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CAT - FAQs

Q. WHAT CAT STANDS FOR?
A. Common Admission Test is what CAT stands for.


Q. WHO CONDUCT CAT?
A. All Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) jointly conduct CAT.


Q. HOW MANY INSTITUTES FOLLOW CAT SCORES?

A. FOLLOWING ARE THE IIMs AND NON-IIM INSTITUTES LIST :-


IIM INSTITUTES :

  • IIM AHMEDABAD
  • IIM BANGALORE
  • IIM CALCUTTA
  • IIM INDORE
  • IIM LUCKNOW
  • IIM KOZHIKODE
  • IIM SHILLONG

SOME NON-IIM INSTITUTES : NON - IIM INSTITUTE


Q. WHAT IS THE MINIMUM ELIGIBILITY?
A. Minimum eligibility for taking CAT is :  ELIGIBILITY 


Q. IS THERE ANY SPECIAL ELIGIBILITY FOR IIMs?
A. Special eligibility for IIMs is : SPECIAL ELIGIBILITY 


Q. HOW MANY CANDIDATES APPEAR FOR CAT EVERY YEAR?

A. Almost two lack candidates appear for cat every year. To be factual - 1.91 lack candidates in 2006 and 2.3 lack candidate in 2007 appeared in CAT and 2.11 lack applications are already sold  for current year, last date is still a little far.  


Q. WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT STEPS OF SELECTION IN CAT?
A. There are three steps in selection procedure :
  1. WRITTEN TEST
  2. GROUP DISCUSSION
  3. PERSONAL INTERVIEW

And broadly the selection is based on various things like :


Q. WHAT IS THE MARKING SCHEME IN CAT?
A. CAT follows negative marking scheme. Each correct answer carries 1 mark and incorrect deducts 1/3 mark.


Q. WHAT ARE THE CAT SCORES AND SCORE DISTRIBUTION?
A.  CAT score is evaluated in Percentile form but scorecard is divided in to three parts.






Q. WHAT TYPE OF QUESTIONS CAN WE EXPECT?

A. There are various type of questions from various topics from different sections. To have an idea you can have a look at CAT-2007.  For detailed information check out tests  and lessons available in the community.



Q. IS THERE ANY INDIVIDUAL SECTION WISE CUT OFF?

A. There is no such fixed cut off for individual sections on written test. Cut off lists are declared every year for respective year as per the difficulty level of test. For example : last year i.e. 2007, verbal section was extra difficult so the cut offs of verbal section was lowest than ever. Some colleges don't give any preference to individual scores as well. So you can say there is no fixed criteria.



Q. HOW MUCH TIME YOU GOT TO PUT IN?

A. This is another question that can't be answered in concrete terms. This is totally based on individual capabilities but still i can say:
  • for problem solving section: you need a preparation time of 6-8 weeks
  • for reasoning section: 4-6 weeks are enough
  • for verbal section: this is the area that has no time limit cause this section is very vast.
Q. HOW TO OBTAIN CAT APPLICATION FORM ?
A. The CAT application form from the selected branches of Axis Bank on payment of Rs. 1300/- (Rs. 650/- for SC/ST candidates). Under exceptional circumstances, CAT 2008 application form and bulletin can also be obtained from any of the IIMs by sending a crossed demand draft of Rs. 1300/- (Rs. 650/- for SC/ST candidates) drawn in favor of the respective IIM.

Request for the bulletin should be accompanied by a cloth lined self-addressed unstamped envelope of 12 X 10 size.
Q. WHAT ALL IS THERE IN THE CAT APPLICATION FORM AND WHERE TO SEND FILLED CAT ADMISSION FORM AND WHAT'S THE LAST DATE?
A. CAT admission form should be sent to the nearest IIMs office possible except IIM-SHILLONG.For detailed info check out:- Mailing Address.
CAT admission form broadly consists 35 inquiry boxes asking details ranging from personal details to academic background of the candidates.
 CAF should be received at IIMs office Maximum by 5th September,2008 for 2008's attempt.


