The CAT Exam(Common Admission Test) is a computer-based test for admission to graduate management programs. The test consists of three sections: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension, Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning, and Quantitative Ability. The exam is organized online over a period of three hours, with one hour per section. The Exam was started by the Indian Institutes of Management and used the test for selecting students for their business administration programs (MBA or PGDM).
The Indian Institute of Management- IIMS conducts all the CAT Exam activities across the country. Students with 50% qualifications in their Bachelor’s program can apply for the exam.
The application process will begin in 2022, August, the first week of. The CAT will happen in more than 156 cities in India in the morning and afternoon sessions. Before we move on, let us explain what CAT is.
CAT stands for Common Admission Test. The purpose of the CAT Exam is to select students to join the business programs in PGDM or MBA. The body that conducts all these activities is known as IIMs.
In 2011, the CAT scores were approved by IISs and IITs to get admissions into their programs. Since then, CAT patterns have been changing, especially in 2020, due to COVID-19 outcomes. Nonetheless, the paper will follow the required schedule in 2022.
2022 Dates for the CAT
Events Dates |
Notifications Issue July 2022, last week |
Start of registration activities August 2022, 1st week (Online at iimcat.ac.in) |
Last date for registration September 2022, 4th week |
Release of Admit card October 2022 (online) |
Exam date 2022 November |
Answer release date 2022 December |
Final results 2022 January |
Tips for Students Preparing for QA
- Study techniques that will help you to manage time effectively. The tips will help you do your best in the exams during the set time.
- If you do not comprehend a question, do not waste time on it. Instead, move on and solve more problems that you know better.
- Have a separate book with formulas to solve different questions. Practice the procedures as often as possible so that you can easily remember.
- Revise effectively to form a strong foundation on any given concept.
- Learn to spend 2 minutes on each question so that you stay within the time limit.
Tips for students preparing for Quantitative Ability Questions
- Embrace games that sharpen your thinking skills, such as crossword and sudoku
- Before you face the exams, ensure you learn and understand all the charts and graphs
- Practice a minimum of 20 questions daily within 8 to 12 minutes
- Prepare for the DI/LR section in advance because it is quite complicated.
- Learn quick calculations by practicing it will help you save time while in exams.
Reading Comprehension and Verbal Ability Tips
This section deals with proficiency in English skills. You will get questions such as word usage, critical reasoning, idioms, sentence structure, grammar, paragraph summary, fill-in-the-blanks, paragraph completion, and paragraph jumble. Under this section, use the following tips:
- Always familiarize yourself with the questions first before reading the entire passage. It gives you an overview of everything.
- You need to love reading different books, both fictional and non-fiction.
- Have a dictionary, a notebook, and a pen to write down new words and find their meanings.
- Understand grammar basics like tenses, articles, modifiers, adjectives, verbs, and many others. As you practice more, you master everything.
Other General Tips During CAT Preparation
- There are some common aspects every student must put into consideration to do well in the CAT exams.
- First of all, you must have relevant resources for CAT 2022 exams. Study all the details about each topic and ensure you have a better understanding.
- You need to practice different questions as you time yourself. This is useful, especially for Data Interpretation topics.
- Study and know the strengths and weaknesses of every topic. Once you know your weak areas, you can dedicate more time to polishing your capabilities in the given area.
- Embrace the idea of solving different papers using different styles. Do not focus on one style alone since you need to broaden your thinking levels.
- Try mock tests– Mock tests are effective ways to sharpen your skills. The earlier you start, the better. Even if you fail in mock trials, that should not worry you. You are only redefining your strengths and weaknesses.
- Use the mock results to identify your weak areas and work on perfecting them. If you can do one mock every week as you assess yourself, then you will be fully prepared when the time for CAT exams arrives. At this point, you already know the basics of each topic and question, and you know different approaches you can use to tackle any problem. Are you wondering where you can get mock tests? You can visit verified sites available online and well-known coaching centers.
- Stick to the timetable -As you prepare for CAT exams, you need to have a personal timetable as a student and maintain the discipline to follow it. A timetable gives students adequate time to prepare for CAT exams on all topics adequately. This tip can increase the chances of getting more grades in your exams.