CAT

Highlights

Exam Date

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for the CAT exam in 2024, candidates must have completed a bachelor's degree in any discipline with a minimum aggregate of 50% or an equivalent CGPA from a recognized university (45% aggregate for candidates in the SC, ST, and PWD/DA category). Candidates with a professional degree such as CA/CS/ICWA/FCAI and the required percentage are also eligible to take the CAT exam. Additionally, candidates who are in the final year of their bachelor's degree or equivalent qualification, or are awaiting the results of their final year exams, can also apply for the CAT 2024 exam.

Registration Process

Registration for CAT 2024 will begin in the first week of August and conclude in the third week of September 2024. The registration process will take place online, and candidates will need to visit the iimcat.ac.in website to fill out the application form. The CAT 2024 registration and application process involves creating a new registration, entering personal details such as name, date of birth, nationality, phone number, and email ID, logging in with the provided ID, entering personal and academic details, uploading a passport-sized photo and scanned signature, selecting preferred courses and IIMs, selecting preferred test cities, and paying the application fee using credit/debit card or net banking.

Syllabus

The CAT exam syllabus has remained unchanged for over a decade, and the main topics covered in the CAT syllabus 2024 include the following for exam preparation:

Exam Pattern

The CAT exam paper consists of three sections: VARC, DILR, and QA, and includes both MCQ and Non-MCQ type questions. The difficulty level of the CAT question paper is generally moderate to high, with the QA section posing more challenges due to tough questions. The CAT 2024 exam pattern highlights are given below:

Exam Analysis

On the day of the CAT 2024 exam, an analysis of the exam will be made available. The CAT 2022 analysis for slots 1, 2, and 3 revealed that the exam was of moderate difficulty in all three slots. The VARC and DILR sections were easy to moderate, while the Quantitative Aptitude section was moderate. Arithmetic dominated the QA section in all three slots, as was the case last year. Similarly, in the VARC section, Reading Comprehension carried more weightage than Verbal Ability. The DILR section consisted of 10 questions each for Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning.

Admit Card

To appear in the CAT 2024 exam, the CAT admit card is a mandatory document that must be carried to the exam center. Therefore, candidates should download a color print-out of the same. It is advisable to download two copies, as one copy must be submitted at the exam center. The CAT 2024 admit card will be available for download in the last week of October. It will contain information about the test center location, exam slot, reporting time, and other relevant information. Here are the steps to download the CAT admit card:

• Visit the CAT website: iimcat.ac.in
• Click on the 'login' tab
• Enter the CAT application number and password
• Go to the 'admit card' section
• Click on 'download' to get the admit card.

Exam Day Guidelines

Candidates appearing for the CAT exam must carry the following documents to the exam center for entry:

• Admit card: Candidates must carry two printouts of their admit card with their photo affixed to it. Candidates without an admit card and photo ID will not be allowed to enter.
• Identity proof: Along with the admit card, candidates are required to carry a photo ID proof such as College ID (must be supported with a valid debit/credit card), employer ID, driving license, passport, PAN card, Voter ID, or Aadhaar card
• Name change document: Candidates who have changed their name must carry a name change certificate or document.

Exam Hall Prohibited Items

The following items are prohibited inside the CAT exam hall: Calculators, watches, phones, iPads or any other electronic devices

• Bags and purses
• Eatables and beverages
• Jewelry and accessories that contain metal
• Jackets and clothing with pockets
• Closed footwear Note: Candidates with a metal implant, pacemaker, or any other medical device in their body must bring a medical certificate to the test center.

Exam Timing

The CAT 2024 exam timings are tabulated below:.

Answer Key

The CAT answer key for the 2024 exam will be available on the official website three to four days after the exam. Candidates can download the answer key and response sheet by logging into the CAT website using their login ID and password. If candidates wish to challenge the answer key, they can do so within the objection window, which will be open for three to four days. Candidates will be required to fill an online form, upload supporting documents, and pay the requisite fee to prove the validity of the objection.

Result and Scorecard

To download the CAT 2024 result cum scorecard, candidates can visit the official website and use their login ID and password. The scorecard will include the candidate's raw scores (sectional and overall) and percentiles (sectional and overall). Candidates can download the PDF of the scorecard by clicking on the download option under the scorecard section.

Exam Score

The admission process for IIMs involves the evaluation of candidates based on their performance in the CAT exam, followed by a series of selection rounds that may include a Written Ability Test (WAT), Group Discussion (GD), and Personal Interview (PI). Each IIM sets a minimum CAT cutoff percentile to shortlist candidates for the next round of the selection process.

Admission Process

The final selection is based on the candidate's Composite Score, which is computed using various factors such as CAT score, academic performance, work experience, diversity factors, and performance in the WAT/GD/PI rounds.