About CAT
Common Admission Test (CAT) is an entrance exam to get into 2 year MBA programs at 20 IIMs in India. CAT 2021 is scheduled in November 2021 and the registration process will begin in July. The eligibility for taking CAT exam is 50% marks in graduation, for reserved categories the qualifying marks are relaxed up to 5% check CAT 2021 eligibility & reservation criteria.
CAT Application fees for general & male candidates is INR 2000 + Bank Processing Charge & for other candidates is INR 1000 + Bank Processing Charge.
Important Dates
Events
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New Dates
|
---|---|
Issue of notification
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Last week of July 2021
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Starting of registration process
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1st week of August 2021
(In online mode only at iimcat.ac.in) |
Last date for registration
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4th week of September 2021
(Form Correction facility available for image correction) |
Admit card release
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October 2021 (In Online mode only)
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Date of exam
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November 2021
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Answer key release date
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December 2021
(Separate release of Provisional and Final answer Keys) |
Result declaration
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January 2022
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Application Process
CAT registration and application form submission is an online process. The candidates can fill CAT application forms online on the official website by creating a login ID. Read below some important points related to CAT 2021 registration process.
- CAT 2021 registration process will take place from first week of August to third week of September
- CAT 2021 registration can be done on the official website of CAT only (iim.cat.ac.in)
- CAT registration cum application fee is Rs 2,000 for General and OBC candidates and Rs 1,000 for SC, ST, PwD candidates
- To apply for CAT 2021, the candidates will have to create a login ID using their mobile phone number and email ID
- Documents such as passport size photo, scanned signature and Category/PwD certificate needs to be uploaded at the time of form filling
- Candidates have to select test city for allotment of CAT test centre in the application form only. They can select up to four cities as preference.
- Candidates have to select IIM courses and IIM campuses of their choice in the CAT form only. Post the declaration of CAT result, candidates can apply to only those IIMs which they select in the application for.
- CAT application fee is to be paid via credit/debit card or internet banking
Selection Process
Once Exam is over and results are declared, the entire admission is done by respective authority through online CAP Round / Admission process, please refer this page for further updates.
No of seats/vacancies
Approximately around 3000+ seats are available for candidates appearing for NATA in 2021 including all IIMs around India.
Eligibility Criteria
- The candidate must have cleared bachelor’s programme with minimum 50 per cent aggregate or equivalent CGPA (45 per cent aggregate for SC, ST and PWD/DA category) from a recognised board or university
- The candidate must have completed a professional degree (CA/ CS/ ICWA) with required percentage
- Candidates appearing for the final year of bachelor’s degree/equivalent qualification or awaiting result are also eligible to apply for CAT 2021
Exam Syllabus and Pattern
CAT syllabus 2021 can be divided into three sections: Quantitative Ability (QA); Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) and Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC). For better understanding and preparation, the CAT MBA Syllabus 2021 for each section can be divided into subsections.
Key Components of CAT Exam Pattern & Syllabus
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CAT 2021
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---|---|
Test duration
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3 hrs
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Test sessions
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Two
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Total questions
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100
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Total score
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300
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Total questions in VARC Section
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34
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Total Questions in DILR section
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32
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Total Questions in QA section
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34
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CAT 2021 SYLLABUS : OVERVIEW
Let’s start with a broad understanding of CAT Syllabus. There are total 100 questions in CAT exam but the three sections in CAT syllabus carry different weightage in the exam. Although the CAT syllabus 2021 is divided in 3 sections, the effective number of sections are five as VARC and DILR sections are further sub-divided into 2 sub sections.
CAT Syllabus Sectional Division
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Overview of Topics in the CAT Syllabus 2021
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Weightage in CAT exam
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---|---|---|
Quantitative Ability (QA)
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Arithmetic, Modern Math, Number System
Algebra, Mensuration, Trigonometry, Geometry |
34%
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Data Interpretation& Logical Reasoning (DILR)
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Data Charts, Data Tables, Bar Graphs,
Venn Diagrams, Seating arrangement, Team formation, Clocks & Calendars |
32%
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Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC)
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Long & Short Passages
Jumbled Paragraphs; Para-summary Picking the Out of context sentence from a jumbled paragraph |
34%
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Despite being very wide, the CAT entrance exam syllabus is neither specifically defined nor released by IIMs. Instead, IIMs release an official Mock Test which is as per the forthcoming CAT exam topics and consists of question types which are expected in actual CAT Exam.
SECTIONAL TOPICS IN CAT SYLLABUS
Quantitative Ability (QA)
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Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR)
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Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC)
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---|---|---|
Averages
Ratio & Proportion LCM and HCF Percentages Profit and Loss Interest (Simple and Compound) Speed, Time and Distance Time and Work Number System Algebra Geometry/Mensuration Pure Math Venn diagrams Linear Equations Quadratic Equations Complex Numbers Logarithm Progressions Binomial Theorem Surds and Indices Inequalities Permutation and Combination Probability Functions Set Theory Mixtures and Alligations Co-ordinate Geometry Trigonometry |
Data comparison from Table
Graphs Bar charts - Simple, Stacked, Composite Bar charts Pie charts Caselets Data Analysis Direction sense Team formation Seating Arrangement Blood Relation Clocks Calendars Binary logic Logical Sequence Assumption Premise Conclusion Linear and matrix arrangement Input-Output Series Syllogism Cubes Rows Set Theory Venn Diagrams Network Diagrams Quantitative Reasoning Puzzles |
Main idea in the passage
Assumption Inferences, Statements, Arguments Synonyms-antonyms Phrasal meaning & Usage Para Summary Jumbled paragraphs Odd sentence out of Jumbled paragraph Error Corrections Sequence of sentences Vocabulary usage Fill in the blanks Completion of Paragraph Analogies Critical Reasoning Sentence Completion |
FAQs
As per last year CAT eligibility criteria, candidates are required to submit the percentage as per their university norms.
No, there is no age bar to appear for CAT 2020.
Candidates belonging to General and NC-OBC category candidates need to pay Rs 2000. Those belonging to reserved category (SC/ ST/ PWD) need to pay Rs 1000.
CAT 2020 online registration has begun from August 5 till September 23. Candidates can use the registration guide and video which will be published on the official website.
Candidates can pay the registration fee while doing CAT registration. Payment of application fee can be done via payment gateway. Candidates will have to use a valid credit or debit card and net banking facility is also available.
If the registration window or website is not accessible for any reason, then close the internet browser (clear cache & cookies, browsing history of the web browser) and try again.
Yes, candidates who are completing their bachelor’s degree by May 2020 are eligible to apply for CAT 2020. However, candidates should select Yes to the question “Are you in the final year of Bachelor’s degree”