are eligible to apply for CAT 2022 exam
     

Syllabus

CAT Syllabus is comprised of three sections which is –

  • Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning
  • Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension
  • Quantitative Ability

 

Given below the detailed syllabus for the above mentioned sections:-

  • Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning: Seating Arrangement, Caselets and Tables, Venn Diagrams, Combination of two or more types linked to each other, Calendars, Syllogism, Blood Relations, Bar Graphs and Column Graphs, Cubes and Clocks, Logical Matching, Connectives & Sequence, Line Charts & Pie Chart, Number and Letter Series, Binary Logic.
  • Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension:  Analogies and Reverse Analogies, Fill in the blanks, Correction in Sentence, Reading Comprehension, Verbal Reasoning, Meaning/Usage Match, Summary Questions, Synonyms Antonyms (Vocabulary Based), Facts Inferences Judgments, Grammar or English Usage, Jumbled Paragraph and Close Passage.
  • Quantitative Ability: Coordinate Geometry & Mensuration, Sequences & Series, LCM & HCF, Speed, Time & Distance, Time & Work, Ratio & Proportion, Logarithm, Binomial Theorem, Complex Numbers, Quadratic & Linear Equations, Probability, Permutation and Combination, Number Systems, Surds & Indices, Inequalities, Set Theory, Functions & Geometry, Mixtures & Allegations, Trigonometry, Profit, Loss & Discount, Percentages, Simple & Compound Interest, Averages.
     

Exam Pattern

CAT Examination is divided into three sections namely – 

  • VARC (Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension)
  • QA (Quantitative Aptitude)
  • DILR (Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning) 

 

Given below the CAT exam pattern:-

Sections VARC, QA and DILR
Duration of exam Total 120 minutes (40 minutes per section)
Total number of questions 76 Questions
Section-wise number of questions VARC - 26 Questions
DILR - 24 Questions
QA - 26 Questions
Total marks 228 Marks
Language of question paper English Language
Type of questions Non-MCQs and MCQs
Marking Scheme Candidates will get +3 marks for every correct answer
1/3 (-1) marks will deducted for every wrong answer in MCQ’s
There will be no negative marking for any incorrect answer in non-MCQ’s

Exam Paper

CAT paper of three sections which is –

  • Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning
  • Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension
  • Quantitative Ability

Exam Prepare

  • Students should make a proper time table according to the CAT syllabus and the exam pattern
  • Students can also prepare and practice by participating in the mock tests
  • Along with that students can also practice by solving the previous year question papers
  • There are also special CAT preparation books that came in market for the students to practice.

Exam Important Date

You can check below CAT tentative important dates:-

Events Dates 2024
Release of Notification 30th July 2023
Commencement of Registration Process 2nd August 2023
Last date for submission of Application Form 13th September 2023
Correction Window 3rd-4th week of September 2023
Release of Admit card 25th October 2023
CAT 2023 Exam 26th November 2023
Release of Answer Key 1st week of December 2023
Last date for submission of Objection Till 3-4 days after release
Declaration of final Answer key 3rd week of December 2023
Announcement of Result January 2024

Exam Application Process

You can register easily for the CAT exam through given below steps:-

  • Firstly go to the official website
  • Now candidates have to register themselves by entering their details such as name, date of birth, email ID and mobile number
  • Now enter OTP for successful registration
  • An OTP will be sent on candidate's registered phone number or e-mail ID
  • After the successful registration process, login by entering details in the registration form
  • Upload scanned documents in the required place
  • After this select the test centers and preferred IIM campus for Writing Ability Test (WAT) and Personal Interview (PI)
  • Now pay the registration fees for CAT exam

 

CAT Application Fee:

Category Application Fee
For SC/ ST and PWD Rs.1000/-
For all other candidates Rs.2000/-

 

IIM Ahmedabad Cutoff:

Category Aggregate
General 80
NC-OBC 75
SC 70
ST 60
PwD (General/ NC-OBC/ SC) 70
PwD (ST) 60

 

IIM Amritsar Cutoff :

Category Aggregate
General 85
NC-OBC 75
SC 55
ST 40
PwD 40

 

IIM Bangalore Cutoff 2021:

Category Overall
General 85
NC-OBC 75
EWS 75
SC 70
ST 65
PwD 60

 

IIM Calcutta Cutoff 2021:

