CAT 2019 Registration (Extended), Eligibility, Syllabus (pdf), Result and Cut off

CAT 2019 Registration deadline has been extended till September 25, 2019. Application Process for CAT commenced on August 7, 2019 at iimcat.ac.in. CAT 2019 will be conducted by IIM Kozhikode on November 24, 2019. Apply Now

• IIM Kozhikode has released CAT 2019 notification on July 28, 2019 .   
• This year, the exam will be conducted in 156 test cities across the country instead of 147 cities.
• CAT Result will be released in the second week of January 2020. 
• Percentile Score Calculation process has been released by IIM Kozhikode for CAT 2019. Read More
• In 2018, over 2.41 lakh candidates competed for 12,411 seats with 11 students scoring 100 percentile. Check CAT Cut off
• Graduates with a minimum of 50% marks can apply for CAT. Know About  CAT Reservation

Official Link to Apply Online for CAT 2019

Common Admission Test or popularly recognized as CAT is the most extensive MBA entrance test leading to admission in top MBA colleges of India. It opens the gates for the top 20 IIMs and an approximate number of 1000 business management schools in India. CAT made its entry in international acceptance when Singapore Management University in 2017 declared CAT score valid for admissions into their business programs.​ Download CAT 2019 Syllabus pdf​

With CAT 2019 just three months away from now, the focus of aspirants should be on taking Mock Test regularly. A Mock Test is like a practice test on the same lines of main exam which help the candidates evaluate their preparation and focus on topics they need to work hard on. Check Exclusive CAT 2019 Model Paper by Collegedunia

About CAT 2020: Common Admission Test or popularly recoginized as CAT is the most popular management entrance exam of the country. It is the gateway to 23 IIMs and other top B-schools. CAT is conducted every year by one of the older IIMs on a rotational basis. Read More

CAT 2019 Highlights

Check  Courses Offered through CAT

CAT 2019 Important Dates

CAT 2019 Eligibility

Candidates planning to take the exam must fulfill CAT Eligibility Criteria prescribed by the exam conducting body. The eligibility criteria for CAT 2019 is given below:

• There is be no age restriction for taking the CAT 2019 examination.
• Candidates must hold a Bachelor's Degree with at least 50% marks or equivalent CGPA (45% marks for SC/ST/PWD categories).
• Candidates, who possess an equivalent examination recognized by the MHRD, Government of India (including AMICE of the Institution of Civil Engineers (India) as an equivalent qualification) can also apply.
• Candidates appearing in final year exam of Bachelor’s degree or waiting for their result are also eligible for CAT exam. 

Difference between CAT and IIM Eligibility

The overall eligibility criteria are the same except, you are allowed to appear in CAT 2019 exam with two years of graduation in the old system, but you are not allowed to pursue the management course at IIMs unless you have completed graduation degree with a minimum duration of three years.

CAT 2019 Application Form

CAT 2019 Application Form has been made available at the official website from August 7, 2019. Candidates will be required to fill up general details like personal information and academic qualifications in the application form. The forms can be filled via online mode only on the official website, i.e., iimcat.ac.in. CAT 2019 registration last date is September 25, 2019. Check Photosize, Signature & other details

CAT 2019 Registration consists of 3 steps which are given below:

• Register by providing necessary details to get the candidate’s user ID and Password.
• Fill the CAT 2019 Application Form and upload the required documents.
• The final step is payment of CAT 2019 Application Fee before final submission of the online application form.

CAT Statistics: Applied vs Appeared Candidates

How to Fill CAT 2019 Application Form?

Candidates must maintain a valid and unique email account and mobile number for the entire selection process. Below given are the guidelines to apply for the exam:

1. Visit the CAT 2019 official website and click on ‘Registration for New User.’
2. Registration form will appear to create the user profile.
3. Enter personal details like name, date of birth and contact details- valid mobile number and email ID.
4. Candidates will have to verify their mobile number through OTP.
5. Once the OTP is verified, candidates will receive an email containing their User ID and Password. The same will also be sent on the registered mobile number.
6. Login using these credentials to proceed with the application process.

