Everything You Need to Know About CAT Exam 2022

For students willing to enter the management domain, CAT or Common Aptitude Test tops the list of popular management exams. Conducted by the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), CAT continues to be a highly recognised competitive exam for MBA aspirants. Every year, more than 3 lakh students prepare to sit for the CAT examination which makes it a tough nut to crack. As a matter of fact, apart from 20 IIMs, the CAT score is accepted by more than 100 Business Schools in India. Before you start preparing for the CAT Exam 2022, it is crucial for you to know all the details of the examination from eligibility to important dates, syllabus as well as the selection process. So, we have come up with a comprehensive guide to critically analyse the CAT Exam.

Particulars	Details
Exam	CAT or Common Admission Test
Conducted By	To be announced
Level of Exam	National
Syllabus	Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC); Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning; Quantitative Ability (QA)
Pattern of Exam	Computer Based Test with MCQs and Non-MCQs
No. of Exam Cities	156
Frequency of Exam	Once a year
Date of Exam	November 27, 2022 (Tentative)
Fees	General: INR 2,200 SC/ST/OBC: INR 1,100
Eligibility	Graduate with 50% marks (general) and 45% marks (SC/ST students)
Course Offered	MBA/PGDM
Official Website	https://iimcat.ac.in

Important Dates for CAT Exam 2022

While planning to clear one of the leading exams in the country, candidates need to have a well-structured plan to support their vision. Knowing all the CAT Exam 2022 important dates will help students in formulating their plan of action.

Event	Date
CAT Exam 2022 Notification Releases	Last week of July 2022
CAT Exam 2022 Registration Begins	First week of August 2022
CAT Exam 2022 Registration Closes	Third week of September 2022
CAT Exam 2022 Admit Card	Last Week of October 2022
CAT Exam 2022	27th November 2022 (Tentative)
CAT Exam 2022 Answer Key Releases	Last Week of November 2022
CAT Exam 2022 Result	First Week of January 2023

CAT Exam 2022: Exam Centre Guidelines Related to COVID 19

To successfully conduct the CAT examination and to avoid any sort of overcrowding at the exam centres, official authorities of IIM Indore announced that the CAT exam for the year 2021 will be conducted in more than 425 test centres due to the current situation of a pandemic.

Pertaining to the situation of COVID and keeping in mind the fact that physical distancing is necessary, the official authorities have decided to conduct exams in three shifts, such as 10:30 am to 12:30 pm, 12:30 pm to 2:30 pm and 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm. Apart from this, the other major guidelines that candidates have to follow are-

• The most important guideline that candidates must follow is that they shall definitely have an identity proof at the entry gates such as driving licence Aadhar card ration card passport PAN card, etc
• It is mandatory for candidates to maintain social distancing from each other at the point of entry and exit of the test centre.
• Candidates shall bring their own face mask, hand sanitizer, gloves and transparent water bottle.
• The body temperature of the candidates will be checked through thermo gun at the entry point of test centres and only the candidates below the qualifying body temperature will be allowed to enter the premises. 
• It is essential for candidates to sign a declaration and then show it to the test centre staff at the gate to enter the exam centre.
• Any applicant with symptoms like cough fever and cold will be made to sit in a separate room by adopting adequate safety measures
• Any other additional guidelines provided by the CAT test centre must be followed by the candidates. 
• At the registration desk, it will be compulsory for students to sanitize their hands and further the photograph will be captured as a part of the registration process. 
• During the entire exam, candidates will be under the surveillance of CCTV
• It is important to note that no piece of jewellery, high heels or shoes will be allowed inside the exam centre.

Eligibility

Below mentioned are the key eligibility requirements for CAT Exam 2022:

• The candidate should have a bachelor’s degree in any field from a recognized or accredited university. 
• It is necessary to have an overall percentage of at least 50% or equivalent to apply for the CAT Exam. However, students belonging to SC, ST and PWD categories get a concession of 5%, making the mandatory percentage 45% or equivalent. 
• Students who are currently in the final year of graduation can also apply for CAT Exam. 

CAT Exam Pattern 2022

As per the latest pattern of CAT Exam 2022, the paper is divided into three main sections – Quantitative Ability, Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension and Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning. Candidates get 40 minutes to complete each section. To have a better idea about the number of questions and associated time for the same you can refer to the table given below.

Sections	Number of Questions	Time in Minutes
Quantitative Ability	22	40
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning	20	40
Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension	24	40
Total	66	120

Section-wise CAT Exam Pattern 2022

It is expected that CAT Exam 2022 will likely follow the CAT Exam 2021 section-wise exam pattern:

Sections	Total Questions	MCQs	Non-MCQs
Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC)	24	19	5
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR)	20	15	5
Quantitative Aptitude (QA)	22	14	8
Total	66	48	18

Note: There is no negative marking of 1 mark for every wrong answer and every correct answer is of 3 marks each. Please note that there was no negative marking for Non-MCQs.

How to Prepare for Competitive Exams?

Syllabus for CAT 2022 Preparation

The CAT Exam comprises 3 broad sections with each of them explained below:

1. Quantitative Aptitude (QA)

The QA section contains questions related to basic mathematics with a 10+2 level of difficulty. Fundamental topics of mathematics like Arithmetics, Geometry, Percentage, Average, Ratio & Proportion, Simple Equations, Word Problems, Quadratic Equations, etc are a part of the QA section of the CAT Exam. Most of the questions asked in CAT are application-based.

2. Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR)

The DILR section comprises questions based on the given data which can be in the form of tables, graphs, pictographs, charts or tables. Candidates have to study the given data and answer the given questions accordingly. The logical Reasoning section, on the other hand, includes questions from topics like Network Problems, Seating Arrangement, Ranking and Order, Venn Diagrams, Problems on Cube, etc.

3. Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC)

The section of Verbal Ability in CAT Exam contains questions related to the usage of English Grammar. Problems related to the Cloze test, arranging paragraphs, completion of a paragraph using suitable words, synonyms, antonyms, word meaning, etc are covered in this particular section. Reading comprehensions are also part of the VARC section. 

Marking Scheme

It is important to note that for every correct answer, plus three is awarded to the candidate, whereas for a wrong answer there is a deduction of 1 mark. Based on that, the total marks for each section are explained below:

Section	Total Marks
Quantitative Ability	102
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning	96
Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension	102
Total Marks	300

Application Fee 

While applying for CAT Exam, candidates have to pay a fee to submit their application successfully. Payment for the same can be made online through Debit Card, Net Banking and Credit Card facilities. The application fee amount is described below:

• General: INR 2,200
• Reserved: INR 1,100

Selection Process

Based on how a candidate performs in the CAT Exam, a percentile and a score is assigned to them after which the process of selection to your dream business school begins. Here’s a stepwise guide to run you through the selection process of popular business schools in India: 

Step 1: The first step for all candidates is to prepare for the CAT Exam 2022 and secure the highest marks in their potential. After the evaluation of all answer keys, cutoffs are prepared by B-Schools. Candidates meeting set cutoffs are eligible to sit for the next round which would be conducted by that particular B-School. 

Step 2: This includes Group Discussion and Written Ability Test and only those candidates meeting the cutoff for a particular college would be participating in these rounds.

Step 3: The final round for the CAT selection process is a Personnel Interview in which candidates are evaluated on the basis of knowledge, common sense, communication skills, speaking abilities, etc. 

Step 4: After the completion of all the rounds, candidates are given certain scores on the basis of which the counselling process is conducted for the commencement of seat allocation. The following parameters are also considered while formulating an overall score for a candidate: 

– Class 10th Percentage 
– Class 12th Percentage 
– Graduation Percentage 
– Work Experience 

CAT Exam 2021 Cut Off

Every year institutions announce their CAT cut off according to which the candidates can apply to the institution they fall under. All the institutions whether private or government, release their cut off list. Tabulated below are the expected cut off for CAT 2022 of a few IIM- 

IIM Ahmedabad (Tentative)

Category	VARC	DL & LR	QA	Aggregate
General	70	70	70	80
NC-OBC-cum-Transgender	65	65	65	75
SC	60	60	60	70
ST	50	50	50	60
PWD (General, SC, NC-cum-Transgender, SC)	60	60	60	70
PWD (ST)	50	50	50	60

IIM Bangalore (Tentative)

Category	VARC	DL & LR	QA	Aggregate
General	80	75	75	85
NC-OBC-cum-Transgender	70	65	65	75
SC	70	65	65	75
ST	65	60	60	70
PWD (General, SC, NC-cum-Transgender, SC)	55	55	55	65
PWD (ST)	50	50	50	60

IIM Calcutta (Tentative)

Category	VARC	DL & LR	QA	Aggregate
General	75	80	80	85
NC-OBC-cum-Transgender	65	65	70	75
SC	65	65	70	75
ST	60	60	65	70
PWD (General, SC, NC-cum-Transgender, SC)	55	55	55	65
PWD (ST)	55	55	55	65

Tentative cut off of various colleges and universities across India-

Institutes	Expected CAT 2022 cutoff (Percentile)
Department of Management Studies, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi	98+
Faculty of Management Studies, University of Delhi	98.20
Shailesh J Mehta School of Management, Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay	99+
Management Development Institute, Gurgaon	95+
Department of Management Studies, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras	95+
Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar	90+
S P Jain Institute of Management and Research, Mumbai	85+

Tips to Crack CAT Exam 2022 

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CAT is considered to be one of the toughest exams in India, hence, one must put their best foot forward in order to crack CAT 2022. If you also aspire to attain a reputable management degree from one of the top colleges in India, here are some efficient tips and tricks which will help you ace the CAT examination- 

• Start your preparation as early as possible and vote ample time in it. End moment preparation is of no good use and may lead to utter confusion. 
• You must begin by analysing the CAT syllabus. Jot down the syllabus of every section as well as what all concepts are covered under each section through this you will easily get familiar with the concepts that you have to study.
• Approach every section with level 0. Yes, you must begin your preparation for CAT from scratch. Begin by forming your base on every topic and do not rush at the step. 
• Make notes and formula sheets for all the sections so that you can quickly revise them even if you are not studying 
• Out of all the Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning section is considered to be the toughest one, hence, take your time with the section and practice as many questions as you can.  
• Do not forget to go through the sample papers as well as previous years question paper which will help you have an idea about the upcoming question paper. 

FAQs

Hence, we hope that we cleared all your doubts regarding the CAT Exam 2022. If you are planning to appear for a competitive exam, our Leverage Edu mentors can guide you throughout the preparation process thus helping you ace the test and get successfully shortlisted into your dream university.