Q. ANY GENERAL TIPS TO KEEP IN MIND RELATED TO CAT?
A.  You may find following tips useful.


Q. WHAT'S THE SYLLABUS OF CAT--- WRITTEN TEST?
A. Written Test is divided in three sections mainly:-
  1. Problem Section
    • Arithmetic and Algebra
    • Advanced Maths (Part of Arithmetic and Algebra only but touches a different height)
    • Geometry

  2. Reasoning Section
    • Data Interpretation
    • Data Sufficiency
    • Logical Reasoning

  3. Verbal Section
    • Verbal Ability
    • Reading Comprehension


Q. ANY LAST MINUTE JITTERS?
A. Now that CAT is just round the corner, one must make use of these last minutes for the best. Lots of aspirants take mock tests and sometime even more than one a day. My advice is to - First of all have faith on your preparation and don't rush for so many mock tests.
The purpose of mock test is simply to get adjusted to the environment you gonna face and brush up the topics that are causing trouble by understanding them. So 2-3 tests a week are more than sufficient.
Most important, remain as cool before exam as on any normal day. Life is the biggest test in itself and involves many tests that are even harder and unexpected than CAT is, so chill. Trust your abilities and believe me, your efforts gonna pay you a lot.


Q. WHEN TO EXPECT RESULTS?
A. CAT 2008 results would be available from January 9th 2009. CAT results can be accessed on www.catiim.in and also by using sms facility or by sending a mail.

NOTE : SMS should be sent to 57333 after inserting 'CAT test registration number date of birth (ddmmyy)' or 'CAT test registration number application number'. For getting CAT 2008 results by e-mail, candidates should register themselves between October 17, 2008 and November 30, 2008 by sending an SMS to 57333 with the following text: 'CAT test registration number date of birth (ddmmyy) email id'.



For detailed information about topics that are covered under these sections, have a look at TOPIC WISE INDEX.

Photo 7825


Source: CAT official site and IIMs newletters.


Reference Material (PDF): CAT_eligibility_criteria, Special_Eligibility_Requirements, NONIIM_LIST, CAT-2007_Exam

Kunal_Gupta
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Kunal_Gupta said:

Very interesting and informative post Gaurav. I have a couple of FAQ regarding the CAT exam and you can have a look at them and maybe add them to your post. These are some more FAQ that you may consider adding to your post.

What are the CAT scores and CAT scorecard? Is there any fixed structure for CAT? What is the minimum score required to clear the CAT? Is the cut-off same for each section? How many hours do I need to study everyday?

  • Quote
  • Posted 4 months ago.
gauravjain26
  • Authority 592
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gauravjain26 said:

please let me know if you have any other question. i will be pleased to help you.

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  • Posted 4 months ago.
dhruv18
  • Authority 0
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dhruv18 said:

Hi gaurav ! I had a question:

Do IIM’S insist that IIM aspirants should possess work experience, or do their prefer students with raw talent? If yes, which IIM’S do so, what is the ratio prefered? Please help! If possible, please send me other important details.

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  • Posted 4 months ago.
dhruv18
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dhruv18 said:

Hi Gaurav! Please help me on this:

Do IIM’S insist that IIM aspirants should possess work experience, or do their prefer students with raw talent? If yes, which IIM’S do so, what is the ratio prefered? Please help! If possible, please send me all other important details.

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  • Posted 4 months ago.
gauravjain26
  • Authority 592
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gauravjain26 said:

hey dhruv! first of all i would like to suggest you to be a little patient and press add comment only once even if takes time.IIMS do prefer anything that make sure that the aspirant is already a manager. they always give some special weightage to work exp. holders.and about information about the test… there are so many things. all i can say is keep visiting

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  • Posted 4 months ago.
acrosstheuniverse
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acrosstheuniverse said:

This answers so many questions all in one place. Great lesson Gauravjain!

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  • Posted 4 months ago.
Prabhat
  • Authority 13
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Prabhat said:

Good Ones Gaurav !!

But I am still, a bit confused about the section wise cut-off, as i am told one has to have a minimum cut-off in each section along with the total cut-off. Can you please explain this in detail.

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  • Posted 3 months ago.
gauravjain26
  • Authority 592
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gauravjain26 said:

sure Prabhat!
You would be knowing that there is nothing like fail or pass tag in CAT,practically speaking. Now as far as this minimum cut off in concerned each and every institute declare it’s own list.
You would be knowing that scoring 40-50 percentile is as useless in Cat as not attempting for this.

let me know if you still have some doubt left…..

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  • Posted 3 months ago.
jack9
  • Authority 34
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jack9 said:

nice questions. lets discuss about the type of questions we got to face in cat dude!