CAT 2019 Admit Card

CAT 2019 Admit Card will be issued for the applicants who have successfully registered themselves for the exam. The admit card can be downloaded from CAT 2019 official website. The governing body will not send hard copies of the hall ticket by post.

• Admit Card must be retained till the time of admission and counselling, duly signed by the exam supervisor.
• The details about the individual such as his name, roll number, date of birth, time slot and exam center allotted along with the address will be printed on the hall ticket.
• It is a necessary document for taking the entrance exam without which, no individual will be permitted into the exam hall.

Steps to download CAT 2019 Admit Card are given below:

1. Login to CAT 2019 official website.
2. Login using the User ID and Password.
3. Click on ‘Download Admit Card’ to access the hall ticket.
4. Admit card will appear. Cross-check all the details and take at least two printed copies of the hall ticket.

CAT 2019 Exam Centers

• CAT 2019 will be conducted in 156 exam centers across the country.
• Participants will be allowed to choose four cities for the online entrance test as their preferred exam center.
• They should exercise their choices in the application form according to their convenience.
• The governing authority will allot a center to the individuals, and the venue of the center will be mentioned in the admit card.

Note: Applicants can choose a maximum of 4 exam centers as per their preferred choice from the dropdown menu. CAT exam centers are allotted after registration. It is to be noted that candidates will be allotted the exam center as per their preferred choice but they cannot select the session as per their preference.

Below mentioned are CAT Exam Centers that students must know before applying for the exam.

CAT 2019 Exam Pattern

Candidates must check the CAT Exam Pattern before appearing in the exam so that they can perform well. Below given are the major highlights of CAT exam pattern. 

• CAT Exam Mode – Online
• Number of Sessions  – Two (Morning and Evening)
• Type of Questions – MCQs and Non – MCQs
• Total Number of Questions – 100
• Marking Scheme – +3 for Correct Answers and -1 for Wrong Answers

Check Related News: CAT 2019 Exam Pattern, Marking Scheme and Syllabus

Changes in CAT Exam Pattern Over Years

Candidates planning to crack CAT 2019 must keep themselves with the latest changes in syllabus and paper pattern. Past years there were many changes in CAT exam pattern. Below tabulated are the trending changes in CAT Exam Pattern over the years. 

CAT 2019 Syllabus

Candidates preparing for CAT exam must have a clear idea about the syllabus of the same. The detailed CAT 2019 Syllabus is given below:

Download CAT 2019 Syllabus Pdf

How to Prepare for CAT 2019?

Right preparation strategy at the right time will bring glories to you. With the help of the most recommended and reliable books in the market, candidates can ace the exam. These books are a great source to revise the whole of the CAT 2019 Syllabus, as well as they,  offer sets of most important questions. कैट तैयारी के टिप्स हिंदी में जानिए

Apart from books, there are multiple sources like online youtube tutorials, online study material, etc that candidates may consider.

Candidates often get confused with regard to the appropriate CAT Books or study material to refer to. They look for the material which the toppers have approved of. This is bound to happen since their no dearth of CAT Preparation Books in the market. Given below are some of the Best Books for CAT Preparation 2019:

Click Here About CAT Preparation Tips For Working Professionals

Toppers Preparation Strategy for CAT 2019

Candidates appearing in CAT 2019 can consider the preparation strategy of the previous year toppers as these are the applied and tested ways to crack CAT. Below given is the list of few toppers of CAT 2018 and their mantras to crack CAT. 

Amit Bikram: Mumbai boy Amit Bikram scored 100 percentile in CAT 2018. In his interview, Amit revealed his mantras to ace CAT exam. He told that he started his preparation 4 months prior to the exam. He kept on taking CAT Mock Tests to analyze his weaker areas and tried to improve in it. According to Amit:

• 4 months are enough to revise and brush up all major areas for CAT exam.
• Take need-based coaching, rely on self-study.
• Make your own preparation plan, do not follow others. 
• Do not believe in short-cuts, practice a lot.
• Go through all the formulae of QA before the exam day. 

Check How to Prepare Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning for CAT?

