CAT exam or the Common Admission Test is a computer-based MBA entrance test for admissions into the IIMs and several other reputed B-Schools in the country.
The Common Admission Test (CAT) is a national-level management aptitude test conducted by the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) to evaluate and shortlist candidates for various Post Graduate and Fellow programs offered by prestigious IIMs and other premier B-Schools across the nation. CAT is designed to test a candidate's logical and analytical reasoning skills, quantitative aptitude, and general awareness.
It is a computer-based test conducted once a year, and every candidate has to follow the due process of registering to appear for this exam.
The CAT exam is conducted by one of the IIMs on a rotational basis. This year, the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM A), will conduct the exam in the last week of November. CAT 2022 notification is likely to be released in July 2022, and the application process is expected to begin in August 2022.
To attempt CAT 2022, it is necessary to fulfil the below-mentioned eligibility criteria for CAT. CAT 2022 Eligibility Criteria for General & NC-OBC Category
Below are the expected eligibility criteria for candidates belonging to the General and NC-OBC categories for CAT 2022.
Bachelor’s Degree in any stream from a recognized university or educational institution with a minimum of 50% marks in aggregate or equivalent CGPA.
OR Must have professional degrees such as CA/CS/ICWA with at least 50 per cent aggregate
OR Must be in their final year of graduation degree or awaiting results.
CAT 2022 Eligibility Criteria for SC/ ST/ PwD Category
Candidates applying for CAT under SC, ST and PwD categories must consider the following eligibility criteria.
Bachelor’s Degree in any stream from a recognized university or educational institution with a minimum of 45% marks in aggregate or equivalent CGPA.
OR Must have professional degrees such as CA/ICWA/CS with at least 45% aggregate.
OR Must be in the final year of their graduation degree or awaiting result.
CAT Eligibility Criteria 2022: Equivalent Degrees
In case the marking scheme of any bachelor’s degree is in CGPA or grades, the percentage of marks will be calculated on the basis of practice as followed by the respective University/Institution.
If any University/institution confirms they do not follow any scheme for converting CGPA into marks, the calculation will be done by dividing the candidate’s CGPA by the maximum possible CGPA and multiplying the result by 100. CAT Age Limit
There is no age limit for candidates applying for CAT Exam. Candidates of all groups can apply for CAT 2022 if they satisfy the eligibility criteria mentioned above.
There are no reservation criteria for the CAT exam apart from a 5 per cent relaxation of marks in graduation for SC/ST/PwD candidates. However, based on the category of the students, a certain percentage of seats will be reserved in the IIMs as is required by law. Candidates from the reserved categories must go through the CAT eligibility requirements carefully before applying. The category-wise reservation given to candidates at IIMs can be checked below.
A candidate cannot apply for the CAT exam under the following situations:
IIMs do not officially announce the CAT exam pattern and syllabus 2022 for the Common Admission Test (CAT). Information regarding the CAT 2022 Exam Pattern will be released by IIM Ahmedabad, this year’s test conducting body of CAT, along with the official notification for the exam.
Last year IIM Indore introduced many changes in the CAT exam pattern in which the exam was divided into three sections and had only 76 questions. Following the past trend, there may be 26 questions in the VARC and QA section and 24 questions in the DILR section.
| Particulars | Categories |
|---|---|
| Duration of the Exam | 2 Hours (120 minutes) |
| Names of sections | 27% |
| Total Number of Questions | 76 Questions (54 MCQs and 22 Non-MCQs) |
| Total marks | 228 marks |
| Mode of exam | Computer-Based Mode (CBT) |
| Marking Scheme |
Each question carries 3 marks 1 will be deducted for every incorrect answer No negative marks for Non-MCQs |
Check the important points about the revised exam pattern of CAT 2022 given below. In 2019, the CAT exam was of three hours duration, with 60 minutes to answer for each section. From CAT 2020 onwards, the candidates from the PwD category now receive 53 minutes and 20 seconds to complete a specific section of CAT 2022, while other candidates will receive 40 minutes. The total time duration of CAT is also reduced to 2 hours, i.e. 120 minutes.
Since in 2020 there was a change due to the COVID 19 pandemic, it is not sure what the IIM CAT 2022 exam pattern will be. Below is the expected number of MCQs and Non-MCQs questions, which can be asked according to the CAT exam pattern and syllabus 2020.
| Section-wise CAT 2022 Exam Pattern | Total Questions | MCQs | Non-MCQs | Maximum Marks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) | 24 | 18 | 6 | 72 |
| Quantitative Aptitude (QA) | 26 | 18 | 8 | 72 |
| Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC) | 26 | 18 | 8 | 78 |
The table below provides detailed information on the total number of questions asked in each section of the exam as well as the time allotted to each section.
| Sections | No of Questions | No of Marks | Time Duration for all category | Time Duration for PwD category |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quantitative Aptitude (QA) | 26 | 78 | 40 | 53 Min and 20 Sec |
| Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC) | 26 | 78 | 40 | 53 Min and 20 Sec |
| Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) | 26 | 72 | 40 | 53 Min and 20 Sec |
Note: Students are not allowed to switch sections in the middle of the question paper.
Note: Students are not allowed to switch sections in the middle of the question paper.
To attempt the CAT exam, it is very important for the candidates to be aware of the marking scheme of the 2022 CAT exam, which are as follows:
Based on the sections of the CAT examination, there are some very important topics that students must prepare to cover the maximum CAT syllabus 2022 and maximise their chances of scoring well. The syllabus of CAT 2022 is as follows:
CAT is an extremely competitive exam as it is taken by numerous fresh graduates and experience professionals from various fields. Therefore, it is important for all the students to strategically plan their exam preparation to secure a seat in their preferred B-school. The best way to prepare for the test is to take a decent number of mock tests and analyse the results. It is also essential for every candidate to be well aware of all the concepts and formulae of the different exam sections to boost their chances of clearing the test. Some of the general tips for exam preparation are:
