CAT – Syllabus, Exam Date, Timings, Fees, Registrations, Eligibility, Admission, Colleges accepting CAT
What is the CAT Exam?
An applicant must pass the Common Admission Test (CAT), a national level management aptitude test, in order to be considered for admission to the MBA programmes offered by 20 IIMs and more than 1,200 B-schools in India. Every year, more than two lakh people submit applications for the CAT exam, which is given in computer-based style and lasts for two hours. The CAT exam includes multiple-choice and non-multiple-choice questions from the Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Ability sections (QA). The exam has a moderate to high level of difficulty. In addition to MBA programmes, entrance to Executive MBA, PhD, and FPM programmes requires a valid CAT score. The CAT will last two hours and have 40-minute time limits for each section. In the allotted time, candidates must respond to 66 questions of an objective nature. There are three places available for the exam. On test day, visit this page for a slot-by-slot analysis of the CAT exam. The CAT admit card is currently accessible. Up until the exam day, it can be downloaded from the IIM CAT website. The CAT admit card should be downloaded, though, a few days prior to the test. Candidates can now access the CAT sample test to prepare and get a sense of the most recent exam format.
CAT Exam Highlights
MBA aspirants who intend to take the CAT entrance exam this year need to be familiar with the highlights of the CAT exam. Look at the following table:
| Particulars | CAT Exam Details |
|---|---|
| CAT Full Form | Common Admission Test (CAT) |
| Conducting Institute | IIM Bangalore |
| Exam Level | National |
| Exam Frequency | Once a year |
| CAT Exam Date | to be announced |
| CAT Exam Timings | to be announced |
| CAT Exam Fees | INR 2,300 (General category) and INR 1,150 (Reserved category) |
| Eligibility Criteria | Graduation with 50 % aggregate (45 % for SC/ST students) |
| Exam Purpose | Admission into IIMs, SPJIMR, FMS, MDI, IMT and over 1,200 B-Schools in India |
| Courses Offered | MBA/PGDM |
| CAT syllabus | Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC) |
| Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) | |
| Quantitative Ability (QA) | |
| CAT pattern | Computer Based Test (CBT) with MCQs and non-MCQs |
| No. of test cities | 150 |
| CAT exam website | https://iimcat.ac.in |
Official CAT Mock Test
Candidates can practise and get a feel for the exam setting ahead by taking the official CAT mock test. On the IIMCAT website, the official CAT practise exam is accessible without logging in. The steps for taking the official CAT practise test are listed below: Open the official website of CAT : https://iimcat.ac.in/ Go to CAT mock test link and click on it or click here: https://www.digialm.com/OnlineAssessment/index.html?756@@M19 The candidate will be directed to a login page Click on ‘Sign In’ Click on ‘Next’ Check the box for ‘ I agree to the terms and conditions’ Click on ‘I am ready to begin’ Every CAT candidate needs at least once practise the official mock test to become familiar with the test’s setting and navigation. They will feel much more confident as a result.
CAT Eligibility Criteria
The minimum eligibility criteria for CAT exam is graduation in any stream. Read below detailed CAT eligibility criteria: To participate in CAT, candidates must hold a bachelor’s degree with a minimum cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 50% (or an equal percentage for SC, ST, and PWD/DA category candidates) from an accredited university. Candidates who have earned the required percentage in a professional degree (CA/CS/ICWA/FCAI) are also eligible to take the CAT. Candidates who are enrolled in their final year of a bachelor’s degree or an equivalent certificate or who are awaiting results may als apply for the CAT exam
CAT Exam Syllabus
The syllabus of CAT exam has remained the same for more than last ten years. Check below the in-focus topics of CAT syllabus for exam preparation:
| CAT Syllabus sections | CAT Syllabus topics |
|---|---|
| Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC) | Reading Comprehension, Para Jumbles, Para Summary and Odd Sentence Out |
| Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) | Set Theory (Variables), Set Theory + Puzzles, Puzzles with Additional Data, Coding-Decoding and Series |
| Quantitative Aptitude (QA) | Number System, Algebra, Arithmetic, Geometry and Mensuration |
Top Colleges Accepting CAT Exam Score
20 IIMs and more than 1,200 B-schools nationwide accept CAT scores. You can click on the following links to learn more about each IIM’s cutoffs, placements
| List of Top IIMs Accepting CAT Score |
|---|
| IIM Calcutta |
| IIM Bangalore |
| IIM Kozhikode |
| IIM Ahmedabad |
| IIM Indore |
| IIM Lucknow |
CAT Registrations
Registrations for the CAT exam opened on August . The deadline for CAT registration was September. To fill out the online application form, candidates have to first register on the iimcat website. Check out the CAT application and registration process below for:
Go to iimcat.ac.in website (or click here: https://cdn.digialm.com/EForms/configuredHtml/756/77650/Registration.html) Click on new registration Enter name, date of birth, nationality, phone number and email ID to register Log in with the ID received in email to fill the application form Enter personal and academic details Upload a passport sized photo and scanned signature Select preferred courses and IIMs Select preferred test cities Pay application fee via credit/debit card or net banking