What Is Common Admission Test (cat) Exam?

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The Common Admission Test (CAT) is a highly competitive entrance exam used in India for admission to Master of Business Administration (MBA) / Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM) programs with the help of personal tutors for CAT preparation. Some international universities accept CAT scores for admission to post-graduate business administration programs. CAT qualified candidates primarily seek admission to top business schools (B-schools) in India, such as Indian Institutes of Management (IIM). Apart from IIMs, other prestigious B-schools in India, such as S.P Jain Institute of Management and Research (SPJIMR), Management Development Institute (Gurgaon), and Faculty of Management Studies (FMS), regard CAT as a prerequisite for admission to post-graduate business administration programs. Every year, over two lakh candidates sit for the CAT exam to explore better career opportunities in postgraduate business administration programs offered by India's top B-schools, and this number is rapidly increasing.

The CAT is a computer-based test that is organized each year by one of the IIMs on a rotating basis. The CAT exam ...
... is divided into four sections: Quantitative Ability (QA), Verbal Ability (VA) and Reading Comprehension (RC), Data Interpretation (DI), and Logical Reasoning (LR). CAT is normally a 300-mark exam, but due to the pandemic situation, CAT 2020 was held in a shorter format.

CAT Eligibility Criteria
Candidates who want to take the CAT exam in 2021 should check the eligibility requirements. Candidates should consult the official CAT 2021 notification for more information. This blog will shed some light on the various aspects of the CAT eligibility criteria.

The candidate must have obtained at least 50% in his/her bachelor degree (for General Category and Non Creamy Layer OBC candidates (NC-OBC) caste). SC/ST and differently-abled candidates must have 45% in their Bachelor's degree.

The Ministry of Human Resource Development should recognize the university that awarded the Bachelor's degree (MHRD).

When calculating CGPA, the conversion factor provided by the university must be used. If the university does not provide a conversion factor, the candidate should use the direct conversion method, which involves calculating the fraction of CGPA received and the highest CGPA possible and multiplying the result by 100.

Candidates who have completed their professional degrees with more than 50% (45% for SC/ST/PwD) marks are also eligible to take the CAT exam.
There is no upper age limit for the CAT Exam.

According to the current eligibility criteria, three-year Bachelor's Degree holders from any UGC approved university and two-year Bachelor's Degree (Old format) holders from any UGC approved university are eligible to take the CAT exam.

Eligibility criteria for Final Year Students
The final year Bachelor's degree students are perplexed about the CAT eligibility criteria. All final-year Bachelor's degree students are eligible to take the CAT exam with the help of best online teachers for CAT preparation, but they must complete their Bachelor's degree with the required percentage (45% or 50%). If a candidate does not obtain the required percentage in his/her Bachelor's degree, he/she will not be admitted to the B-school regardless of his/her CAT score.

Difference in eligibility criteria of CAT exam and admission in IIM
Although IIMs hold the CAT exam, there is a conflict between the CAT exam eligibility criteria and the IIM admission criteria. The CAT exam criteria include a two-year Bachelor's degree, but IIMs do not recognize it. Apart from that, there are no other differences between the CAT Exam eligibility criteria and the IIM admission requirements.

Reservation of Seats
Every candidate's dream after obtaining a good CAT score is to gain admission to the top IIMs, the best MBA Colleges in India. Because IIMs are government-funded institutions, they must follow government regulations regarding reservations for underprivileged groups and differently-abled people.

To be eligible for Caste Based Reservation, candidates must submit valid proof of SC/ST/OBC status along with the application form in the format specified on the official CAT website.

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