CAT - Common Admission Test

CAT Common Admission Test is conducted on National level by the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), the top most B-schools of India. It is an entrance exam for students who want to pursue Post Graduate level Management Degree from world renowned IIM’s. Some of the other prestigious management institutes of India also consider CAT scores as the criterion to give admission to management aspirant’s. Performance in Common Admission Test or CAT, followed by Group Discussions and Personal Interviews, serves as the basis for admission. 

CAT Exam Eligibility

The candidate must have a bachelor's degree with a minimum of 50% marks. In case of the SC and ST, a minimum of 45% mark is sufficient. However this eligibility may vary from institute to Institute and from course to course as well. Like in some of the special courses run by the various IIM’s the eligibility criteria are as follows:

Course Eligibility

1. PGP (Post Graduate Program in Management) - Bachelors Degree, with a minimum of 50% marks in aggregate.
   
   
2. PGP-ABM (Post Graduate Program in Agri-Business Management in IIM Ahmadabad) - Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in Agriculture Sciences or in Agriculture-related disciplines, with at least 50% marks or equivalent CGPA. Or
   Bachelor's degree from a recognized university with a minimum of 50% marks in aggregate.
   
   
3. PGSEM (PGP in Software Enterprise Management) - Bachelors degree from a recognized university along with a minimum of two years of work in the software industry.
   
   
4. PGPPM (Post Graduate Program in Public Policy and Management) – (i) Eligible Government Officials, (ii)Civil society functionaries,(iii) mid career executives belonging to PSUs and Corporate Undertakings and (iv)Individuals with minimum 7 years of professional experience.
   
   
5. PGDCM (Post Graduate Diploma in Computer Aided Management) - Bachelors Degree, with a minimum of 50% marks in aggregate.
   
   
6. Ex-PGP (Post Graduate Program in Management for Executives) - Bachelor’s Degree, with at least 50% marks or equivalent CGPA with minimum of 5 years of managerial/ entrepreneurial/ professional experience obtained only after graduation.
   
   
7. PGP-ABM (PGP in Agri-Business Management in IIM Lucknow) - Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture Science / Agricultural Engineering or allied subjects with at least 50% marks or equivalent CGPA from any of the recognized Universities. Or
   Bachelor’s degree or equivalent with a minimum of 50% marks. He/she must entail a minimum of three years of education after completing Higher Secondary schooling or equivalent with at least two years experience or strong interest in the field of Agriculture or allied sector.

Note: In case of the SC and ST, a minimum of 45% mark is sufficient for all the categories

CAT Exam Syllabus 

There is no defined syllabus for the CAT exam. It is designed to assess the natural ability of a person towards their preferred field. Mainly, the questions are asked from

1. Quantitative Aptitude
2. Reading Comprehension & Verbal Ability and
3. Data Interpretation & Data Sufficiency.

CAT Exam Pattern

Common Admission Test (CAT) is multiple-choice based entrance exam, with negative marking for wrong answers. The paper comprises of three main sections consisting of arithmetical problem solving, geometry, statistics, data interpretation, logical reasoning, puzzles, and English language skills.
Every year, changes are also made in the total number of questions and the time duration of CAT.

CAT Exam Dates

CAT is normally held from mid of October to Novermber.

CAT Exam Admission Process

Admission process to India’s top most management institutes consists of following few steps:

1. Performance in CAT is the primary basis for short listing candidates for the second round of admission process, which comprises of GD(PI)
2. It is important to perform well in each section of the test as the scores in each section and the overall score are used to short list the candidates. These scores may also be used for final ranking. IIMs may use academic performance, relevant work experience and other similar inputs for ranking and short listing candidates
3. Each IIM shortlists candidates for Group Discussions (GD) and/or Personal Interviews (PI) independent of other IIMs.
4. Shortlisted candidates would also be sent letters from the respective IIMs. GD/PI are conducted by each IIM separately.
5. After the GD/PI round, admission offers are made by IIMs to successful candidates. The ranking and final selection is based on a diverse set of attributes and may include performance in CAT, performance in GD/PI, academic, co-curricular and extra-curricular achievements, work experience etc.
   

CAT Examination Fee

Application form and the bulletin can be obtained on payment of Rs.1400 (Rs.700 for SC/ST candidates). Under exceptional circumstances can also be obtained from any of the IIMs by sending a crossed demand draft of Rs.1400 (Rs.700 for SC/ST candidates) drawn in favor of the respective IIM. Request for the bulletin should be accompanied by a cloth lined self-addressed unstamped envelope of 12” x 10”.However these charges are not fixed and may vary every new session.

CAT Exam Test Centres

• Ahmedabad
• Bangalore, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar
• Chandigarh, Chennai, Coimbatore
• Delhi
• Gurgaon, Guwahati
• Hyderabad
• Indore
• Jaipur, Jamshedpur
• Kolkata, Kozhikode
• Lucknow
• Mumbai
• Nagpur, Noida
• Patna, Pune
• Varanasi