Details about the CAT exam (Eligibility, Exam Pattern, Syllabus) PDF Download

The Common Admission Test (CAT) is an all-India test conducted by the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) as an entrance exam for admission to the Post-graduate and Fellow Programs in management courses of several management institutes all over India including the IIMs.

This EduRev article, provides an in-depth overview of the eligibility requirements, exam pattern, and syllabus to help you determine your eligibility for the CAT exam. 

What is CAT Exam?

• CAT Exam (Common Admission Test) is a computer-based selection test conducted by the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) as a prerequisite for admissions to their business administration programs. 
• Apart from the IIMs, the CAT is also a prerequisite for admissions into numerous other prestigious management colleges across India, which include institutes like S.P Jain Institute of Management and Research (SPJIMR), Faculty of Management Studies (FMS), Management Development Institute (Gurgaon), Institute of Management Technology (IMT), Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies (JBIMS), International Management Institute (IMI), National Institute of Industrial Engineering (NITIE) and several others. 
• The main details of CAT exam 2023 are explained below.

 Read this EduRev article to know all about CAT Exam:
CAT Exam 2023 Handbook: Exam Date, Syllabus, Exam Pattern, Registration, Eligibility, and More

CAT Exam Dates & Events

The notification for CAT 2023 registration will be released in August. Stay updated about exam notifications, dates, and other essential information by visiting the official website.

Here are some of the tentative dates of CAT 2023:

CAT Exam Eligibility

The complex criteria for appearing in CAT have become less rigorous than before due to the recent changes caused by the pandemic. The aspirants must go through CAT Eligibility Criteria article prepared by EduRev to avoid any last-minute hustle.  

Here is a glimpse of the CAT Eligibility criteria for CAT 2024:

1. Qualification

• In order to be eligible for CAT Exam, an aspirant must be a graduate degree holder in any stream. 
• Candidates appearing in the final year/semester of their degree program can also apply for CAT 2024.
• SC/ST/PwD candidates should have a minimum 45%. For General, EWS, and NC-OBC

  candidates, the minimum is 50%.

2. Age Limit

• As for CAT Age Limit, there is no minimum/ maximum limit defined. 
• There is also no restriction on the number of attempts.

3. Work Experience

• There are no specifications about work experience in the CAT eligibility criteria.
• There are no limitations in the case of experience. 
• Therefore both the freshers and experienced candidates can take the exam.
• However, some of the B-schools do consider work experience during admission. Like SP Jain gives preference to the candidates with work experience. If you’re a working professional, you should have the list of MBA colleges, which gives additional weightage to the candidates with work experience because that would definitely help at the time of admissions.

4. Reservation

• There is some %age allocated for certain categories of students in MBA colleges. (These are general numbers but can vary for different colleges)
• For ST, SC, NC-OBC, and DA candidates, if shortlisted, are required to show their original caste/class and/or disability certificate and submit a copy of the certificate at the time of the interview.

CAT 2024 Exam Pattern

CAT Exam is divided into 3 sections:

• Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC)
• Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation (LRDI)
• Quantitative Ability (QA)

The below table shows the CAT Exam pattern for 2024:

Each section has a sectional time limit of 40 minutes, and candidates are not allowed to switch between the sections. 

EduRev also provides with strategies and techniques to help prepare for the Common Admission Test (CAT). Experts have provided with step by step guide which will help you to prepare for different sections of the exam.

Important Changes in CAT Exam over the Years

• In the past six years, the marking scheme for the CAT Exam has remained unchanged, with three marks awarded for each correct answer and one mark deducted for each incorrect answer. There is no penalty for incorrect or unattempted TITA (Type in the Answer) questions. 
• The total number of marks for the CAT 2020 exam was 228. In the year 2021, a new pattern of exam was introduced in which the total marks were 198 and no new changes were introduced in the exam pattern of CAT 2022. 
• EduRev experts have compiled a list of changes that have occurred in the CAT Exam over the years. 

Quick Link: Latest Changes in CAT Exam article that provides an overview of the changes that have been made in respect of the Common Admission Test (CAT) exam.