Niranjan Prasad: Niranjan Prasad from Udupi scored 100 percentile in CAT 2018. Subject knowledge and time management are the two main focussed areas during the preparation. Read on Niranjan Success Mantra:

• Self-study is most important. 
• For VARC, Arun Sharma is the best book for preparation. 
• First, work on your weaker areas and keep on improving it until you improve it.
• Use time efficiency while preparing for the exam as it plays a major role. 4 hours of smart work is more important than twelve hours of hard work. 

Raunak Majumdar: Another 100 percentile scorer of CAT 2018 is a graduate from IIT Kanpur. Raunank’s major tool was Mock Test. He took 35-37 mock tests before the exam. Raunak says:

• Time management plays a major role.
• Attempt easy question first and then move forward to maintain speed and accuracy. 
• Test series are beneficial than full-time coaching, as these test series helps in analyzing the shortcomings. 

Check Top 5 CAT Coaching Centers in Hyderabad

CAT Mock Test

The exam conducting body will release CAT Mock tests in the month of October for a better understanding of the CAT question paper. With the available free mock test, candidates will get an idea about how to navigate through the question paper while attempting the exam to score better. The habit of solving at least 5 quizzes will help the candidate to hold a tight grip on their preparation. Below given are the steps that candidates must follow to access the official mock test.

1. Click on the link stating- CAT 2019 Mock Test Link available at iimcat.ac.in.
2. Sign in using registration number and password.
3. Press F11 to read the general instructions.
4. Click on “Next” to read the instructions.
5. Then click on the disclaimer checkbox on “Other Important Instructions for the candidates.
6. Click on “I am ready to begin” to begin the mock test.

Note: There is a separate link of Mock Test for PwD candidates which can be accessed by following the same procedure as mentioned above.

Apart from official Mock Tests, given below are some CAT quizzes for different sections which are prepared for the thorough practice of the CAT aspirants. 

Top MBA Coachings in India

There are various CAT Coaching Centers in India offering online as well as offline preparations. Coaching Centers like Career Launcher, T.I.M.E., and IMS Learning Centre are located at almost every major cities across the country. Below given are the top 5 coaching institutes in India.

Apart from the coachings mentioned above, there are various other coaching institutes which CAT aspirants may consider.

Also Check CAT Coachings in Hyderabad

CAT Previous Year Paper Analysis

IIM Calcutta conducted CAT 2018. More than 2 lakhs candidates appeared in the exam. The difficulty level of the exam was moderately tough. Based on the CAT aspirants and academic experts, VARC section was difficult, whereas the QA was easy. Below given are the previous year exam analysis and the distribution of questions in each section to give an idea about the exam to the candidates. 

Read Detailed CAT Previous Year Paper Analysis

The general pattern of the CAT is to balance the section-wise difficulty of the exam. For example, if the difficulty of one particular section is ‘Moderate’, then the other sections will be comparatively tough while the third section will be easier. Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension

• The first section was VARC with 34 questions in total, out of which 7 were Non-MCQs.
• The passages were of around 500 words in CAT 2018 as compared to 800 words in 2017.
• Total Reading Comprehension based questions were 24.
• The topics of RC passages were: Genetics, Second World War, Plastic Pollution, Elephant society, and Consumer Behaviour.
• Passages had inference based questions also.

Data Interpretation & Logical reasoning

• DILR was the toughest section.
• Scaled score from this section was comparatively low.
• A general attempt of 12 questions out of 32 was good enough to ensure a sectional percentile of 90+.
• Topics with Moderate difficulty: Boss Diagram, Institute Accreditation, and Set Theory.
• Easy questions: Arrangement, Market share, and more

Quantitative Aptitude

• QA section was the toughest section for the year.
• This particular section had 12 non-MCQs.
• he questions were calculation oriented.
• ]Questions from Geometry, Algebra and arithmetic were the toughest.
• The questions from Number system and modern math were moderate in difficulty.

CAT Rank Predictor

CAT Rank Predictor is an online tool by collegedunia.com. Candidates who have appeared in CAT exam can use the rank predictor to analyze the exam result before the actual results are out. 

