Know what is CAT and all about the CAT Entrance Exam

The Computerized Achievement Test (CAT) is a computer-based objective exam with three sections: Verbal Ability, Logical Reasoning, and Quantitative Ability. The portions are almost equally weighted. It was a 3-hour exam for a long time, roughly from 2010 to 2019. As a result of the pandemic, it has been reduced to a two-hour exam. MCQs (Multiple-Choice Questions) make up about 75% of the questions, while TITAs make up the rest (Type in the Answer). Negative marks are given for wrong answers on MCQs, but not on TITAs.

In general, the CAT syllabus covers math learned in grades VI through X of schooling. Despite the fact that the framework has been largely similar over the last 15 years, there are some distinct patterns that appear as we browse through the data.

We'll go through the CAT Syllabus to give you a sense of what to expect in the forthcoming CAT exam as we go deeper into the topics and take them one by one.

Before we go into the CAT syllabus, here's a quick rundown of the exam's essential points:

• The CAT exam is a three-hour (180-minute) computer-based examination. It will not be held in an offline format.
• CAT 2020 was divided into three 2-hour sessions. The trends are expected to continue in CAT 2021.
• On the same day, the exam is held in two sessions: morning and afternoon. In these sessions, the CAT exam papers are different, but the scores are normalized to account for the differences.
• There are three areas of the exam: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DI/LR), and Quantitative Ability (QA).
• In recent CATs, the sections have been arranged in the following order: VARC first, DILR second, QA third. It is not feasible to move between parts. Between sections, there are no breaks.
• There are a total of 100 questions. The majority of the questions are Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs), which have four possible answers, one of which is correct. However, around a third of the paper is made up of objective but non-MCQ questions. These are TITA (Type-In-The-Answer) questions.
• For MCQs, a correct answer is worth 3 points, while an incorrect response is worth -1 point, but there is no negative marking for TITA questions.
• For the QA and DI/LR parts, a basic on-screen calculator is given.
• Any bachelor's degree holder (with at least 50% marks) and candidate in their last year of graduation are eligible to take the CAT.
• Candidates must have finished their graduation with a minimum of 50% (45% for SC/ ST/ PwD) to be eligible to take the CAT 2022. There is also no higher age limit for taking the CAT exam. 
• The CAT exam is transitioning from a knowledge-based to an IQ-based assessment.
• Candidates should download and study prior-year CAT exam question papers to familiarize themselves with the syllabus, the difficulty level, and the kind of questions offered before beginning their preparation for CAT 2022. Examine CAT Preparation Books & Techniques

What is the purpose of a CAT exam?

The Common Admission Test is abbreviated as CAT. It is a national-level MBA/PGDM entrance exam for admission to 20 IIMs and 1000+ other B-schools that accept the CAT result. Every year, around 2,00,000 people apply for the CAT exam in order to be considered for one of the 5000+ MBA/PGDM seats available. According to past year's patterns, the CAT cut off for top IIMs is above 95 percentile, while it fluctuates between 80 and 95 percentile for other top universities.

Learn more about what the purpose of the CAT exam in this article.

CAT exam eligibility 2022

• Candidates must meet specific eligibility criteria established by the exam conducting authority in order to fill out CAT Application forms.
• A bachelor's degree or its equivalent from a recognized university is required in any discipline.
• Candidates must have a graduating grade point average of at least 50%. The required aggregate marks for restricted category candidates are 45 percent. 
• There is no higher age limit for taking the CAT exam.
• Final year students can apply for the exam as well, however, they will only be admitted if they achieve a minimum of 50% (40 percent for SC/ ST/ PwD) after graduation. Those who have finished their final exams and are awaiting results are also eligible to apply.
• Candidates with professional degrees such as CA, CS, and ICWA are also eligible to apply for the CAT.
• There is no limit to how many times you can take the CAT exam.

With lakhs of students contending for a few thousand places in the best B-Schools, the CAT is one of the toughest and most competitive exams in the world. To keep one step ahead of the competition, make sure you have a sound preparation strategy in place, which you can design with the help of a thorough examination of the CAT 2022 Syllabus.

The CAT Exam is divided into three sections:

• Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC)
• Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR)
• Quantitative Aptitude (QA)

The universal denominator in terms of the CAT exam syllabus is that it is confined to the topics and knowledge acquired up to the 12th grade. 

The CAT Exam Pattern in Summary

Rather than being an online test, the CAT Exam is a computer-based test (CBT). The difference between the two is that in a CBT, the questions are kept constant and simply offered to students in an online manner, whereas in an online exam, the questions are stored in question banks and the computer determines which questions to ask of the students (e.g., GMAT).

PwD candidates' CAT Exam Pattern differs in the following ways:

A total of 40 minutes is allotted to complete each section of the CAT Exam.

The exam will take 2 hours to complete.

Syllabus for the CAT exam.

The CAT 2022 Exam Pattern gives us a decent notion of how to approach CAT 2022 preparation. Each aspirant can create their own list of strengths and weaknesses by going over each topic that is anticipated to be included in the CAT Syllabus and then creating a study strategy for CAT 2022.

CAT VARC Exam Syllabus

Three significant themes are likely to appear on the VARC Syllabus for CAT 2022:

Reading Comprehension: This is expected to account for around 70% of the total VARC score. The RCs can cover a wide range of subjects, from the abstract to the scientific.

Para jumbles: The CAT Syllabus includes the two forms of para jumbles that are commonly tested in the CAT Exam. Multiple-choice para jumbles are common, while subjective para jumbles require the answer to be filled in.

Para summary: While other topics have been tested in the CAT Exam, the para summary topic has been tested virtually every year and is thus an inextricably linked part of the CAT Syllabus.

Syllabus for the CAT-DILR

In comparison to the other portions of the CAT Syllabus, the DILR Syllabus for CAT 2022 is the least defined. The DILR Syllabus is divided into two sections:

Data Interpretation: Data will be presented to you in the form of a graph, chart, or other visualization, and you will be asked to answer questions based on the information provided.

Logical Reasoning: You may be given the knowledge that is unstructured, and you must structure it and infer the consequence in order to answer the questions.

The number of questions in the DI and LR sub-sections is rather evenly distributed, implying that students who are more comfortable in one of the sub-sections can still pass 

In recent years, the CAT DILR Section has changed slightly. Rather than the regulated, separate DI and LR questions that were assessed previously, the questions are a blend of DI and LR.

The QA Syllabus for the CAT

The CAT QA Syllabus offers the most content because it covers everything from Kindergarten to Class 12. The following are some of the important subjects covered in the CAT QA Syllabus:

Arithmetic: This subject contains the most amount of questions in most CAT Exams and is one that all students should study.

Algebra: This subject has the second-highest weighting in terms of CAT Exam questions.

Numbers: These are topics that are frequently assessed in the CAT Exam, and every applicant should understand the fundamentals of the topics in order to avoid missing out on easy scores.

Geometry: Geometry, Coordinate Geometry, and Mensuration are all topics that are routinely tested. Aspirants who have a basic understanding of the topic will be able to attempt at least a few questions from it in the CAT 2022 Exam.

Because the CAT QA Syllabus is so large, applicants must grasp how to maximize their results in this portion. As a result, selecting the appropriate questions and having high attempt accuracy will ensure that you pass the CAT Exam.