CAT 2023
NATIONAL LEVEL ONLINE TEST
CAT 2023 exam will be conducted in 3 slots on November 26, 2023 likely by either IIM Lucknow or IIM Calcutta. CAT 2023 Registration will begin in the first week of August 2023 with the release of the official notification. As per CAT eligibility criteria, candidates must have a bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 50% marks.
Candidates planning to take CAT 2023 must download and solve CAT question papers of previous years. As per the latest CAT Exam Pattern, the question paper comprises 66 questions divided into three sections- VARC (24), DILR(20), and QA(22). Check CAT Syllabus
Like previous years, CAT 2023 will have 2 types of questions- MCQs and TITA. As per CAT exam marking scheme, 3 marks are awarded for the correct answer. For incorrect MCQs, 1 mark is deducted and there is no negative marking for TITA questions. Check CAT 2023 Exam Pattern
CAT Cut off (qualifying) for IIMs ranges from 80-95 percentile. To get 95+ percentile in CAT 2023, once must attempt at least 60% of the questions with 95% accuracy. Check CAT Score Vs Percentile
Events | Dates (Tentative) |
---|---|
CAT 2023 Official Notification | July 31, 2023 |
CAT 2023 Application form release date | August 3, 2023 |
Last date to apply for the application form | September 14, 2023 |
Last date to submit the fees for the Application Form | September 14, 2023 |
CAT 2023 Form Correction Window shall open | 3rd week of September 2023 |
CAT 2023 Admit Card Release date | October 27, 2023 |
CAT 2023 Exam date | November 26, 2023 |
CAT 2023 Result announcement date | January 2024 |
Particulars | Details |
---|---|
Name of Exam | CAT 2023 |
CAT Official Website | iimcat.ac.in |
Frequency of CAT exam | Annually |
CAT Registration Process | Online |
Duration of the Exam | 120 minutes |
CAT Exam Sections |
|
Number of Questions | 66 |
Medium of CAT Exam | English |
Courses Offered | MBA/ PGDM in various streams at 20 IIMs, 8 IITs, and other top management colleges |
CAT 2023 Notification will be released by the exam conducting IIM on July 31, 2023. CAT 2023 Notification will mention all the important details that the candidates require. CAT Notification PDF will be uploaded on the official IIM CAT website- iimcat.ac.in. The details mentioned in the official notification of CAT 2023 will include:
List of IIMs, their official websites, and PGP/ MBA courses offered by each | Eligibility Criteria |
CAT 2023 Exam Date and Slots | Reservation Criteria |
CAT registration dates, time, and category-wise fees | IIM Selection Process in brief |
Number of CAT Test Cities | CAT 2023 official website |
Previous year’s CAT notification pdf is provided here to give you an idea of how CAT 2023 Notification PDF will look like:
Candidates need to fulfill the below-mentioned eligibility criteria to fill CAT Application form:
CAT 2023 Registration has to be done online on the official website- iimcat.ac.in. Given below are the details on CAT registration process and fees.
You need to upload the below-mentioned documents while filling up the application form:
Document | Format | File Size |
---|---|---|
Photo | .JPG/ .JPEG | <= 80 Kb |
Signature | .JPG/ .JPEG | <= 80 Kb |
NC-OBC/SC/ST Certificate | <=200 Kb | |
PwD/DA Certificate | <=200 Kb |
Category | CAT Application Fee |
---|---|
General/ EWS/ NC-OBC | INR 2,300 |
SC/ST/PwD | INR 1,150 |
CAT 2023 will be conducted in 3 slots. The question paper will be as per the below-mentioned CAT exam pattern defined by the authorities.
Particulars | Details |
---|---|
Mode of Examination | Online |
Total Duration | 120 minutes |
Type of Questions | MCQs and TITA-type questions |
Number of MCQs | 75% |
Number of TITA Questions | 25% |
Sectional Duration | 40 minutes |
Sections | 3- VARC, QA, DILR |
No. of Questions | 66 |
Section-wise Distribution of Questions |
|
Total Marks | 198 |
Marks Awarded for Correct Answer | 3 |
Negative Marking | -1 for every wrong MCQ answer; No Negative Marks for TITA type Questions |
Medium | English |
Quick Links:
CAT Exam Syllabus 2023 is divided into 3 sections- VARC (Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension), QA (Quantitative Aptitude), and DILR (Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning).