• The tool determines the predicted ranks based on their respective percentile. 
• Based on the analysis candidates can choose the best colleges in which they can get into. 

CAT 2019 Result

CAT 2019 Result will be declared on January 7, 2020 in the form of a scorecard at the official website. Scorecards will contain the sectional and overall marks and percentile obtained by individuals in the exam. It is valid for only this academic year.

The results can be checked by following these few steps:

1. Log on to the official website of CAT.
2. Select the option of ‘Download Scorecard’.
3. Enter your User ID and Password to know your CAT Result.
4. On your account’s page, you can download the scorecard.
5. Download the result and take a print out copies for future reference.

CAT 2019 Normalisation Process

CAT Normalisation Process is done to maintain equality and fairness in the comparison of the performance of CAT aspirants. Through the process, students are scaled based on location, scale differences, test slots, etc. The scaled score will be then converted into a percentile score for further shortlisting process. 

Also Read CAT Score Calculation

CAT 2019 Cut Off

The cutoff for CAT exam depends on various factors like the total number of applicants, the difficulty level of exam, seats available and previous years’ cutoff. Each IIM will announce its cutoff for shortlisting candidates for the selection process separately. 

Candidates must clear sectional and overall cutoff to be eligible for the subsequent rounds. The overall cutoff for IIMs usually falls between 90-99 percentile.

The top 3 IIMs- Ahmedabad, Bangalore and Calcutta have a cut off over 99 percentile. The cutoff for other top business schools like FMS, JBIMS, and SPIJMR is over 95 percentile. The expected CAT Cutoff for top management colleges are-

Check Related News:

• FMS Delhi Admission Procedure through CAT 2019
• Courses Offered Through CAT
• IIM Ahmedabad CAT Cutoff and Admission Criteria 2019

CAT Selection Process

The CAT selection process was updated in 2015 for newer IIMs. 10 out of 20 IIMs still adhere to the traditional selection process i.e. GD, WTA, and PI rounds. While 10 IIMs are opting for the new process, this year. The new process also called Common Admission Process (CAP) will be conducted by IIM Ranchi. IIM Kozhikode is responsible for conducting the CAT exam throughout the country. Important Dates for CAP, 2019

Selection Process for a CAT 2019 Each year, one of the 20 IIMs organize a nationwide Common Admission Test (CAT) for admission to an MBA programme. IIM, Kozhikode is organizing the exam for the year 2019. There are two different selection processes a traditional process and a new process. The basic differences between both the process are tabulated below:

CAT Selection Process: Written Test, GD or Written Ability Test, and Personal Interview 

1. Written Test

The written test is divided into three main sections, with a total of 100 questions to be attempted in a duration of 3 hours.

The official mock test for 2019 will be released by IIM, Kozhikode. The average cut off for most of the IIMs would range from 95-99%. To know more about calculating %ile score and the section-wise cut-off, please click here.

2. GD or Written Ability Test

Only those candidates will make it to the second round who have cleared the cut-off of the written test. IIMs and other top B-Schools will be calling the applicants, inviting them for the next step.

• The next step of the process varies across the institute. Some of the institute like IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Lucknow, etc. will conduct both GD and WAT, along with PI.

• While some of the other institutes will directly conduct the Written Test.
• For Group discussion (GD), candidates are divided into a group of 8-10 each. The purpose of GD is to check your thought process and teamwork abilities.
• For written ability test (WAT) you will be given 15-45 minutes depending upon the respective IIM. 

The general purpose of each process is tabulated below:

3. Personal Interview 

The Personal Interview round or simply PI round holds a weightage of around 30-40% of the entire process. Candidates usually face a panel of 2-4 interviewers. 

While preparing a final cut-off for the admissions, IIMs considers the following factors:

• Overall CAT score
• Academic Qualification (from Xth standard onwards)
• Overall work experience
• Extra-curricular activities
• Academic Diversity (Preference to non-B.tech graduates over B. Tech graduates)
• Gender Diversity (Preference to girls over boys)

Note: The weightage for each of these factors varies with the institute.  

