CAT or the Common Admission Test based on the computerized entrance examination. It is conducted in rotation by one of the six designated Indian institutes (IIMs) to get an admission in one of the top IIMs or other highly acclaimed B-schools.
The CAT exam is one of the toughest entrance examinations to crack; therefore, a candidate must have a long-term strategy while preparing for it. A strategic and systematic plan will help the candidate crack this CAT exam. The best practice to do before the exam is to take many CAT mock tests and analyze the result. It is expected that a candidate’s performance will be better if they take a good number of mock tests. Revising essential concepts and formulae is another way a candidate can boost their performance on the test day.
MBA admissions to IIMs depend on the choice of applicants through marks obtained by competitors. This base mark for CAT cut-off is fixed by the IIMs consistently based on the absolute number of CAT qualifiers and the number of seats accessible. The cut-off percentiles of top schools accepting CAT fall between 95-100.
Criteria to apply for CAT exam
- A candidate should graduate with at least 50% total or equivalent CGPA (45% total for SC, ST, and PWD/DA class) from a recognized board or college.
- For candidates with awarded grades or CGPA, the conversion of grades or CGPA should be according to the process certified by the university/ institute.
- Candidates appearing for the last year of four-year college education/ equivalent qualification or anticipating results are likewise qualified to apply for the CAT exam.
According to last year’s analysis, there was an aggregate of 2,27,835 applicants for CAT 2020. In that, 1,90,143 candidates showed up for the CAT placement test. However, 37,692 applicants didn’t show up for the CAT exam last year because of numerous reasons. So the current rate has decreased when contrasted with earlier years, i.e., 83.456%. This year, the expectation is to be more than 2.5 lakh candidates that will apply for the CAT exam 2021.
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What is the Schedule for CAT 2021?
This year the CAT exam will be conducted by IIM Ahmedabad on November 28 (probably). The mode of CAT exam is online and is conducted at more than 400 exam centres across India. The registration for CAT 2021 will begin by the 1st week of August 2021. Candidates can fill CAT 2021 registration application through the online process. According to the past patterns, it is expected that CAT 2021 will be conducted in more than 156 cities across India in morning and evening shifts. Selection for CAT 2021 test centres is chosen by the test directing body based on the candidate’s strength in a particular exam centre and their closest proximity to the test centre. The expected month for the release of the notification for CAT exam 2021 is in the last week of July.
Below are the important dates related to CAT 2021?
| CAT Exam Events | Important dates related to CAT Exam Dates |
| Release of CAT 2021 notification | Last week of July 2021 |
| CAT 2021 registrations start | 04th Aug 2021 (tentative) |
| End of Registrations | By September third week, 2021 |
| Release of Admit card | Fourth week of October 2021 |
| CAT exam 2021 | 28-Nov-2021 (tentative) |
| Release of CAT answer key | December 1st week, 2021 |
| Declaration of CAT result 2021 | January 2nd week, 2022 |
To check the CAT exam score and download their result, a candidate can follow given the process.
- Visit- iimcat.ac.in (official website)
- Click – ‘CAT login.’
- Enter CAT 2021 ID and password
- Click – scorecard tab
- Download- CAT scorecard
The CAT question paper contains 100 questions in MCQ and non-MCQ design. It comprises Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension, Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning, and Quantitative Aptitude. The general duration for CAT was 180 minutes, but the length was decreased to 120 minutes for CAT 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, for CAT 2021, it depends upon the assessment authority whether the duration will return to 180 minutes.
