The CAT Exam is the most popular among all MBA entrance exams held every year. Pursuing an MBA degree from a reputed institution is a dream for many aspirants. Candidates seeking admission to MBA programs must appear for the CAT Exam. To predict the Interview/Admission calls from all IIMs and other top MBA colleges on the basis of students CAT score please refer BYJU’S CAT College Predictor tool.
The CAT exam is the minimum eligibility criteria for admissions into the IIMs and other top B – Schools. Candidates aspiring to take the CAT 2023 exam must learn about CAT exam, CAT Eligibility criteria, CAT Syllabus as well as the time needed to complete the entire syllabus to get through the CAT exam and get admission into the top IIMs.
Table of Contents:
What is the CAT Exam?CAT Exam HighlightsCAT Exam Related VideosAbout CAT Exam Timeline and RegistrationEvolution of CAT Exam over the YearsCAT Exam ResourcesCAT Exam Tips & Tricks Related ResourcesVarious Programs Offered by IIMsTime Required to Complete the CAT Exam SyllabusCAT Exam States and CitiesFrequently Asked Questions on CAT Exam
What is CAT Exam?
The Common Admission Test (CAT) is India’s most prestigious national-level entrance examination, which permits aspirants to get into top management institutes. There is no doubt that it is the biggest MBA entrance test in the country. The IIMs (Indian Institute of Management) conduct this Common Admission Test annually on a rotational basis. IIM Bangalore was the conducting body for CAT 2022. For CAT 2023 IIM Lucknow will be the conducting body . The CAT exam is divided into three sections, namely Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Ability (QA). Each section is timed for 40 minutes, making for a total exam duration of 2 hours.
CAT Exam 2023 will be held on 26th November 2023. It is a computer-based test that is held across various cities in India. If you are a B-school aspirant planning to take up CAT 2023, gear up with your CAT preparation right away, with BYJU’S CAT learning programme.
CAT Exam Highlights:
As per previous year trends, the CAT Exam 2023 will be held in three sessions on 26th November 2023. Candidates aiming for the CAT 2023 exam can check the highlights given below:
|
CAT Exam 2023 Highlights |
|
|
Name of the Exam |
Common Admission Test (CAT) |
|
CAT Official Website |
https://iimcat.ac.in/ |
|
Conducting Body |
IIM Lucknow |
|
Exam Duration |
2 hours |
|
CAT Exam Fees (2023) |
INR 1200 (Reserved categories) INR 2400 (Other categories) |
|
CAT 2023 Exam Date |
26th November 2023 |
|
Medium of Exam |
English |
|
Mode of Exam |
Computer Based Test (CBT) |
|
CAT Exam Question Type |
MCQ and Non-MCQ questions |
|
Syllabus |
Quantitative Ability Logical Reasoning & Data Interpretation Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension |
|
Eligibility |
Bachelor’s Degree with 50% aggregate (45% aggregate or equivalent for reserved categories) |
CAT Exam Related Videos:
Here, you can find answers to all your burning questions about CAT from BYJU’S team of CAT experts.
About CAT Exam Timeline and Registration:
Every year, the total number of registered eligible candidates is approximately 2.30 lakh. CAT Exam 2023 will be held on November 26, 2023. CAT Exam 2023 official notification has been released 30th July 2023.Following is a table showing the tentative calendar of events for the CAT exam.
|
CAT Exam Events |
Dates |
|
Release of Online Notification |
30th July 2023 |
|
Commencement of Online Application |
2nd August 2023 |
|
Admit Card Download |
25th October 2023 Onwards |
|
Date of CAT Exam |
26th November 2023 |
|
CAT Exam Result Declaration |
2nd week of January 2024 |
Evolution of CAT Exam Over The Years:
The CAT Exam has undergone numerous changes since the time the test switched from paper pen mode to computer-based testing:
|
Year |
Time -Duration |
Section |
Total Number of Questions in each Section |
Total Number of Questions |
|
2023 (Expected) |
120 |
Verbal Ability and Reading comprehension Data Interpretation and Logical reasoning Quantitative Ability |
24 20 22 |
72 60 66 |
|
2022 |
120 |
Verbal Ability and Reading comprehension Data Interpretation and Logical reasoning Quantitative Ability |
24 20 22 |
72 60 66 |
|
2021 |
120 |
Verbal ability and Reading comprehension Data Interpretation and Logical reasoning Quantitative Ability |
24 20 22 |
72 60 66 |
|
2020 |
120 |
VARC DILR QA |
26 24 26 |
76 |
|
2019 |
180 |
VARC DILR QA |
34 32 34 |
100 |
|
2018 |
180 |
VARC DILR QA |
34 32 34 |
100 |
|
2017 |
180 |
VARC DILR QA |
34 32 34 |
100 |
|
2016 |
180 |
VARC DILR QA |
34 32 34 |
100 |
|
2015 |
180 |
VARC DILR QA |
34 32 34 |
100 |
|
2014 |
170 |
QA & DI VA & LR |
50 50 |
100 |
|
2013 |
140 |
Verbal Ability & Logical reasoning Quantitative Ability , Data interpretation |
30 30 |
60 |
|
2012 |
140 |
QA DI VARC |
21 9 30 |
60 |
|
2011 |
140 |
VALR & QADI |
30 30 |
60 |
Visit Change in CAT Pattern over the past 5 years to know more in detail.
