Management Entrance Exams

Overview

CAT Exam is approaching on 24th November. This year, IIM Lucknow is the official CAT convener (www.iimcat.ac.in) and the MBA entrance exam is scheduled to be conducted in online mode at various CAT test centers in India.

As the deadline to appear for the CAT exam is 5th September, candidates are advised to read the important information about one of the toughest MBA entrance exam because belling the CAT is not as simple as it seems. The competition to make it to the top B-schools of India is tough as approximately 2.50 lakh candidates are set to appear to crack CAT

In this article, you will find CAT exam pattern, Syllabus, Tips to download the CAT Admit card, some quick last minute tips to prepare for the CAT exam, CAT Result and expected cut-off for Admission, and CAT Selection Criteria at JIMS Rohini.

CAT Eligibility Criteria

Candidates are required to refer to the CAT eligibility conditions before registering for the MBA entrance exam. Read on to find CAT eligibility criteria here:-

Candidates scoring at least 50% marks or equivalent CGPA (45% in the case of candidates belonging to the Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Persons with Disability (PwD) categories) in their graduation.
Candidates pursuing graduation in their final semester can appear for the CAT exam.
Candidate possessing Bachelor’s Degree with at least 50% marks or equivalent CGPA
Candidate who has completed professional degree (CA/CS/ICWA) with 50% marks. SC/ST/PwD candidates should have a minimum 45%.
CAT eligibility stipulates ‘No Age Bar’ to appear in the CAT entrance exam

CAT Reservations

As per the legal requirements, 12% of the seats are reserved for Scheduled Caste (SC) and 7.5% for Scheduled Tribe (ST) candidates. 27% of the seats are reserved for Other Backward Classes candidates belonging to the “non-creamy” layer (NC-OBC). Up to 10% of the seats are reserved for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) candidates.

CAT Exam Pattern

The first step required to win the race is to be aware of the CAT exam pattern. Take a look at the CAT exam pattern expected this year and a list of few important topics that will test your competency to crack the CAT exam.

CAT Exam Pattern	Details
Exam Duration	120 minutes
Exam Mode	Online
Exam Sections	3 (DILR, VARC, QA)
Exam Sectional time limit	40 minute per section
No. of Questions	66
Type of Questions	MCQs and non-MCQs
Marking Scheme	Correct answer: 3 marks, Incorrect answer: -1 mark
No. of Test Cities	120

It is important to note that Non-MCQs are descriptive questions and do not invite any negative marking in the exam.

CAT Exam Syllabus

CAT Syllabus is important point of reference to prepare for the exam. Candidates can prepare for the following topics to score a high percentile in the exam:

CAT Syllabus	Important Topics
Quantitative Ability (QA)	Arithmetic, Modern Math, Number System Algebra, Mensuration, Trigonometry, Geometry
Data Interpretation& Logical Reasoning (DILR)	Data Charts, Data Tables, Bar Graphs, Venn Diagrams, Seating arrangement, Team formation, Blood Relation, Clocks & Calendars
Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC)	Long & Short Passages Jumbled Paragraphs; Para-summary, Out of context sentence from a jumbled paragraph

CAT Preparation Tips

Preparing for CAT exam requires a fool-proof strategy in place and your dedication to adhere to the schedule. Here are some tips that you can choose to prepare for the MBA entrance exam:

Self-Study – Get the right set of books and study material if you do not wish to seek anyone’s help in the preparation of the exam. Meanwhile, enrol for the CAT mock test series that will help you test your competency in the exam.
Enrol to Coaching – There are several expert MBA coaching services that teach aspirants in both classroom mode and online mode. You can enrol for the CAT coaching classes to score a high percentile in the CAT exam.
Practice CAT Previous Year Papers – To gain understanding about the type of questions, difficulty level of the exam, candidates are advised to practice from the CAT previous year papers.
Learn from the Toppers – Read the interviews of the CAT toppers and know their success formulae to score a 100 percentile in the CAT exam.
Attempt Mock Tests – Last but not the least, it is important to practice at least 20-30 CAT mock tests before you make the final move. It will help you assess your speed to attempt the questions and will galvanise your mind to the expected level of difficulty in the exam.

CAT Result and Expected Cutoff

This year, CAT Result is expected to be announced in the first week of January 2025. Candidates will be able to download the CAT Scorecard from the official website i.e. iimcat.ac.in.

