CAT 2018 Admit Card, Syllabus, Pattern, Practice Papers

IIM Calcutta will issue CAT 2018 Admit Card from October 24 at the official portal (www.iimcat.ac.in). The examination is scheduled on the fourth Sunday of November i.e. November 25, 2018. The photo re-upload facility closed on September 30. Candidates with a Bachelor’s Degree with at least 50% marks were eligible to register for the Common Admission Test.

The last date to apply for CAT was extended till September 26, 2018. The hall ticket will release exactly 31 days before the examination date. Though there is a possibility that the document may release a few days after the officially scheduled date. Know why!

Common Admission Test or CAT is a national-level management exam, conducted by one of the IIM’s on a rotational basis. It is a gateway to all 20 IIMs and other top B-schools in India. More than 2 lac candidates are expected to appear for CAT 2018 Exam. For this year, IIM Calcutta will conduct the exam and few changes are expected to be made in the paper pattern. Get details about CAT 2018 Coaching Institutes 

CAT tests a candidate’s Quantitative, Verbal/reading, Data Interpretation And Reasoning Skills. The paper has 100 MCQ & Non-MCQ questions that are to be completed in 3 hours. As per the analysis for CAT 2018 by Collegedunia team, DILR is expected to be toughest, VARC to be moderate and QA should be the easiest. An attempt of total 63-67 will be considered good. CAT has a success rate of 1 in 200. CheckCAT Exam Pattern

What is CAT 2018 Exam Date?

CAT 2018 Exam Date is November 25.  Every year CAT is organized on fourth Sunday of November. Last year CAT was organized on November 24, 2017. 

When will CAT 2018 Notification be out?

CAT 2018 Notification has been released on July 29. It will contain the details about CAT 2018 Application Date, changes introduced, application fee

What is CAT 2018 Application Date?

CAT 2018 Application Date is August 8, 2018. Registration can be done online at iimcat2018.ac.in. The registration process for CAT 2018 will start from August 8 and will end September 19, 2018. CheckCAT Photo size and Signature details

What is CAT Exam?

Geographical Diversity of Candidates in CAT

Going by the statistics of last year, most CAT registrants belonged to the northern part of India (29%). This was followed by southern (27%) and western (24%) regions.

Degree-Wise Student Bifurcation in CAT

Talking about the degree-wise bifurcation of students, most of them hold an engineering degree (62.7%). It is followed by a degree course (25%), Management Course (11.7%) and then the Medicine (0.6%). 

CAT 2018 Notification

• The official notification for CAT 2018 has been released on July 29.
• The conducting body announces the schedule for CAT at the official website i.e. iimcat.ac.in. 
• IIM Calcutta will start the CAT 2018 registration from August 8. The last date for CAT registration 2018 is September 19. 

All exam related events and dates are mentioned below. Make sure you do not miss upon any of these.

Check  CAT 2018 Exam Dates

CAT 2018 Eligibility?

In order to be eligible for CAT Exam, an aspirant must be a graduate degree holder in any stream. Candidates appearing in the final year/semester of their degree program can also apply for CAT 2018.

• Candidates with CA/CS/ICWA degree (Gen: 50% & SC/ST/ PWD: 45%) are also eligible.
• As for CAT Age Limit, there is no minimum/ maximum limit defined. There is also no restriction on the number of attempts.
• The percentage requirement for the exam is different for different categories. It is explained in the table below:

Why is it important to verify eligibility criteria before applying?

• Wrong information provided at the time of registration will result in rejection of the application form.
• The required set of certificates will be verified at the time of the interview, failure to do so will not be considered for admission.
• Mere fulfilment of minimum eligibility criteria will not ensure consideration for short listing by IIMs. 

Read More About CAT Eligibility

CAT Reservation Criteria 2018

A certain percentage of seats in IIMs are reserved for SC, ST, OBC and PWD candidates. The table given below provides an overview of the same:

Check Here CAT Reservation Criteria 2018

CAT 2018 Online Application

CAT 2018 Application Form has been started from August 8 - September 19. The entire procedure will be conducted in online mode only at iimcat.ac.in.

