Referring with the previous year sample papers is a general mode of approach often picked by students at the time of their preparation for an examination. This is because the questions that are asked in those samples papers undoubtedly will help any dedicated student to prepare in a better way after incurring about the type of problems been put forwarded from a particular section. CAT sample papers that are normally found in the solved format of any previous year, have immensely helped and guided the students to prepare in a more comprehensive manner. Such a preparation is honestly imperative for qualifying in the entrance before seeking admission to an MBA program of any prestigious college. On this date there might be countless students who are striving hard to strike their luck and clear the CAT 2011 exam quite successfully. It is not that the students alone are concerned about these entrance exams but even their parents and guardians are found to be in a desperate situation for the same. As it is an unquestionable dream of every parent to find their children get settled in their life with proper education.

There are many students who are intelligent as well as deserving of seek an admission in those CAT colleges that provides teaching material of MBA programs but unfortunately fails in qualifying in the same. This is because time management is also one of the most demanding traits that such individuals should develop as a skill that can undoubtedly help them in cracking these entrance tests. They should always try to stick to some definite pan for managing the time while preparing for such challenging exams that can lift their academic career to unexpected prosperity. While solving these CAT sample papers, every single aspirant should try to analyze his progress of exam preparation on the weekly basis.

Logical Reasoning, Quantitative Aptitude, General Awareness and Comprehension Test are the four main topics from which questions are asked in these entrance exams. So every sincere MBA aspirant should try and focus to grab more and more learning details for developing a solid foundation in these basics before appearing to crack such tough entrance tests. In CAT sample papers basically the problems and sums of the previous year are already kept in the solved state to help these dedicated students learn more in less time. Jaipuria Institute of Management (JIM), situated at Jaipur – Rajasthan was established in the year 1995; located in Delhi / NCR – Eastern Institute for Integrated Learning in Management (EIILM) was founded in the year 1995; Welingkars Institute of Management of Mumbai, Maharashtra was established in the year 1977 also affiliated to the All India Council for Technical Education and located in Jalandhar, Punjab, Lovely Professional University are some of the top CAT colleges that confers an MBA degree to deserving students.

CAT replaced JMET for MBA admissions in IITs, earlier JMET was the entrance test required to be eligible to apply for MBA admissions in IITs. From 2012 onwards one can apply with a valid CAT score, IIT Madras was supposed to conduct JMET in the year 2012.

IIT Madras website notified as ” The Joint Management Entrance Test (JMET) stands discontinued. Admission to the Post Graduate Management Degree Programmes (MBA/M.Mgmt) for 2012 – 2014 in six IITs (Bombay, Delhi, Kanpur, Kharagpur, Madras, Roorkee) and IISc (Bengaluru) will be based on CAT 2011 score in place of JMET score. Further details regarding eligible educational qualifications and other criteria will be available in the website of Department of Management Studies IIT Madras.”

IITs being autonomous like the IIMs have the leverage to choose CAT entrance exam as a criteria, however IITs will have their own selection criteria which is independent and IIMs will not play any role in the selection criteria. JMET is replacing CAT in view of reducing burden on the student in taking multiple entrance exams, form filling, application cost etc.

If IITs consider CAT score it will only better the selection process and IITs can compete with IIMs in management education. Over the decades IITs are known for its quality education offerings in technical courses, it’s time IITs are thinking to have a double edge by bringing quality education in management as well.

The Common Admission Test (CAT) 2009 registrations are ending on October 1.
The Common Admission Test, CAT, which will be getting online, will be held from Nov 28 over a period of 10 days, to get over on Dec 7. The official notification regarding CAT came on Sunday.

The CAT will be an online test, for which a US-based firm has been hired by the IIMs. This firm will conduct the competitive exam across the country for candidates seeking admission to the prestigious B-schools.

The test will be conducted at 30 centres including Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Bhopal, New Delhi, Chennai, Kochi, Guwahati, Mumbai, Kolkata and Hyderabad, it said.

There are around 1,800 seats in the existing seven IIMs at Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Kolkata, Indore, Kozhikode, Lucknow and Shillong.

Besides IIMs, about 50 other reputed B-schools in the country give admission to students from the CAT merit list.

The results of the test will be announced on January 22 and can be accessed from the CAT website www.catiim.in.