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  • Posted 3 months ago.
gauravjain26
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gauravjain26 said:

To have an idea about questions, please refer to lessons or tests in community jack!

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  • Posted 3 months ago.
mayank07_star007
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mayank07_star007 said:

Hi, gaurav !!! Could u plz tell me , which book to prefer for advance mathematics ?

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  • Posted 2 months ago.
gauravjain26
  • Authority 592
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gauravjain26 said:

Hey Mayank!

I suggest you to go for Manhattan maths books and Kaplan 800.
You may use study material of any of the coaching institues as well.

regards

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  • Posted 2 months ago.
Sureshbala
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Sureshbala said:

Hi mayank, especially if you want me to suggest for Quant, here it is

“How to prepare for CAT Quant?” By Arun Sharma (IIM-B). In fact this is far better than material provided by most of the institutes.

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  • Posted 2 months ago.
ashu_iitr86
  • Authority 5
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ashu_iitr86 said:

Hi Gaurav, It’s Ashish from IIT Roorkee.I would like to know that how much your acaedmic background generally put impact on your selection to IIMs.Does it varies for different IIMs.I am asking this question because I dont have good acaedmic background and I am afraid bad whether this would be the rejection factor for me or not.

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  • Posted about 1 month ago.
gauravjain26
  • Authority 592
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gauravjain26 said in response to:
ashu_iitr86
ashu_iitr86’s post:
Citation Body

Hi Gaurav, It’s Ashish from IIT Roorkee.I would like to know that how much your acaedmic background generally put impact on your selection to IIMs.Does it varies for different IIMs.I am asking this question because I dont have good acaedmic background and I am afraid bad whether this would be the rejection factor for me or not.

Hey Ashu!

Academic background, undoubtedly, influences the selection but if you have done good in your written and verbal tests (GD and Interview), you will get your way clear.

Follow the table for detais -

Head Credit
Written Test200
Group Discussion14
Personal Interview14
Academic background 6
Total240
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  • Posted about 1 month ago.
koushal keshri
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koushal keshri said:

Sir,I m a Btech student of first year 4rm vit(vellore) in ECE .Should I start my preparation right now or it is too early to think about this.Should i concentrate more in my academic or in the extra curricular activity n cat preparation How imp. is Gk 4 the cat?

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  • Posted about 1 month ago.
Sureshbala
  • Authority 686
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Sureshbala said:

Hi, as such there is nothing called “too early” to tame CAT. It’s pleasing to hear that you are delineating a plan 3 years in advance to crack CAT. If not all the top B-Schools, there are certain good number of top colleges that rank the performance in academics and extra curricular activities besides the performance in CAT and post CAT. So if you can strike a balance between all these activities that will definitely be appealing to the admission committee of the top B-Schools.

There is not GK section in the CAT exam.

Regards

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  • Posted about 1 month ago.
dhakad
  • Authority 4
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dhakad said:

hey,i am in b.tech 2nd year.I want to know how should i get started and how this learnhub can help me in doing that.Plz tell me a strategic approach towards cat preparation

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  • Posted about 1 month ago.
dhakad
  • Authority 4
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dhakad said:

hey,i am in b.tech 2nd year.I want to know how should i get started and how this learnhub can help me in doing that.Plz tell me a strategic approach towards cat preparation

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  • Posted about 1 month ago.
lucyinthesky
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lucyinthesky said in response to:
dhakad
dhakad’s post:
Citation Body

hey,i am in b.tech 2nd year.I want to know how should i get started and how this learnhub can help me in doing that.Plz tell me a strategic approach towards cat preparation

I would suggest checking out all our CAT Preparation lessons and our question bank to help test you. If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

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  • Posted about 1 month ago.
gauravjain26
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gauravjain26 said in response to:
lucyinthesky
lucyinthesky’s post:
Citation Body

I would suggest checking out all our CAT Preparation lessons and our question bank to help test you. If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

Yeah! For your ease, bellow are the direct links.

CAT Question bank

CAT – Lessons

CAT – Tests

Regards

  • Quote
  • Posted 28 days ago.
lucyinthesky
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lucyinthesky said:

Hey gauravjain26, awesome lesson! I think the links for the PDFs within your lesson are broken, though. Maybe if you insert the entire URL link it will work?

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  • Posted 17 days ago.
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