Quick Facts:

• CAT Registration Form: 5-page documents
• Registration Window: Minimum for 45 days
• CAT Application form is a part of Registration form only.
• IIMs sends unique CAT registration ID and Password to login into the online portal of the Common Admission Test.
• Applying online will mean that you have to opt for the relevant management programs in all the 20 IIMs mentioned in the registration form.

CheckCAT Participating Colleges

Documents Required to complete CAT Registration

• Academic history
• Mark sheets (10^th /12^th/ Degree/Diploma)
• Work experience (if any)
• Certificates (if any)
• Scanned images of your passport size photo and signature
• Debit/Credit cards, Net banking

Steps to Apply for CAT 2018

Registration for the exam is usually a four-step procedure. Read the instructions mentioned at the start of registration form before beginning to fill up the form. In case of filling incorrect information not only the candidature will be treated as invalid but CAT registration fee will also be forfeited. The steps are as follows:

Step 1: Registration - Visit the official website of CAT and enter your email id, phone number, and date of birth.

Note: Number and ID must be active and valid, as the entire communication related to the exam will be notified on it.

Step 2: Fill CAT Application Form – Enter your personal details, contact information, academic details, work experience, program preference and exam center preference.

Note: In case, any information is found incorrect, there is a risk of application rejection. A one-time facility to make corrections in the form is also provided. 

Step 3: Upload Documents – Scan and Upload your documents (Photograph, Signatures & Required certificated) according to CAT 2018 Photo Size, Dimension, Format and Other Details.

Note: You can resize the documents using MS Paint or MS Office Picture Manager. The steps are available on the link given above.

Step 4: Payment of Application Fee - CAT 2018 Application Fee can be paid online via net banking/credit card/debit card. Mentioned below is the category wise application fee for CAT 2018:

CAT Application Form Status

• After CAT Application Form is finally submitted, an email, a pop-up message on the screen and a message on the registered mobile number are sent related to the status of the application.
• As the process of applying for CAT 2018 is completely online, no delay can occur during final submission. 
• If the application form is successfully submitted, the application status is “Successfully Submitted” else “Application Rejected”.

CAT Application Form Correction

• It may be possible that some of the candidates had entered incorrect details due to lack of proper information or documents.
• As CAT Exam is an important exam, the exam authority allows candidates to make corrections in few entries only.

Read aboutCAT Form Correction

CAT Registration Trend

Candidates can check the number of applicants who applied for CAT and those who actually appeared from 2012-2017. The number of applicants has steadily increased, owing to its massive popularity among management aspirants in India as well as abroad.

CAT Statistics: Registration VS Test Takers Trends

Registration of Non-IIMs for CAT 2018

• There are various institutions or B-schools accepting CAT Scores.
• Non-IIM Institutions interested to avail CAT 2018 scores must download the MoU and Application Form available at https://www.iimcal.ac.in/registration-of-non-iim-institutions-for-cat-2018.
• This facility is available for the academic session 2019 – 2021 only.

Steps to Register are given below:

Step 1: Visit the official portal of IIM Calcutta.

Step 2: Click on CAT 2018 link, available on the right side of the screen.

Step 3: Click ‘Downloading of MOU and the Application Form’

Step 4: Payment of Annual Fees and Mode of Payment.

Step 5: Fill up the Application Form and MOU and send the scanned copies duly filled-in, signed and stamped along with the required enclosures (mentioned inside application form) over email.

Step 6: Send duly filled-in, signed and stamped MOU (two copies), Application Form (single copy) in original and other supporting documents (hard copies) as specified in MOU and Application Form to Admissions Office of IIM Calcutta latest by July 25, 2018 at the following address:

CAT Centre, C/o Admissions Office,
Indian Institute of Management Calcutta,
Diamond Harbour Road, Kolkata 700 104

CAT 2018 Admit Card

• Admit Card for CAT 2018 will be available from October 24 onwards at the official website of CAT 2018.
• CAT Hall Ticket contains personal details and exam related details such as test venue, session.
• It is a provisional document and must be supported at the test center with a valid photo id issued by Govt of India.

