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CAT Exam
Common Admission Test Exam
What is CAT Exam?
CAT (Common Admission Test) is a national level entrance examination, which is conducted for admission to management programs in Indian Institutes of Management (IIM's) and top B-Schools across the country. It tests a candidate on his quantitative ability, data interpretation skills, verbal ability and logical reasoning.
CAT also serves as the eligibility criteria for being admitted into the business administration courses in various IIM's spread across the country. The test is designed to evaluate the management aptitude of students by testing his analytical and communication skills. It demands up to three to four months of intense preparation.
The test is open to all graduates. Usually, CAT examination will be held on November 25, 2018, in two sessions. CAT is conducted online at the examination centres.
In August 2011, it was announced that Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) would also use the CAT scores, instead of Joint Management Test (JMET).
CAT exam will have three sections: 1. Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension, 2. Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning, 3. Quantitative Ability. The examination would be for 180 minutes, candidates have to be answered 100 questions in the stipulated time.
As per the legal requirements, 15% of the seats are reserved for Scheduled Caste (SC), 7.5% for Scheduled Tribe (ST) candidates, 27% of seats for Other Backward Classes (OBC) candidates belonging to the “Non-Creamy” layer (NC-OBC), and 5% for Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwD). The categories of disability are:
- Blindness and low vision
- Deaf and hard of hearing,
- Locomotor disability including cerebral palsy, leprosy cured, dwarfism, acid attack victims and muscular dystrophy
- Autism, intellectual disability, specific learning disability and mental illness, and
- Multiple disabilities from amongst persons under clauses (a) to (d)
- Other 'specified disabilities' mentioned in 'The Schedule' of the RPwD Act 2016
CAT 2018 Application Fee
For SC/ST/PwD Category Candidates - INR 950/-
For All Other Categories - INR 1900/-
CAT Quick Links
CAT 2018 Registration
The registration has started on August 8, 2018, and it will close on September 26, 2018, at 5:00 PM. A candidate needs to pay the registration fee only once, irrespective of the number of institutes he/she is applying for. SC/ST/PwD candidates must upload a copy of their SC/ST/PwD certificates at the time of registration. Fee once paid cannot be refunded under any circumstances.
Note: All the candidates must declare and maintain a valid and unique email id and a mobile phone number throughout the selection process.
CAT 2018 Test Centres
The test is going to be conducted across 147 test cities. Test cities will be mentioned below and the name of the test centre will be indicated in the Admit Card. IIMs reserve the right to change or cancel any test centre/city/change the test time and date at their own discretion.
| State | Test Cities |
| Andaman & Nicobar Islands | Port Blair |
| Andhra Pradesh | Guntur, Kakinada, Kurnool, Nellore, Rajahmundry, Tirupathi, Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam |
| Arunachal Pradesh | Itanagar |
| Assam | Dibrugarh, Guwahati, Silchar |
| Bihar | Aurangabad, Muzaffarpur, Patna, Purnea |
| Chandigarh | Chandigarh |
| Chhattisgarh | Bhilai, Raipur |
| Delhi | Delhi, New Delhi |
| Goa | Madgaon, Panaji |
| Gujarat | Ahmedabad, Anand, Gandhinagar, Rajkot, Surat, Vadodara |
| Haryana | Ambala, Bahadurgarh, Faridabad, Gurgaon, Hisar, Palwal, Panipath, Rohtak, Sonipat |
| Himachal Pradesh | Shimla, Waknaghat |
| Jammu & Kashmir | Jammu, Samba |
| Jharkhand | Bokaro, Dhanbad, Jamshedpur, Ranchi |
| Karnataka | Bengaluru, Belagavi, Dharwad, Kalaburagi, Hubballi, Mangaluru, Mysuru, Udupi |
| Kerala | Ernakulam, Kasaragod, Kollam, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Thrissur, Trivandrum |
| Madhya Pradesh | Bhopal, Gwalior, Indore, Jabalpur, Sagar |
| Maharashtra | Ahmednagar, Amravati, Aurangabad, Jalgaon, Kolhapur, Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Nagpur, Nanded, Nashik, Pune, Raigad, Satara, Solapur, Thane, Ulhasnagar |
| Meghalaya | Shillong |
| Odisha | Balasore, Berhampur, Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Sambalpur, Rourkela |
| Puducherry | Puducherry |
| Punjab | Bhatinda, Chandigarh, Fatehgarh Sahib, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Mohali, Pathankot, Patiala, Ropar, Sangrur |
| Rajasthan | Ajmer, Alwar, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Kota, Sikar, Udaipur |
| Tamil Nadu | Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Namakkal, Thanjavur, Tiruchirappalli, Tirunelvelli |
| Telangana | Hyderabad, Karim Nagar, Warangal |
| Uttar Pradesh | Agra, Allahabad, Barabanki, Bareilly, Ghaziabad, Gorakhpur, Greater Noida, Kanpur, Lucknow, Mathura, Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, Noida, Varanasi |
| Uttarakhand | Dehradun, Roorkee |
| West Bengal | Asansol, Bankura, Burdwan, Durgapur, Hooghly, Howrah, Kalyani, Kolkata, Siliguri |
CAT 2018 Results and Shortlisting
The CAT 2018 results will be tentatively available starting from the second week of January 2019 on the CAT official website. The list of candidates shortlisted for the next level of selection will be made available on the website of the respective IIM's.
