CAT Exam or Common Admission Test is conducted every year by one of the Indian Institute of Managements. (IIMs). CAT entrance exam is used as a criteria to shortlist applicants for admissions to the six IIMs-IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, IIM Calcutta, IIM Lucknow, IIM Indore, and IIM Kozhikode. Besides the IIMs some other top management institutes like Management Development Institute, S.P. Jain Institute, Nirma Institute of Management, T.A. PAI and IMT also shortlist the applicants on the basis of CAT.
CAT tests the skills of candidates in five broad areas i.e., verbal ability and reasoning, reading comprehension, quantitative skills, data interpretation, and analytical and logical reasoning. The duration of the test is of 120 minutes. The number of questions asked in Common Admission Test vary every year and a typical CAT question paper can have anywhere between 75 and 150 questions. All the questions are of multiple-choice nature with four/five alternate answer choices and the candidate has to choose the best answer for each of the questions and mark it on a special Optical Reader answer sheet. For every correct answer, one mark is awarded and for every wrong answer, 1/4th of a mark is deducted. Differential marks are allotted to the questions. A question may be of 0.5 marks, 1 mark or 2 marks.
Common Admission Test evaluates the candidate's presence of mind and his ability to perform under pressure. Key to success in CAT exam depends on two important parameters. Firstly, it is important to get a strike rate of over 85% and reduce the number of negatives. Secondly, be smart in choosing the questions. Attempt the easy questions first. Don't try to attempt questions about which you only have a vague idea.
The CAT exam is conducted once a year in November/December. In order to sit for the exam, one must be a graduate with a minimum of 50% in aggregate. Those appearing in the final year examination of graduation are also eligible to appear in Common Admission Test.