CAT Exam: The Key to Business Management

The Common Admission Test (CAT) was initiated by the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) to test the students' aptitude for the Business Administration course. It is a national level test of management. The areas evaluated through the exam are:

1. Quantitative Ability (QA)
2. Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC)
3. Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR)

CAT is conducted every year by one of the branch colleges of the IIM's, and according to their official website, that is, iimcat.ac.in, IIM Calcutta will be the hub for the same in 2018.

This year, CAT Exam will be conducted on the 25^th November, 2018, Sunday.

There are 3 sections which need to be answered, QA, VARC, and DILR, where each section is allotted exactly 60 minutes to answer. However, the pattern of the exam varies frequently. The students cannot choose the section they wish to attempt first. It is held in the chronological order.

With each correct answer, the student is granted +3, while with every wrong tick, a -1 is given. The division of questions is as follows: Quantitative Ability and Verbal and Reading Comprehension comprise 34 questions each, and 32 questions in the section of Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning.

The important subjects to be covered while preparing for CAT are:

CAT Eligibility Criteria:

1. A candidate must hold a graduate's degree or any other equivalent degree in any course with an aggregate of minimum 50% and above or an equal CGPA. Also, the candidates under SC/ST/PWD category should have 45% aggregate marks in their graduate degree.
2. If any candidate is in his/her final year of bachelor's degree or equivalent qualification degree, and the candidates whose results are still awaited, can also apply for the CAT exam.

The Steps to fill the CAT Online Application form:

• Log on to the official website, https://iimcat.ac.in
• Click on the ‘Register' button and provide a valid Email Id and Phone Number.
• The login details will then be received via Email and SMS.
• With the same credentials, log in to the main window and read the instructions carefully.
• Fill the application form and recheck once done.

The necessary documents required to be uploaded are:

• Candidate's Passport-sized Photograph in jpeg format
• Candidate's Signature's Photograph in jpeg format

The photographs should be clear and in accordance with the size mentioned in the application form.

CAT Important Dates 2018:

Clearing CAT Opens opportunities to get into several top colleges like the IIMs, FMS Delhi, JBIMS Mumbai, MDI Gurugram, IITs, IMI. These colleges and others accept CAT as a strong ground criterion for the admissions. There were more than 2.3 Lakh applicants in the year 2017, and the number is expected to increase in 2018. Also, by the admission in a top college, there are great placement opportunities as well. The registration fee of CAT varies according to the categories.

Latest NEWS: CAT 2018: Exam will be conducted on November 25, 2018