CAT Exam 2024

What is CAT Exam?

The CAT exam, known as the Common Admission Test, is a computer-based entrance exam conducted annually in India for admission to postgraduate management programs like MBA. It is considered one of the most prestigious and competitive exams in the country.

Administered by the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) on a rotational basis, other top management institutions may also participate in conducting CAT. The upcoming CAT 2024 is expected to be held on the final Sunday of November, with IIM Calcutta likely to be the organizing body.

CAT generally comprises three sections: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Ability (QA). The exam format may include a mix of multiple-choice questions (MCQs) and non-MCQs, and the duration typically spans around 2 hours.

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CAT 2024: Exam Dates

CAT 2024 is tentatively scheduled for November 24, 2024, the last Sunday of the month. The official 2024 notification will be released in the last week of July 2024. Given below are the tentative dates for the CAT exam 2024-

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CAT 2024: Highlights

CAT 2024 will allow students to apply for admission to IIMs among other top institutes for the batch of 2025-27. Here is all you need to know about the exam:

Learn more about the CAT exam by clicking here.

Download the CAT 2024 Syllabus PDF

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CAT 2024: Eligibility Criteria

Before starting your CAT exam preparation, it's crucial to understand who can appear for the exam. Here's what you need to know about the eligibility criteria for CAT 2024:

Education

• Bachelor's Degree: You need a Bachelor's degree from a recognized university in any discipline.

Minimum Marks

• General and NC-OBC category: At least 50% marks or equivalent CGPA.
• SC, ST, PWD/DA category: The minimum requirement is 45% marks or equivalent CGPA.
• Final Year Students: If you're in the final year of your bachelor's degree or awaiting results, you can also apply for CAT exam. However, you must complete your graduation with the required percentage by the time of admission.
• Professional Degrees: Professional degrees such as CA, CS, ICWA, or FIAI with the required percentage are also eligible for CAT exam.

Other Criteria

• There is no upper or lower age limit for appearing in the CAT exam.
• Work Experience is not mandatory for applying for CAT 2024, but is advantageous for IIM admissions.

To understand the CAT 2024 eligibility criteria in detail, click here

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CAT Registration 2024

Registrations for the CAT exam 2024 will be online on the official CAT website- iimcat.ac.in. Based on the process of previous years, here is an expected understanding of the fees and documents required for registration-

Registration Process-

• When the candidates open the official website, they should select ‘New Candidate Registration.’ They will be required to fill in their basic details.
• After submission, they will receive an OTP for verification of the registration.
• After the verification is complete, on the email and mobile number registered, candidates will get a unique ID and password to log in.
• Now the candidates can begin entering the required details in the application form.
• The candidates will also pick the programs of their choice along with the Interview City.
• The candidates are allowed to pick 6 preferred test cities for the CAT exam 2024.

Uploading Documents-

While filling out the application form, the candidate must also upload the required documents in the given format-

Candidates will be required to present their mark sheets and degrees in person.

Pay the Application Fee-

To complete the registration process, the candidates must pay the application fees.

• The fee can be submitted online only.
• The candidates will also have the option to preview the application before making the payment and submitting the application form.
• The candidate will receive a confirmation email a few minutes after paying successfully.

The application fee as per CAT 2023 is given below:

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CAT Events Post Registration

Once you submit your CAT 2024 application form, the convening IIM will send you alerts regarding all the future events associated with CAT 2024, such as:

• Successful completion of the CAT 2024 Application Process
• Downloading the CAT 2024 admit card
• Instructions and changes related to CAT 2024
• Application Correction for 2024
• Objection Window for CAT 2024
• Declaration of CAT result
• Your CAT 2024 percentile

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CAT Admit Card

The admit card for CAT 2024 is expected to be released in October 2024. Here are a few details that must be kept in mind for the same-

• Registered candidates will be able to access and download the admit card by logging into their account from the official website.
• Candidates have to carry their admit cards for the exam on the day of the examination.
• The CAT admit card is also required in some of the procedures post-CAT.

The CAT Admit Card contains several details including the following:

Download the CAT 2024 Syllabus PDF

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CAT Exam Pattern

Due to the pandemic, the exam pattern for the CAT exam has been changing. In 2019, the exam had 100 questions across 3 hours which was reduced to 76 in 2020 and 66 in 2021. Here is the tentative overview of the CAT 2024 exam pattern-

Here is the marking scheme for CAT 2024:

• For every correct answer, 3 marks will be awarded
• For every incorrect answer, 1 mark will be deducted.
• TITA (type-in-the-answer) questions have no negative marking.