CAT Exam Section | CAT Syllabus Topics |
---|---|
CAT VARC | Reading Comprehension- Passages of 400-500 words based on various fields like Management, Business, Science & Tech, Economy, Abstract, Literature, Art & Culture Verbal Ability- Para Jumbles, Summary, Sentence Completion, Odd Sentence Out, Antonyms & Synonyms, Error Detection |
CAT QA | Arithmetic- Profit & Loss, Time & Work, Time Speed & Distance, Mixtures, Ratio & Proportion, Percentage, Averages Geometry & Mensuration- Lines & Angles, Circles, Triangles, Polygons, Area & Volume of 2D and 3D figures Algebra- Quadratic Equations, Series, Inequalities, Functions, Surds & Indices Numbers and Modern Math (P&C, Probability) |
CAT DILR | Data Interpretation- Caselets, Tabular DI, DI sets based on Charts and Graphs Logical Reasoning- Syllogisms, Puzzles, Critical Reasoning, Blood Relations, Coding-Decoding, Statement & Assumption, Inference, Seating Arrangement, Ranking, Direction sense test |
With over 2 lakh candidates applying for CAT exam, it becomes extremely important to ensure comprehensive and timely preparation to score above 95 percentile.
Given below are the section-wise preparation tips for CAT 2023:
CAT Section | CAT Preparation Tips |
---|---|
CAT DILR Preparation |
|
CAT VARC Preparation |
|
CAT Quant Preparation |
|
CAT DILR Study Notes | CAT QA Study Notes | CAT VARC Study Notes |
---|---|---|
Seating Arrangement | Number System | Reading Comprehension |
Logical Reasoning | Arithmetic | Para Completion |
Venn Diagrams | Mensuration | Fill in the Blanks |
Bar Graphs | Modern Math | Para Jumbles |
DILR Solved Questions | QA Solved Questions | VARC Solved Questions |
CAT Section | CAT Book Name | Author |
---|---|---|
Quantitative Aptitude | Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations | R S Aggarwal |
How to Prepare for QA for CAT | Arun Sharma | |
Quantitative Aptitude for MBA Entrance Exams | Abhijit Guha | |
Quantum CAT | S K Verma | |
CAT VARC | Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension | Ajay Singh |
Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for CAT | Nishit K Sinha | |
Word Power Made Easy | Norman Lewis | |
How to Prepare for VARC for CAT | Arun Sharma and Meenakshi Upadhyay | |
CAT DILR | A Modern Approach to Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning | R S Aggarwal |
Data Interpretation for CAT | Nishit K Sinha | |
How to Prepare for Logical Reasoning for CAT | Arun Sharma |
Check:
Solving CAT Previous Year Papers is extremely important to get an idea of the exam pattern, important topics, difficulty level, and to improve time management.
CAT 2022 Question Paper | CAT 2021 Question Paper | CAT 2020 Question Paper |
CAT 2019 Question Paper | CAT 2018 Question Paper | CAT 2017 Question Paper |
CAT 2023 Admit Card will be released in the last week of October 2023 on the official website- iimcat.ac.in.
CAT 2023 is expected to be held in CBT mode in 400+ test centers located in 153+ test cities.
IIM will release CAT 2023 Answer Key 7-10 days after the conclusion of the exam. IIM will also release the response sheet for CAT 2023 exam along with the official answer sheet.
To check CAT 2023 Answer Key and Response Sheet, the step-by-step procedure is provided below:
IIM will release CAT 2023 Result in the first week of January 2024. CAT Result 2023 will be released online only on the official website of IIM CAT 2023. Candidates who take CAT 2023 have to use their user id and password to check the result.
