CAT 2020 - Common Admission Test

Important Update: CAT 2020 Admit Card on October 28, 2020. Mock Test Expected earlier. Exam on Nov 29, 2020  in 3 sessions of Morning, Afternoon and Evening Slots; Exam Pattern changed; Check 5 Big changes 

IIM Indore will conduct CAT 2020 in three time slots of 2 hours each in morning, afternoon and evening instead of earlier two sessions. Other important changes announced include extended CAT Registration Deadline to September 23, CAT exam duration, test pattern, sectional time limit. Check below the latest updated details of changes in CAT exam 2020 and the 45 days preparation strategy.

CAT 2020 website was updated on September 20, 2020 with following 5 big changes which were announced and updated by CAT Center 2020 at IIM Indore

1. CAT 2020 in Three Sessions: Slot Timings
CAT 2020 will be conducted on November 29, 2020 (Sunday) in three sessions as below. Earlier there were two sessions announced. So, there will be an extra session this year to accommodate social distancing norms.

• Morning Slot: 8.30 AM to 10.30 AM
• Afternoon Session: 12.30 PM to 2.30 PM
• Evening Session: 4.30PM to 6.30 PM

2. CAT 2020 Exam Duration Reduced to 2 Hrs
A big change in CAT 2020 is the revised duration of the test which will be 120 minutes. Experts expect a fall of 25% to 30% questions in CAT 2020.

3. CAT 2020 to have Three Sections

• Section I: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension 
• Section II: Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning  
• Section III: Quantitative Ability   

4. Section wise time limit Reduced to 40 Mins 
Candidates will be allotted only 40 minutes for answering each of the three sections instead of earlier 60 minutes

5. Check the CAT Pattern in October last week

Responding to MBAUniverse.com queries regarding various changes and number of questions in CAT exam 2020 in revised pattern, CAT Convenor Prof Harshal Lowalekar said “To familiarise themselves with the different types of questions (MCQ/ non-MCQs) candidates are advised to take the mock test which would become available on the CAT website sometime in October.” Read More on CAT 2020 duration, expected number of questions   

How to Check Total Questions in Revised Pattern of CAT 2020? Not updated on CAT Website
According to CAT 2020 convener, "CAT generally does not reveal the number or type of questions or the paper pattern. In fact, the CAT pattern is regularly changed so that the exam does not become predictable.” However, CAT experts have predicted that there would be a different sectional composition of CAT 2020 exam with 30 to 35% fall in number of questions and candidates should prepare accordingly. Read in detail How to prepare for CAT 2020 in short period of 45 days

CAT 2020: Registration Deadline closed Sep 23
Registration for CAT 2020 closed at 5.00 pm on September 23, 2020 after getting extended by one week from September 16. No further extension in CAT registration was granted. The CAT convenor urged test takers to register well in advance to allow themselves a hassle-free registration process and to avoid a last-minute rush. Those who missed CAT Registration even because of non-payment of registration fee, did not get any chance to apply after September 23, 2020.  

IIM Indore has released the completely revised CAT 2020 exam details and schedule on its official Website (iimcat.ac.in). CAT 2020 convener Professor Harshal Lowalekar, faculty and admission chair at IIM Indore has announced many aspirant friendly features for CAT 2020 to counter the Covid-19 pandemic challenges. CAT Registration  

CAT 2020 May go for More Changes

IIM Indore has clarified that due to COVID 19 related disruptions, CAT 2020 may undergo more changes in future. CAT Center 2020 said. “CAT 2020 process is to be conducted taking into account the COVID crisis. The information provided by the CAT website is contingent upon the decisions and directions issued from time to time by the Central & State governments and IIMs. Candidates are advised to regularly check the CAT website for further information”.

CAT 2020: 10 Key Points to Note in Revised Exam Pattern

• CAT 2020 Exam date is November 29, 2020
• Exam will be held in three slots Morning, Afternoon & Evening
• CAT 2020 exam duration is reduced to 2 hours from earlier 3 hours for each slot
• Total questions in CAT 2020 exam are expected to be reduced by 30% from earlier 100 questions 
• CAT 2020 exam remains divided into three sections
• 40 Minutes time will be allotted to attempt each section in CAT 2020 instead of 60 minutes last year
• CAT 2020 exam online registration last date was extended by a week’s time till Sep 23
• CAT exam Registration Fee was increased by Rs.100 to Rs 2000/- as against Rs.1900/- last year
• CAT testing mode is computer based as was last year. Candidates need to attend the exam at test centres
• CAT 2020 Test Cities are 156
• Official CAT 2020 Mock Test to understand the CAT exam pattern will be released sometime late in October 2020

Common Admission Test, popularly known as CAT, is the largest MBA Entrance Exam for Admission to 20 IIMs, FMS Delhi, IIT -DoMs, SPJIMR, MDI and 500+ MBA Colleges in India. Every year more than 2,40,000 students from all disciplines including Engineering, Commerce, Humanities and even Law take CAT exam to get into  6,500 MBA seats in IIMs.

In this article, you will read all key points to plan your CAT 2020 journey, including important dates, syllabus & pattern, how to prepare, past CAT toppers interviews and much more. You will also find important links to Free CAT Mock Tests and genuine Past CAT Test Papers released by IIMs to prepare yourself for the CAT exam. So, read it till the end.    

What is CAT Exam?
CAT is the Common Admission Test for admission to MBA/PGDM programmes in 20 Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and other top MBA colleges like FMS Delhi, MDI Gurgaon, SPJIMR Mumbai, IMI New Delhi, IMT Ghaziabad and hundreds of other top MBA colleges in India. IIMs will offer admission on the basis of CAT 2020 only and will not accept any other test score. There are more than 155 cities and more than 400 venues where CAT 2020 will be conducted in India. Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and Indian institute of Science (IISC) also use CAT for admission to their Management programmes. 

