Common Admission Test

Who is Conducting Common Admission Test?

The conducting body of CAT changes every year. CAT is conducted on a rotational basis by one of the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs). This rotation allows all the IIMs to take turns managing the examination, ensuring fairness and equal opportunity. The conducting body of CAT is responsible for overseeing the entire process of organizing the exam, which includes setting the paper, conducting the test, and declaring the results.

Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs): The IIMs are a group of autonomous public business schools in India, and they are some of the most prestigious institutions for management education in the country. Currently, there are 20 IIMs in India, each located in a different city. These institutes have a rich history of producing successful business leaders and entrepreneurs.

Roles & Responsibilities of the Conducting Body:

• Exam Arrangements: The conducting IIM is responsible for setting the CAT question paper, which includes questions from various sections such as Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Ability (QA). The paper is designed to assess a candidate’s aptitude and problem-solving abilities.
• Conducting the Test: The conducting body is responsible for managing all logistical aspects of the CAT exam. This includes setting up examination centers, ensuring the proper functioning of computer-based testing infrastructure, and providing necessary instructions to candidates.
• Exam Security and Fairness: The conducting body must ensure the utmost security and fairness in the examination process. Measures are taken to prevent any malpractice or cheating during the exam, and strict protocols are followed to maintain the integrity of the test.
• Announcement of Result: After conducting the CAT exam, the conducting body is responsible for evaluating the answer sheets, calculating the scores, and declaring the results. CAT results include scaled scores and percentiles, indicating a candidate’s relative performance compared to others who took the test.
• Communication with Candidates: The conducting body communicates important information to candidates through the official CAT website. This includes information about the registration process, exam dates, admit cards, and result announcements.
• Selection Process: While the CAT conducting body is primarily responsible for the examination, the selection process for admission to various management programs is the responsibility of individual IIMs and other participating institutes. These institutes use CAT scores as one of the criteria for shortlisting candidates and may conduct additional selection rounds, such as group discussions, written ability tests, and personal interviews.

The conducting body of CAT is a rotating entity among the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs). Each year, one of the IIMs takes on the responsibility of organizing and managing the CAT exam, ensuring a fair and rigorous evaluation process for candidates aspiring to pursue management education in India.

Why Common Admission Test is Important?

Common Admission Test is an entrance exam for aspirants who desire to make a career in management and business administration.

• Common Admission Test is the path through which aspirants can get admission into various management programs to premium institutes.
• More than 100 B-schools consider CAT score.
• Students pursuing MBA from top b-schools are offered lucrative salary packages.
• Taking Common Admission Test broadens your choices of colleges.
• Common Admission Test can be attempted as many times as aspirants want.
• Pursuing MBA is one of the best options available for higher education in India. This degree gives a hike to the student’s growth.
• Students get credibility along with recognition.

Common Admission Test Overview

Common Admission Test (CAT) is a national-level entrance exam held every year.

For the year, Indian Institute of Management (IIMs) conduct CAT exam on a rotational basis.

Based on the performance of the aspirants in the CAT entrance exam they become eligible to move ahead with the further admission process in prestigious management schools such as IIM, SP Jain, FMS, MDI and many other.

CAT’s transition to a computer-based test (CBT) in 2009 marked a significant milestone, enabling a more efficient and standardized evaluation process. The exam typically comprises three sections: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Ability (QA).

Common Admission Test (CAT) EXAM DATES

COMMON ADMISSION TEST REGISTRATION

The registration process for CAT will begin in the month of August.

Aspirants can register for CAT exam till the fourth week of September.

Registration process is divided into 4 simple steps:

REGISTRATION

• CAT registration can be done through online mode at the official website of CAT.
• You will get two options- Login & Registration
• You will have to select Registration to create an account.
• Aspirants will have to fill in the details like aspirant’s name, DOB, email ID, and phone number correctly.
• Make sure the email ID and the phone number are valid.
• Enter the security code shown aside.
• In the declaration section, check the box ‘I Agree’ and click on ‘Submit’ button.
• As the aspirant submits the form, they will get an OTP to verify the phone number.
• Once the verification is done, aspirant will receive the User ID and Password.
• Registration process is further divided into 2 steps.

COMMON ADMISSION TEST ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

Applicant should have secured minimum 50% marks graduation. Student from final year can also attempt CAT exam. CAT exam can be attempted number of times and there is no age limit to apply for the same.