Admission into the seven Indian Institutes of Management (IIM) is based on your performance in the Common Admission Test (CAT). The IIMs conduct a two-year Post graduate Programme in Management (PGPM) and a Fellow Programme in Management (FPM).

PGPM is recognized as equivalent to MBA by Indian and foreign institutes. The fellowship Programme (FPM) is aimed at those interested in research, consultation and teaching. It is recognized as equivalent to Ph.D by the Association of Indian universities.

When is CAT held?

CAT is normally held in the month of November, for the session beginning July next year. Candidates who cross the cut off marks in the written test are told to appear for the Group Discussion and Personal Interview. Final selection is based on one’s performance in the written test, Group Discussion, Personal Interview, Scholastic achievements and work experience. Your mastery over the English language plays a vital role in the selection process.

Eligibility

Candidates who have secured at least 50% marks (45% for SC/ST) in any discipline are eligible to appear for CAT. CAT traditionally is a multiple choice examination covering English language skills, logical analysis of data interpretation, and quantitative applications of mathematics, algebra and geometry. You must strive to do well in every section.

The test has the following components.

-Quantitative ability
-Data interpretation
-Data Sufficiency
-Logical reasoning
-Reading comprehension
-Verbal ability
-The test duration is of 2.5 hours.

Preparing for CAT

CAT requires intelligent and innovative preparation both mentally and physically. Maintain poise and composure during the entire length of the test.

Scan the paper once or twice to get a reasonable overview. Answer the easy questions in each section first. Skip what cannot be answered and move on. There is negative marking. So it is better to skip questions than answer them wrongly.

While preparing for general knowledge, you must give due importance to economics, politics, national and international issues. Try and improve your reading speed and comprehension. You should attempt as many mock-CAT tests as is possible. This should give you a feel of the exam as well as improving your confidence.

COMMON ADMISSION TEST (CAT)
www.catiim.in

INDIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT (IIMs)

IIM AHMEDABAD, VASTRAPUR, AHMEDABAD-380015
E-MAIL : pgpabm@iimahd.ernet.in / mdp@iimahd.ernet.in
WEBSITE: www.iimahd.ernet.in

IIM BANGALORE, BANNERGHATTA ROAD, BANGALORE-560076
WEBSITE: www.iimb.ernet.in E-MAIL : director@iimb.ernet.in / dean@iimb.ernet.in

IIM CALCUTTA, P.O. JOKA, DIAMOND HARBOUR ROAD, KOLKATA-700104
E-MAIL : aomdp@iimcal.ac.in  WEBSITE: www.iimcal.ac.in

IIM LUCKNOW, PRAHANDH NAGAR, OFF.SITAPUR ROAD, LUCKNOW-226013
E-MAIL : dsingh@iiml.ac.in / deanaa@iiml.ac.in / mdp@iiml.ac.in
WEBSITE: www.iiml.ac.in

IIM INDORE, PIGDAMBER, RAU, INDORE-453331
E-MAIL : mdp@iimidr.ac.in / biswajeet@iimidr.ernet.in
WEBSITE: www.iimidr.ac.in / www.iimidr.ernet.in

IIM KOZHIKODE, KUNNAMANGALAM P.O., KOZHIKODE-673571
E-MAIL: iimk@ac.in / mdp@iimk.ren.nic.in   WEBSITE: www.iimk.ac.in

RGIIM SHILLONG, NEHU MAYURBHANJ COMPLEX, NONGTHYMMAI, SHILLONG-793014. E-MAIL: admissions@rgiim.ac.in  WEBSITE: www.rgiim.ac.in

Admission into the seven Indian Institutes of Management (IIM) is based on your performance in the Common Admission Test (CAT). The IIMs conduct a two-year Post graduate Programme in Management (PGPM) and a Fellow Programme in Management (FPM).

PGPM is recognized as equivalent to MBA by Indian and foreign institutes. The fellowship Programme (FPM) is aimed at those interested in research, consultation and teaching. It is recognized as equivalent to Ph.D by the Association of Indian universities.

When is CAT held?

CAT is normally held in the month of November, for the session beginning July next year. Candidates who cross the cut off marks in the written test are told to appear for the Group Discussion and Personal Interview. Final selection is based on one’s performance in the written test, Group Discussion, Personal Interview, Scholastic achievements and work experience. Your mastery over the English language plays a vital role in the selection process.

