CAT Exams: A Beginners Guide

CAT Exams: A Beginners Guide

VproV Indias NO #1 choice for CAT training is helping many aspiring students to be a part of one of the B-schools that India has to offer, If you are one among them then you have stumbled on to the right place. In this article, we will tell you everything that you need to know about CAT exams. As a matter of fact, CAT 2019 is just around the corner and it is critical that every aspirant gathers all relevant details beforehand.

Before we move into the details, let us give you an overall idea about what exactly the CAT exams are, and how cracking it helps you to secure an admission in the Post Graduate Business Administration Programme in some of the best institutions that India has.

What is CAT all about?

CAT is an abbreviation for Common Admission Test. It can be said that CAT is the premier all-India level management entrance exam conducted by IIMs. IIMs are among the most prestigious management institutes which were established by an Act of Parliament.

Apart from IIM, CAT exams plays a deciding role when securing admissions in numerous premier institutes like IIT, NIT, as well as many other reputed Government and Private colleges.

As we mentioned, CAT or Common Admission Test is an all-India level. It is conducted every year and is a 3-hour computer based selection test. It is an important prerequisite for getting admissions into more than 100 top-notch management institutes spanned across India

The CAT exam is rigorous and acts as a benchmark to evaluate and shortlist the brightest of the bright candidates for post graduate programmes. Here are some stats from the CAT exams of 2018 that will help underline the gravity of this 3-hour test.

• A total of 2.41 lakh+ candidates registered for CAT 2018.
• More than 650 test venues and 147 cities conducted the test in a single day on November 25, 2018.
• CAT 2018 had the highest number of applicants since 2010.

The Components of CAT exam

CAT examination is divided into three sections, viz. Quantitative Aptitude (QA), Data Interpretation (DI) & Logical Reasoning (LR), and Verbal Ability (VA) & Reading Comprehension (RC). Lets give you more details on what each section consists of

Quantitative Aptitude

The Quantitative Aptitude section comprises of fundamental mathematics, mostly based on the 10+2 level. The questions revolve around topics such as Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, Commercial Mathematics. Questions are largely based on the application of mathematics to solve real life problems.

Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning

The whole idea behind this section of questions is to test the candidates on their ability to understand data and problem solving.

Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension

This section consists of questions on comprehension and usage of standard English grammar. It tests the candidates ability to comprehend paragraphs, punctuations etc.

Score Pattern for CAT exams

The questions mostly revolve around arranging paragraphs in a logical order, completing sentences, grammar, paraphrasing, and similar exercises.

Now, that you have a fair idea of what to expect in CAT exams, you should also understand the grading system. You get a total of 100 MCQ and non-MCQ questions that need to be answered within 3 hours.

As a general rule, for each correct answer, you earn 3 marks and for every incorrect answer you get a negative mark. Also, if you leave any question unattended, there is no negative marking for it.

Eligibility Criteria

The eligibility criteria for CAT exams keep changing every year. However, the major requirements are listed below

• Applicants must have completed Bachelors degree with the required percentage.For 2018,the required percentage was 50% CGPA for General and no less than 45% CGPA for SC, ST, Person with Disabilities (PWD)/Differently Abled (DA).

The degree should be approved by UGC or Ministry of HRD recognized institutions. Candidates in their final year or those awaiting results can also apply.