Updated: Jun 6, 2023
More popularly known as CAT, the Common Admission Test (CAT) is a Computer Based Management Aptitude Test for admission into MBA courses amongst the premier business schools of India. The exam is conducted to evaluate a candidate’s skills and knowledge on the basis of Quantitative Ability, Verbal Ability, Reading and Comprehension, Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning. The Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) started the CAT exam for selecting students for their business administration programs. The exam is conducted every year by one of the IIMs based on a policy of rotation.
To be eligible for CAT, the candidate must possess a Bachelor’s Degree, with a minimum of 50% marks or equivalent CGPA (45% in case of the candidates belonging to categories other than general). Candidates who are in the final year of their bachelor’s degree/equivalent qualification are also eligible to apply for CAT.
The CAT exam is conducted once every year at various centers across the country. There are 2-time slots: morning and evening on exam day. Detailed list of exam centers is available online. The dates of CAT exam are announced online.
CAT exam is an online objective type paper (MCQs) with a negative marking of 1 mark for every wrong answer. CAT exam consists of 3 sections :
There are total 100 questions with a weightage of 300 marks.
The time duration of CAT exam is 180 minutes (60 minutes for each section).
The Quantitative Aptitude section of CAT exam consists of elementary mathematics, of 10 + 2 difficulty level. The Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning section consist of questions based on the given data. The data might be in the form of graphs, charts, tables, and paragraphs. The Verbal Ability section consists of questions on comprehension and usage of standard English grammar. The syllabus for CAT is available online on the official website.
A good ranking in the CAT exam ensures entry into the reputed Business Schools of India like IIMs, Symbiosis, etc. CAT is considered to be one of the most competitive exams. The IIMs are the premier management institutes in India established by an act of Parliament. These institutes also provide consultancy and research services in various business and management globally. Graduates from these institutes bag highest salary packages as compared to other non-prestigious institutes.
