With less than a week to go to the test date, are you or one of your family members one of the b-school aspirants preparing for the big day?
Let’s look at the need-to-know details for the CAT 2024 exam.
CAT exam key dates timeline
- Candidates can register for CAT 2024 from August 1st 2024 onwards.
- Registrants must complete the application process by the CAT registration date of September 20th, 2024, before 5pm
- Admit cards for the CAT 2024 Exam are available for download from the CAT admit Card released date of November 5th, 2024.
- The Common Admission Test (CAT 2024) is scheduled for November 24th, 2024.
- The CAT results are likely to be declared by the second week of January.
CAT 2024 facts
CAT is a national-level MBA entrance examination held annually for admission to MBA/ PGP courses at the prestigious IIM b-schools and many other institutions across India.
The exam will be held in Computer Based Test (CBT) centers in 170 cities across the country.
More than 1,200 MBA colleges accept CAT scores for admission to their PG management programs. Alongside IIMs, some of the prominent institutions that accept CAT scores are the Institute of Management Technology (IMT) and SP Jain Institute of Management and Research (SPJIMR).
CAT exam eligibility criteria
Educational Qualification
Candidates must hold a bachelor's degree with a minimum duration of three years in any discipline from a recognized university or institute.
Minimum Marks
You must have a bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 50% aggregate marks or equivalent CGPA. For reserved category candidates, those from disadvantaged backgrounds, (Scheduled Castes/Schedule Tribes/Persons With Disabilities), the minimum marks are 45%.
Final-Year Students
Candidates who are in the final year of their bachelor's degree program or awaiting their results are also eligible to apply for the CAT Exam.
There is no age limit on the CAT Exam.
CAT 2024 exam structure overview
Sections
The CAT exam is computer-based and consists of three sections:
1. Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension - VARC
2. Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning - DILR
3. Quantitative Ability - QA
Questions
Number of Questions: 66
- VARC: 24 questions
- DILR: 20 questions
- QA: 22 questions
Total Marks: 198 marks.
Language of Question Paper: English.
Number of Answer Choices: For each question, there are four answer choices.
Type of Questions: Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ) and Non-Multiple Choice Questions, also known as Type In The Answer questions.
Marking scheme
Candidates should be cautious answering MCQs as incorrect responses lead to negative markings. There is no negative marking for Non-MCQs, so always answer the type in answer questions.
- Correct Response: 3 marks.
- Incorrect Response (MCQs): -1 (a third of the marks allotted to the question).
- No Negative Marking (Non-MCQs): There is no negative marking for wrong answers in Non-MCQs.
Duration
The total duration of the CAT exam is 120 minutes. Each section has a 40-minute time limit and you cannot switch back and forth between sections.
CAT syllabus
Aspirants preparing for CAT 2024 should focus on the following topics for each of the three main sections (VARC, DILR, and QA) :
CAT verbal ability and reading comprehension syllabus:
- English Grammar: Focus on grammar rules, sentence correction, and usage of different parts of speech.
- Reading Comprehension: Practice reading and understanding passages from various topics and answer questions based on them.
- Verbal Ability: Improve vocabulary, antonyms, synonyms, sentence completion, and para-jumbles.
CAT data interpretation and logical reasoning syllabus:
- Logical Reasoning: Work on analytical and critical thinking skills, solving puzzles, and logical games.
- Data Interpretation: Practice interpreting data from tables, graphs, and charts to answer questions.
CAT quantitative ability syllabus:
- Arithmetic: Revise topics like percentage, ratio, proportion, time and work, time and distance, profit and loss, etc.
- Geometry: Brush up on concepts of lines, angles, triangles, circles, and other geometric figures.
- Number Systems: Understand properties of integers, fractions, decimals, and factors.
- Algebra: Practice solving linear and quadratic equations, inequalities, and basic algebraic manipulations.
- Modern Maths: Recognize and predict sequences and series, understand Binomial Theorem, set theory, probability, permutation and combination.
How to fill out the CAT 2024 application form
To help your registration go as smoothly as possible, you should register as early as you can. Before you start your application, make sure you have all your information and documents to hand.
1. Register
- Visit the official website of the CAT at iimcat.ac.in.
- On the home page, go to "New Candidate Registration" and click the "Register" button to open the registration form in your browser and start the application process.
- If you are a new user, you will need to register yourself on the portal. Provide the required details such as your name, date of birth, email address, country, and mobile number.
- Generate the One Time Password by clicking the OTP button. You will need to complete a CAPTCHA then validate your account. You will then receive your user ID and password.
2. Login
- After successful registration, log in to the CAT 2024 application portal again using the system-generated user ID and password.
3. Apply
- Complete the CAT 2024 Application Form by providing accurate and correct details for each category. First you will need to enter personal information, your address, an emergency contact and to upload scanned copies of required documents, which may include your passport-sized photograph, signature, and any requested certificates.
- Next, you will move on to academic history and other relevant details such as any work history, programs to apply for and test city preference.
- You will need to pay the relevant CAT registration fee, through the available payment options. The fee amount will vary depending on the category you belong to.
- Before final submission, review all the information in the application form to ensure accuracy. Once you are satisfied, submit the CAT 2024 application form.
- After successful submission, take a printout of the application form for future reference. You should receive an email confirming receipt of your submission.
Estimated CAT cut-offs for IIM admissions 2024
Please note that the following are estimated cut-offs and the actual CAT cut-offs may vary. Cut-offs are confirmed after results.
These cut-off percentiles indicate the minimum score required to be eligible for admission to various IIMs for the academic year 2024:
IIM Ahmedabad: 94-100, 85
IIM Bangalore: 94-100, 85
IIM Calcutta: 94-100, 85
IIM Lucknow: 91-99.5,90
IIM Indore: 91-99.5, 90
IIM Kozhikode: 90+, 85
IIM Amritsar: 90+,90
IIM Nagpur: 90+, 85
IIM Sambalpur: 90+, 93
IIM Trichy: 90+,93
IIM Raipur: 90+,93
IIM Ranchi: 90+,90
IIM Kashipur: 90+, 94
IIM Vizag: 90+, 80
IIM Rohtak: 90+, 95
IIM Udaipur: 90+, 93
IIM Bodhgaya: 94, 93
IIM Shillong: 75, 75
IIM Sirmaur: 94, 92
IIM Jammu: 94, 93
Estimated CAT cut-offs for other top B-Schools in India
Faculty of Management Studies, Delhi: 99, 98-99
SP Jain Institute of Management Research, Mumbai: 85, profile calls, 95-99
Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad: 90, 95-97
Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai: 96
Management Development Institute, Gurgaon: 95, 97-99
International Management Institute, New Delhi: 90
Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar: 91
Goa Institute of Management: 85
K.J. Somaiya, Mumbai: 86
T.A. Pai Management Institute, Manipal: 80
FORE, New Delhi: 85
Institute for Financial Management Research, Chennai: 80
Institute of Rural Management, Anand: 80
Mundra Institute of Communications, Ahmedabad: 80
Loyola Institute of Business Administration, Chennai: 70
Xavier Institute of Management & Entrepreneurship, Bangalore: 70