Discrepancy in CAT 2018 Hall Ticket

In case of any discrepancy found in CAT Admit Card, candidates can contact the exam authority for the corrections. They can contact the CAT Helpdesk at the following details- 

Toll-Free Number: 1800-266-3549

Helpdesk email address: cathelpdesk@iimcat.ac.in

Documents Required with Admit Card

• Aadhaar Card
• Voter ID Card
• Passport
• PAN Card
• Driving License
• Photo ID issued by current education institute or employer among others.

Check 7 Pointers to check in CAT Admit Card 2018

Reasons for Delay

The previous year trends simple states that there is a possibility that this time also there will be a delay in the release of admit card. 

• Last year, the official date of release was October 18, but IIM Lucknow issued the document on October 25, 2017.
• In 2016 too, the hall ticket was released after 6 days after the scheduled date.
• In case, the document is not available on the scheduled time and date then do not worry. Keep checking the official website for latest intimation. 

CAT 2018 Exam Centers

• CAT is conducted in exam centers spread across around 140 test cities in India.
• Candidates are required to provide the preference of their exam centre while registering for CAT 2018. 
• Preferences for up to 4 CAT test cities can be provided in the form. The time slot for CAT Examination is generally allocated randomly.
• CAT Exam Centers are available in all the major cities across India to accommodate the growing number of test-takers. Given below is a list of newly added CAT Exam Cities:

Exam Pattern (Exam on Nov. 25)

CAT exam pattern is unpredictable and undergoes some changes each year. For now, no change in the paper pattern has been notified by the IIMs. However, modification in the level of difficulty of the exam is expected. 

As per the revised exam pattern of CAT 2018, exam will consist of 3 sections with a total of 100 questions. You need to ensure high score in each of the sections as there is also a sectional score cut off in IIMs for shortlisting.

Quick Highlights of CAT Exam Pattern are discussed below:

• Mode of Exam: Computer-based test
• Total Questions: 100
• No. of Sections: Quantitative Ability, Verbal and Reading Comprehension, and Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning
• Exam duration: 3-hour duration exam, where one hour is assigned to each section.
• Questions with negative marking (MCQs): 75
• Questions w/o negative marking (non-MCQs): 25
• Marking Scheme: +3 marks for correct answer; -1 mark for wrong answers.

CAT 2017 Paper Analysis

The level of difficulty CAT 2017 was moderate. The order of the sections was fixed with a time limit of 60 minutes each. The following table represents the distribution of questions in each section of CAT 2017 exam-

Download CAT 2017 Answer Key, Question Paper and Analysis

CAT 2018 Detailed Syllabus

IIM’s do not release an official CAT Syllabus. However, based on previous year question papers, we have curated below the most frequently occuring topics. An in-depth knowledge of CAT 2018 Syllabus forms the basis of your preparation journey. It is designed to assess the prospective admission-seekers' suitability for MBA education. Read More MBA Education Loans for CAT Aspirants

Check below the most important topics for CAT Exam Preparation:

Check Complete CAT 2018 Syllabus

How to Prepare for CAT 2018?

CAT is one exam that requires a rigorous practice. The key to ace CAT Exam is to refer the most recommended and reliable books in the market. This is so because they are the best source to revise whole of the CAT syllabus, as well as include sets of most important questions.

Candidates often get confused in regard to which CAT Books or study material to refer to. They look for the material which all toppers have sworn by. 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 2018 :

Clcik Here About Cat Preparation Tips For Working Professionals. 

CAT Result 2018

CAT 2018 Result is expected in the 2^nd week of January 2019. The conducting body of CAT 2018 will release the scorecards at the official website. An SMS will also be sent to all test-takers, informing them about their CAT Percentile. CAT Score is valid for 1 year. 

The step-wise process to obtain CAT result is given below: 

1. Visit the official website of CAT 
2. Click on ‘Download CAT Score Card’.
3. You will be redirected to the login page. 
4. Enter your User Id and Password.
5. You will be redirected to your candidate’s account page.
6. Click on Download Scorecard link and download it for future correspondence.

