Overview

CAT 2024 Exam will be held on November 24,2024 . This time, IIM Ahmedabad will be conducting CAT 2024 exam in 3 slots at over 450 test centers in 151 cities across India. The exam duration will be 2 hours and the question paper will most likely be having 76 questions in total, the same as last year. But you never know! IIM Ahmedabad is known for its surprises. So the total number of questions may vary between 60-76. 

What is CAT Exam?

The full form of CAT is the Common Admission Test. CAT Exam is the most popular national-level management entrance exam conducted by the Indian Institute of Management (IIMs) for admission of aspiring candidates to 20 IIMs and more than 100 B-schools across India. It is conducted and administered by one of the IIMs on a yearly rotational basis. The top 6 IIMs which conduct the exam are IIM Bangalore, IIM Calcutta, IIM Indore, IIM Kozhikode, IIM Lucknow, and IIM Ahmedabad. It is usually conducted on the last Sunday of November or the first Sunday of December. 

  Through this exam, IIMs and other colleges offer MBA, PGP, PGP-FABM, PGPEM, PGDM, EPGP PGPSM, PGPWE, PGDHRM, PGPEX, PGPBM, etc. The CAT exam is an aptitude test designed to evaluate an applicant’s Quantitative, Verbal/reading, Data Interpretation, and Reasoning Skills. The Indian Institutes of Management conduct a computer-based Common Admission Test in the last week of November in two sessions. This exam will be conducted by IIMs as a prerequisite for admission to various management programs of IIMs and other colleges.

You can probably start signing up for CAT 2024 in early August 2024, and the last day to register might be in the first week of September 2024. The CAT 2024 exam will include 66 questions in three sections: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension, Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning, and Quantitative Aptitude. The exam will take place in three parts, and it will be in English. The CAT 2024 result is anticipated to be declared in the first week of January 2025.

CAT Exam Important Dates

IIM Calcutta is expected to oversee the CAT exam 2024. The notable CAT 2024 dates, including the CAT registration date 2024, the last date to apply, the CAT 2024 exam date, and the result date, are provided below:

CAT Exam Pattern

The initial stage before starting preparation for an exam is to know about the CAT exam syllabus. The CAT exam schedule contains three sections. These sections are QA, VARC, and DILR. QR stands for quantitative aptitude that section includes grade tenth-level mathematics.

VARC stands for verbal ability & reading comprehension. That section includes grammar and comprehensive type questions. DILR means data interpretation & logical reasoning. That includes analysis of puzzles and pie charts. 

CAT Exam Syllabus

The Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) section of the CAT exam has three parts: Vocabulary, Grammar, and Reading Comprehension.

Questions focused on vocabulary consist of Synonyms, Antonyms, Analogies, Spellings, Odd Words, Words Often Confused, Sentence Completion, and Cloze Tests. You need a combination of vocabulary knowledge, reading proficiency, and critical thinking abilities to answer these problems.

Understanding the situations in which a word can be used is a crucial component of vocabulary knowledge. It will become simple as you begin to comprehend a word’s usage in its context.

Try to comprehend a word’s etymology by learning its root meanings. One can grasp words like eloquent, loquacious, soliloquy, ventriloquize, circumlocution, grandiloquent, etc. by understanding the meaning of Latin roots like “loqui.” When you combine your knowledge of roots with the definitions of various prefixes and suffixes then you can say that you have a strong command of vocabulary.

Major Topics Covered Under CAT Exam  Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension

 Syllabus for the Quantitative Ability section 

CAT will be administered online, most likely at the end of November. These three things are the main part of QA : numerical ability, mathematical skills, and problem-solving skills. They are intended to be tested in the CAT quantitative ability portion. Most MBA admission exams include a subject on quantitative aptitude or competence. The CAT’s quantitative ability part typically contains questions that have elementary mathematics.

Arithmetic, Algebra, Advanced Mathematics, and Geometry are all included in the CAT’s Quantitative Aptitude component, which accounts for one-third of the test’s questions.

Being thorough with each and every chapter is the only way to earn high marks in this part. Recall the basics and theories. Take on the QA section of the CAT by attempting a range of example questions. Calculations may be necessary for this section. Use your brain to calculate; it will take less time than a calculator.

Major Topics Covered Under CAT Quantitative Ability

Syllabus for Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning section 

The Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR) component of the CAT Exam is regarded as a game-changer and the most unpredictable section. Therefore, even though the majority of candidates for the CAT admit that the DILR portion is the most unpredictable and challenging of the three, it is far simpler to succeed in this section with the correct strategy and frame of mind. So, choosing the proper approach is crucial when working on your CAT DILR preparation.

The second component of the CAT exam, Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR), must be completed following the VARC test. Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning are the two sub-sections that make up this section. Have a look at the following topics which are included in the DILR section:

Major Topics Covered Under CAT Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning