MICAT is a management entrance test conducted by MICA (Mudra Institute of Communications, Ahmedabad) to offer admission into PGDM programs. The MICAT 2024 Exam Pattern is similar to the last year’s exam pattern. Also, MICAT is held twice in a year, I.e. MICAT I and MICAT II. Best of the two scores are considered for the purpose of shortlisting candidates. MICAT exam is conducted across 48 cities in India for the selection of candidates.
MICA 2024 will be conducted in an online mode. The number of candidates appearing for this management entrance is likely to touch 10,000 this year. The main objective of MICAT is to enable candidates create a potential of high boosting score. This article will guide you through the latest MICAT exam pattern, comprehensive syllabus, mode of examination etc. Students will also find information pertaining to marking schemes, essential preparation tips and duration of the examination along with MICAT exam pattern. But before we start with that, let us get into a brief overview of the Test conducting body I.e. MICA
Established in 1991 and approved by All India Council for Technical Education, MICA is an A-listed B-School prominent for its PGDM-C program, which is equivalent to MBA. The school offers various specializations across streams like Marketing Research, Digital Communication Management, Brand Management, Media Management and Advertising Management. MICAT is conducted solely by MICA, followed by several rounds of GE (Group Exercise) and PI (Personal Interview). The entrance exam underwent some modifications in 2015. The test was conducted in a pen-paper format until 2014 but changed into online (CBT) examination from 2015. MICA is also known as the “School of Ideas”.
MICAT Exam 2024: Eligibility Criteria
MICAT eligibility criteria is same as that of any other entrance examination. Let us refer the table mentioned below to understand it better.
Eligibility Factor |
Eligibility Criteria |
Academic Qualifications |
A bachelor’s degree or an equivalent in any discipline (10+2+3 system or 10+2+4 system). Candidates in the final year can also apply |
Age limit |
There is no age limit for MICAT |
Nationality |
Applicants from all over the world are eligible to apply. |
Work experience |
Both freshers and experienced candidates can apply for the examination. |
Re-attempts |
A candidate can sit for MICA once in every 12 months I.e. once a year. |
Information Data |
Candidates are expected to provide legal information such as name, Address, email address, contact number, gender, date of birth, country of citizenship, government issued identification, a digital photograph, signature, etc. |
Language Medium |
You’re eligible to take the GMAT even if your medium of instruction in school and/or college was not English. |
Other Scores |
Candidates must also have valid scores of at least one of entrance exam scores other than MICAT. Main examinations include CAT 2020, XAT 2020 and GMAT (2018 onwards). |
MICAT 2024 Exam Pattern
The first phase of MICAT is conducted in December and the Second Phase Exam is conducted in January every year. For 2023, there will be six major sections in the paper and the total duration will be 2 hours and 45 minutes. The question paper will hold subjective as well as objective questions. There are three major sections in MICAT. The second section of the paper is further divided into 4 sub-sections. The sections of MICAT 2023 include VA (Verbal Ability), General Awareness, QA and DI (Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation), Psychometric Test, Descriptive Test and DCR (Divergent and Convergent thinking).
The marking scheme for each section isn’t usually disclosed. Although it is known that negative marking usually applies only to the objective questions (except Psychometric) and will not be applicable to any of the subjective questions.
In short, MICAT 2024 Exam pattern comprises of the following components:
Know more about MICA's PDGM-C (2024-2026) by clicking here
| No of Sections | Subjects | Questions | Time Allotted |
| Section I | Psychometric | 150 | 30 mins |
| Section II | Descriptive Test | 4 | 25 mins |
| Section III | Verbal Ability (VA) | 20 | 1 hour 20 mins |
| Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation (QA & DA) | 20 | ||
| General Awareness (GA) | 20 | ||
| Divergent-Convergent Reasoning (DCR) | 20 | ||
| Total | 234 | 2 hours 15 Mins | |
MICAT is held in an online CBT mode and a candidate must opt for both the parts of the examination in order to get shortlisted. Section A, B and C may or may not be in the same order. In case a candidate has already appeared in a supporting management entrance exam (CAT/XAT/GMAT), then best of the three exam scores will be considered.
The final composite score created based on the below mentioned weightage:
| Admission round | Weightage |
MICAT (I&II clubbed) |
30% |
CAT/XAT/GMAT |
20% |
Group Exercise (GE) |
20% |
Personal Interview (PI) |
30% |
Normalized Scores
Scores of all the sub sections will be calculated separately and then converted into a normalized score using statistical approach. Then all the scores will be added and the total MICAT I/MICAT II scores will be normalized again. The MICAT percentile cut off varies year to year and in accordance to the same, the admission committee of MICA decides on the other admission processes. Approximately 1/10th of the total candidates who appear for MICAT are shortlisted for further admission rounds.
Psychometric tests are an evaluation of candidate’s cognitive aptitude for a role that identifies the characteristics of a candidate’s personality. MICAT is the only management entrance exam which incorporates this section in the paper. The questions are presented in a multiple-choice format and assesses a candidate’s personal traits, thought procedure, strengths, weaknesses and judgements. Students must answer questions based on their previous education background, life goals, career goals and decision-making skills. The duration provided to this section is 25 minutes.
Previous year, students were asked 8-10 questions in this section that were based on certain situations and self-rating. They are provided by three choices and need to choose which option describes them in the best way. Psychometric tests are also conducted by the HR team when an employee recently joins an organization. It is based on Individual development potential of the person. MICA also ascertains that the candidate has the right sort of attitude to be a part of their management program.
Verbal Ability section assesses the grammar, vocabulary and critical reasoning skills of the candidate. This section comprises of 25 questions.
Some of the important topics in verbal ability are:
In this section, around 25 questions are asked in the entrance exam. The syllabus for QA is similar to the mathematical questions asked in CAT.
The topics from which the questions are asked in this section are:
The general awareness section is based on current affairs, business and economics. The topics include:
Approximately 30 questions are asked in this section. The questions are based on the following topics:
This is the only subjective section of the paper where candidates need to type in the entire answer. The total number of questions that a candidate needs to answer is four and there is no negative marking. This section is a specific dissertation section where in you can play with words, showcase your creative imagination, thoughts and knowledge.
The test is designed on a spontaneous note and this is exactly what MICA wants. The want on-the-spot answers from the candidate, not rehearsed. The test itself leaves a little room for preparation. If you are already preparing for CAT, you don’t need to prepare for MICAT all over again. MICAT is a subset of CAT. There is nothing novel or specific you need to study as the syllabus includes the same sections related to VARC, DILR and QA, along with some unpredictable assessments.
Here are a few handy tips you can follow in order to keep up with your preparation: