CAT 2021

CAT 2021: CAT is commonly known as the Common Admission Test which is a national level examination managed by the IIMs (Indian Institutes of Management) on the rotation basis. It is the largest MBA entrance test leading to admission in top MBA colleges of India. CAT exam is conducted as the management aptitude test organized for the purpose of providing admission to PG management programs (MBA) at various IIMs. For admission into IIMs, it is compulsory to qualify the CAT exam. Various topmost colleges other than IIMs consider the CAT score for offering admission.

Courses Offered

PGP	PGP-UAE
PGP-ABM	EPGPM
PGPPM	PGPEX
PGPEM	PGPWE
PGPSM	PGDHRM
PGP-Mumbai	PGPBM
PGDM	–

CAT 2021: Important Dates

Advertisement released	Last week of July 2021
Online registration starts	2nd week of August 2021
Last date for registration	Last week of September 2021
Issue of the Admit card	4th week of October 2021
CAT 2021 Exam date	1st week of December 2021
Result Declaration	2nd week of January 2021

Eligibility Criteria

• Qualification: Students must hold a bachelor’s degree in any stream from any recognized university/college.
• Percentage Criteria: In the qualifying exam, students have to obtain the minimum of 50% marks for general and 45% marks in case of SC, ST and PwD candidates.
• Appearing Candidates: Candidates appearing in the final year of the qualifying exam or who have completed the degree requirements and whose results were awaited are also eligible to apply.
• Other Qualification: CA/CS/ICWA professional degree holders can also apply for CAT 2021.

CAT 2021 Application Form

Candidates have to register via online mode through the website. The Application Form of CAT 2021 will be released from the second week of August 2021. Visit the official portal of CAT to fill the application form. Enter your basic details and register yourself. A User ID and Password will be generated after registration which will be sent to you via mail. Fill all the required details like personal, qualification, academic, programs & other relevant details. Upload the scanned images of photograph, signature & other required documents in the specified space by browsing it. Candidates were required to remit the application fee through online mode only. Take a printout of the application form for further use.

Application fee

• The application fee amounts to 1900/-for General / NC-OBC candidates.
• SC/ST /PWD candidates are required to remit Rs.950/- as an application fee.
• Mode of payment can be done through debit/credit card & net banking.

Number of Candidates Registered

Year	No. of Application	Year	No. of Application
2018	2,41,000	2012	2,14,000
2017	2,31,000	2011	2,05,000
2016	2,32,292	2010	2,04,000
2015	2,18,664	2009	2,41,000
2014	1,96,988	2008	2,90,000
2013	1,94,516	–	–

Exam Pattern

• Exam Mode: conducted online i.e. through Computer Based Test (CBT).
• Duration:180 minutes. 60 minutes will be allotted to complete each section.
• Type of Question: Multiple choice type and subjective type.
• of Question: The question paper consists of a total of 100 questions.
• Marking Scheme:3 marks will be awarded for each correct answer.
• Negative Marking: For MCQ, 1 mark will be deducted for a wrong answer and for questions other than MCQs no marks will be deducted.

Section	No. of Question	Duration	Total Marks
Quantitative Ability	34	60 Min	102
Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension	34	60 Min	102
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning	32	60 Min	96
Total	100	180 Min	300

CAT 2021 Cut-Off

On the basis of the cut-off candidate will get admission in various IIMs. CAT Cut-off will depend upon the various terms like seat availability, the number of students, exam difficulty, etc. CAT cut-off will be released by the authority after the declaration of result. The cut-off will be disclosed by the authority separately for various categories like NC-OBC, ST, ST, and DA/PWD.

Syllabus

• Candidates may attempt the mock test to understand the syllabus and exam pattern.
• Questions will be asked from the above-mentioned topics.
• There is not any such fixed syllabus for CAT examination.
• To score better in the examination, students are advised to consider the whole syllabus for exam preparations.
• The syllabus comprises four sections, i.e. Data Interpretation, Verbal Ability & English, Logical Reasoning and Quantitative Ability or Mathematics.

Important Tips to Prepare for CAT 2021

• Students need to try and select those topics with which they are more comfortable, rather than focusing on all the topics.
• An early start would benefit them in gaining knowledge about the kind of questions to be asked so CAT aspirants should always start early in preparing for the exams.
• Students should understand its syllabus and look at questions from previous years.
• While preparing for CAT it is important to practice on calculations rigorously on an everyday basis.
• Evaluate yourself in every 10-15 days, which is done by mock tests.
• Minimum 10 hours study every day required, especially before the 6 months of CAT exams.
• Management schools seek to test understanding of basic concepts that the student possesses so prepare accordingly.
• CAT aspirants are advised to not take wild guesses in the Exam paper.
• The student should take a guess it is able to eliminate 2-3 choices.
• To crack the CAT exam and make it to your favorite college, time management is an essential ingredient.
• Students are advised to keep their calm, relax, and believe in them on the day of the paper.
• To avoid last-minute hassle and give their best shot, ready with all their stuff like admit card, pencils, pen etc well in advance.

Important books to prepare for CAT 2021

For Quantitative Ability (QA)

• Arun Sharma – The Complete CAT Digest, by Tata McGraw-Hill.
• Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations by Abhijit Guha (Tata McGraw-Hill).
• Arun Sharma – How to prepare for Quantitative Ability for CAT, published by Tata McGraw Hill.
• How to Prepare for the CAT Common Admissions Test by Muhamed Muneer, published by Om Books.
• Quantitative Aptitude for CAT and Other MBA Entrance Exams by Trishna Knowledge Systems (Pearson).

For Verbal and Reading Comprehension (VRC)

• How to Prepare for the Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for the CAT by Arun Sharma and Meenakshi Upadhyay (Tata McGraw-Hill).
• Nishit Sinha – The Pearson Guide to Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning (Pearson).
• Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis.
• Barron Pocket Guide to Vocabulary.

Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR)

• Trishna’s Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning for the CAT and Other MBA Examinations by TIME Publisher (Pearson).
• How to Prepare for Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning for CAT (Tata McGraw-Hill) by Arun Sharma.