Category Aggregate
General ≥80
NC-OBC ≥75
EWS ≥75
SC ≥70
ST ≥65
PwD ≥65

 

IIM Lucknow Cutoff 2021:

Category Aggregate
General 90
NC-OBC 82
SC 70
ST 65
PwD 65
EWS 82

Exam Center

CAT examination was conducted at numerous exam centers located in 156 cities in India. All the candidates have to choose at least six exam center preferences during the registration:-

Mumbai Hamirpur Port Blair
Nashik Jammu Guntur
Satara Bokaro Nellore
Palghar Dhanbad Vijayawada
Ulhasnagar Hazaribagh Kakinada
Shillong Jamshedpur Rajahmundry
Aizawl Ranchi Visakhapatnam
Kohima Belagavi (Belgaum) Kurnool
Balasore Bengaluru Tirupathi
Cuttack Hubballi(Hubli) Vizianagaram
Sambalpur Mysuru(Mysore) Itanagar
Berhampur Kalaburagi(Gulbarga) Dibrugarh
Dhenkanal Shivamogga(Shimoga) Silchar
Bhubaneswar Dharwad Guwahati
Rourkela Mangaluru(Mangalore) Tezpur
Puducherry Udupi Jorhat
Pathankot Kannur Aurangabad-Bihar
Ludhiana Ernakulam Darbhanga
Amritsar Kollam Arrah
Bhatinda Kottayam Muzaffarpur
Patiala Kozhikode Bhagalpur
Jalandhar Thrissur Patna
Sangrur Trivandrum Mohali
Ajmer Bhopal Chandigarh
Jaipur Jabalpur Bhilai Nagar
Sikar Ujjain Bilaspur
Alwar Gwalior Raipur
Jodhpur Sagar Delhi
Udaipur Indore Faridabad
Bikaner Satna Gurugram
Kota Bhopal Ghaziabad
Madurai Jabalpur New Delhi
Chennai Ujjain Greater Noida
Salem Gwalior Noida
Trichy Sagar Meerut
Coimbatore Indore Panaji
Vellore Satna Ahmedabad
Tirunelveli Amravati Mehsana
Hyderabad Jalgaon Vadodara
Karimnagar Nagpur Anand
Warangal Pune Rajkot
Allahabad Solapur Gandhinagar
Bareilly Navi Mumbai Surat
Kanpur Ahmednagar Ambala
Muzaffarnagar Kolhapur Hisar
Agra Nanded Karnal
Gorakhpur Raigad Kurushetra
Lucknow Thane Panipat
Varanasi Vasai Rohtak
Aligarh Aurangabad Shimla
Dehradun Moradabad Jhansi
Asansol Roorkee Haldwani
Burdwan Bankura Durgapur
Kalyani Hooghly Kolkata
Siliguri  

FAQ

Ques. How many times CAT examinations was conducted in a year?
Ans.
CAT examination was conducted once in a year.

 

Ques. Can I pay CAT exam application fee through offline mode?
Ans.
No, you can only pay CAT exam application fee via online mode by using debit/credit card/net banking.

 

Ques. Is there any age limit to apply for CAT exam?
Ans.
No, there is no age limit specified to appear in the CAT exam. You only have to fulfill the eligible criteria.

 

Ques. When will CAT exam result be declared?
Ans.
CAT exam result will be declared in the first week of January.

 

Ques. Can I apply for more than one slot for CAT exam?
Ans.
 No, you can’t apply for more than one slot for CAT exam; you can appear for CAT exam in one slot only. 

 

Ques. Is there any advantage given to PWD category candidates in CAT paper?
Ans.
Yes, PWD category candidates will get extra 20 minutes in CAT paper.

 

Ques. Is there any negative marking in CAT exam?
Ans.
 Negative marking scheme for the CAT exam is given below:-

  • 1/3 (-1) marks will deducted for every wrong answer in MCQs
  • There is no negative marking for every wrong non-MCQ answer

 

Ques. What is the CAT exam registration fee for general category candidates?
Ans.
The CAT exam registration fee for general category candidates is Rs. 2,000/-.

 

Ques. How many questions will come in CAT exam section-wise?
Ans.
There are total 76 questions in CAT exam:-

  • VARC - 26 Questions
  • DILR - 24 Questions
  • QA - 26 Questions
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