Highlights of CAT Result 2017

Check CAT 2017 Toppers

CAT 2018 Rank Predictor

• CAT Result will be declared in January and candidates can check their score on the official website.
• However, candidates can use the CAT Percentile Predictor on Collegedunia.com to determine the ranks based on their respective percentiles.
• All the participating institutes release cut-offs for next rounds.
• They shortlist the candidates on the basis CAT percentile scores.
• Candidates can predict their scores using the Collegedunia percentile predictor provided below. It is an easy way to predict your scores beforehand, and choose a college accordingly.

Expected CAT Cut off 2018

After the results are declared, each IIM will declare a separate cut off list for shortlisting candidates for the selection procedure. The cut off comprises an overall cut off and a sectional cut off.

• Sectional cut off is the percentile score a candidate must score in each section to qualify the exam.
• The overall cut off for the IIMs generally falls in the bracket of 90-99 percentile. 

CAT 2018 Expected Cut Off for IIMs

The following table enlists the institutes based on CAT Cut off where we have classified IIMs and B-schools on the basis of the level of cutoffs from previous years’ trends-

CAT 2018 Selection Procedure

The selection process of CAT is a two-step process. Candidates who qualify the cutoff marks are invited by CAT Colleges for GD or WAT and Personal Interview round. CAT Selection Process is carried out individually by each college, except for the new IIMs. The ratio for admission in IIMs and candidates shortlisted for selection is generally 1:4, but it varies for different IIMs. 

It must be noted that there is no common Common Counselling Process for CAT. The process for form-filling for IIMs is done while preliminary registration for the exam. 

Shorlisting Candidates for PI & WAT- Candidates are shortlisted with a weightage system, as given below:

Final Selection- For final selection, weightage of all the stages in selection process with work experience is calculated. 

*Points awarded for Academic Diversity at Bachelor’s degree level (Academic Diversity Factor for Bachelor’s degree (ADFB)): Candidates with any of the following bachelor’s degree in the list  below are eligible for ADFB: 
List X: BA, BA(H), B.Sc, B.Sc.(H), BS, B.Com, B.Com(H), BCA, BBA, B.Pharma, LL.B, MBBS, BDS or any other Non-Engineering subject areas at the Bachelor’s level not mentioned above.

More About CAT 2018

CAT 2018 Convening Body

Each year, one of the IIM’s convene the CAT Exam. It is interesting to see the new changes they introduce with its structure and pattern. CAT 2017 was conducted by IIM Lucknow. It was after a gap of 6 years that IIM Lucknow was given this responsibility.

For CAT 2018, the convening body is yet to be disclosed. We will update you as soon as it gets official. For now, you can check below the CAT convening IIMs from the year 2013:

Scholarships after CAT 2018

Don’t want to fund your MBA with an education loan? Get MBA admission through CAT and escape from the ever-rising MBA fees. Scholarships through CAT for MBA studies are categorized in Merit Based Scholarship and Need-Based Scholarship.

Merit-Based Scholarship

1. Amity Business School- a) 100% Fees Waiver for candidates having 93% in 10th, Above 80% in 12th and Above 80% in Graduation. b) 5% Seat for 25% Candidates Securing more than 85 Percentile in CAT
2. BIMTECH- 85% Percentile in CAT Scorecard
3. IIM Ahmedabad- Scholarship worth One Lac on merit basis (selected after interview)

Need-Based Scholarships

1. IIM Ahmedabad Need-Based Scholarship for candidates having family income less than 200000
2. GOI Merit Cum Means Scholarship for First Year and Second year top 10% rankers

Top Colleges Accepting CAT 

CAT is conducted mainly for admission to MBA/PGDM programs offered at 20 IIMs. Apart from IIMs, other top management institutes like FMS, MDI, NTIE, SP Jain, Department of Management Studies at IITs, Manipal University, ITM Delhi, Chandigarh University and over 115 management B-schools also accept CAT score as qualifying criteria for their management programs. The cut off percentile for IIMs and other top institutes may be above 90 percentile.