To check CAT 2023 Result, you must follow the below-mentioned steps:
Qualifying CAT 2023 Cut off will be released by all IIMs for admission to 2024-26 MBA batch. It is mandatory to qualify both overall and sectional CAT cut offs to be eligible for participating in GD-PI rounds. Based on previous year cut off trends, the minimum qualifying cut off for top IIMs is tabulated below:
IIM | CAT Cut off DILR | CAT Cut off VARC | CAT Cut off QA | Overall CAT Cut off Percentile |
---|---|---|---|---|
IIM Bangalore | 75 | 80 | 75 | 85 |
IIM Ahmedabad | 70 | 70 | 70 | 80 |
IIM Lucknow | 85 | 85 | 85 | 90 |
IIM Kozhikode | 75 | 75 | 75 | 80 |
IIM Calcutta | 80 | 80 | 75 | 85 |
IIM Indore | 80 | 80 | 80 | 90 |
IIM Visakhapatnam | 70 | 70 | 70 | 80 |
IIM Nagpur | 72 | 72 | 72 | 85 |
IIM Amritsar | 75 | 75 | 80 | 85 |
IIM Rohtak | - | - | - | 95 |
IIM Shillong | 75 | 75 | 75 | - |
IIM CAP (Common Admission Process) counselling process is conducted by one of the 9 participating IIMs. The qualifying CAT Cut off for these IIMs is available below:
CAP Participating IIM | Overall CAT Cut off Percentile |
---|---|
IIM Udaipur | 92 |
IIM Sirmaur | 92 |
IIM Raipur | 92 |
IIM Kashipur | 92 |
IIM Ranchi | 92 |
IIM Trichy | 92 |
IIM Bodh Gaya | 92 |
IIM Jammu |
|
IIM Sambalpur |
|
Candidates must also check the list of top non-IIM colleges that accept CAT scores and their expected cut offs based on previous year trends.
Non-IIM College | CAT Cut-Off Percentile |
---|---|
Department of Management Studies (DMS), IIT Delhi | 98 |
IIT Madras | 96 |
IIT Kharagpur | 90 |
IIT Bombay | 98.5 |
IIT Kanpur | 95 |
FMS, Delhi | 98.54 |
Goa Institute of Management (GIM), Goa | 90 |
IBS, Hyderabad | 85 |
Institute of Management Technology, Nagpur | 50 |
Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies (JBIMS), Mumbai | 95 |
K. J. Somaiya Institute of Management Studies and Research (SIMSR), Mumbai | 90 |
Management Development Institute (MDI), Gurgaon | 97 |
National Institute of Industrial Engineering (NITIE), Mumbai | 97 |
National Institute of Technology (NIT Trichy) | 89.65 |
Prin. L. N. Welingkar Institute of Management Development & Research (WeSchool), Mumbai | 85 |
S.P. Jain Institute of Management and Research (SPJIMR), Mumbai | 85 |
Shailesh J. Mehta School of Management (SJMSOM), Mumbai | 97.5 |
T. A. Pai Management Institute (TAPMI), Manipal | 80 |
XIMB - Xavier University, Bhubaneswar | 80 |
Xavier Institute of Management & Entrepreneurship, Bangalore (XIME),Bangalore | 70 |
Also Check:
Ques. Who will conduct CAT 2023?
Ans. CAT 2023 will be conducted by one of the 6 top IIMs. Based on trends, it is very likely that CAT 2023 will be conducted by either IIM Lucknow or IIM Calcutta on the last Sunday of November 2023.
Ques. When should I start preparing for CAT 2023?
Ans. Ideally, 4-6 months are required to prepare for CAT 2023 depending on your previous attempts and level of knowledge. If you are preparing for the first time, then it is advised to start early. CAT 2023 will take place in the last week of November 2023, so you should start preparing from April or May 2023. If you have already prepared for CAT and other MBA exams previously, then 2-3 months will suffice, so you can begin preparation for CAT 2023 in July or August 2022.
Ques. How can I start CAT preparation for 2023?
Ans. You can start preparation for CAT 2023 by going through the syllabus and exam pattern of CAT. It is extremely important to start preparing with the topics that carry more weightage in the CAT exam syllabus. Candidates preparing for the first time may join a coaching institute for expert guidance. Solving CAT previous year question papers is a must to prepare for and score well in CAT exam.
Ques. How do I apply for CAT 2023?
Ans. To apply for CAT 2023, candidates have to visit the official IIM CAT 2023 website to fill the application form. The stepwise process to apply for CAT 2023 is provided here:
Ques. Is CAT Syllabus same every year?
Ans. CAT Syllabus remains the same every year with only a few variations in the weightage of topics. CAT Syllabus 2023 is divided into three sections- Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension, Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning, and Quantitative Aptitude.
Ques. When will CAT 2023 official notification be released?
