Introduction To CAT Exam Qualification
The following article provides an outline for CAT Exam Qualification. CAT is an all-India entrance test to study post-graduate business and management courses. CAT is the path to study in the best B-Schools like IIM and IIT. When it started it was a paper-based test but now it is a computer-based test since 2009. The CAT exam is organized by one of the IIMs alternatively each year on a rotating policy.
The exam has three sections:
- Quantitative Aptitude
- Logical Reasoning & Data Interpretation
- Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension
The exam consists of 100 questions with a total of 300 marks. The total exam time is 180 minutes or 3 hours. Negative marking is present. Over the years the CAT exam patterns have been upgraded and modified several times but since the last 2 years, it has remained the same with regards to total sections and total marks. We all know the CAT exam is administered by the IIM but the computer-based test is conducted by an external body. When the computer-based type test started in 2009 it was conducted by Prometric, an American company till 2013, from 2014 onwards it has been continuously conducted by TCS or Tata Consultancy Services. The CAT syllabus is based around high school subjects like Math, English and logical reasoning topics and also data & graphical interpretation. This year’s CAT exam will be held around November 2021.
Key Takeaways
- CAT or Common Admission Test is conducted on an annual basis by the IIMs to select candidates for their prestigious B-Schools, only the best of the best gets selected there.
- CAT is a single unified exam for applying in other private Management and Business Schools also in India.
- In this article, we have covered what is CAT and its origins, patterns, syllabus, eligibility criteria and the tentative dates for the CAT Exam of 2021 also, overall descriptive knowledge of CAT or Common Admission Test.
What Is CAT Exam?
- Common Admission Test or generally known as CAT is an admission test held all over India for studying management courses. It is an entrance test for an aspirant who wants to have a post-graduate management degree like MBA or PGDM. It is also a direct chance entry test for studying in the hallowed and coveted institutions like IIM and IIT, the best management schools in India with some of the finest instructors present there also.
- The toughness and competitiveness level of this exam is unmatched thus only the best and the brightest are able to achieve the qualifying marks to get selected in those premium institutions like IIM and IIT. IIM or the Indian Institute of Management is the governing body that oversees the happening of the CAT exams every year all across India. In the beginning, it was a paper-based test but now it is a computer-based test being held annually since 2009.
Educational Requirements For CAT 2021
The primary educational requirements or qualifications to appear for the CAT exam are:
- Having a bachelor’s degree from any stream is mandatory.
- The minimum aggregate percentage for General candidates is 50%.
- The minimum aggregate percentage for SC/ST/PwD candidates is 45% only.
- All bachelor’s degrees must be from a UGC recognized University or College.
- Final year students in their respective bachelor’s degree or have already appeared and awaiting results can also apply for the CAT exam. keeping in mind that they must have the certificate of approval from their respective Deans or College heads or Registrar stating the fact that they have fulfilled all the necessary requirements to have a bachelor’s degree.
CAT Exam Syllabus
CAT exam doesn’t really have a specified syllabus although it revolves around the subjects and topics from high school, common subjects and topics which we studied in our 10th, 11th and 12th standards.
Some of these subjects are a mandatory part of CAT question banks:
- Math topics like arithmetic, algebra, geometry, graphs, number systems and others fall in the Quantitative Aptitude section of the exam.
- English topics like grammar questions, error finding, suitable words for sentence, jumbled up sentences, similar words, opposite words, all these falls under the Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension section.
- Data and graphical interpretation falls under the Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning section.
CAT Exam Pattern
The latest exam pattern for CAT 2021 is given below:
|
CAT 2021 Exam parameters |
Description |
| Total Questions | 100 (QA-34, VARC-34, DILR-32) |
| Total Marks | 300 |
| Total Time | 3 hours or 180 minutes |
| Total section | 3 |
| Negative Marking | For wrong answers, the deducted mark is 1 |
| Section Names |
|
| Question Pattern | MCQ and also the Type in the Answers format |
CAT Exam 2021
The CAT exam 2021 will be organized by IIM as usual in 2021 also, the tentative dates are:
|
Description |
Dates(Tentative) |
| Online registration start date | First week of August 2021 |
| Online registration close date | Last week of September 2021 |
| Admit card release date | Middle of October 2021 |
| Exam date | Probably last week of November 2021 |
| Exam result date | January 2022, 2nd week probably |
Recommended Articles
This is a guide to CAT Exam Qualification. Here we discuss a brief overview on CAT Exam Qualification, its primary educational requirements, along with the 2021 syllabus and pattern. You may also have a look at the following articles to learn more–
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