CAT or the Common Admission Test is a computer-based test organized to offer students admission into graduate management programs. Originated by the Indian Institutes of Management or commonly referred to as the IIMs, the test is conducted every year by one of the IIMs based on a policy of rotation. 

Since 2012, colleges like Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have been using CAT scores instead of the Joint Management Entrance Test (or JMET) scores to enrol students in management programs. Check CAT 2019 Cutoff

CAT 2019 was conducted by IIM Kozhikode and the results were released on January 04, 2020. Out of 2,44,169 who applied for CAT exam, 2,09,926 candidates appeared and 21 candidates scored 99.99 percentile while 10 applicants scored a perfect hundred percentile. The overall scores for CAT exam are mainly based on marks obtained in each the of three sections i.e. Quantitative Ability (QA), Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation (LRDI). 

CAT 2019 Toppers List 

CAT 2019 results were announced on January 04, 2020. Out of almost 2,10,000 candidates who appeared in CAT exam, there were about 21 who managed to score 99.99 percentile . List of a few toppers along with their scores is mentioned below in a tabulated format - 

Going by the previous years’ trends it can be concluded that nearly 10 to 20 students will score a 100 percentile in CAT 2020 exam. 

Selection Process: 

IIM admission is based mainly on three factors which include - CAT score, WAT/GD-PI, Academic Record. The selection process includes three stages: 

1. Shortlisting of Candidates 

Candidates are selected on the basis of their CAT scores (also referred to as CAT cutoff) that is determined by each IIM individually for a particular year. Minimum cutoffs for IIMs generally reach over 90 percentile for General candidates, whereas cutoffs of newer IIMs range between 80-60 percentile (and quite lower for reserved category candidates) which means, those who will score above the required cutoff in CAT 2019 will be eligible for the group discussion - personal interview round. 

2. WAT/GD-PI Round

The second stage of the IIMs selection process includes Written Ability Test or WAT, Group Discussion (GD) and Personal Interview (PI). 

Written Ability Test - All candidates are asked to write a brief essay on one or more topics within 15-45 minutes.

Group Discussion - A group discussion is organized where 8-10 candidates are given a particular topic and are asked to discuss it. The GD round is conducted to check each candidate’s group dynamics.

Personal Interview - In this round, a candidate has to present themself before the panel of 4-8 interviewers. This is the final round to check the candidate’s educational qualifications, hobbies, interests and work experience while settling the selection phase with the panel finalising the candidate on the basis of their performance in this round.

3. Final Selection 

In this phase, the candidates are scored on the basis of their academic performance. The below-mentioned table shows the weightage (of IIM-B for 2019) for each parameter on which candidates are selected:

On the basis of their CAT percentile, candidates are shortlisted for WAT/GD-PI processes. 

Preparation Tips from Toppers: 

CAT 2020 is expected to be held in November 2020. With more than 2,50,000 students supposedly applying this year for the CAT exam, the chances of getting into the country’s most prestigious B-schools is quite tough. So, let’s hear it from the toppers about their journey to the gates of IIM and IIT.

CAT Topper Shiva Garg (overall percentile 99.36) tells us how to crack CAT without any coaching:

When asked about his preparations, he said that he started preparing for CAT exam prior to the date of registration i.e. from August 2019 and also feels that two to three months of preparation is enough to acquire a good score in CAT as all the questions are asked from class 10th level. 

• He started his preparations by reading a lot of novels and newspapers. 

• From September, he started to appear for mock tests because he believes that you can never be sure of your knowledge until and unless you are properly tested. 

• He would appear for 2 to 3 mock tests a week and that helped him a lot in his preparations.

Moreover, since he had a full time job, it was not possible for him to join any coaching institution. Hence, he had to manage all by himself. He did so by carefully dividing his time between job and self-study. 

CAT Topper Ronit Banerjea (overall percentile 99.80) shares his examination strategies for future students:

Ronit Banerjea is an alumnus of IIT Kharagpur. He says that in order to score well in CAT, you need to have a very good preparation strategy of your own instead of blindly following what others are doing. 

• You need to know what your weak points are and you should start to tackle them properly. 

• Just like your weak points you should have an idea about your strong points as well. Being an engineering student, he had an inclination for maths and so he started his preparations with maths. 

• He spent a lot of time on applying various shortcut methods in solving the sums. 

These tricks not only saved a lot of time but also gave accurate results. He also appeared for regular mock tests which gave him an idea about the relevant questions for CAT 2019.

CAT Topper 2019 Somansh Chordia ( overall percentile 100) shares his section-wise strategy for with us: 

• He says that VARC was his weakness. So, he would practice a lot of questions from that section to understand his flaws. This gave him a lot of motivation. 

• LRDI was not a very difficult section for him because he had been solving similar puzzles and problems for a long time. He also states that the key to scoring good marks in LRDI was practicing regularly. 

• The QA section requires a lot of memorizing. There are certain formulas that you need to remember in order to solve the question. Also, being trained in Abacus has helped him a lot as he could solve the questions in a very short duration of time.

He also analyzed the difficulty level of the questions so that the question paper did not surprise him.

CAT Topper Rahul Manglik (overall percentile 99.99) shares his last moment exam preparation tips with us :

Rahul Manglik says that his examination day was just like any other day. The night before the examination, he made it a point to sleep for 8 continuous hours so that he was not over-stressed. He ate properly and kept himself fit and fine so that he could put his hundred per cent focus on the examination. He also made sure that he read the questions very well before attempting it.

CAT Topper Lakshya Kumar ( overall percentile 99.99) shares his time management strategies with us:

Lakshya says that CAT isn't just about preparing for the three sections. Instead, it is more about preparing for the sections and being able to attempt all the questions within three hours. 

• He says that the comprehension should be completed within 30 minutes and the verbal ability section should not take more than 20 minutes. 

• For the reasoning section, first, it is better to read the questions properly and analyse the difficulty level. In case you are not able to understand the approach of a question within 1 or 2 minutes, then it is better to skip that question and try to attend the remaining questions. 

The rule, he says, is to attend the questions in the same order they appear in the question paper because at the end you may not have the time to review the questions which you have earlier left.

Preparation tips for CAT 2020 aspirants:

• Understanding the question pattern: If you wish to get a very high score in CAT, then it is important for you to understand the question paper. You should be well accustomed to the type of questions that are asked in the question paper and allot a fixed time for each section. Otherwise, on the day of the examination, you will be confused and won't be able to solve the paper with full efficiency.
• Know your strengths and weaknesses: In order to prosper in any examination, it is very important for you to be aware of your strengths and weaknesses so that you can brush up your strengths and work on your weaknesses. If you are comfortable doing a particular section, then make sure that you attempt that section first. Also, make sure not to spend too much time on a particular question.
• Practice, practice and practice: The key to getting a very good score in CAT is extensive practice. With practice, you will be able to increase your accuracy as well as your speed. At least spend two hours a day on your preparations. This will greatly help you to score well in the examination.
• Go for mock tests: It is very important to attempt mock tests prior to the examination. This will help you to get accustomed to the question paper pattern. Also, you have an understanding of the type of questions that will be asked during the examination.