CAT (Common Admission Test)

The Common Admission Test to the six IIMs is also the entrance test for few other top B-Schools such as SP Jain, MICA, and T A Pai. CAT tests your skills in five broad areas viz.

1. Verbal ability and reasoning

2. Reading Comprehension

3. Quantitative skills

4. Data Interpretation

5. Analytical and Logical reasoning :

The test comprises between 150 to 200 objective type questions and is usually divided into three to four sections. Each question has a question statement followed by four alternate answer choices and the candidate has to choose the best answer for each of the questions and mark it on a special Optical Reader answer sheet.

The duration of the test is of 120 minutes. This literally translates to answering a CAT question in 48 seconds. Most successful aspirants do not attempt anything more than 120 plus questions. And quite a lot of them attempt between 85 and 100 questions. The key to success, therefore, lies in two important parameters

1. The accuracy or strike rate :

Each correct question carries 1 positive mark, while each incorrect question carries negative marks. Though, it is not clearly known what the negative mark, it would not be way off the mark to assume it to be one-third of a mark. Hence, it is important to get a strike rate of over 85% - that is reduce the number of negatives.

2. Smart Selection :

As it is clear that you will not be generally able to attempt all 150 question, and you skip between 30 and 50 questions, key to success lies in selecting questions properly. Remember, every correct question carries the same 1-mark and each incorrect answer carries a one-third negative. Hence, there are no kudos, nobel prizes or awards waiting for attempting the tough questions. Be smart to choose, the easiest of the questions and the ones that you have practised a lot and smash them. Do not venture into unsafe territories or to questions which you only have a vague idea.

  CAT and entrance tests of other top B Schools are a unique breed of entrance exams. They focus on testing some of the basic qualities essential for managers - the grit to work hard, smartness to choose the best alternative, quick thinking and above all perseverance.

  Exams like IIT JEE test the depth of your knowledge, while the Civil Services exams test your width of knowledge. CAT evaluates your presence of mind and the ability to perform under pressure. You cannot prepare for CAT during the last 10 days, as one generally does for semester exams. A minimum of 3 to 9 months of regular preparation is essential.