CAT Test Introduction

CAT 2023

CAT Exam (Common Admission Test) is a computer-based selection test conducted by the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) as a prerequisite for admissions to their business administration programs. Apart from the IIMs, the CAT is also a prerequisite for admissions into numerous other prestigious management colleges across India which includes institutes like S.P Jain Institute of Management and Research (SPJIMR), Faculty of Management Studies (FMS), Management Development Institute (Gurgaon), Institute of Management Technology (IMT), Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies (JBIMS), International Management Institute (IMI), National Institute of Industrial Engineering (NITIE) and several others.About 2.4 lakh candidates register for CAT exam every year. CAT 2023 will be conducted by IIM Lucknow on November 26, 2023 and the CAT result will be announced around 1st week of January 2024.

CAT 2023 Registration

CAT 2023 registration started in August and close by the end of September. CAT 2023 result will be announced in the first week of January 2024. Following the announcement of result, IIMs will begin shortlisting of candidates for admission.

CAT 2023 Exam Eligibility:-

• Should Hold a Bachelor’s Degree and have secured a minimum of 50% marks or equivalent CGPA. The students belonging to any of the reserved categories like Scheduled Tribe (ST), Scheduled Caste (SC), and Persons with Disability (PWD) or Differently Abled (DA) category must have at least 45% marks.
• The degree has to be awarded by any of the Universities included by an act of the central or a state legislature in India, or any other educational institutions established by an act of Parliament or are declared to be deemed as a University under Section 3 of the UGC Act, 1956, or hold an equivalent qualification recognized by the MHRD, India.
• Applicants who are appearing for the final year of their bachelor’s degree and the candidates who have completed their graduation degree requirements and are awaiting results are also eligible to apply. If selected, candidates will be allowed to join the program provisionally, only if he/ she submits a certificate from the Principal/Registrar of her/his College/Institute (issued on or before June 30, 2023) mentioning that the particular candidate has completed all the requirements for obtaining the bachelor’s degree/equivalent qualification on the date when the certificate was issued.

CAT 2023 New Exam Pattern

The paper pattern for the CAT exam has changed many times in the past. For the last 2 years, the pattern had remained the same with respect to the total marks and no. of sections.Last year due to COVID-19, IIM Indore announced a major change. Instead of 2, 3 slots were there to make sure social distancing at all centres. The total time duration has also had been reduced to 2 hours instead of 3 hours. Detail about the pattern is given.

CAT 2023 Syllabus

For Quant

For DI/LR:-

CAT Exam Day Checklist

Candidates appearing for the exam must carry the following documents to the exam centre to get entry inside the exam hall:

• Admit card: Candidates appearing for the CAT 2023 exam must carry their admit cards to the exam centre. You will not be allowed entry in case you do not carry your CAT admit card.
• Identity Proof: Along with the admit card, candidates are required to carry a photo ID proof such as College ID (must be supported with a valid debit/credit card), employer ID, driving license, passport, PAN card, voter ID, Aadhaar card.
• Name change document: In case a candidate changed their name, they will be required to carry a name change degree document.

Items which are prohibited in the exam hall are:-

These are the list of items which are prohibited in exam hall in CAT 2023.

• Calculator, watch, phone, iPad or any electronic item
• Bags and purses
• Eatables and beverages
• Jewellery and accessories that contain metal
• Jackets and clothes with pockets
• Closed footwear

MBA Admission Process Through CAT

IIM admission and selection process begins after the announcement of results. Each IIM fixes minimum CAT cut off percentile for shortlisting of candidates. Those who meet the cut off are eligible for admission. Given below is an overview of IIM and non-IIM selection process.

IIM Admission Process

CAT selection procedure for all the IIM’s includes the following:

1. Screening of candidates on the basis of their CAT score
2. Written Ability Test/Group Discussion/Personal Interview (WAT/GD/PI)
3. Computation of composite score followed by final selection

   Non-IIM Admission Process

   1. Institutes accepting CAT score other than IIMs also conduct GD/PI for admission to their MBA/PGDM programmes. However, there are a few colleges which accept students on the basis of their CAT score only.

CAT Cut Off Percentiles

CAT cut off for IIM admission is fixed by each institute category-wise. While the qualifying cut offs range between 85 and 90 (General category), final cut offs are much higher. Given below is the table indicating qualifying CAT cut offs 2021-2022.

Top Non-IIM’s Accepting CAT

Thinking about which Non-IIM Colleges accept CAT score, so here is the list.

1. Faculty of Management Studies, Delhi
2. Management Development Institute, Gurgaon
3. Shailesh. J Mehta school of management,SJMSOM, IIT Bombay
4. Department of Management Studies, IIT Madras
5. Department of Management studies, IIT Delhi
6. SP Jain Institute of Management and Research, Mumbai
7. Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar (XIMB)
8. Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad
9. National Institute of Industrial Engineering(NITIE)