CAT Exam Resources:
Candidates aiming for the CAT Exam, need to have the right resources to prepare for the exam. Here, we have provided the CAT Exam resources, which the applicants can directly access by clicking on the links given below.
CAT Exam Tips & Tricks Related Resources:
The candidates can check the links given below to know the tips and tricks to ace the CAT exam:
CAT Exam Syllabus:
A thorough understanding of the CAT exam syllabus is important for determining your direction all through this CAT journey. It will be much easier to determine how much time you should spend on each segment, when you have a reasonable understanding of the CAT syllabus.
|
CAT Exam Syllabus |
Topics |
|
Quantitative Aptitude |
Quantitative Aptitude – Arithmetic, Algebra, Number System, Modern Math, Geometry & Mensuration |
|
Logical Reasoning & Data Interpretation |
Puzzles, Seating Arrangement, Blood Relation, Syllogism, Coding and Decoding Tables, Graphs, Data Caselets |
|
Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension |
Reading Comprehension, Para Jumbles, Para Summary, Para Completion, Odd One Out |
CAT Exam Marking Scheme:
- For each correct answer, candidates will receive 3 marks.
- Candidates will receive a negative marking of 1 mark for every incorrect answer for the objective questions.
- For non-MCQ-type questions, there is no negative marking.
The table below will give you an outline of the MCQ and Non-MCQ questions in the CAT exam based on 2022 :
|
Section |
Number of MCQ and Non-MCQs In each Section |
|
Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC) |
MCQ -21 Non-MCQ – 3 |
|
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning |
MCQ – 14 Non-MCQ – 6 |
|
Quantitative Ability |
MCQ – 14 Non-MCQ – 8 |
|
Total no of Questions |
66 |
Visit, CAT Exam Pattern to know more in detail.
Various Programs Offered by IIMs:
|
IIMs |
Programmes Offered |
|
IIM Ahmedabad |
PGP, PGP-FABM |
|
IIM Amritsar |
MBA, EMBA, MBA-Business Analytics, MBA-HRM |
|
IIM Bangalore |
PGP, PGPEM, PGPBA |
|
IIM Bodh Gaya |
PGP |
|
IIM Calcutta |
MBA |
|
IIM Indore |
PGP, PGP-HRM |
|
IIM Jammu |
MBA |
|
IIM Jammu |
Executive MBA (Blended Mode) |
|
IM Jammu |
PGP in Health Care Management (Jointly with AIIMS Jammu and IIT Jammu) |
|
IIM Jammu |
PGP in Hospital Administration (Jointly with AIIMS Jammu and IIT Jammu) |
|
IIM Kashipur |
MBA, MBA (Analytics), EMBA |
|
IIM Kozhikode |
PGP, PGP-BL, PGP-F, PGP-LSM, EPGP Kochi |
|
IIM Lucknow |
PGP, PGP-ABM, PGP-SM |
|
IIM Nagpur |
PGP |
|
IIM Raipur |
PGP |
|
IIM Ranchi |
PGP, PGP-HRM, PGP (Business Analytics) |
|
IIM Rohtak |
PGP, EPGPX, EPGDSM |
|
IIM Sambalpur |
MBA, Executive MBA |
|
IIM Shillong |
PGP, PGPEX, PGPWE |
|
IIM Sirmaur |
MBA, MBA (T&HM) |
|
IIM Tiruchirappalli |
PGPM, PGPM-HR, PGPBM |
|
IIM Udaipur |
MBA, MBA-DEM, MBA-GSCM, PGDBA |
|
IIM Visakhapatnam |
PGP, PGPEX, PGPDGM |
Time Required to Complete the CAT Exam Syllabus:
Every year more than 2 lakh CAT aspirants register for the CAT Exam. To ace the examination, an intensive preparation period of 7-9 months prior to taking the exam is highly recommended. However, candidates who are behind schedule, and those who are fully committed to passing the test, can do well with a 3-4 month dedicated preparation period.
CAT Exam States and Cities:
|
Sl No: |
Name of the State |
CAT Exam Cities |
|
1 |
Andaman and Nicobar |
Port Blair |
|
2 |
Andhra Pradesh |
Guntur |
|
3 |
Kakinada |
|
|
4 |
Kurnool |
|
|
5 |
Nellore |
|
|
6 |
Rajahmundry |
|
|
7 |
Tirupathi |
|
|
8 |
Vijayawada |
|
|
9 |
Visakhapatnam |
|
|
10 |
Vizianagaram |
|
|
11 |
Arunachal Pradesh |
Itanagar-Naharlagun |
|
12 |
Assam |
Dibrugarh |
|
13 |
Guwahati |
|
|
14 |
Jorhat |
|
|
15 |
Silchar |
|
|
16 |
Tezpur |
|
|
17 |
Bihar |
Gaya |
|
18 |
Aurangabad-Bihar |
|
|
19 |
Arrah |
|
|
20 |
Bhagalpur |
|
|
21 |
Darbhanga |
|
|
22 |
Muzaffarpur |
|
|
23 |
Patna |
|
|
24 |
Chandigarh |
Chandigarh |
|
25 |
Chhattisgarh |
Bhilai Nagar |
|
26 |
Bilaspur |
|
|
27 |
Raipur |
|
|
28 |
Dadar and Nagar Haveli |
Silvaasa |
|
29 |
Goa |
Panaji |
|
30 |
Madgaon |
|
|
31 |
Gujarat |
Ahmedabad |
|
32 |
Anand |
|
|
33 |
Gandhinagar |
|
|
34 |
Mehsana |
|
|
35 |
Rajkot |
|
|
36 |
Surat |
|
|
37 |
Vadodara |
|
|
38 |
Haryana |
Ambala |
|
39 |
Faridabad |
|
|
40 |
Gurugram |
|
|
41 |
Himachal Pradesh |
Bilaspur |
|
42 |
Shimla |
|
|
43 |
Hamirpur |
|
|
44 |
Jammu & Kashmir |
Jammu |
|
45 |
Srinagar |
|
|
46 |
Jharkhand |
Dhanbad |
|
47 |
Hazaribagh |
|
|
48 |
Jamshedpur |
|
|
49 |
Ranchi |
|
|
50 |
Karnataka |
Belagavi (Belgaum) |
|
51 |
Bengaluru |
|
|
52 |
Hubli-Dharwad |
|
|
53 |
Kalaburagi (Gulbarga) |
|
|
54 |
Mangaluru (Mangalore) |
|
|
55 |
Mysuru (Mysore) |
|
|
56 |
Shivamogga (Shimoga) |
|
|
57 |
Udupi |
|
|
58 |
Kerala |
Kannur |
|
59 |
Ernakulam |
|
|
60 |
Kollam |
|
|
61 |
Kottayam |
|
|
62 |
Kozhikode |
|
|
63 |
Thrissur |
|
|
64 |
Trivandrum |
|
|
65 |
Ladakh |
Leh |
|
66 |
Lakshadweep |
Kavaratti |
|
67 |
Madhya Pradesh |
Bhopal |
|
68 |
Gwalior |
|
|
69 |
Indore |
|
|
70 |
Jabalpur |
|
|
71 |
Sagar |
|
|
72 |
Satna |
|
|
73 |
Ujjain |
|
|
74 |
Maharashtra |
Amravati |
|
75 |
Ahmednagar |
|
|
76 |
Aurangabad-MH |
|
|
77 |
Bhiwandi |
|
|
78 |
Boisar |
|
|
79 |
Jalgaon |
|
|
80 |
Kolhapur |
|
|
81 |
Mumbai |
|
|
82 |
Nagpur |
|
|
83 |
Nanded |
|
|
84 |
Nashik |
|
|
85 |
Pune |
|
|
86 |
Raigad |
|
|
87 |
Satara |
|
|
88 |
Solapur |
|
|
89 |
Thane |
|
|
90 |
Vasai |
|
|
91 |
Manipur |
Ukhrul |
|
92 |
Meghalaya |
Shillong |
|
93 |
Mizoram |
Aizawl |
|
94 |
Nagaland |
Kohima |
|
95 |
New Delhi |
New Delhi |
|
96 |
Odisha |
Balasore |
|
97 |
Berhampur |
|
|
98 |
Bhubaneswar |
|
|
99 |
Cuttack |
|
|
100 |
Dhenkanal |
|
|
101 |
Rourkela |
|
|
102 |
Sambalpur |
|
|
103 |
Punjab |
Bhatinda |
|
104 |
Jalandhar |
|
|
105 |
Ludhiana |
|
|
106 |
Mohali |
|
|
107 |
Patiala |
|
|
108 |
Amritsar |
|
|
109 |
Puducherry |
Puducherry |
|
110 |
Rajasthan |
Ajmer |
|
111 |
Bikaner |
|
|
112 |
Jaipur |
|
|
113 |
Jodhpur |
|
|
114 |
Kota |
|
|
115 |
Sikar |
|
|
116 |
Udaipur |
|
|
117 |
Tamil Nadu |
Chennai |
|
118 |
Coimbatore |
|
|
119 |
Madurai |
|
|
120 |
Salem |
|
|
121 |
Tirunelveli |
|
|
122 |
Tiruchirappalli |
|
|
123 |
Vellore |
|
|
124 |
Telangana |
Hyderabad |
|
125 |
Karimnagar |
|
|
126 |
Warangal |
|
|
127 |
Uttar Pradesh |
Agra |
|
128 |
Aligarh |
|
|
129 |
Bareilly |
|
|
130 |
Ghaziabad |
|
|
131 |
Gorakhpur |
|
|
132 |
Greater Noida |
|
|
133 |
Kanpur |
|
|
134 |
Jhansi |
|
|
135 |
Lucknow |
|
|
136 |
Meerut |
|
|
137 |
Moradabad |
|
|
138 |
Muzaffarnagar |
|
|
139 |
Prayagraj |
|
|
140 |
Varanasi |
|
|
141 |
Uttarakhand |
