| 1 | 
CAT Exam Details |
CAT examination details:
1) Common Aptitude Test (CAT) is conducted by the Indian Institute of Managements (IIMs) every year.
2) It is an entry level test for joining management programmes in the IIMs.
3) This involves written/online test, group discussion & a personal interview.
4) The exam has 2 sections:
(a) Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation
(b) Verbal Ability & Logical Reasoning
5) Exam total duration is about 2 hours 10 minutes. Candidates get about 70 minutes to answer 30 questions in each
of the two sections. Once the first section time ends, one needs to move to the second section. No breaks during the
test. Check more details by Clicking here
6) Exam is spread over 10 days. Candidate needs to go to one of the 100+ designated test centres
in 30+ cities across India to take the exam choosing either the morning or afternoon session. |
| 2 | 
Result Month |
When are CAT exam results declared:
1) CAT result is announced in January every year. In 2013, the results are expected to be announced on
Wednesday, January 9th and candidates can login to view their results on the CAT website by Clicking here.
2) In 2012, results came out on Wednesday, January 11th.
3) In 2011, results came out on Wednesday, January 12th. |
| 3 | 
Eligibility Criteria |
Eligibility criteria for taking the CAT exam:
1) Bachelor's Degree with 50% marks for General candidates.
2) 45% marks for SC/ST & persons with disability.
3) Degree should be recognized by UGC or by Ministry of HRD, Govt. of India. |
| 4 | 
Not Shortlisted? |
You did not pass CAT exam this time. What next?
1) More than 2 lakh students take the CAT exam every year and 99% do not get through any IIM.
2) Many of these students who don't go to IIM do 'phenomenally' well in their life later. So do NOT Worry!
3) IIMs are definitely the best, but not the only options after Graduation.
a) Check Key Exam Options after Graduation: Click Here
b) Check Post Graduation Course Options: Click here
4) If you prepared for the CAT test without any outside help, think about joining a good MBA coaching centre and
take the exam again next year!
5) Understand your strengths, weak points & get help for your weaker parts in the syllabus.
6) Keep your options open and also apply for exams like XAT (XLRI), MAT, JMET (IITs & IISc) etc.
7) Explore other top MBA institutes also: Click Here |
| 5 | 
Shortlisted? |
You got a good score in CAT exam or got shortlisted. What next?
1) Just about 1% of all students- who take the CAT exam - make it to one of the 7 IIMs.
2) If you are one... CONGRATULATIONS!
3) If you are selected, you will get interview calls from the institutes you have applied.
4) The institutes will conduct a personal interview, group discussion/essay writing test before confirming admission.
5) Application for most of the MBA colleges will be submitted before CAT score announcement. |
| 6 | 
MBA/CAT Preparation Tips |
Tips to crack CAT exam (Based on feedback from past IIM students and experts):
1) Coaching Institutes: Do not blindly go behind MBA coaching ads. Check last couple of years' number
and quality of placements before joining the coaching institute.
2) Practice: For quantitative questions, first get the basics right before you start practising them.
3) Speed: Answering speed is important. Read editorials, newspapers & even novels to improve your
vocabulary & your reading speed. Taking writing speed tests before the exam also helps.
4) Focus on what you know first: Attempt maximum questions in your strength areas.
5) Mocks: Do as many mock tests as possible before you take CAT.
6) Approach close to exam: Finish your preparation about a week before CAT and just relax. Facing the exam with
an open mind and a relaxed attitude is very important. Also, reach the examination center at least 30 minutes
before the start time and just chill!
7) Instructions: Many students fail because they just don't read the instructions/question carefully.
8) Choice of answers: Choose your answers intelligently. At times, you reach answer by using elimination method!
9) Handling stumbling blocks: Do not spend too much time on 1 question. If you get stuck, move to next question!
10) Believe: Have good faith in yourself & you will have a seat in one of the IIMs if you spare no efforts in your
preparation endeavors. |
| 7 | 
CAT Score Description |
CAT score description and usage:
1) Some institutes have decided to reduce the weightage of CAT score this year (Eg: IIM-Kozhikode, IIM-Lucknow etc.).
2) Some institutes like IIM Bangalore will conduct Essay Writing instead of Group Discussion.
3) More weightage will be given to Class X and XII exams this year.
4) CAT Scores are determined on a percentile basis.
5) Percentile is the percentage of students who scored below a candidate in the test. Eg- If your score is at 75th
percentile, then 25% students scored hired than you.
6) Total score in the CAT scorecard is the sum of the highest scores in all sections. |
| 8 | 
Non-IIM CAT Score Consideration |
Few other excellent colleges that consider CAT Score (other than IIMs):
1) VIT Business School, Vellore (Tamil Nadu).
2) Birla Institute of Management Technology, Noida (Uttar Pradesh).
3) Mudra Institute of Communications, Shela Village (Ahmedabad).
4) National Institute of Technology, Calicut (Kerala).
5) Faculty of Management Studies-(FMS)- Delhi.
6) Management Development Institute- (MDI) - Gurgaon.
7) S..P.Jain Institute of Management & Research- (SPJIMR)- Mumbai.
8) Xavier Institute of Management- (XIMB)- Bhubaneswar.
9) Institute of Management Technology- (IMT)- Ghaziabad.
10) T A Pai Management Institute- (TAPMI)- Manipal. |
