Whole Information About CAT Exam Pattern

This article will provide complete information about the CAT exam pattern, marking criteria, and important topics.

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Jul 16, 2024 - 11:01

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Whole Information About CAT Exam Pattern

If you have decided to take the CAT exam, you must be fully aware of its pattern, structure, and marking scheme. CAT exam is a prerequisite for admissions into various management colleges in India. Therefore a strategical approach to crack the CAT exam is very important. Knowing the exam pattern will help you in your preparation.

This article will provide complete information about the CAT exam pattern, marking criteria, and important topics.

What is CAT?

The Common Admission Test, or CAT, is a national test conducted in India to admit students to MBA/ PGDM courses in different IIMs and other top management colleges. One of the IIMs conducts the examination every year.

CAT Exam Pattern: Latest Changes

CAT 2024 Exam is scheduled for November 2024.
There is no negative marking for Non-MCQs.
The order of the sections starts with VARC followed by DILR and QA. Candidates cannot switch between sections.
For CAT 2024, students will be notified about the changes in the exam window.
Previously, the total number of questions in CAT was 100, and the total marks were 300. But in 2020, the number of questions was reduced to 76, and the total marks were 228. In 2023, 66 was in the exam.
IIM will also release a tutorial for the aspirants to understand CAT 2024 exam format and question pattern. The tutorial will be available on their official website in October 2024.
There is an onscreen calculator provided during the exam.
CAT 2024 exam will be held in 150+ cities across the country.

CAT Eligibility

The candidate must hold three years of Bachelor's DegreeHowever, final-year students are also eligible to apply for this exam. Due to recent changes caused by the pandemic, the criteria for appearing in CAT have become less strict than before. Candidates must review the CAT eligibility criteria to avoid any last-minute confusion.

Qualification	Requirements
Age	NA
Educational Qualification	Bachelor’s Degree (with min. 50% marks)
Work Experience	Not Compulsory
Reservation	As per category

CAT Exam Pattern

The exam pattern of CAT has changed in the previous years due to the pandemic. Here is the description of the CAT exam pattern:

Particulars	Details
Mode of Examination	Online
Total Duration	120 minutes
Type of Questions	MCQs and TITA-type questions
No. of MCQs	75%
No. of TITA Questions	25%
Sectional Duration	40 minutes
Sections	Three
No. of Questions	66
Section-wise Distribution of Questions	VARC- 24 QA- 22 DILR- 20
Total Marks	198
Marks for Correct Answer	3
Negative Marking	-1 for every wrong answer; No Negative Marks for TITA-type Questions
Medium	English

CAT Syllabus

There are three sections in the CAT syllabus. Each topic has a different weightage in CAT. Prioritize these topics and start your preparation accordingly. Keep track of the following topics asked in the CAT exam:

Quantitative Aptitude	Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning	Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension
Number System	Seating Arrangement	Para jumbles
Algebra	Reasoning Based DI	Summary Based Questions
Arithmetic	Grid-Based DI	Sentence exclusion questions
Geometry	Tables	RC passages
Mensuration	Graphs	Sentence Correction
LCM and HCF	Data Caselets	Analogies or Reverse Analogies
Profit, Loss, and Discount	Venn Diagrams	Facts-Inferences-Judgments

Comprehensive View of Different Sections

Verbal Ability & Comprehensive Reading

This section aims to evaluate your understanding of the English language. To do well in this section, aspirants must enhance their reading skills, develop an above-average vocabulary base and know all the basics of English Grammar. Common question types are reading comprehension, sentence completion, para-jumbles, antonyms and synonyms, fill-in-the-blanks, and summary questions. Reading comprehension aims to establish your comprehension and reasoning abilities.

Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning

It is the combined section of two separate areas: data interpretation and logical reasoning.. It probes questions based on various data forms, such as bar graphs, line graphs, and pie charts. You must understand the data presented and answer the questions based on the same. Besides this, you need to think logically to analyze the situation and make the correct deductions. The topics included are blood relations, calendars, clocks, cubes, seating arrangement, syllogism, logical connectives, logical matching, and sequencing.

Quantitative Ability

This section tests your knowledge and understanding of basic mathematical concepts. You should be proficient in calculations and develop your aptitude for quick thinking to solve problems based on trigonometry, mensuration, number system, and arithmetic.

CAT Paper Patter: Marking Scheme

Section	MCQ	TITA Questions	Marks(MCQ)	Marks(TITA)	Total marks
Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension	20-21	4-5	+3, -1	+3, no negative	78
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning	20-21	2-3	+3, -1	+3, no negative	72
Quantitative Ability	20-21	4-5	+3, -1	+3, no negative	78

CAT Exam: Slot Timings

There is a time limit for each section in the CAT examination pattern. Once the time is over, the screen automatically advances to the next segment, and the candidate can’t move back to make any changes. Therefore, you must keep track of time duration and practice accordingly.

The following are the three sessions for the exam:

Morning session (8:30 am - 10:30 pm)
Afternoon session (12:30 pm - 2:30 pm)
Evening session (4:30 pm - 6:30 pm)

CAT Exam Pattern: Weightage

Syllabus	Weightage
Verbal Ability	8-10 questions based on grammar and verbal reasoning
Reading Comprehension	Out of 24 questions in the VARC section, 16 questions are from RC.
Quantitative Ability	Arithmetic and Algebra dominate the section, with approx. 8 questions from each.
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning	There will be 2 sets with 10 questions in DI and 2 sets from LR.