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CAT 2024: Syllabus

Following the trends of the past few years, we can expect CAT 2024 to be divided into 3 sections. Due to the lack of a defined syllabus for the CAT exam, CAT aspirants largely focus on studying school-level mathematics and English. Based on the same conclusion, given below is the tentative CAT 2024 syllabus for the three sections of the exam-

CAT Syllabus 2024: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC)

• The VARC section is divided into two main parts; reading comprehension and verbal ability. A major section of the VARC is reading comprehension which includes paragraphs of varying lengths with MCQ and TITA questions. The verbal ability section comprises parajumbles, odd sentences, etc.

CAT Syllabus 2024: Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR)

• Data Interpretation consists of sets of questions based on various charts, graphs, and other forms of data presentation. The data for the answers is to be directly extracted from the given charts. The logical reasoning section also consists of sets of questions based on seating arrangements, blood relations, puzzles, etc.

CAT Syllabus 2024: Quantitative Aptitude (QA)

• This section is focused on mathematics as the syllabus for QA is entirely based on school maths. Topics included are LCM & HCF, trigonometry, mensuration, probability, etc. In recent years the difficulty of this section has been reduced by the IIMs.

To improve your sectional scores in QA, click here

Want to prepare well for the DILR section of CAT 2024? Click here

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CAT 2024 Preparation Tips

MBA is one of the most sought-after degrees for master’s and the 3.3 lakh candidates who applied for CAT 2023 is a testimony to this statement. So to outdo the competition, candidates must study and strategize effectively. So here are some tips to help you score well in the CAT exam 2024-

• Prepare a Study Strategy: Divide the syllabus into various sections and phases across the time you have for preparation. Allot time daily for your CAT preparations and commit to it. You should ensure that each section of the paper gets the required time.
• Establish the Basics: Identify the concepts you are not accustomed to or struggle with more. Devote time to the different topics of each section and establish your understanding at the start of the CAT preparations.
• Choose the Mode of Preparation: You can choose to study by yourself or enroll in a CAT coaching program. A coaching program will guide you through all the processes of preparation. If you choose to self-study, remember to consult the correct books and materials for your preparation.
• Focus on Mock Exams: As you grow confident in your preparation, consider giving mock exams. The mock exams will help you to identify your weaknesses and strengths. It will enable you to improve on your weaker sections. Here are some Free CAT Mock Tests to help you on your journey.

For a detailed preparation strategy, click here.

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CAT Results & IIM Admission Process

The CAT results will be available on the official website tentatively in the second week of January 2025. The CAT 2024 results will be valid till December 2025.

The IIMs will also release cut-offs for the 2025-27 batch. There is no centralized counseling for the CAT exam as all the IIMs have their own procedure for interviews and further admission rounds.

Once the CAT results are released, IIMs and other top B-schools begin releasing their shortlists for further admission rounds. The admission process at IIMs primarily comprises 3 stages:

• Shortlist based on CAT cutoff
• WAT and PI admission rounds
• Final merit list released by each IIM

The old IIMs follow an individual process while 9 new & baby IIMs follow a Common Admission Process (CAP) wherein the admission rounds are common. However, the final merit lists are released separately by each IIM. Aspirants who wish to get admission to IIM Mumbai must apply for it separately.

For the CAT 2023 results, click here.

Download the CAT 2024 Syllabus PDF

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Changes Over the Years in the CAT Exam

The CAT exam structure has evolved significantly in the last decade or so, with notable alterations in the number of sections, questions, and duration of the exam. Below is a summary table illustrating these important modifications:

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CAT Past Year Analysis

CAT 2023 followed the exam pattern of CAT 2021 & 2022 with 66 questions to be answered in 120 minutes. The distribution of questions across the sections also remained the same with VARC having 24 questions, DILR having 20 questions and QA having 22 questions.

Overall, CAT 2023 had a higher level of difficulty as compared to CAT 2022. In addition, there was only a marginal difference in the level of difficulty among the three slots. Each section had to be attempted in 40 minutes. The overall level of difficulty of CAT 2023 was moderate-difficult and based on CAT-taker responses, a score of 70-72 will allow aspirants to aim for 99 %ile.

For a detailed analysis, click here.