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Kamaldeep
14 September, 2023
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The CAT Examination (Common Admission Test) is one of the most highly competitive entrance exams in India. It is conducted every year by the Indian Institutes of Management to offer admission into the most prestigious B-Schools in the country. The CAT exam evaluates candidates’ analytical and aptitude skills in areas such as Quantitative Ability, Verbal Ability, Data Interpretation, and Logical Reasoning. The exam is conducted annually, typically in the last week of November.
There are several management entrance exams, such as MBA-CET, NMAT, SNAP, XAT, and many others. However, the CAT examination provides numerous opportunities as it is accepted by all the IIMs and most of the top B-Schools. It is among the most reputed management entrance exams in India which is accepted by almost all the universities in India for admission into MBA and PGDM courses.
| Name of the Exam | Common Admission Test (CAT) 2023 |
| Conducting Body | Indian Institutes of Management, CAT 2023 by IIML |
| Exam Level | Postgraduate |
| Level Of Difficulty | Moderate to Hard |
| Exam Frequency | Once Every Year (Last Week Of November) |
| Mode of Exam | Computer Based Test |
| Sections | Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning Quantitative Ability |
| Number of Questions | Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension- 24 Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning- 20 Quantitative Ability- 22 (As per CAT 2022) |
| Marking Scheme | 3 marks for each correct answer -1 mark for each wrong answer |
| Exam Duration | 120 Minutes, 40 Minutes for each section |
| Total Questions | 66 |
| Total Marks | 198 |
| Medium of Exam | English |
| Official Website | iimcat.ac.in |
The detailed eligibility criteria for taking the CAT examination are as follows:
| Event | Tentative Dates |
| Registration Process Start Date | August 02, 2023 |
| Registration Process Ending Date | September 13, 2023 |
| Admit Card Release Date | October 25, 2023 |
| Exam Date | November 26, 2023 |
| Announcement of the Result | Second Week of January, 2024 |
To register for the CAT exam, follow the following steps.
CAT exam application respective of the category is as follows:
| Category | Registration Fee |
| General/ EWS/ NC-OBC | INR 2,400 |
| SC/ST/PwD | INR 1,200 |
A candidate can make the payment for the registration fee using SBIePay or BillDesk.
| Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension | Data Interpretations & Logical Reasoning | Quantitative Ability (QA) |
| Reading Comprehensions | Data Interpretation-Based Reasoning | Geometry |
| Para-jumbles | Seating Arrangements | Number System |
| Para-Summary | Bar and Line Graphs | Modern Math |
| Out Of Context/ Odd One Out | Grid-Based Data Interpretation | Arithmetic |
| Tables | Mensuration | |
| Data Caselets | Algebra | |
|
Important Topics | ||
| Reading Comprehensions, Arrangements, Graphs, Caselets, Arithmetic, Geometry and Algebra. | ||
| Section | Total Questions | Total Marks |
| Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension | 24 | 72 |
| Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning | 20 | 60 |
| Quantitative Ability | 22 | 66 |
| Total | 66 | 198 |
| IIMs | Top Non-IIMs |
| Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad | FMS (Faculty of Management Studies), Delhi |
| Indian Institute of Management Calcutta | S.P. Jain Institute of Management & Research (SPJIMR), Mumbai |
| Indian Institute of Management Bangalore | X.L.R.I. (Xavier School of Management), Jamshedpur |
| Indian Institute of Management Lucknow | JBIMS (Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies), Mumbai |
| Indian Institute of Management Indore | IIFT (Indian Institute of Foreign Trade), New Delhi |
| Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode | Symbiosis Institute of Management, Pune |
| Indian Institute of Management Shillong | TISS (Tata Institute of Social Science), Mumbai |
| Indian Institute of Management Rohtak | NMIMS (Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies), Mumbai |
| Indian Institute of Management Udaipur | MICA Ahmedabad |
| Indian Institute of Management Ranchi | MDI (Management of Development Studies), Gurgaon |
| Indian Institute of Management Raipur | SJMSOM ( Shailesh J. Mehta School of Management), IIT Mumbai |
| Indian Institute of Management Kashipur | IMT (Institute of Management Technology), Ghaziabad |
| Indian Institute of Management Tiruchirappalli | VGSoM (Vinod Gupta School of Management), IIT Kharagpur |
| Indian Institute of Management Visakhapatnam | |
| Indian Institute of Management Amritsar | |
| Indian Institute of Management Nagpur | |
| Indian Institute of Management Bodh Gaya | |
| Indian Institute of Management Sirmaur | |
| Indian Institute of Management Sambalpur | |
| Indian Institute of Management Jammu |
| Name of the IIMs | CAT Cut Off For Eligibility 2022 | CAT Cut Off For Admission 2022 |
| IIM Ahmedabad | 85 | 99-100 |
| IIM Bangalore | 85 | 99-100 |
| IIM Calcutta | 85 | 99 |
| IIM Lucknow | 90 | 97-98 |
| IIM Indore | 90 | 97-98 |
| IIM Kozhikode | 85 | 97-98 |
| IIM Amritsar | 90 | 95-96 |
| IIM Nagpur | 85 | 95-96 |
| IIM Sambalpur | 93 | 95-96 |
| IIM Trichy | 93 | 94-95 |
| IIM Raipur | 93 | 94-95 |
| IIM Ranchi | 90 | 94-95 |
The cut-off of the CAT exam for IIMs affected by various factors such as:
Each IIM’s admission process has a different cut-off based on its ranking. Generally, the cut-off for eligibility in the general category is around 85 to 95 percentile. To secure admission, the cut-off will be around 94 to 100 percentile depending on the institute.
Depending on the institute, reserved categories may receive a cut-off relaxation of around 5-7 percentile.
Following are some of the instructions and things to keep in mind while appearing for the CAT exam.
| Features | CAT 2022 | CAT 2021 | CAT 2020 | CAT 2019 |
| Number of CAT exam slots | Three | Three | Three | Two |
| Duration | 120 minutes | 120 minutes | 120 minutes | 180 minutes |
| Sectional time limit | 40 minutes | 40 minutes | 40 minutes | 60 minutes |
| Total number of questions | 66 | 66 | 76 | 100 |
| Total marks | 198 | 198 | 228 | 300 |
| Total questions in VARC section | 24 | 24 | 26 | 34 |
| Total questions in DILR section | 20 | 20 | 24 | 32 |
| Total questions in QA section | 22 | 22 | 26 | 34 |
In many management entrance exams, a significant portion of the syllabus is common. Preparing for these exams can increase your chances of getting into a top B-school.
Following are some of the exams that you can prepare for while going for CAT:
The CAT exam is conducted to provide admission into various top management institutes in India.
The CAT exam is conducted by the Indian Institutes of Management.
While most top B-Schools require a valid CAT score for admission into various courses, candidates can also seek admission through other national, state or university entrance tests.
A candidate can appear in the CAT exam a maximum of 8 times in a lifetime and once every year.
Every year, more than 2 lakh students appear for the CAT exam with over 5,000 seats being offered by the 20 IIMs.
Yes, one mark will be deducted for each wrong answer.
CAT occurs once every year.
CAT is an online computer-based test.
No, calculators are not allowed in the CAT exam. However, an on-screen calculator is provided to students by the conducting authority for intensive calculations.
CAT is the most popular MBA entrance exam. The exam is also used for offering admission into other management courses such as PGDM, PGDBA, etc.
Most of the questions in the CAT exam are MCQ-based.
Feature image source: Indiatimes
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