The Common Admission Test is a prerequisite for admission to the IIMs and other B-Schools. The CAT 2022 exam is scheduled for 27th November 2022 (tentative). The registration process will begin in the first week of August. Candidates have a total time limit of 120 minutes to complete the exam. After the exam has begun, switching between sections is not allowed. CAT exams were previously administered as a Paper Based Test. With the changes in 2009, the exam is now conducted as a Computer Based Test (CBT)
Candidates interested in taking the CAT exam should first familiarise themselves with the exam pattern and syllabus. For CAT 2022 there are MCQ questions and Non-MCQ questions in the VARC portion, and applicants must type in their responses for such questions. In the VARC section, there are approximately 8 Non-MCQs. The VARC section is dominated by RC passages. The other questions are focused on sentence correction, synonyms and antonyms based on vocabulary etc. Although Data Interpretation is the game-changing component of the CAT Exam and most of the candidates’ favourite section, it still necessitates swift calculations.
CAT Exam Eligibility Criteria & Exam pattern
The eligibility criteria of the CAT Exam is similar to that of the other management entrance exams. To be eligible for the CAT Exam, a candidate must have passed their bachelor’s degree with at least 50% marks and 45% for SC/ST and Differently Abled applicants.
- Candidates who are in their final year of bachelors program are also eligible to apply for the CAT exam, provided they must submit the mark sheets or certificates from the previous semesters.
- Candidates with backlogs who wish to apply are still allowed to do so if they present a certificate from the authorised person mentioned in the notification, saying they are waiting for results.
The table below will give you an understanding of the CAT Exam pattern:
| Features | CAT 2022 | ||
| CAT Exam Official Website | iimcat.ac.in | ||
| CAT 2022 Exam Date | 27th November 2022 (Tentative) | ||
| Section-Wise Questions | Sections | No. of Questions | Sectional Time Duration |
| VARC | 24 | 40 minutes | |
| QA | 22 | 40 minutes | |
| DILR | 20 | 40 minutes | |
| Total No.of Questions | 66 Questions | ||
| Medium of Exam | English | ||
| Mode of Exam | Computer Based | ||
| Type of Questions | MCQ Questions and Non-MCQ questions. |
Important Preparation Points for CAT 2O22
The CAT Exam fulfils the dream of every management aspirant to get into the IIMs. To be eligible for a call from the top IIMs like IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Indore and IIM Lucknow, candidates must have scored above 99 percentile. Rigorous preparation of 6-8 months with the right strategies adopted and a proper preparation timetable will help candidates ace the exam seamlessly.
Listed below are some important preparation tips for CAT 2022:
- Before you start studying for the CAT, make sure you understand the entire syllabus. Examine previous years’ exam papers to understand how the pattern of questions has changed over time.
- Solve question papers, mock tests and sectional practice tests, which will improve your time management skills and get a feel for what it’s like to take the real exam.
- Make a note of the shortcut methods and techniques that your mentors teach you. Continue to practise these shortcuts on a regular basis in the sectional mocks so you can use them right away while solving problems.
- Read the newspaper to stay on track with current events and develop your communication skills, which has a great impact on the GD round.
