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About CAT Prep
The CAT (Common Admission Test) exam is conducted for the purpose of admission to postgraduate management programs, such as MBA (Master of Business Administration), offered by various prestigious business schools and management institutes in India. CAT exam purpose is to open gates to some of top prestigious business management school including IIMs. Getting a seat in these prestigious B-schools can provide you better job opportunities and higher salary packages. Common Admission Test (CAT Exam) is a computer based test for admission in graduate management programs(MBA). It consist of 3 sections i.e., Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning(DILR), Quantitative Aptitude (Quant). Historically, CAT exam has been a 3 hour exam but the pandemic changed the scene. For the past 3 years, it has been a 2 hour exam. It's most likely that CAT might become a 2 hour exam forever but until we know for sure, let us look at the key facts about both the formats.
Exam Overview
The Common Admission Test (CAT) will be conducted on the last Sunday in November (November 24, 2024) in 170 test cities. The official notification was provided on July 28, 2024. IIM Calcutta will conduct the CAT in 2024. The registration period is from August 1 (10:00 AM) to September 13 (5:00 PM). The two-hour test consists of approximately 66 multiple-choice (MCQ) and type-in-the-answer (TITA) questions. This article covers all aspects of CAT 2024.
CAT Syllabus- Overview
The Verbal Section of CAT has a total of 24 questions. The major topics covered under VARC are:
Reading Comprehension Passages | Para-Jumbles | Para-Summary | Sentence Completion and Correction |
| Odd Sentences | Fill in the Blanks | Word Usage (Vocabulary) |
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Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning:
The DILR section consists of 20 questions, with a moderate to the high difficulty level. The topics covered under this section are:
Seating Arrangement, and Data Arrangement | Blood Relations | Syllogisms and Venn Diagrams |
| Clocks & Calendars | Puzzles | Data Sufficiency |
| Tables and Caselets | Assumption and Binary Logic | Graphs Related |
Quantitative Ability:
The QA section also has 22 questions. The section involves the following topics:
Number System, Basic Arithmetic | Probability | Profit, loss, and Discounts | Permutation & Combination |
Geometry & Mensuration | Time, Speed, and Distance | Simple Interest and Compound Interest | Time and Work |
| Algebra | Trigonometry, Logarithms, and Sets |
Exam Pattern
To start off, CAT has 3 main sections namely:
- Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) – 24 questions and a weightage of 72 marks
- Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR) – 20 questions and a weightage of 60 marks
- Quantitative Ability (QA) – 22 questions and a weightage of 66 marks
These three sections are the blood and soul of CAT. You have to pay equal attention and emphasis to each of these sections, as sectional cut-offs apply to IIMs and most top Non-IIM B-schools. Let’s look at the other important aspects of CAT:
- Total Number of Questions: 66
- Score awarded for each correct answer: 3 marks
- Negative marking (Applicable for wrong answers in MCQs): -1 mark
- Duration of Exam: 120 minutes (2 hours) – 40 minutes per section
- Language: English
Eligibility Criteria
The minimum eligibility criteria to appear in CAT exam is graduation in any stream. Read below detailed CAT eligibility criteria:
- Candidates must possess a bachelor’s degree with minimum 50 per cent aggregate or equivalent CGPA (45 per cent aggregate for SC, ST and PWD/DA category) from a recognised university to appear in CAT 2024.
- The education mode of the bachelor’s degree can be regular or distance learning, but should be a 3-year programme.
- Candidates who have completed a professional degree with the required percentage can also appear for CAT.
- Candidates appearing for the final year of bachelor’s degree/equivalent qualification or awaiting the result are also eligible to appear for CAT 2024 exam.