The CAT scorecard displays following details about the Candidate:-

Candidate’s Name, Address, Photograph, Date of Birth, Email ID
CAT Registration number
Candidate’s category – General/OBC/SC-ST
Candidate’s Gender – Male/Female
Date & Time of CAT exam
Section-wise CAT exam Scaled Score
Section-wise CAT percentile score
Overall CAT Scaled Score and overall Percentile score

Please note that for admission to the B-school, CAT scorecard remains valid for a period of only 1 year, after which the validity of the CAT scorecard expires.

CAT Selection Criteria at JIMS Rohini

JIMS Rohini provides admission to the PGDM, PGDM (IB) and PGDM (RM) program on the basis of following four parameters:-

Parameter	Score
Post Academics	20%
Performance in Qualifying Exams (CAT, MAT, XAT,CMAT)	35%
Personal Interview (PI)	25%
Group Discussion (GD)	12%
Essay	5%
Total	100%

A candidate must possess Valid Score of CAT exam if appeared in the CAT entrance exam.

The CAT cutoff for JIMS Rohini Sector-5 is mentioned as under:

Program	PGDM	PGDM-IB	PGDM-RM
CAT	75 Percentile	75 Percentile	75 Percentile

FAQs

Q. Who is Ineligible for CAT 2024?

A. The following candidates are not eligible for CAT 2024:

Candidates with professional degrees namely CS/ CA/ ICWA without completion of a bachelor degree.
If you have neither completed any bachelor’s degree nor pursuing one.
If you have completed any professional degree, but not bachelors.
Candidates with less than 50% (45% for SC / ST / PWT candidates) aggregate marks in graduation.
Candidates who have completed their graduation from an institute not recognized by MHRD/ AICTE/ UGC.

Q. Any reservations offered to female candidates in the CAT Exam?

A. No, there is no separate reservation for female candidates in the CAT examination. Neither for seat nor for marks

Q. How many times a candidate can appear in the CAT Examination?

A. No bar on the number of attempts for CAT entrance. An aspiring candidate can attempt the CAT examination multiple times. There are no age restrictions as well.

Q. Important Points to know before appearing in CAT Exam

A. Have a look at the below important points regarding the CAT exam.

Candidates can use an on-screen calculator.
An on-screen clock keeps track of
A rough sheet is provided to each candidate that has to be submitted back to the examiner, after the exam gets over.
The computer screens for all candidates are switched on at the same time
Candidates need to sit as per allocated seating plan.

Q. Are there any Latest Changes in the CAT Paper Pattern?

A. No changes have been declared till date for the CAT 2024 Examination Pattern from previous year. In case of any changes, the examination conducting agency generally notifies the candidates well in advance.

Q. Does a CAT candidate have to answer as per the chronological order of the question paper?

A. Yes, candidates have to follow the chronology of the question paper.

Q. Will it be there any marks’ deduction for unattempted questions?

A. No, there is no penalty for unattempted questions in the CAT examination.

Q. Is there any limit for attempting different sections during the CAT examination?

A. Yes, there is a sectional time limit. For general category candidates it is 40 mins and for the PWD category candidates it is 60 mins.

Q. Can a candidate bring a calculator to the exam centre?

A. No, Candidates are not allowed to bring calculators. They can use an on-screen calculator.

Q. What are the passing marks for the CAT Exam?

A. There is no qualifying score for CAT. However, the B-Schools select the candidates on the basis of percentile they have secured in the final result.

Q. What are the total marks of CAT exam 2024?

A. For the CAT 2024 examination the total marks are 198. As per CAT marking scheme, each question is worth 3 marks. So, the total marks of 66 questions in the CAT exam are 66x3= 198. Also, there is a negative marking of - 1 mark for every wrong answer.

Q. Does CAT 2024 have negative marking?

A. Based on the CAT marking scheme, for each correct answer, candidates will score 3 marks. For each wrong answer in the objective questions, candidates will get a negative marking of - 1 mark. However, the negative marking is only applicable to MCQs.

Q. What is the CAT exam time duration 2024?

A. CAT 2024 exam duration is 120 minutes for all candidates.

Q. How many Non-MCQ questions are in the CAT exam?

A. The number of Non-MCQs may vary in each section. Generally, VARC has 5-6 Non-MCQs and 18-19 MCQs, DILR has 4-5 Non-MCQs and 12-16 MCQs whereas Quant has 7-8 Non-MCQs and 14-12 MCQs.

Q. MCQs or TITA(Type in the answers) questions, which one is more time consuming?

A. TITA questions are more time consuming, as no options are provided. The candidate has to solve the entire problem and type the answer. It also becomes difficult to assess the accuracy of the answer as there are no options.

Read More about CAT Exam Analysis , CAT Score on Percentile Predictor and CAT 2024 - Expected Cut-off

All the Best!