The CAT Exam is one of the leading MBA (Master of Business Administration) entrance examinations which is conducted by the IIM (Indian Institute of Management). Pursuing an MBA from a reputed institution is a dream of many CAT aspirants. Candidates who want admission to MBA programs must appear for the CAT exam.
Table of Contents:
- What is the CAT Exam?
- CAT Exam Quick Highlights
- About CAT Exam Timeline and Registration
- CAT Exam Pattern 2022
- CAT Section Wise Exam Pattern
- CAT Exam Syllabus
- CAT Exam Marking Scheme
- Time Required to Complete the CAT Exam Syllabus
- Programs Offered by IIMs
What is the CAT Exam?
The Common Admission Test (CAT) is India’s most popular national-level entrance exam, which admits aspirants to get into top management institutes. The Indian Institute of Management conducts this CAT exam on a rotational basis. CAT is one of the most extensive MBA entrance exams in the country.
Common Admission Test is held once a year. The CAT Exam is a computer based test held across 156 cities in India.
CAT Exam Quick Highlights
| Name of the Exam | Common Admission Test (CAT) | ||
| CAT Official Website | https://iimcat.ac.in/ | ||
| Conducting Body | Yet to be announced | ||
| Exam Duration | 2 hours (160 Minutes for PWD candidates) | CAT Exam Fees | INR 1100 (Reserved categories) INR 2200 (Other categories) |
| Medium of Exam | English | ||
| CAT Exam Pattern | Computer Based Test (CBT) | ||
| CAT Exam Question Type | MCQ and Non-MCQ questions | ||
| Syllabus | Quantitative Aptitude Logical Reasoning & Data Interpretation Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension | Eligibility | Bachelor’s degree with 50% aggregate (45% aggregate or equivalent for reserved categories) |
About CAT Exam Timeline and Registration
Every year, approximately 2.30 lakh candidates appear for the CAT exam. The CAT Exam 2022 is expected to be held on November 27, 2022. The official CAT Exam 2022 notification website will be iimcat.ac.in. The table below shows the tentative calendar of events for the CAT exam.
| CAT Exam Events | Expected Date |
| Release of Online Notification | Last week of July 2022 |
| Commencement of Online Application | First week of August 2022 |
| Date of CAT Exam | November 27th 2022 |
| CAT Exam Result Declaration | First week of January 2023 |
CAT Exam Pattern 2022
Let us first look at the Exam Pattern before diving into the CAT Syllabus. Check out the chart below for the general aspects of the CAT Exam exam format.
| CAT Exam Pattern | |
| Number of sections | 3 |
| Duration of exam | 40 minutes per section |
| Number of questions | 76 |
| Total marks | 228 |
| Language of question paper | English |
| Number of answer choices | 4 |
CAT Section Wise Exam Pattern
Before starting the exam preparation, you need to first note down the section-wise pattern for the CAT exam. For that, check out the table below:
| CAT Section | Questions | MCQs | Non-MCQs | Maximum Marks |
| Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC) | 26 | 18 | 8 | 78 |
| Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) | 24 | 18 | 6 | 72 |
| Quantitative Aptitude (QA) | 26 | 18 | 8 | 78 |
| Total | 76 | 54 | 22 | 228 |
CAT Exam Syllabus
Understanding the CAT exam syllabus is essential for determining your direction through this CAT journey. By understanding the CAT syllabus, it will be easier for you to choose how much time you accumulate in each section.
CAT Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC) Syllabus:
| Fill in the blanks | Para Completion and inference | Verbal Logic |
| Verbal Reasoning | Subject-verb agreement | Para jumbles |
| Sentence completion | Foreign language words used in English | Different usage of the same word |
| Grammar | Reading Comprehension | Idioms |
| Syllogisms | Analogies | Antonyms |
| Jumbled paragraphs | Sentence correction | One word substitution |
| Parts of speech | Preposition | Types of Clauses |
| Phrases Modifiers | Errors in tenses | Articles usage |
CAT Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) Syllabus:
| Blood Relations | Clocks and Calendars | Syllogism |
| Series | Statements | Venn Diagram |
| Proposition | Data Arrangement | Data Structures |
| Direction Sense | Family Tree | Tables |
| Coding-Decoding | Binary Logic | Pie Charts |
| Assumptions | Seating Arrangement | Data Sufficiency |
| Puzzles | Sets & Caselets | Bars & Line Graphs |
CAT Quantitative Aptitude Syllabus:
| Geometry | Ratios and Proportion | Inequalities |
| Trigonometry | In-equations Quadratic and linear equations | Work and Time |
| Algebra | Surds and Indices | Percentages |
| Mensuration | Time-Speed-Distance | Logarithms |
| Partnership (Accounts) | Number System | Square Root and Cube Root |
| Profit & Loss | Geometric Progression | Probability |
| Mean, mode, median | Binomial theorem | Simple interest and compound interest |
CAT Exam Marking Scheme
- Candidates will receive 3 marks for each right answer.
- Candidates will be penalised 1 mark for each incorrect answer to the objective questions.
- Negative marks will not be deducted for non-MCQ questions.
Time Required to Complete the CAT Exam Syllabus
Every year more than 2 lakh CAT applicants enrol for the CAT Exam. An intense preparation time of 7-9 months before taking the exam is strongly suggested to ace the examination. However, applicants who are behind schedule, and those who are really devoted to passing the test, might do well with a 3-4 month focused preparation time.
Programs Offered by IIMs
List of IIM Institute which provides various programs offered by CAT.
| IIMs | Programmes Offered |
| IIM Ahmedabad | PGP, PGP-FABM |
| IIM Amritsar | MBA, EMBA, MBA-Business Analytics, MBA-HRM |
| IIM Bangalore | PGP, PGPEM, PGPBA |
| IIM Bodh Gaya | PGP |
| IIM Calcutta | MBA |
| IIM Indore | PGP, PGP-HRM |
| IIM Jammu | MBA |
| IIM Jammu | Executive MBA (Blended Mode) |
| IM Jammu | PGP in Health Care Management (Jointly with AIIMS Jammu and IIT Jammu) |
| IIM Jammu | PGP in Hospital Administration (Jointly with AIIMS Jammu and IIT Jammu) |
| IIM Kashipur | MBA, MBA (Analytics), EMBA |
| IIM Kozhikode | PGP, PGP-BL, PGP-F, PGP-LSM, EPGP Kochi |
| IIM Lucknow | PGP, PGP-ABM, PGP-SM |
| IIM Nagpur | PGP |
| IIM Raipur | PGP |
| IIM Ranchi | PGP, PGP-HRM, PGP (Business Analytics) |
| IIM Rohtak | PGP, EPGPX, EPGDSM |
| IIM Sambalpur | MBA, Executive MBA |
| IIM Shillong | PGP, PGPEX, PGPWE |
| IIM Sirmaur | MBA, MBA (T&HM) |
| IIM Tiruchirappalli | PGPM, PGPM-HR, PGPBM |
| IIM Udaipur | MBA, MBA-DEM, MBA-GSCM, PGDBA |
| IIM Visakhapatnam | PGP, PGPEX, PGPDGM |
We hope this blog helps you comprehend the CAT exam. If you still have questions or are unsure about which exam to take for an MBA program, visit Gen-Z Careers. The Gen-Z Careers Career Counselling experts will aid you in determining which college to target to get admission across Top MBA Business School. So please get in touch with us; we would be happy to assist you!