CAT Exam Pattern: Updated Version

The Common Admission Test (CAT) is conducted annually by the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) on a rotation basis for granting admission to students in an array of MBA courses offered by top B-Schools of the country. Through the CAT score, you can apply to various institutes like the IIM, IIFT, MDI-Gurgaon, SPJIMR, BITS Pilani, etc. Due to the increase in the number of students appearing for the exam, the competition has become tougher. It thus has become more than important to prepare for the exam thoroughly by reading the best books for CAT. The first step to scoring a high percentile in CAT 2023 is to understand the exam pattern and the syllabus. In this blog, we will share the information related to the CAT exam pattern and syllabus. 

Full form	Common Admission Test
Conducting Body	IIM Lucknow (tentative)
Administrator	Indian Institute of Management
Eligibility	Bachelor’s degree with at least 50 % marks or equivalent CGPA 45% for reserved categories
Use Of CAT exam	To get admission into top business schools for pursuing MBA
Top MBA colleges accepting CAT score	20 IIM’S Faculty of Management Studies, University of Delhi S.P. Jain Institute of Management and Research International Management Institute Xavier Institute of Management IIT’S
Offered	Once a year
Fees	General category – Rs.1900 Reserved categories – Rs. 900
Official website	https://iimcat.ac.in/

Important Details

These are all the basics that you need to know about CAT exam 2023

Timing : Morning Slot	8.30 AM – 10:30 AM
Timing : Afternoon Slot	12:30 PM – 2:30 PM
Timing : Evening Slot	4:30 PM – 6:30 PM
Mode	Computer based Exam
Expected Marking Scheme	-1 for a wrong answer +3 for a correct answer No Negative marking for non MCQ questions
Sections	Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning Quantitative Aptitude
Total marks	198 Marks
Total duration	2 hours
No. Of Questions	66
Language of question paper	English

CAT Exam Pattern: Overall and Sectional Time Limit

The Indian Institute of Management, Indore has recently announced a change in the pattern of the CAT for the year 2023. The CAT exam will be of a total duration of 120 minutes, as opposed to the earlier duration of 180 minutes. The exams will be held in 3 slots instead of two, which are as follows:

• Morning session (8:30 AM – 10:30 AM)
• Afternoon session (12:30 PM – 2:30 PM)
• Evening session (4:30 PM – 6:30 PM)

The time allotted for each section in the revised CAT exam pattern is as follows:

CAT Sections	Time allotted
Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension(VRAC)	40 minutes
Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation(LRDI)	40 minutes
Quantitative Aptitude(QA)	40 minutes

To know more read our blog on – CAT undergoes major changes!

CAT Exam Pattern 2023

We have already given you the updated CAT 2023 exam pattern but here are the other key changes that have taken place. 

1. The duration of the exam has been reduced from three hours to two hours. 
2. The candidates can use the on-screen calculator for computational work
3. CAT 2023 is divided into three sections instead of two. With a time limit of 40 minutes for each section. 
4. You cannot switch between sections and there will be a fixed order of sections. You have to finish one section and move on to the next section after 40 minutes. 
5. Candidates can access the official mock test through the official CAT website, iimcat.ac.in

Key Changes in CAT Exam Pattern in 10 Years 

The CAT exam pattern is revised every year and changes are brought in accordingly. The changes vary in terms of duration, sections and even number of questions. For instance, till 2013 the number of questions was limited to 60. But since 2014, the number of questions has been raised to 100. Given below are the significant changes that have taken over time in the CAT exam pattern. 

Year	No. Of questions	Duration
2023	66	2 hrs
2022	66	2 hrs
2021	66	2 hrs
2020	100	2 hrs
2019	100	3 hrs
2018	100	3 hrs
2017	100	3 hrs
2016	100	3 hrs
2015	100	3 hrs
2014	100	2.5 hrs
2013	60	2.20 hrs

CAT Exam: Syllabus

Before understanding the CAT exam pattern, it is important to go through the syllabus. The primary objective of the CAT exam is to select the best minds out of a pool of candidates to grant admission into the top elite B-School of the country. For this, the Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension, Aptitude, and Logical Reasoning ability of the candidates are assessed. Given below is the detailed syllabus of the CAT exam: 

Verbal and Reading Comprehension

This section of the CAT exam pattern has witnessed many changes in the last 3 years. Generally, vocabulary topics are asked in the form of fill in the blanks are of High School standard. Referring to CAT 2023, the topics covered in this portion are: 

Reading Comprehension Grammar and Usage
Paragraph Summary Idioms and Phrases
Para jumble and Misfit Sentence Synonyms and Antonyms
Critical Reasoning Close Passage
Paragraph Completion Analogies and Reverse Analogies,

Also Read: CAT score vs percentile

Quantitative Aptitude

Considered as one of the toughest sections of all three, the Quantitative Aptitude portion needs a lot of practice to score well. The topics covered in this section of the CAT exam pattern have been tabulated below:  

Number System	LCM and HCF	Profit, Loss, and Discount related Questions	Permutation and Combination
Time, Work and, Distance	Mixtures and Alligations	Sequence and Series	Surds and Indices
Complex Number and Logarithms	Simple and Compound Interest	Coordinate Geometry and Mensuration	Ratio and Proportion
Quadratic Equation	Trigonometry	Averages	Linear Equations

Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning 

The Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning section of the CAT exam pattern forms an integral part of the test. The topics from which the questions are framed are as follows:

Number and Letter Series	Caselets	Graph and charts related questions(Line charts, pie charts, bar graphs)	Combinations and Venn diagram
Games and Tournaments	Calendars	Cubes, clocks	Binary Logics
Seating Arrangement	Syllogism	Logical Matching	Logical Sequences
Logical Connectives	Blood Relations	Tables	Column charts

CAT 2023 Preparation Tips

The following are the tips recommended to prepare for CAT 2023:

• Familiarize yourself with the updated exam pattern for CAT 2023
• Create a schedule to practice for the exam
• Practice a lot of sample paper and mock test
• Time yourself to check your efficiency
• Analyze your mistakes and work on them

Also Read: Best Books for CAT

FAQs

Hopefully, with this blog, you are now familiar with the CAT exam pattern and the syllabus. If you are preparing for any such competitive and need assistance then you can reach out to our study abroad experts at Leverage Edu. Our experienced professionals will help you with building a complete preparation strategy along with equipping you with the best tips and study material to ensure that you sail through your exam with flying colors.