• The Reserved seats for OBC: 27%
• The Reserved seats for SC Candidates: 15%
• The Reserved seats for ST candidates: 7.5%
• The Reserved seats for the person with disabilities: 3%

COMMON ADMISSION TEST EXAM PATTERN

CAT exam pattern would be as follows:

Mode of exam: Online

Duration of exam: 2 hours

Number of sessions: 2

Total number of questions: 100

Type of questions: MCQ and non-MCQ type

Marking scheme: 3 marks for right answer; minus 1 for each wrong answer. No negative marking for non-MCQ questions.

COMMON ADMISSION TEST SYLLABUS

Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning
Seating Arrangement, Syllogism, Graphs, Tables, Data Caselets, Blood Relation

Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension
RC passages Based Questions, Para-Jumbles & Para- Summary, and Inferences, Sentence Completion

Quantitative Ability
Mensuration, Algebra, Geometry, Number System, Time, Work, and topics of middle school mathematics
For a detailed syllabus of CAT exam, Visit our CAT Syllabus Page.

COMMON ADMISSION TEST PREPARATION BOOKS

CAT is a national level exam and if you aim to get into IIMs, SPJ or any other top b-schools accepting CAT score, you need to work towards it and start the preparations early.

Preparation is the key and due to pandemic, preparation books could be one of the best resource for preparing for CAT exam.

Preparatory material plays a very important role while preparing for CAT.

But which are the best preparation books for CAT preparation?

In order to crack CAT exam, choosing the right subject wise CAT preparation books is the very first step to move ahead in your CAT preparation journey.

There are lot of preparatory books available in the market but you need to select the books that are relevant and updated according to the exam pattern.

Check out below mentioned features while selecting the best books for CAT exam.

• Newest Edition

Though, old editions may also work but choosing the books from newest edition gives an overview of entire syllabus.

• Appropriate Content

Content in the book should cover all the important topics with lot of solved examples, conventional practice questions with answers and shortcut solving methods, and previous years CAT papers.

• Books should be from genuine publisher

It is advisable to check the credibility of the publisher before finalising the book. Get reviews from digital platforms or if somebody has read the book, check its feedback if the books are rich in content or not, etc. Please note books gain popularity only when the content is good.

COMMON ADMISSION TEST(CAT) ADMIT CARD

CAT Admit Card will be released in the last week of October. Admit card will be issued to each successfully registered applicant only. Applicants will be able to download the admit card from the official website of CAT.

Aspirant need to carry the admit card to the examination centre without fail. Admit card is a mandatory document without which aspirant will not be allowed to sit for the CAT exam.  It is advisable to keep the admit card safe until the admission procedure is over completely.

COMMON ADMISSION TEST(CAT) RESULT

CAT RESULT will be declared in the 2^nd week of January soon after the release of the final answer key. To view the result applicant will have to log in to the website of the exam conducting authority. No result will be sent to any applicant via post or any other offline mode. Applicants are advised to take a print-out of the result for future use.

COMMON ADMISSION TEST(CAT) CUT OFF

Cut off is the minimum marks applicant should score to become eligible for seeking admission into the IIMs. Each IIM would publish separate CAT cut-off for admission in the proposed programs through online mode after the declaration of result.

Cut-off will be released separately for different categories like NC-OBC, SC, ST and PWD.

COMMON ADMISSION TEST(CAT) ADMISSION PROCEDURE

CAT admission process will start after a few weeks of result. As there is no centralized counseling for CAT examination, each IIM conducts the final admission process in their respective campuses.

Once the CAT exam is over, further admission process includes; Group discussion (GD), personal interview (PI) and Written Ability Test (WAT).

Applicants are advised to check the website of each IIM before applying for it as admission process is different for each IIM. Through registered email ID and phone number, an admission confirmation letter will be sent to each shortlisted applicant.

In order to accept the admission offer, applicants will have to report to their allocated center within the given time frame.

Applicants will get selected based on their overall performance. Academic records and work experience (if any) will also be considered while offering admission.

COMMON ADMISSION TEST(CAT) RESERVATION CRITERIA

Apart from 5% relaxation of marks in graduation for SC/ST/ PwD applicants, there is no other reservation criteria for CAT exam.

Here is the percentage of seats reserved for SC, ST and NC-OBC applicants:

• Scheduled Caste (SC) – 15%
• Scheduled Tribe (ST) -7.5%
• Non-Creamy Layer- Other Backward Groups (NC-OBC) – 27%
• Person with Benchmark Disability (PwD) – 5%

According to RPwD Act 2016, person with not less than 40% of a specified disability is a person with benchmark disability. Here are the disabilities that fall under the category:

• Low vision and blind.
• Deaf
• Locomotor disability

Autism, mental illness, specific learning disability, intellectual disability and others specified in RPwD Act 2016.