The Common Admission Test (CAT) is a computer based test held in India. The test scores a candidate on the bases of Quantitative Ability (QA), Verbal Ability (VA) and Reading Comprehension (RC), Data Interpretation (DI) and Logical Reasoning (LR). The Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) started this exam and use the test for selecting students for their business administration programs. The test is conducted every year by one of the IIMs based on a policy of rotation. In August 2011, it was announced that Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and Indian Institute of Science (IISc) would also use the CAT scores, instead of the Joint Management Entrance Test (JMET), to select students for their management programmes starting with the 2012-14 batch. Common Admission Test (CAT) 2015 was conducted by the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM Ahmedabad) on November 29, 2015. IIM Indore held Common Admission Test for the years 2013-14.
History
Before 2009, CAT was a paper based test conducted on a single day for all candidates. The pattern, number of questions and duration have seen considerable variations over the years.
On 1 May 2009, it was announced that CAT would be a Computer Based Test starting from 2009. The American firm Prometric was entrusted with the responsibility of conducting the test from 2009 to 2013. The first computer based CAT was marred with technical snags. The issue was so serious that it prompted the Government of India to seek a report from the convenor. The trouble was diagnosed as 'Conficker' and 'W32 Nimda', the two viruses that attacked the system display of the test, causing server slow down. CAT 2014, CAT 2015 and CAT 2016 were conducted by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). CAT 2015 and CAT 2016 were 180-minute tests consisting of 100 questions (34 from Quantitative Ability (QA), 34 from Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), and 32 from Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR). As per the official notification, this year CAT 2017 will be conducted by Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Lucknow.
Eligibility for CAT
The candidate must satisfy the below specified criteria's:
1. Hold a Bachelor's Degree, with no less than 50% or equal CGPA (45% if there should arise an occurrence of the aspirants having a place with Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Persons with Disability (PWD)/Differently Able (DA) classification)
2. The degree should be granted by any of the Universities consolidated by an act of the central or state statutory body in India or other instructive organizations built up by an act of Parliament or pronounced to be considered as a University under Section 3 of the UGC Act, 1956, or possess an equivalent qualification recognized by the Ministry of HRD, Government of India.
3. Competitors appearing for the final year of bachelor’s degree/equivalent qualification examination and the individuals who have finished degree prerequisites and are anticipating results can likewise apply. If selected, such applicants will be permitted to join the program temporarily, only if she/he presents a certificate most recent by June 30, 2017 from the Principal/Registrar of her/his College/Institute (issued at the latest June 30, 2017) expressing that the competitor has finished every one of the prerequisites for acquiring the four year college education/identical capability on the date of the issue of the certificate.
Exam format
The Common Admission Test (CAT), like virtually all large-scale exams, utilises multiple forms, or versions, of the test. Hence there are two types of scores involved: a raw score and a scaled score.
The raw score is calculated for each section based on the number of questions one answered correctly, incorrectly, or left unattempted. Candidates are given +3 points for each correct answer and -1 point for each incorrect answer. No points are given for questions that are not answered. The raw scores are then adjusted through a process called equating. Equated raw scores are then placed on a common scale or metric to ensure appropriate interpretation of the scores. This process is called scaling.
Test pattern and duration
Since last two years, the structure of the test has undergone a few changes. CAT is a computer based test which consists of 100 objective type questions.
There are 3 sections in the test:
- Verbal and Reading Comprehension (VARC)
- Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DI & LR)
- Quantitative Ability (QA)
The Quantitative Ability and Verbal& Reading Comprehension sections consist of 34 questions each, whereas the Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning section has 32 questions. Along with the objective type questions, there are some non-multiple choice questions in each section. Candidates have to answer in the space provided to them.
The total duration of the test is 180 minutes or 3 hours. However, each section of the test has a time limit of 1 hour each. The test takers cannot switch between the sections and have to attend the test in a particular order. The order of the sections is-
- VARC
- DI & LR, and
- QA
As per the marking scheme, each question carries 3 marks and there is negative marking of 1 mark for each wrong answer. There is no negative marking for the non-multiple choice questions.
Four scaled scores will be presented for each candidate: an overall scaled score and three separate scaled scores for each section. As the three sections evaluate distinct sets of knowledge and skills, scores do not correlate across sections. A high score in one section does not guarantee a high score in another section. Percentile rankings are provided for each individual section as well as for the overall exam score.
CAT registration in numbers over the years
The number of registration in the past years are shown in the following graph:
See also
- Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE)
- Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT)
- Graduate Record Examination (GRE)
- National Institutes Of Technology (NIT)
- Policy Aptitude Test (PAT)
- Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
References
External links
- Official CAT website