What is CAT Exam?
Common Admission Test or CAT exam is a national level management aptitude test, that a candidate has to clear for admission to the MBA courses offered by 20 IIMs and over 1,200 B-schools in India. Over two lakh candidates apply for the CAT exam every year which is conducted in computer based mode for two hours. The CAT question paper comprises MCQs & non-MCQs from Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) and Quantitative Ability (QA). Difficulty level of the exam is moderate to high. Apart from MBA programmes, the CAT score is valid for admisison to Executive MBA, PhD and FPM programmes.
CAT 2022 Exam Highlights
Candidates planning to appear for the CAT this year, must know the key highlights of CAT 2022 exam. Take a look at the table below:
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Features
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Details
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Exam name
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Common Admission Test (CAT)
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Conducting institute
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To be announced
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Exam level
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National
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Exam frequency
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Once a year
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Exam schedule
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November 27, 2022 (tentative)
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Exam fees
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INR 2,200 (General category) and INR 1,100 (Reserved category)
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Eligibility
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Graduation with 50 % aggregate (45 % for SC/ST students)
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Number of applications
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2.31 lakh (in 2021)
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Number of test takers
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1.92 lakh (in 2021)
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Exam purpose
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Admission into IIMs, SPJIMR, FMS, MDI, IMT and over 1,200 B-Schools in India
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Course offered
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MBA / PGDM
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CAT syllabus
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- Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC)
- Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR)
- Quantitative Ability (QA)
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CAT pattern
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Computer Based Test (CBT) with MCQs and non-MCQs
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No. of test cities
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156 ( in 2021)
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Exam website
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https://iimcat.ac.in
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Exam helpdesk no.
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1-800-210-1088 (Toll Free)
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CAT Eligibility Criteria 2022
The minimum eligibility criteria for CAT exam is graduation in any stream. Read below detailed CAT eligibility criteria:
- Candidates must possess a bachelor's degree with minimum 50 per cent aggregate or equivalent CGPA (45 per cent aggregate for SC, ST and PWD/DA category) from a recognised university to appear in CAT 2022.
- Candidates who have completed a professional degree (ICWA / CA / CS) with the required percentage can also appear for CAT.
- Candidates appearing for the final year of bachelor's degree/equivalent qualification or awaiting the result are also eligible to apply for CAT 2022 exam.
CAT 2022 Syllabus
The syllabus of CAT 2022 exam has remained the same for more than last ten years. Check below the in-focus topics of CAT 2022 syllabus for exam preparation:
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CAT Syllabus sections
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CAT Syllabus topics
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Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC)
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Reading Comprehension, Para Jumbles, Para Summary and Odd Sentence Out
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Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR)
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Set Theory (Variables), Set Theory + Puzzles, Puzzles with Additional Data, Coding-Decoding and Series
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Quantitative Aptitude (QA)
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Number System, Algebra, Arithmetic, Geometry and Mensuration
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CAT 2022 Exam Pattern & Test Structure
CAT question paper is divided into three sections: VARC, DILR and QA. Candidates are required to solve both MCQ and Non-MCQ type questions. The questions paper is usually of moderate to high difficulty level with QA posing more challenges in terms of tough questions. Check the highlights of CAT 2022 exam pattern below:
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| Sections |
VARC, DILR and QA |
| Duration of exam |
40 minutes per section (Total 120 minutes)
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| Total number of questions |
66
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| Section-wise number of questions |
- VARC - 24
- DILR - 20
- QA - 22
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| Total marks |
198
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Language of question paper
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English |
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Number of answer choices
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Four |
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Type of questions
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MCQs and Non-MCQs |
| Marking scheme |
- 3 marks for every correct response
- Negative marking of 1/3 (-1) for every wrong MCQ response
- No negative marking for wrong non-MCQ response
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CAT Exam Analysis
CAT 2022 exam analysis will be available on the day of the exam. Shiksha has published in-depth CAT exam analysis 2021 by experts. It will help candidates in reviewing the difficulty level of exam and prepare accordingly. The question paper of CAT 2021 was of moderate difficultly level. The surprise element was reduction in the total number of questions from 76 to 66. Section-wise, VARC was tough, DILR was moderate and Quantitative Ability was easy.