• IIM Bangalore
• IIM Ahmedabad
• IIM Calcutta
• Department of Management Studies, IIT Madras
• IIM Lucknow
• IIM Kozhikode
• IIM Indore
• Vinod Gupta school of Management, IIT Kharagpur
• FMS Delhi

Check all CAT Colleges

Courses Offered through CAT 

On the basis of CAT score, candidates can take admission to the following courses offered by 20 IIMs and other top B-schools in India:

CAT 2018 FAQs

Ques. When is CAT 2018 scheduled to take place?

Ques. Is there an option to write CAT in offline mode?

Ques. How many seats are expected to be filled through CAT 2018 in the top IIMs?

Ques. How many registrations are received for CAT 2018?

Ques. Is there any reservation of seats for female candidates in IIMs like we have in GATE?

Ques. Can you give details of seat matrix for IIMs in the country for the year 2018?

Ques. When is the form correction window for CAT 2018 application form?

Ques. How many institutes in total are considering CAT Scores this year?

Ques. Do I have to fill the application form separately for each CAT College?

Ques. If I do not clear the minimum CAT 2018 Cutoff, will I still be eligible for admission?

Ques. When will I receive my CAT 2018 admit card?

Ques. In case I misplace my admit card at the exam center, can I download the CAT admit card at the exam center?

Ques. What stationery items can I carry on the day of CAT exam?

Ques. Is there any traveling allowance issued to the candidates of reserved categories for CAT 2018 exam?

Ques. What is the last time to enter CAT exam center on the exam day?

Ques.Can you give me a list of items that are banned to be carried at the CAT 2018 exam center?

Ques. Is it true that students are not allowed to take bio- breaks during CAT exam hours?

Ques. What support are PwD candidates getting while writing the CAT 2018 exam?

Ques. What items are to be carried on the day of CAT 2018 exam?

Ques. Can you give a list of items that can work as valid photo Id proof?

Ques. What fields can be corrected in CAT application form 2018?

Ques. What steps to follow to edit details in my CAT application form 2018?

Ques. Are transgender candidates allowed to write the CAT exam?

Ques.What is the minimum academic eligibility criteria for writing CAT 2018?

Ques.What information do I need to keep handy before filling the CAT application form?

Ques.What details are asked in CAT Application Form?

Ques. I have worked as a part time employee with a management firm. Will my experience be counted during CAT Registration?

Ques.What are the dimensions for the photograph to be uploaded with the CAT application form?

Ques.Can CAT application fee be paid in offline mode by bank challan?

Ques.What documents do I have to upload with my CAT application form?

Ques.Do I have to send a hard copy of the completely filled CAT application form to the authorities?

Ques.Can the details in the application form be edited after paying the CAT application fee?

Ques.How to contact CAT helpdesk in case of some emergency?

Ques. What is the minimum age requirement for appearing for the CAT 2018 exam?

Ques. Are students in the final year of examination eligible to apply for Common Admission Test?

Ques. Is graduation degree from an Open University or correspondence recognized and accepted for CAT eligibility criteria?

Ques. How many non- MCQ type questions can I expect in my CAT 2018 question paper?

Ques. Can you give me the exam pattern of CAT 2018 in brief?

Ques. Is there a marking scheme for non-MCQ questions in CAT 2018 exam?

Ques. What is the marking scheme defined for MCQ type questions in CAT?

Ques. Can you list some important topics for preparing the QA section in CAT?

Ques. Can you list the topics to prepare for the Verbal and Reading comprehension section?

Ques. How can I check my CAT result online?

Ques. Can you give the details of interview cut off percentile for the year 2016?

Ques. I am in my final year of Bachelor‘s Degree. What marks should I enter while filling CAT Application Form?

Ques. Is there any maximum age cap for CAT exam?

Ques. Can I appear for multiple slots for CAT?

Ques. I have done a dual degree programme i.e. B.Tech+M.Tech. I am confused about how to enter my marks under qualification column?

Ques. I did not have a graduation degree, However I have completed a professional degree, Can I apply for CAT?