Each IIM will send interview letters to the shortlisted candidates directly. The criteria for shortlisting vary across all the IIM's.
CAT 2018 Exam Analysis
The CAT 2018 examination was held across the country on November 25, 2018. The results of the examination will be released in the second week of January. The competition in this examination will not be easy because this is the only way to get admission to the pioneer management institutes (IIMs) in the country besides top business schools.
Around two lakh candidates appeared for the CAT 2018 examination at more than 140 test centres. The examination was held in two sessions – morning and evening. Aspirants who have appeared for the examination found that the quantitative section was tough. While other sections such as Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) and Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC) were moderate compared to last year.
Verbal Ability And Reading Comprehension (VARC)
This section was easier than expected to many test takers. The pattern of the paper was different from the sample paper provided by the CAT organising body. The paragraphs in the reading comprehension consisted of around 500 words. For every passage, the candidates found 1-2 inference-based questions. In verbal ability, test takers have found four questions on para-jumbled, three questions on summary and three questions on odd sentence out.
Data Interpretation And Logical Reasoning (DILR)
The DILR section surprised the candidates. The questions were easily cracked and there was an increase in the accuracy level. A very few sets had one difficult question. The logical reasoning sets were moderate to easy. However, the data interpretation questions were moderate. Many found that the questions on matrix adjacent cells, committees research/teaching/economist and petrol pumps were easy to do.
Quantitative Aptitude (QA)
The quantitative aptitude section is not a pleasant one to many candidates. This section could have affected the morale of the candidates who had not prepared this section effectively. If anyone compares the question paper with the last four years, they will find that the QA questions in the CAT 2018 were difficult. Out of 34 questions, 12 were non-MCQ questions. The options in the MCQ were confusing to many test takers. The number system and logarithm questions had two questions each. However, the question paper was dominated by arithmetic and geometry.
On the whole, the score of 150 to 155 could result in 99 percentile score in CAT 2018. A candidate who has attempted more than 60 out of 100 questions accurately can expect a good score. The good attempt for VARC and DILR is more than 28 and 16, respectively. However, the good attempt for quantitative aptitude is more than 15 questions.
The organising institute of Common Admission Test (CAT) 2018, IIM Calcutta, has released the results. Candidates who have appeared for the CAT computer-based test (CBT) on November 25, 2018, can visit the official website to check their result. IIM Calcutta has also released the CAT 2018 answer key in December.
Candidates need to use their registration number and password to check their result. The CAT scorecard released on the official website will be valid for one year, i.e., till December 31, 2019.
Click here to check the CAT 2018 result
After the declaration of CAT 2018 result, the management institutes and IIMs will start their selection process. IIMs conduct the Written Ability Test (WAT) and a personal interview to select the candidates.
5 January 2019
The answer key for the Common Admission Test (CAT) 2018 is available on the official website. The management aspirants who appeared for the CAT 2018 examination on November 25 can visit the official website to check the answer key.
On the homepage of CAT 2018, aspirants will find, that ''CAT 2018 Candidate Response file is live, Candidates who have taken CAT 2018 test successfully can log in to view their respective question paper and response.''
Aspirants have to use their login credentials such as login ID and password to check their respective question paper and response. Around two lakh candidates appeared for the CAT 2018 examination, which took place in test centres spread across approximately 147 cities.
CAT is the only gateway for admission to India's pioneer management and top business schools. The result of CAT will be announced during the first week of January 2019.
5 December 2018
The organising body, Indian Institute of Management Calcutta (IIM Calcutta) has released the CAT response sheet. Candidates who have taken the CAT 2018 test successfully on November 25 can log in to view their respective question paper and responses.
The CAT 2018 response sheet is available only to those who have appeared for the examination. Candidates need to log in to their account on the official website to check their response sheet. The response sheet is available on the official website in pdf and displays all the details of a candidate, such as registration number, name, test centre and time slot.
Candidates have to note that the CAT 2018 response sheet displays the questions and ones that have been marked. It doesn’t contain the correct answers to the questions. However, candidates need to wait for the CAT 2018 answer key to check the correct answers which is expected to be released by next week.
30 November 2018
One amongst the toughest academic entrance examinations in the country, CAT, was held for admission to the pioneer management institutes such as IIMs. Over two lakh candidates appeared for the examination which was held on November 25, 2018. The exam was held in two sessions – morning and evening.
Candidates who appeared for the CAT 2018 found that the Quantitative Aptitude (AQ) section was tough. While other sections such as Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) and Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC) were moderate compared to last year.
One who has attempted more than 60 out of 100 questions accurately can expect a positive result. The good attempt for VARC and DILR is more than 28 and 16, respectively. The good attempt for quantitative aptitude is more than 15 questions. However, the score of 150 to 155 could result in 99 percentile score in CAT 2018. To read the CAT 2018 exam analysis in-detail, click here.
