Common Admission Test
CAT Exam is the Common Admission Test for admission to MBA/PGDM programmes in 20 Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and other top MBA colleges like FMS Delhi, MDI Gurgaon, SPJIMR Mumbai, IMI New Delhi, IMT Ghaziabad and hundreds of other top MBA colleges in India. More than two lakh candidates appear in CAT every year and this number is rising consistently, to explore admission opportunity in MBA programmes offered by IIMs and other top B-schools.
Apart from being the most important entrance test for the 2 years full time post graduate management program (MBA/PGDM), CAT 2021 is the gateway for one year MBA programmes in IIMs and other prominent management institutes.
Importance of CAT in MBA / PGDM Admissions
CAT i.e. the Common Admission Test is one of the biggest and most popular entrance tests for management courses. Students and professionals who wish to study in a top business school prepare for this exam. A good score in CAT exam helps them to secure a seat in a reputed B-school for MBA/ PGDM Admissions.
CAT is a national level test that is widely accepted across the country. It opens door to enter into well recognised and top business schools to acquire competency in management. We’ve elaborated a few reasons to why it is important for a candidate to appear for CAT for MBA / PGDM Admissions.
IIM CAT 2021 Eligibility Criteria
A candidate with a minimum of 50% marks in graduation can appear in CAT 2021. A final year student in graduation can also appear in CAT conducted by IIMs. However, there is no age limit to apply and appear in CAT 2021.
CAT Exam Details 2021: Test Pattern
CAT exam details and exam structure since 2015 have remained on a similar pattern, except for last year, with time duration, number of questions and sections as under:
- 180 Minutes Exam: CAT is a computer-delivered test of 3 hours duration but it is not an Online Exam
- 100 Questions: CAT will have 100 questions divided into 3 sections of VARC, DILR and Quantitative Ability. Earlier CAT used to have 60 questions divided into two sections and had only MCQ type questions with negative marking.
- 25% No Penalty Questions: Out of 100 questions in CAT 2021, more than 25 questions will not have negative marking. CAT 2021 is divided into MCQ and Non-MCQ type of questions and the Non-MCQs do not carry negative marking. In case any non-MCQ has negative marking, a few MCQs are changed to no negative marking questions.
- 70-75% CAT Questions with Negative Marking: More than 70% of questions in CAT 2021 are of MCQ type and will carry the penalty of 1/3 negative marking
- Minimum CAT Score Requirement by IIMs: A Minimum qualifying score between 70 and 90 percentile in CAT 2021 is required by IIMs in each of the 3 sections to shortlist candidates for final admission round
- Other Criteria with CAT score: Apart from a High score in each of the 3 sections in the CAT 2021 exam, if you have a good academic profile with diversity, work experience, you are a preferred candidate to get admission into IIMs.
CAT 2021 Exam Syllabus
During the last 5 years, the CAT exam syllabus has substantially changed. Major changes in CAT Syllabus 2021 are:
- CAT Syllabus is changed and contains a different type of questions now.
- 25-30% Questions in CAT syllabus are no penalty questions now
- Most of the changes in the CAT syllabus have taken place in the Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension Section as the topics and number of questions in the VARC( Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension section)have changed.
- A few changes in the CAT syllabus have been introduced in the Quantitative Ability section with more focus on Arithmetic questions.
When CAT is Conducted?
- CAT is conducted annually.
- Now conducted preferably on the last Sunday of November or the first Sunday of December every year
- With effect from 2015, CAT is conducted on a single day in two sessions – morning and evening. Prior to 2015, CAT was conducted in multiple sessions on multiple days.
- In 2020, due to the Covid-19 pandemic CAT was conducted in three sessions of 2 hours each with 40 minutes sectional time limit and 76 total questions in the test paper
Which IIM Conducts CAT?
CAT is conducted by one of older IIMs by policy of rotation each year. There are six IIMs who conduct CAT one by one, they are IIM Ahmadabad, IIM Bangalore, IIM Calcutta, IIM Indore, IIM Kozhikode and IIM Lucknow. Since other 14 IIMs were established later, the responsibility to conduct CAT has not yet been assigned to any of them. CAT exam 2021 is proposed to be conducted by IIM Ahmadabad.
Scoring Pattern in CAT
Each correct answer in CAT is awarded with 3 marks. The raw score obtained in CAT is converted to scaled score and then converted to percentile score after allowing for equating and normalizing the scores for both the sessions in CAT.
