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Common Admission Test

CAT

Common Admission Test

Application Date: July 2023 (tentative)

Exam Date: November 2023 (tentative)

Conducting Authority: Indian Institute Of Management

The CAT 2023 exam is expected to be conducted in Nov 2023. The application forms will start in the last week of July. CAT is a national-level management entrance examination. Around 1000 institutes in the country accept scores for admission. This exam aims to test the candidate's aptitude in Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension, Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning, and Quantitative Aptitude.

Exam Overview

By- Akanksha Yadav

What is the CAT 2023 exam?

The full form of CAT is the Common Admission Test. The CAT exam is conducted by the Indian Institute of Management (IIMs) for admission into 20 IIMs and more than 1000 B-schools across India. It is a national-level management entrance examination. It is conducted every year. This year the exam is expected to happen in November 2023. The conducting authorities will send the final notification on the official website. From there, the students can apply for the examination.

The exam is a Computer Based Test (CBT) in which the questions are asked from subjects like Quantitative Aptitude, Logical Reasoning & Data Interpretation and Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension. The student who wants to give this examination will be allowed to sit in the exam only if he/she has a bachelor's degree from a recognised institute/university.

Exam Pattern

What is the CAT 2023 exam pattern?

The students are advised to check the exam pattern for a better understanding of the exam. The CAT 2023 exam pattern will be the same as in previous years. The mode of exam will be online. It will be a computer-based test. The question paper will be divided into 3 parts. The students can check the other important details related to the CAT exam pattern below.

CAT 2023 Exam Pattern
Mode Online i.e. Computer-based Test (CBT)
Duration 2 hours or 120 Minutes
Subjects
  • Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning
  • Quantitative Ability
  • Verbal Reasoning and Reading Comprehension
Medium/Language English

The marking scheme for CAT 2023 is provided below. 

CAT Marking Scheme
Questions Marks Awarded
Correct Answer +3 Marks
Incorrect Answer (MCQs only) -1 Mark
Unattempted Questions No addition or deduction of marks
TITA
  • +3 Marks for every correct answer
  • No negative marking
  • The score student will secure in the CAT exam will be converted into a percentile after the normalisation process.

Eligibilty

What is the eligibility required for the CAT 2023 exam?

CAT eligibility criteria are one of the most important parts of the examination. The students who are preparing for the examination are advised to check the eligibility criteria of the exam before going for registration. If the student doesn't satisfy all the requirements of the exam, his/her application will be rejected and he/she will not get admission. The conducting authority gives some relaxation to the applicants belonging to the reserved categories. The detailed eligibility criteria for the exam are given below for the candidates.

Educational Qualification:

  • The student should have a bachelor's degree from a recognized university/institute with a minimum of 50% marks (45% in the case of SC, ST and PWD/DA categories).
  • The students who are in the final year of their UG courses are also allowed to sit for the CAT 2023 exam.

Age Limit:

There is no upper age limitation for the students. Students who are interested in giving the CAT exam can give the exam at any stage of life.

Number of Attempts:

There is no limit to the number of attempts.

Eligibility for Foreign Nationals:

The students should have a bachelor's degree with a minimum of 50% (candidates of the SC/ST, and PWD categories must have a minimum of 45%). The certification should be done by any of the universities that are accredited by the Ministry of HRD, Government of India. The students who will be writing the final exam are also allowed to apply for the CAT exam. Those who have completed their studies and are expecting their results can also apply for the exam.

Exam Syllabus

What is the CAT 2023 syllabus?

The CAT 2023 is divided into three parts which are Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR), Verbal Ability (VA), and Quantitative Aptitude (QA). The authorities of the exam uploads the detailed syllabus for all the subjects on the official website. Aspirants can check the syllabus from the website or they can check the detailed syllabus below.

CAT 2023 Quantitative Aptitude Syllabus:

  • Arithmetic- Number System, HCF, LCM, Ratio & Proportion, Simplification, Percentage, Average, Age Calculation, Time & Work, Distances
  • Algebra- Hypothesis of Equations, Quadratic Equation, Permutation, and Combination, Sequence and Series
  • Percentages- Percentages and their applications
  • Trigonometry- Trigonometric Ratios, Heights, and Distances
  • Calculus- Minima and Maxima functions
  • Mensuration-Areas and Volumes – Rectangles, Squares, Triangles, Circles, Cubes, Cones, Spheres, Pipes, and Cistern
  • Geometry and its Applications- Angles, Lines, Triangles, Circles
  • Ratio and its applications
  • Numbers and their applications

CAT 2023 Verbal Ability Syllabus:

  • Reading Comprehension
  • Vocabulary
  • Grammar
  • Critical Reasoning (and its numerous applications)
  • Idioms
  • Analogies
  • Para Completion
  • Face Interference Judgment

CAT 2023 Logical Reasoning Syllabus:

  • Direction Sense
  • Puzzles
  • Series
  • Clocks and Calendars
  • Data Structures
  • Blood Relations
  • Arrangements
  • Coding-Decoding
  • Charts, Tables & Graphs (Bar Chart, Pie Chart, etc.)

If the student practices various questions of each type, he/she will be able to secure good marks in the examination. 

Result & Counselling

CAT 2023 Results:

The result of the exam is released by the conducting authority on the official website. The students who successfully gave the CAT exam will be notified about their percentile via SMS. CAT scores are valid for 1 year. After CAT exam results are announced, different institutes start publishing their cut-off percentiles for further processes.

How to check CAT 2023 results?

For checking the CAT results, the students can follow the below mentioned steps.

  • Step 1: Go to the official website.
  • Step 2: Now click on the "Download CAT 2023 Score Card" notification.
  • Step 3: The site will be redirected to the login page.
  • Step 4: Now enter the user ID and password.
  • Step 5: The site will be redirected to the student's account page.
  • Step 6: Now the student will click on the download scorecard link and download it for future reference.

Based on the different cut-offs specified by participating IIMs, the students will start applying for their desired colleges and courses. CAT results and the application to various IIMs are followed by a Group Discussion, Personal Interview, and Written Ability Test. If not for an IIM, CAT scores are valid and considered in various other Business schools.

Registration & Application Process

What is the registration and admission process for the CAT 2023 exam?

The application form for the exam is released online on the official website. Before filling out the application form, students will be required to register themselves on the website. Once the student completes the registration, the authorities will send the registration ID and password to the student's registered email id. This will be used to log in to the website.

How to register online for the CAT 2023 exam?

The steps required during the registration process for the exam are given below.

  • Step 1: Go to the official website of CAT 2023.
  • Step 2: Enter a valid email ID, phone number, and date of birth.
  • Step 3: The student will also provide a valid email id or phone number to get the login credentials on it.

CAT 2023 application process:

The students can follow the below-mentioned steps for completing the enrollment process for the exam.

  • Login: After completing the registration, the student will get the login credentials on registered email IDs or mobile numbers. With the help of the login credentials, the student will log in to the website.
  • Enter all the Details Carefully: After logging in on the website, the student will open the application form for the exam and enter the required details. The students are requested to complete this step with utmost care and attention. Mistakes of spelling or factual errors should be avoided.
  • Upload the Documents as Per the Given Specifications: In this step, the student will upload all the necessary documents and images in the prescribed format. The students belonging to the reserved categories will be asked to upload their respective category certificates.
  • CAT Application Fee Payment: Lastly, the student will pay the application fee via Net Banking, Credit Card, or Debit Card. The category-wise application fee is mentioned below:
CAT 2023 Application Fee
Category Fee (INR)
General/EWS/NC-OBC INR 2200
SC/ST/PwD INR 1100

What are the documents required to fill out the CAT 2023 application form?

The documents needed during the admission process are given below.

  • Scanned images of the student's passport-size photo and signature.
  • Caste certificate
  • PwD certificate signed and attested by respective authorities.

Size specifications of the photograph and signature are provided below.

Image/Documents Dimensions File and Format Size Image Resolution
Photograph 30mm(width) x 45mm(height) 80KB - JPEG/JPG 150Pixel (min)
Signature 80mm(width) x 35mm(height) 80KB - JPEG/JPG 150Pixel (min)

CAT 2023 Application Form Correction:

Once the registration process is done, the authorities will open the correction window of the form. Students can make changes to the information provided in their application if they want to. The student should be very cautious while editing the information as another chance to correct the errors will not be given under any circumstances.

Exam Preparation Tips

How to prepare for the CAT 2023 exam?

The aspirants can follow below mentioned tips while preparing for the CAT 2023 exam.

  • Start with the Basics.
  • Know your syllabus for the exam.
  • Take Mock Tests as many as possible.
  • Revise all the topics.
  • Make a proper timetable and follow it.
  • Take proper care of your health and sleep on time.

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