Ans. CAT 2023 official notification will tentatively be released by the conducting IIM in the 4th week of July 2023.
Ques. Which IIM will conduct CAT 2023?
Ans. Every year 1 of the top 5 IIMs conducts CAT exam. In 2021, the exam was conducted by IIM Ahmedabad. CAT 2023 exam conducting IIM will be announced in the last week of May 2023.
Ques. Will CAT 2023 Application Forms be available offline?
Ans. No, CAT 2023 Application Forms will not be available via any offline mode. The entire registration process will be online on the official website- iimcat.ac.in.
Ques. Is there any negative marking in CAT exam?
Ans. Yes, there is a negative marking of 33% for MCQs, i.e. 1 mark is deducted for each wrong attempt. For TITA questions, there is no negative marking.
Ques. Will XLRI Jamshedpur accept CAT 2023 scores?
Ans. No, XLRI does not accept CAT scores for admission to its PGDM programs. Admission to XLRI Jamshedpur is only granted on the basis of XAT scores. However, CAT scores are accepted by 20 IIMs, 8 IITs, and 200+ other top MBA colleges.
Ques. Is there a form correction facility in CAT?
Ans. Yes, CAT form correction window will be open for 2-3 days after the closure of the registration window. Candidates will be able to edit the following details:
Ques. In which mode will CAT 2023 be conducted?
Ans. CAT 2023 exam will be conducted only in online CBT mode at 400+ test centers located in 150+ major cities in India. CAT exam is neither conducted in pen-paper mode nor internet-based test mode.
Ques. What is the minimum overall and sectional CAT cut offs for admission to IIM Ahmedabad?
Ans. Based on previous year trends, The qualifying CAT Cut off is expected to be 80 for the general category, 75 for NC-OBC, 70 for SC/ PwD, and 60 for ST. However, the final CAT cut off for MBA admission in IIM Ahmedabad is expected to be above 99 percentile.
Ques. Is there any age limit to take CAT exam?
Ans. No, there is no age limit to take CAT exam. However, you must have a bachelor’s degree in any discipline from a recognized university. Also, there is no limit on the number of attempts.
Ans. Before taking any decision, you must go through all three options that you have in great detail. There are a few reasons why you should not go for IIM-Kozhikode. First, the fees are extremely high, estimated to be around Rs 19.00 lakh. Second, the average package offered at IIMK is around 16-17L, and you will earn more than that after two years. But, once again, if you are desperate for an MBA, you can enroll in IIMK, which comes with the 'IIM' label, which will be very useful in the long run. Give CAT once more. You only need to get a high CAT score and then leave the rest up to their selection process. Second, CAT is extremely unpredictable. With proper preparation, you can achieve excellent results. So, if you're willing to work another year and are confident enough to take the CAT, this is the perfect way to take it. You should look into PGPX from ISB or elsewhere. This option is appealing, but it requires hard work and careful consideration. If you enjoy working in IT and want to advance quickly, this is the path to take. Read more
Ans. Every IIMS and other management colleges make a shortlist based on the percentile after CAT result is declared. With percentile, IIMs also consider other factors like academics, category, gender factor, diversity, etc. The list is made for the second round i.e. GD/PI or WAT/PI. GD/WAT will have a generic topic. There can be a topic from current affairs. PI is taken by some of the faculty and alumni of the institute. In institutes like FMS, there is an extempore after PI. After these rounds, a final shortlist is made with weightage given to GD/PI or WAT/PI performance and CAT percentile. Individual IIMs also have some additional factors. The offer letters are then sent out to top candidates in each category up to the maximum number of seats. The rest candidates are waitlisted. As students choose admissions, the waitlist continues to change. Read more
Ans. I know this decision is a bit difficult to make. What you need to keep in mind is that these two colleges should not be compared to other great IIMs or even ISBs. Those B Schools are at another level and cannot be on par with Kashipur or Raipur. To facilitate a better decision, I will mention the circumstances of these B Schools then you can choose after considering all options. IIM Indore and IIM Kashipur: Both these colleges are not worth a year drop as they will help you earn only an extra 1.5-2 LPA. Moreover, in the coming years, Kashipur and Raipur will have almost the same brand value as that Indore and Kozhikode. IIM Ahmedabad, Calcutta, Lucknow and Bangalore: All these top IIMs are definitely worth a year's drop provided that you are confident enough to cope with the cutoff. All these IIMs consider your academics while selecting so if that is your reason for the year drop I don’t think it will help. There is no surety of admission even after a percentile of 100. ISB: This one is at a whole different level and is in the category of elite B Schools like UCB, NYU, HBS, etc. The top-notch faculty offers amazing pedagogy at relatively low fees. CAT is sufficient for IIMs. But if you want to go for ISB, a work experience of 4+ years and a GMAT are a must. Read more
