About CAT

For admission to their management programmes, the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) administer the Common Admission Test (CAT), a highly competitive and well-known entrance exam. A candidate’s aptitude and skills in a variety of areas, including Quantitative Ability (QA), Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), and Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR), are assessed using this computer-based test. Other than the IIMs, a large number of other esteemed management institutes and business schools in India also accept CAT scores for admission to their programmes. Candidates must thoroughly prepare for the CAT because there is fierce competition to pass the test. The CAT syllabus is extensive, therefore constant, targeted study is necessary for several months.

CAT Highlights

The Common Admission Test, also known as the CAT, is a nationwide exam given in India for admission to several IIMs and other prestigious management universities. Each year, one of the IIMs administers the test.
For admission to their MBA programmes, 20 IIMs and many other reputable colleges, including S.P. Jain, FMS, MDI, and others, administer the test across the nation in about 156 cities. Through this test, the appropriateness of potential admission applicants for MBA study is determined.

CAT Eligibility Criteria
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 to avoid any last-minute hustle. Eligibility Criteria of CAT 2023 in different aspects are given below:
Qualification
  • Candidates with a bachelor’s degree from a recognised institution in any field are eligible for the CAT exam.
  • The final year students of graduation are also eligible for CAT 2023.
  • The minimum percentage criteria (45% and 50% for Gen. and reserved categories, respectively) were removed from CAT eligibility.
Age Limit
There are no age limits for CAT Exam.
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.
No. of Attempts
There is no limit on attempting the CAT exam. You can appear as many times as you want.
Reservation
Category
Reserved Seats
Schedule Cast (SC)
15%
Schedule Tribe (ST)
7.5%
Other Backward Classes (NC-OBC)
27%
PWD(Persons with Disability)
3%
CAT  Syllabus

Candidates who want to do well in the CAT exam should be well-versed in the material and prepared for the exam. The CAT syllabus covers a wide range of subjects, including verbal ability, reading comprehension, maths, and reading comprehension. To maximise their chances of being admitted to the business school of their choice, students should carefully and methodically study for the CAT exam.

The weighting for each of the three CAT exam areas varies. The CAT syllabus is based on the IIM Ahmedabad test format. Sort your sections according to your strong and weak points.
Grammar, verbal reasoning, and reading comprehension are all part of VARC.
Math concepts from classes 9 through 10 are covered in the quant portion, including number systems, geometry, mensuration, algebra, and arithmetic. Sets based on Number Series, Graphs, Data Sufficiency, and common reasoning principles can be found in the DILR section.
The following subjects should be taken into consideration because the CAT exam commonly asks about them:

Syllabus
Topics
Weightage
  Verbal Ability
Questions like Para jumbles, Summary Based, Sentence exclusion.
Questions – 8 to 10
Reading Comprehension
RC passages
Almost 16 questions in the VARC section are based on RCs.
Quantitative Ability
Number System, Algebra, Geometry, Arithmetic, Mensuration.
Arithmetic and Algebra dominate the section, with nearly 8 questions from each area.
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning
Seating Arrangement, DI-based reasoning, Grid-Based DI, Graphs. Tables, Data Caselets
An almost equal number of sets are from DI and LR.
View CAT course
wpChatIcon
Scroll to Top