CAT Exam Syllabus

For the CAT exam, there is no predefined syllabus. The syllabus is mainly from the middle school topics of Maths, and English with some generic logical reasoning questions. A few of the details of the CAT syllabus are:

• CAT Quantitative Aptitude: The syllabus for CAT quantitative aptitude mainly includes topics from class 8-10 like geometry, algebra, number system, etc.
• CAT Logical Reasoning & Data Interpretation: The logical reasoning section is very generic and a wide variety of questions based on the seating arrangement, direction sense test, etc. are included. The data interpretation section includes questions mostly based on data caselets and graphs.
• CAT Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension: In this section, comprehension passages are given followed by a few questions. Apart from that, a few of the grammar-based questions like sentence completion, jumbled sentences, etc. are asked.

To know the detailed syllabus for all these sections, visit the Detailed CAT Syllabus where the section-wise important topics are given.

Note: In case of changes in the CAT Exam Pattern, IIMs notify the candidates on their official website (https://iimcat.ac.in/). Students should visit the site for mock tests/ tutorials and the latest exam pattern. These mock tutorials will be uploaded in the month of October.

Admission Process

• It should be noted that individual IIM shortlists candidates for their second stage of selection independently. The selection process includes a Written Ability Test (WAT) and a Personal Interview (PI). 
• The performance of individuals in the CAT exam will be an important component in the overall selection process. IIMs also consider previous academic records of the candidates, relevant work experience, and other similar inputs while shortlisting and ranking the candidates at various stages during the admission process. 
• The processes, academic cut-offs, and the weights allocated to the evaluation parameters may vary across IIMs. For more information, one may refer to the admissions policies on the respective IIM’s website. 
• As the CAT exam is a very competitive exam, it is important that candidates should be well prepared for it.

Important

Candidates must declare and maintain a valid and unique email account and a mobile phone number throughout the selection process.

What are the leading MBA colleges, and what are their cutoffs?

Top MBA Colleges Accepting CAT Score

• More than Top 100 MBA colleges in India accept CAT scores.
• There are 20 IIMs including top IIMs - IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, IIM Calcutta, IIM Lucknow, and other top CAT MBA colleges in the non-IIM category, including FMS Delhi, MDI Gurgaon, SPJIMR Mumbai, SJMSoM IIT Mumbai, DoMS IIT Delhi among others which are CAT score accepting colleges.
• In addition to Top 100 B-schools, more than 200 other B-schools and Universities are also accepting CAT Scores. 

Top MBA Colleges Accepting CAT: 90-100 Percentile

• Not only the IIMs but there are also highly ranked and internationally accredited MBA/ PGDM colleges among the MBA colleges accepting CAT scores. Some of the prominent MBA colleges excluding IIMs, accepting CAT percentile 90 & above are:
  

Top MBA Colleges Accepting CAT: 80-90 Percentile

• Top MBA colleges accepting CAT 80 percentile and above are highly ranked and internationally accredited MBA/ PGDM colleges in India. The list is given below with their fee, placement, and admission status
  

MBA Colleges Accepting CAT Score: Cut off Percentile - 70-80

• Many MBA colleges accepting the CAT percentile in the range of 70-80 award greater weightage to the profile of the applicants than only the CAT exam score. They are good MBA colleges with consistent placements. The list of some of the prominent MBA colleges is shared below:
  
• All these MBA colleges in India will accept the CAT scores for MBA admission. Although a few highly ranked MBA colleges also accept other exam scores like XAT, the scores of the largest MBA entrance exam CAT is the gateway to top MBA colleges in India. It must be noted that the MBA colleges accepting CAT exam scores are not only 20 IIMs but also include top MBA colleges in India as shared above and hundreds of others.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q.1. Is it possible for a 12th grade pass student to take the CAT exam?

No, as per the CAT exam eligibility criteria, candidates must have completed their graduation or be in their final year of undergraduate studies. Therefore, a 12th grade pass student is not eligible to appear for the CAT exam in 2023.

Q.2. Does the CAT exam apply exclusively to MBA courses?

The CAT exam is primarily an entrance exam for MBA and PGP programs offered by top business schools in India, including the IIMs, FMS, MDI, and others.

Q.3. Is there any age limit for the CAT exam?

No, there is no age limit for the CAT exam. However, the eligibility criteria specify that candidates must have completed their undergraduate degree with a minimum of 50% marks for the General and NC-OBC categories (45% for reserved categories).

Q.4. Is there a restriction on the number of attempts for the CAT exam?

No, there is no limit on the number of times a candidate can attempt the CAT exam. As long as the candidate meets the eligibility criteria and there is no age restriction, they can appear for the exam multiple times.