Dehradun |
|
142 |
Haldwani |
|
|
143 |
Roorkee |
|
|
146 |
West Bengal |
Asansol |
|
147 |
Bankura |
|
|
148 |
Burdwan |
|
|
149 |
Durgapur |
|
|
150 |
Hooghly |
|
|
151 |
Kalyani |
|
|
152 |
Kolkata |
|
|
153 |
Siliguri |
Other MBA Entrance Exams:
Aspirants enrolled in CAT Coaching must be familiar with all of the MBA entrance exams in India. Other Management entrance exams include XAT, MAT, CMAT, etc.,
Frequently Asked Questions on the CAT Exam:
What is CAT?
IIMs conduct the Common Admission Test on a rotational basis for admission into management and business courses. CAT is conducted in three sessions every year, on the last Sunday of November.
The CAT Exam consists of 3 sections:
- Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC)
- Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DII-LR)
- Quantitative Ability (QA)
What is the CAT eligibility criteria?
In order to qualify for CAT, a candidate must have finished or be appearing for his or her Bachelor’s Degree, final year examination, with at least a 50% aggregate score. The degree should be granted by any university, incorporated or declared to be deemed under Section 3 of the UGC Act 1956, or an equivalent qualification recognized by the Ministry of HRD, Government of India.
When should I start preparing for CAT?
The right time to start preparing for an exam is 12 months in advance. It is recommended that CAT aspirants start their preparation at least 11-12 months before the exam, considering the increased competition and peer pressure. If you have plenty of time on your hands, you can go over the basics again in the last 1-2 months.
How do I get a good percentile in Quants?
Practice is the key to attaining quantitative ability. More practice will help a student score well on the quant section. A detailed understanding of the CAT paper pattern, understanding the weightage of each topic is essential for CAT candidates. Getting a score of 99% on the CAT QA section requires an in-depth understanding of Arithmetic and Algebra.
How do I get a good percentile in DILR?
As for the CAT DILR section, 99%iles are achieved by selecting the correct sets to answer. This takes daily practice, so CAT aspirants must become habitual to solving at least 3-5 sets everyday. This will help aspirants become proficient in choosing the right type of sets, and solving them within the time-frame, without any hassle.
Why CAT Coaching?
The CAT (Common Admission Test) is a national-level computer-based management entrance examination conducted every year by the IIMs. CAT is the premier IIM entrance exam that allows candidates into several Postgraduate Business Management courses. CAT is considered one of the most challenging entrance examinations in India, and you need to obtain a good score to apply to any of the top business schools. CAT 2023 will be conducted by IIM Lucknow on November 26, 2023. Since CAT scores set the benchmark for IIM acceptances, candidates need to equip themselves with the best tips and tricks to crack the CAT Exam in the shortest possible time.
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CAT Related Links |
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CAT Preparation | CAT Question Papers | CAT Sample Papers | CAT Mock Tests | CAT Exam Analysis | CAT Preparation Online