26 November 2018
IIM Calcutta will conduct the Common Admission Test (CAT) on this Sunday, i.e., November 25, 2018. Over 2.4 lakh candidates are expected to appear for the CAT 2018 in more than 145 cities spread across the country. Here are the steps of exam day workflow for test-takers.
Step 1: Arrive at the test center.
Step 2: Locate lab from notice board.
Step 3: Scrutinize admit card.
Step 4: Deposit mobile phone, bag , etc.
Step 5: Undergo mandatory frisking.
Step 6: Get required documents verified.
Step 7: Arrive at lab/block
Step 8: Complete biometric capture
Step 9: Locate the console.
Step 10: Log in to test screen
Step 11: Verify and confirm profile information
Step 12: Read instructions and agree to the declaration.
Step 13: Start test.
Step 14: Complete test and regular feedback.
Step 15: Return scribble pen and paper.
Step 16: Exit test lab.
Step 17: Exit test centre.
The duration of the CAT exam is 180 minutes. Candidates cannot leave the Exam Lab before the completion of 180 minutes. CAT exam consists of the multiple-choice type (MCQ) and non-MCQ type questions.
22 November 2018
The organising body of CAT 2018, IIM Calcutta, will be conducting the examination on November 2018. To ace the entrance exam such as CAT, aspirants need to focus more on the final phase of the preparation. The final leg of CAT preparation not only deals with the exam but also with some routines. We have raised some points where an aspirant needs to do during the last day.
The most important point is not encouraging any new topic that you have not touched in the exam preparation. Taking at least eight hours sleep on the last day to refresh the mind. Never show interest in social media such as Facebook and WhatsApp on the last day. To know more about the things you need to do on the last day, click here.
21 November 2018
The organising institute for the Common Admission Test (CAT) 2018, IIM Calcutta, has released the admit cards. Candidates who have registered for the CAT 2018 can visit the official website to download their admit cards.
Candidates can download their admit cards on the link available on the CAT 2018 official website. One should submit their login ID and password to download their admit cards, which will be available until the day of the exam. Aspirants are advised to take a printout of the admit card and save the soft copy for future reference.
CAT 2018 admit cards consist of information such as the name of the candidate, date of birth, registration number, date and slot of CAT 2018, name of the exam centre, test system number, candidates' photograph and signature. Candidates need to carry the admit card to the exam centre along with any government-issued identity card such as the Aadhaar card and PAN cards.
The CAT 2018 will be held across 147 centres across the country and at more than 400 test venues. The candidates will be selected based on their performance on November 25, 2018. The test comprises of sections such as Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension, Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning and Quantitative Ability. Click here to read more about the CAT exam pattern.
24 October 2018
Common Admission Test (CAT) is all set to take place on November 25, 2018. With a month away for the exam, the organising institute has decided to release an exam tutorial. The CAT exam tutorial will help aspirants in understanding the types of questions and format of answers.
Most of the CAT questions will be objective in nature, however, some may not be of the multiple-choice type. Candidates need to type the direct answers on the screen. The tutorial released by the respective body will deal with the modalities of such questions.
Candidates can also make use of the mock test available on the official website of CAT. The mock test will provide an overall experience of CAT exam.
The test duration of CAT 2018 will be 180 minutes and will consist of three sections. The sections are Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension, Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning and Quantitative Ability. To know more about the CAT examination pattern, click here.
CAT 2018 will be held across 147 centres across the country. Candidates who registered for the exam can start downloading the admit cards from October 24, 2018. To know more about the CAT admit cards, click here.
17 October 2018
Common Admission Test (CAT) registration process is going to end today i.e., September 26, 2018. Earlier, the conducting body of the CAT 2018, IIM Calcutta, had extended the date from September 19 to September 26.
Interested candidates who have not yet started their applications for CAT 2018 can start filling up their forms and submit on or before 5:00 pm on September 26. To know more about the registration process, click here.
According to the official announcement, candidates can change their blur/ improper photographs using their login credentials. One can re-upload their photograph from September 27 (10:00 am) to September 30, 2018 (5:00 pm). However, this is valid only for those candidates who have paid the applicable registration fee and have registered successfully for CAT 2018 before the specified deadline.
The CAT 2018 exam is scheduled on November 25, 2018. Candidates can start downloading their admit card from October 24, 2018. Click here to know more about the CAT 2018 admit card.
26 September 2018
The CAT 2018 examination is scheduled to be conducted on November 25, 2018, in two sessions, i.e. Morning and Afternoon. The exam contains three sections with a total no of 100 questions.
The registration process has already from August 8, 2018, and it has extended up to September 26, 2018, up to 5:00 PM. The exam aims to test candidates skills in sections of Quantitative Aptitude, Verbal Ability, Logical & Analytical Reasoning and Data Interpretation.
The section comprises Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension, Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning, and Quantitative Ability. Click here to know more about the steps to register CAT 2018 exam.