Eligibility

Candidates who have secured at least 50% marks (45% for SC/ST) in any discipline are eligible to appear for CAT. CAT traditionally is a multiple choice examination covering English language skills, logical analysis of data interpretation, and quantitative applications of mathematics, algebra and geometry. You must strive to do well in every section.

Exam Pattern
-Quantitative ability
-Data interpretation
-Data Sufficiency
-Logical reasoning
-Reading comprehension
-Verbal ability

Although the exam pattern of CAT is not consistent, usually 75 to 100 numbers of questions are asked in a CAT examination. The marks may also vary from 0.5 mark, 1 mark or 2 marks on a correct answer as well as deduction of 1/4 or 1/3 can be expected on a wrong answer. CAT Examination is conducted to test the ability of the aspirant in following areas which are

• Verbal Ability

• Reading Comprehension

• Problem Solving

• Data Interpretation

• Logical Reasoning

• Data Sufficiency

• Maths Problems

The pattern of this test has often been changed in the past.

CAT Preparation

CAT requires intelligent and innovative preparation both mentally and physically. Maintain poise and composure during the entire length of the test.

Scan the paper once or twice to get a reasonable overview. Answer the easy questions in each section first. Skip what cannot be answered and move on. There is negative marking. So it is better to skip questions than answer them wrongly.

While preparing for general knowledge, you must give due importance to economics, politics, national and international issues.

IGNOU has relaxed the minimum eligibility for admission to MBA and other management programmes. Now even fresh graduates can apply for these programmes unlike before when aspirants required to have at least three years of work experience to be eligible.

In a bid to enable more management aspirants obtain MBA degree, IGNOU has relaxed the minimum cut off marks for eligibility to get admission in its MBA programme to 50 per cent for general category students.

Now, fresh graduates in general category with 50 per cent marks and reserved category students with 45 per cent marks are eligible to appear for OPENMAT, the entrance test of IGNOU for admission to the MBA programme.

Even those graduates who have successfully cleared the entrance test for admission to management programme conducted by recognised institutions like CAT, MAT and state level tests conducted by the state governments need not sit for the OPENMAT test of IGNOU.

The age limit for admission to the management programmes apart from MBA offered by the university has also been removed.

Common Admission Test (CAT) is multiple-choice based entrance exam, with negative marking for wrong answers. It comprises of three sections, which span the domains of arithmetical problem solving, geometry, statistics, data interpretation, logical reasoning, puzzles, and English language skills. Ever year, changes are also made in the total number of questions and the time duration of CAT.

Syllabus
There is no set or defined syllabus for the CAT exam. It is designed to assess the natural ability of a person towards their preferred field. Hence, it is designed to test the inclination of the applicant towards managerial tasks and roles. Mainly, the questions are asked from Quantitative Aptitude, Reading Comprehension & Verbal Ability, and Data Interpretation & Data Sufficiency.
Test Pattern

Common Admission Test – CAT is a 2 ½ hours test comprises of Four sub sections:

Quantitative Ability (QA)
The questions are designed to stress more on reasoning skills of the candidates, rather than on their computational skills.
The level of difficulty of this section is perceived to be higher because the questions are not only lengthy to read but at times require more effort in terms of understanding and solving.

Data Interpretation (DI)
As the name suggests, this section presents data to the candidate in forms such as caselets, pie diagrams, bar graphs, etc and questions are set to evaluate the candidate’s skills at analyzing the given information.
Data Sufficiency questions in this section are based on basic mathematics (at times Data Sufficiency is a part of the Quantitative Ability section).

Reading Comprehension (RC)
CAT usually has 6-8 passages in the RC section, with an overall length of 4500-5500 words and about 50 questions to answer in a span of about 30 minutes. However this too can vary according to the level of difficulty of questions.

Verbal Ability (VA)
This section explores your understanding of the English Language and also tests you on Reasoning Skills.
The questions in this section typically comprise sentence correction, sentence sequencing, verbal reasoning etc.

1995 to 1998:

Total Questions – 185
Time – 120 minutes
Verbal Ability – 50 Q
Reading Comprehension – 50 Q
Problem Solving – 45 Q
Data Interpretation – 40 Q

In 1995 and 1996, the Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension sections were grouped and had a time limit of 1 hour.

Similarly, the Problem Solving and Data Interpretation sections were grouped and had a time limit of 1 hour.

There was no such time limit in 1997 and 1998.

1999:

Total Questions – 165
Time – 120 minutes
Section 1 : 55 Q – Verbal Ability – 25 Q and Reading Comprehension – 30 Q
Section 2 : 55 Q – Problem Solving – 55 Q
Section 3 : 55 Q – Data Interpretation – 31 Q and Verbal Reasoning – 24 Q

2000:

Total Questions – 165
Time – 120 minutes
Section 1 : 55 Q – Verbal Ability – 15 Q and Reading Comprehension – 40 Q
Section 2 : 55 Q – Problem Solving – 55 Q
Section 3 : 55 Q – Data Interpretation – 31 Q and Verbal Ability – 24 Q

2001:

Total Questions – 150
Time – 120 minutes
Section 1 : 50 Q – Verbal Ability – 20 Q and Reading Comprehension – 30 Q
Section 2 : 50 Q – Problem Solving – 50 Q
Section 3 : 50 Q – Data Interpretation – 31 Q and Logical Reasoning – 19 Q

2002:

Total Questions – 150
Time – 120 minutes
Section 1 : 50 Q – Data Interpretation – 40 Q and Logical Reasoning – 10 Q

Section 2 : 50 Q – Problem Solving – 50 Q
Section 3 : 50 Q – Verbal Ability – 25 Q and Reading Comprehension – 25 Q

2003 :

Total Questions – 150
Time – 120 minutes
Section 1 : 50 Q – Verbal Ability – 25 Q and Reading Comprehension – 25 Q

Section 2 : 50 Q – Data Interpretation – 30 Q and Logical Reasoning – 20 Q
Section 3 : 50 Q – Problem Solving

CAT 2004

The IIMs introduced the concept of differential marking for the first time in 2004. The paper had just 123 questions in three sections with the following distribution: (the decimal numbers are marks allocated to each question)

* English – Total: 50 (10 * 0.5 + 5*2.0 + 35 * 1.0) Cutoff – approx 12
* Mathematics – Total: 35 (15*2.0 + 20*1.0) Cutoff – approx 12
* DI (Data Interpretation) and LR (Logical Reasoning) – Total: 38 (12*2.0 +26*1.0) Cutoff – approx 17

Overall 123 Questions : 10 of half marks + 32 of 2 marks and 81 of 1 mark each. The overall cutoff for the paper was nearly 51-52 marks.

CAT 2005

CAT 2005 was an even bigger surprise. There were just 90 questions – 30 in each section. Each section was further divided into two subsections:

* Math

* Section 1A -10Questions of 1 mark each
* Section 1B – 20 Questions of 2 mark each
* The final Cutoff for this section was nearly 11

* English

* Section 2A – 10 Questions of 1 mark each
* Section 2B – 20 Questions of 2 mark each
* The final Cutoff for this section was nearly 15

* Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning

* Section 3A – 10 Questions of 1 mark each
* Section 3B – 20 Questions of 2 mark each
* The final Cutoff for this section was nearly 10

CAT 2006

CAT 2006, which was conducted on November 19, was a 2.5-hour exam instead of the traditional 2-hour exam. It is speculated that this change was made by the CAT exam committee to decrease the level of predictability of the exam and to relieve the stress caused to students in a two-hour time limit.

CAT 2006 had 75 questions, 25 questions per section and 4 marks per question, making it a 300-mark paper. There was a penalty of 1 mark for a wrong answer. The paper also proved to be a break from the previous pattern in that it had 5 answer options instead of the usual 4. The English section was generally perceived as very difficult, whereas the quantitative aptitude section was relatively much easier and basic than previous CATs as also in comparison to the other two sections.

CAT 2007

In 2007, the CAT exam was held on Sunday, November 18th. The exam had surprises for the past years for the changing pattern/number of questions etc. But this year the number of questions remained the same. There was 1 mark negative for each wrong answer. The duration of the test was 2.5 hours

Quantitative Ability

* 25 Questions each of 4 marks
* This is widely considered the toughest section this year

English

* 25 Questions each of 4 marks
* The reading comprehension part was tougher than that of last year

Data Interpretation

* 25 Questions each of 4 marks