CAT refers to Common Admission Test and is one of the most competitive and unpredictable exam. It is conducted jointly by the IIMs (Indian Institutes of Management -- Ahmedabad, Calcutta, Bangalore, Lucknow, Indore, Calicut). By just learning the formulas and methods, one would not come out successfully. CAT tests ones aptitude. One need to know the concepts about the subjects concerned and also should know how to apply it properly whenever necessary. CAT has been rated as the most difficult MBA entrance test in the world by the Economist Intelligence 2003 Survey. About 180,000 students compete for less than 1200 general seats in the IIM's.

Eligibility Criteria


For all IIMs, Candidates need to have a bachelors degree in any discipline from a recognized University or equivalent in any discipline recognized by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU)/ All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) as eligible for Post-Graduate Studies in Management. Students who are to qualify in the following year also can appear for CAT Exam.

CAT Exam Score Validity

CAT scores are accepted by autonomous institutes across India. But no university accepts the CAT score since the exam is conducted by IIMs, which are a group of autonomous institutions. CAT score is also valid for other top B-schools in India like

* MICA (Mudra Insitute of Communication), Ahmedabad


* S.P.Jain Institute of Management and Research (SPJIMR), Mumbai

* Management Development Institute (MDI), Gurgaon

* T.A.Pai Management Institute (TAPMI), Manipal

* Fore School of Management (FSM), New Delhi

* Institute of Management, Nirma University, Ahmedabad

* National Insurance Academy School of Management (NIASoM), Pune

* Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad

* International Management Institute (IMI), New Delhi

CAT Bulletin

CAT Bulletin will have information about the CAT Exams and instructions for filling up the application forms. Candidates should ensure that they satisfy the required educational qualification and other eligibility criteria. One has to read all the instructions in the CAT bulletin and should check the checklist also before sending the form.

CAT Test

CAT tests a candidates skill in verbal ability and reasoning, reading comprehension, quantitative skills, data interpretation and analytical and logical reasoning. The duration of the test is of 120 minutes. All the questions are multiple choice. Each correct answer carries 0.5 or 1 or 2 mark, each incorrect answer carries 1/3rd of the marks allocated to it as negative marks.

It is absolutely necessary to improve the aspiring candidates vocabulary for CAT exam. Problem Solving is equally important as Verbal Ability.

Reservations

As per Government of India requirement some seats are reserved for SC and ST candidates. Government of India has proposed to reserve seats for candidates belonging to Other Backward Classes (OBC) starting from academic year 2007-08. 3% seats in IIMs are reserved for Persons with Disability (PWD) of which 1% each is reserved for low-vision/blindness, hearing impairment and loco motor disability/cerebral palsy.