Common Admission Process for CAT 2019

Common Admission Process (CAP) is the latest process used to organize common counselling sessions for IIMs. Although counselling is common, every IIM releases their individual CAT cut off. The only difference in the traditional selection process and CAP is that this new process doesn’t have a Group Discussion round. 

Most of the B-Schools participating in CAP are either third-generation IIMs or are smaller in scale as compared to their fellow IIMs. IIMs participating in the Common Admission Process are listed below:

1. IIM Kashipur
2. IIM Raipur
3. IIM Ranchi
4. IIM Rohtak
5. IIM Trichy
6. IIM Udaipur
7. IIM Bodh Gaya
8. IIM Sambalpur
9. IIM Sirmaur
10. IIM Jammu

How the Common Admission Process works:

The step-wise methodology of the common admission process is explained below: The IIMs prepares an individual merit list and invite the candidates for a process called, Personal Appearance (PA). PA involves a Written Ability Test (WAT) and a personal interview (PI). 

The steps involved in the Common Admission Process (CAP) are as follows:

1. All the participating IIMs will prepare their individual short-list and send it to the CAP, coordinator for 2019: IIM, Ranchi.
2. IIM, Ranchi will prepare a final shortlist for CAP, 2019 calls.
3. The candidates will confirm their availability for common counselling.
4. Candidates will appear for the CAP process and attempt WAT and PI.
5. IIM, Ranchi will send the CAP scores to respective IIMs.
6. All IIMs will then prepare their final admission list.

The CAP 2019 will be held at Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai, Bengaluru, and Kolkata. It is expected that around 14,000 students will be shortlisted for the first CAP merit list. Many students are expected to receive multiple calls as many of the students will be clearing the eligibility for multiple IIMs.

Non-IIMs Accepting CAT Score

IIMs are the dream destination for every CAT aspirants, however, if a candidate fails in getting a seat there, they need not worry. There are many other top B-schools which accept CAT score. These institutes have their own benchmark. Given below are few of the best colleges in which candidates can take admission through CAT score.  

• Faculty of Management Studies (FMS Delhi)
• Department of Management Studies, IIT Delhi
• Shailesh J. Mehta School of Management, SOM, IIT Bombay
• Department of Management Studies, IIT Madras
• Management Development Institute, Gurgaon
• SP Jain Institute of Management and Research (SPJIMR), Mumbai
• Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar (XIMB)
• Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad
• National Institute of Industrial Engineering (NITIE)
• T.A. Pai Management Institute (TAPMI), Manipal
• Loyola Institute of Business Administration (LIBA), Chennai

Check MBA Colleges Accepting CAT Score

CAT 2019 - Do’s and Don’t

Do’s for the candidates

• Bring CAT Admit Cards along with a valid ID proof.
• Use the Google map link embedded on the electronic version of the Admit card to locate the Test Centre.
• Report at the Test center at 7:30 a.m. IST for the Forenoon Session and at 1:00 p.m. IST for the Afternoon Session.
• Deposit all personal belongings such as mobile phones, bags, wallets, Jackets, Jewellery, watch, electronic gadgets, stationery items, etc. at the Test Centre Entrance Gate.
• Return Writing Pad with all pages intact and Pen post the Exam to the Invigilator
• Provide your attendance in the Form with signature when asked for in the exam Lab.
• Post the Exam, handover Admit Card duly signed to Invigilatorpresent in the Exam Lab.

Don’ts for the candidates

• Don’t appear for CAT 2019 more than once.
• Do not carry any prohibited object like electronic gadgets etc. to the exam hall.
• Do not attempt to cheat during the exam.
• Do not request for a change in Exam Centre/ Exam Lab/ Console on the exam day.
• Avoid wearing jewelry, jackets, and footwear inside the exam hall.
• Mobile phones, Electronic Gadgets, Watches, Calculators, own Stationery items, Wallets, and/or goggle are not allowed in the exam hall.

Highest Salary Package offered after IIMCAT

Candidates can check below the salary packages that are being offered to IIM and other top- B school graduates:- 

Revised Seat Intake of IIMs

Other Management Exams

CAT FAQs