Common Admission Test (CAT) is a national level management examination conducted by Indian Institute of Management (IIM). This test is conducted for selecting students for various management related courses across the country. It is the major priority for MBA aspirants as is the biggest national level MBA entrance exam which is given by lakhs of student every year.

This year, CAT will be conducted by IIM Lucknow (Indian Institute of Management Lucknow). The test will be to qualify for admission in 20 IIMS and 100+ B-schools. Last year, 1,95,000 aspirants sat in the test. It is a MCQ and Non-MCQ based test in English language. 100 questions are asked that are to be answered in 3 hours. The test also contains negative marking, ie, 1 mark is reduced for each wrong question. It is a computer based test.

Major dates:

• Application form: August 2017
• Admit card: October 2017
• Online test: December 2017
• Declaration of result January 2018
• Application fees: Rs 1700 for general / NC-OBC and Rs 850 for SC/ST/PWD/DA

Eligibility:

• A bachelor’s degree with at least 50% marks or CGPA is must. 45% is for SC, ST and PWD/DA category.
• Final year graduation students can also apply for the application form of CAT.

Examination Pattern:

The CAT examination question paper is divided in three sections, Quantitative Aptitude (QA), Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) and Verbal and Reading Comprehension (VRC). One cannot jump in between of sections. The candidate has to follow the question paper chronologically from section to section.

Now Here Are Some Preparation Tips:        

1. It’s important to practice chapter by chapter. Like this, you will come across all the varieties of questions that can be asked. This will also help in clearing basic theories.
2. Try learning better and easy options for solving a question. This can be done by discussing or studying with focused groups. Because solving a question without lifting a pen is what motivated the candidate.
3. Practicing is very important. First it will maintain your stamina as this part of CAT must be done at the end. Secondly, practicing will enhance the skills to finish the paper in expected time.
4. Though CAT 2017 allows on-screen calculator, but mental calculation is still the main helping hand to the aspirant.
5. While solving a Data Interpretation question, one must follow these steps:

• Step 1: Read the question and understand what is asked.
• Step 2: Look at the options to understand how approximately to-the-point answer is required.
• Step 3: Now look at the Charts/Graphs and find the required data.
• Step 4: There is no need of finding the exact answer, just find the approximate answer.

6. In order to improve the vocabulary, it’s crucial to understand the etymology that is the root meanings. Apart from root meanings, one has to know the meaning of prefix and suffix.
7. Either learn every part of speech and their uses or just try solving the type of questions that can be asked. This will make you familiar with the error types. This can be done in all sections like the Grammar Section which include Error Detection, Sentence Correction, Word Usage and Fill in the Blanks.
8. Good reading skills are must. It’s important to start a reading habit. Then the speed of reading and choosing more diverse topic to read is the next step.

Tags: CAT 2017EXAMINATIONIIM lucknowIndian Institute Of ManagementMBAPreparation Tips