CAT (Common Admission Test) Exam Pattern

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CAT is considered to be a major requirement for a candidate seeking admission to the prestigious
management institutes of India. The percentile secured in CAT is assessed by the B-Schools in India for
short-listing candidates for admissions to their various MBA Programs. CAT has become one of the most
competitive exams to judge the potential of the candidates willing to pursue their career in business
administration.

CAT - The Common Admission Test to the seven IIMs is also the entrance test for few other top Business
Schools. Candidates aspiring to get admission into IIMs need to appear for Common Admission Test (CAT).
CAT is conducted for the admission in Post Graduate Programs in Management (PGP). Here are some facts
about CAT (Common Admission Test):

•
It is held on the third Sunday of November each year.
•
The test duration was two hours prior to year 2006, but since 2006; it has been extended to two and a half
hours.
•
The total number of questions has varied from 180 (prior to year 2000) to 150 (from 2001 to 2003) and has
gradually decreased to 75 (in 2006 and 2007).
•
More than 200,000 (230,000 in the year 2007) students compete for about 1500 seats in the IIMs

Performance in CAT is an important input in the admission process and is the primary basis for short listing
candidates for the second round of admission process, which comprises of group discussion and/or personal
interview. Candidates should note that it is important to perform well relative to other candidates in each
section of the test as the scores in each section and the overall score are used to short list the candidates for
the second round. These scores may also be used for final ranking as well. In addition to the performance in
CAT, IIMs may use academic performance, relevant work experience and other similar inputs for ranking and
short listing candidates for group discussions and personal interviews. There are many other MBA colleges
are available which accepts the CAT score. A student can go for GMAT preparation for MBA courses. Other
options for working professionals are executive MBA and MBA on line.MBA ranking is very important to get
MBA admission in to top MBA schools. Different MBA colleges offer different MBA programs.

CAT Exam Pattern

The test is multiple-choice based and traditionally comprises three sections that span the domains of
arithmetical problem solving, geometry, statistics, data interpretation, logical reasoning, puzzles, and English
language skills.

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Before 2000 paper consisted of 180 questions to be solved in 2 hours
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From 2001 to 2003 Paper consisted 3 sections 50 questions each
•
2004 paper consisted 123 questions 50 English 35 Mathematics & 38 DI(data interpretation)
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2005 CAT contained 90 questions 30 in each section
•
2006 CAT was 2.5 hour exam test had 75 question 25 questions per section 1 mark penalty for each wrong
answer
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2007 CAT contain 25 questions in each sections 1 mark penalty for each wrong answer

CAT tests your skills in five broad areas viz.

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English
•
Problem Solving (Mathematics)
•
DI (Data Interpretation)
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DS (Data Sufficiency)
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LR (Logical Reasoning)

7 IIMs in India

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IIM Ahmedabad
•
IIM Bangalore
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IIM Calcutta
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IIM Indore
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IIM Kozhikode
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IIM Lucknow
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IIM Shillong

Other B-Schools

Other prominent business schools in India, other than the IIMs, also accept the CAT scores for admission.
This has contributed to the CAT gaining an extremely high level of popularity. As of 2008, CAT scores are
accepted by approximately 120 MBA institutes in India.

Some of the more prominent colleges which accept CAT scores for admission are:

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 •
S. P. Jain Institute of Management and Research (SPJIMR), Mumbai
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Management Development Institute (MDI), Gurgaon
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Mudra Institute of Communications Ahmedabad (MICA), Ahmedabad
•
National Institute of Industrial Engineering (NITIE), Mumbai
•
T.A.Pai Management Institute (TAPMI), Manipal
•
Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad
•
Institute of Management, Nirma University, Ahmedabad
•
National Insurance Academy School of Management (NIASoM), Pune

CAT Coaching

As the CAT score is getting more and more important to get admission in good institute. The tutoring
business & coaching industry for the preparation of CAT exam is getting bigger day by day.

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