CAT 2020 pattern: Sectional composition
With the CAT 2020 question paper now available, the table below shares the CAT exam sectional order from Section-1 to Section-3, number and type of questions in each section, questions with and without negative marking and total maximum marks available for each section
| Section as per CAT exam Pattern | Total questions | Total MCQs (With negative marking) | Total Non-MCQs (Without negative marking) | Highlights |
| Section-1: Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC) | 26 | 18 | 8 | 4 RC Passages with 18 MCQs; VA 8 Non MCQs divided into Para jumbles, Para Summary, and Out of Context Sentences |
| Section-2: Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) | 24 | 18 | 6 | LR – 10 QuesDI – 14 QuesAll in Sets of 6 & 4 Qs |
| Section-3: Quantitative Ability (QA) | 26 | 18 | 8 | High on Arithmetic. Other on Log, Geometry, Roots, Algebra |
| Total | 76 | 54 | 22 |
CAT Exam Pattern 2021
| Particulars | Details |
| Total number of questions | 100 |
| CAT exam mode | Computer-based-test (CBT) |
| Sections | VARC (34 questions)DILR (32 questions)QA (34 questions) |
| Total number of questions | 100 |
| Total time duration | 120 minutes |
| Sectional time limit | 40 minutes |
| Marking scheme | +3 for every right attempt-1 for every wrong attemptNo negative marking for non-MCQs |
| Total marks | 300 |
The table below shares the CAT exam sectional order from Section-1 to Section-3, the number and type of questions in each section and maximum marks for each section.
- Each Question is awarded +3 marks for the correct answer
- Each MCQ carries -1 Negative Mark for the wrong answer
- No Negative marking for Non-MCQs
| Section as per CAT exam Pattern | Total questions | MCQs | Non-MCQs | Maximum marks |
| Section-1: Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC) | 26 | 18 | 8 | 78 |
| Section-2: Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) | 24 | 18 | 6 | 72 |
| Section-3: Quantitative Ability (QA) | 26 | 18 | 8 | 78 |
| Total | 76 | 54 | 22 | 228 |
Section Wise Exam Pattern For CAT 2020: Sections, sub-sections, difficulty level
CAT 2020 exam is totally revamped by IIM Indore. The section wise key features of CAT 2020 sectional exam pattern are:
VARC: 1st section
- Total questions: 26
- LOD: Moderate to Very difficult
- Section Highlights:
- No Grammar or vocabulary based questions in CAT 2020
- Verbal Ability questions confined to 3 topics – Jumbled paragraph; Para summary; picking the odd sentence out of the jumbled sentences
DILR: 2nd section
- Total questions:24
- LoD: Moderate to difficult
- Section Highlights:
- Questions appeared in a set 6 & 4
- The time crunch is faced by test takers as questions are more time consuming
Quant: 3rd section
- Total questions: 26
- LoD: Moderate to difficult
- Section Highlights:
- More questions are on Arithmetic – Percentage, Profit & Loss, Time & Speed, Work/days, Compound & Simple interest
CAT previous year Question Solved paper:
| Sr.No | Paper Year | Question paper Solved |
| 1. | 2019 | Click here.pdf Click here.pdf |
| 2. | 2018 | Click here.pdf Click here.pdf |
| 3. | 2017 | Click here.pdf Click here.pdf |
| 4. | 2020 (QUANT) | Click here.pdf Click here.pdf Click here.pdf |
| 5. | 2020 (VARC) | Click here.pdf Click here.pdf Click here.pdf |
| 6. | 2020 (LR DI) | Click here.pdf Click here.pdf Click here.pdf |
CAT 2020 Mock Test Link:
https://www.digialm.com//OnlineAssessment/index.html?756@@M12
CAT 2020: Computer-Based Exam But Not Online Test
Is the CAT online test? Responding to this query IIMs respond that the CAT paper pattern is computer-based but CAT is NOT an online test. Regarding the exam pattern of CAT, IIMs clarify “CAT is not an online exam. It is a digital or Computer Based Test (CBT); not an Internet-Based Test (IBT); that is, a candidate will not take the exam on an internet site. Instead of reading the questions in a paper booklet and darkening the ovals on the answer-sheet, a candidate will read the questions on a computer terminal and choose an answer by clicking on the correct option.”
So, the CAT exam pattern 2020, despite being a computer-based exam, is not an online exam. Sharing the key difference and USPs of CAT exam pattern, IIMs further elaborate “In the computer-based format, the candidate reads a question on a computer terminal and clicks on the correct answer. Additionally, the timer on the computer screen tells you the remaining time to complete the current section.”
FAQs on CAT Exam Pattern
Q. What is CAT 2021 Exam Pattern
Ans. CAT 2021 is a computer-based test with the expected number of 100 questions divided into 3 sections of VARC, DILR and QA.
Q. Is CAT an online examination?
A. CAT is not an online examination. It is a digital or Computer Based Test (CBT); not an Internet-Based Test (IBT). A candidate will not take the examination on an internet site.
Q. Do the non-MCQ type questions carry equal marks as MCQs?
A. Yes, all questions carry equal marks. However, for non-MCQ type questions, you must type the answer.
Q. Can I bring a calculator to the CAT exam centre?
A. No, Candidates are prohibited from bringing calculators to the testing centre. You may use the on-screen calculator that will be available throughout the exam.