Ans. IIMs shortlists students for admission based on their CAT score. The second step of selection is GD-PI. For final selection, students are usually shortlisted based on their past academic performance, entrance examination score, and performance in GD-PI. IIMs also consider other factors such as work experience, gender diversity, academic diversity, etc. while shortlisting students. Weights given to these factors are different for different IIMs. Having relevant work experience can certainly help you get a shortlist. Read more
Ans. Everyone knows that IIM A values diversity over grades. There have been students who were not even waitlisted at IIM K but were at IIM A due to their extremely unique profiles. If you want to build a profile for IIM A, strive for originality. Do something that no one else is doing, such as starting a blog, having a strong digital presence on Instagram, writing on Quora, and so on. Consider what students with a 99 percentile typically do, such as being brilliant in academics and receiving a call from IIM Ahmedabad. Choose a domain in which these students are unlikely to excel and excel in that domain. Furthermore, activities such as writing a blog or hosting a YouTube channel will undoubtedly help you, in the long run, to secure summer and final placements during your MBA. As a result, you will gain valuable insights and hands-on experience with various social media tools such as SEO, SEM, Analytics, and so on. Read more
Ans. If you are aiming for old IIMs such as IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, IIM Calcutta, IIM Lucknow, you will need to score above 99 percentile in CAT. For IIMs and other top-tier B-Schools in India, the CAT cutoff stays above 90 percentile. If you have a good profile, and 99+ CAT score, you can expect to get calls from old IIMs, XLRI, JBIMS, IIFT, FMS, etc. Read more
Ans. Here are some of the things that you will realize after appearing for the CAT examination. Spend the first few minutes going over the papers before diving in. Browse through the problems and start with the ones that you know you can solve in one go. CAT prioritizes solving not sequence. If you aren’t sure about an answer, leave it. Concentrate on other problems. You shouldn’t spend more than 2-3 minutes on a single problem. Don’t use the elimination method, if you can solve the problem in less than 1 minute. Do rough work thoroughly. Don’t answer any questions, just by guessing. There will be a few lengthy questions. Try to ignore these. Even CAT toppers don’t score the full marks. CAT doesn’t test your knowledge. The only thing matters are how much you score. So, try to attempt as many questions as you can correctly. Read more
Ans. You need to practice a lot in order to be able to solve Quantitative Aptitude in the CAT examination. Quants involve using mathematical ability as well as imagination. You need to memorize some concepts as well as formulas. CAT syllabus for Quants includes a lot of topics that we have studied in 9th and 10th and only the application is different for topics such as PNC & Algebra, Numbers, etc. Most important topics in terms of weightage are as follows. Arithmetic Algebra Geometry Numbers P&C, Series, Log Several chapters are easy and can be completed in a short period of time. You should start your preparation with numbers, it is the base for the quants topics. Once you are a clear knowledge of the topics, start giving time-based mocks. Analyze the mocks and work on the common mistakes that you made. Read more
Ans. Yes, average students can crack CAT. Students who get through CAT at one go, have the right aptitude for CAT, which was built over time. They have been practicing Maths right from their school days and have been avid readers. If you are average at your studies, you need to spend a lot of time practicing, in order to score good percentile in CAT. Most students usually have gaps in Maths or DILR or English. You need to put in the extra hours to bridge the gap. Find out the subjects in which you are weak, clear the basics, and practice as much as you can. Read more
Ans. Take a look at the below table to know what CAT score will fetch what CAT percentile, for 2022. Percentile Score VA-RC Score DI-LR Score QA Overall Score 90% 29 1 26 72 95% 32 20 29 81 In 2021, for 90 percentile the required score was 59 and for 95 percentile the required score was 72. Read more
*The article might have information for the previous academic years, which will be updated soon subject to the notification issued by the University/College
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