CAT 2020 Exam: Highlights & Key Features
Following are the salient features of CAT 2020 with details on CAT exam date 2020, CAT Notification, CAT eligibility among other key points

Eligibility to Appear in CAT 2020
A candidate with minimum 50% marks in graduation can appear in CAT 2020. A final year student in graduation can also appear in CAT conducted by IIMs. However, there is no age limit to apply and appear in CAT 2020. 

CAT 2020 Important Dates
Following are the CAT 2020 important dates for different activities related to the CAT exam 2020:

CAT Exam Details 2020: Pattern
CAT exam details and exam structure since 2015 had remained on similar pattern. However CAT 2020 has brought many changes in time duration, test slots, number of questions and sectional time limit as under:

• 120 Minutes Exam: CAT 2020 is a computer delivered test of 2 hours duration but it is not an Online Exam
• Fewer Questions: CAT 2020 is expected to have 66 to 70 questions divided in 3 sections of VARC, DILR and Quantitative Ability. Earlier CAT used to have 100 questions divided in three sections
• 25% No Penalty Questions: More than 25% questions will not have negative marking in CAT exam. CAT 2020 is divided into MCQ and Non-MCQ type of questions and the Non-MCQs do not carry negative marking. In case any non-MCQ has negative marking, a few MCQs are changed to no negative marking questions.
• 70-75% CAT Questions with Negative Marking: More than 70% questions in CAT 2020 are of MCQ type and will carry penalty of 1/3 negative marking
• Minimum CAT Score Requirement by IIMs: A Minimum qualifying score between 70 and 90 percentile in CAT 2020 is required by IIMs in each of the 3 sections to shortlist candidates for final admission round
• Other Criteria with CAT score: Apart from High score in each of the 3 sections in CAT 2020 exam, you need to have good academic profile, diversity, to get into IIMs.

CAT 2020 Exam Syllabus
During the last 4 years, CAT exam syllabus has substantially changed. Major changes in CAT Syllabus 2020 are:

• CAT Syllabus is changed and contains different type of questions now.
• 25-30% Questions in CAT syllabus are no penalty questions now
• Most of the changes in CAT syllabus have taken place in the Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension Section as the topics and number of questions in VARC section have changed.
• A few changes in CAT syllabus have been introduced in Quantitative Ability section with more focus on Arithmetic questions

Although CAT exam Syllabus is not pre-defined by IIMs, it overall tests the candidate on Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension; Quantitative Aptitude; Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning. Read More about CAT Syllabus

When CAT is conducted?

• CAT is conducted annually.
• Now conducted preferably on the last Sunday of November or the first Sunday of December every year
• With effect from 2015, CAT was conducted on a single day in two sessions – morning and evening. However, due to Covid-19 pandemic and to follow the safe social distancing norms, CAT 2020 is conducted in three slots on same date on November 29, 2020. Prior to 2015, CAT was conducted in multiple sessions on multiple days.  
  

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Which IIM Conducts CAT?
IIM Indore is conducting CAT 2020. CAT is conducted by one of older IIMs by policy of rotation each year. There are six IIMs who conduct CAT one by one, they are IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, IIM Calcutta, IIM Indore, IIM Kozhikode and IIM Lucknow. Since other 14 IIMs were established later, the responsibility to conduct CAT has not yet been assigned to any of them. 

Mode of CAT
CAT is a computer based entrance test divided in three sections. It is not an online test and the questions are delivered digitally. The exam is scheduled in 156 cities at more than 400 test venues. 

When to look for CAT Website & CAT Notification?
IIMs release and continuously update all the details about CAT on the official CAT exam website and in CAT Notification which is released in leading news papers. CAT 2020 website with all details was launched at iimcat.ac.in on July 29 along with the CAT 2020 notification. The CAT website was again updated on September 20, 2020. The process to register and apply for CAT 2020 started on August 5.

How difficult is CAT?
CAT is a highly competitive and most important MBA entrance exam in India. The difficulty level of CAT is considered moderate to high.

Scoring Pattern in CAT
Each correct answer in CAT is awarded with 3 marks. The raw score obtained in CAT is converted to scaled score and then converted to percentile score after allowing for equating and normalizing the scores for both the sessions in CAT.

IIMs and other top MBA colleges consider percentile awarded in CAT to shortlist the candidates for final selection round.

MBA Programmes Offered by IIMs through CAT
Following are the various management programmes at IIMs in which admission is available through Common Admission Test 2020:

When & How to Register & Apply for CAT 2020?
The very first thing to remember about CAT is that there is nothing offline now in CAT registration process. You can apply online only on the official CAT website. The application fee for CAT 2020 is increased to Rs.2000/- for General candidates and to Rs.1000/- for SC/ST candidates. It should also be paid online only. 
 

The application process for CAT 2020 is open from August 5 to September 23, 2020. During this period you can register and submit your application online for CAT.

CAT Registration Trends
More than 2.44 lakh candidates had registered last year for CAT exam. The registration number was up by 3000 more candidates registered for CAT. It signified that candidates had to compete with more candidates in CAT exam and needed to score high to get shortlisted by top three IIMs and other top MBA colleges.

Although the trends in CAT registrations since 2010 show a downward journey initially, but from 2013 it has been showing a rising registration count reflecting the regaining trust of CAT aspirants and anticipation of better career opportunities after completing MBA/PGP from an IIM

Source: MBAUniverse.com Research & Analysis

CAT 2020: Important Points

• Low Cost Exam: CAT Registration and CAT exam application fee taken together comes to Rs.100 per IIM for General category and Rs.50/- per IIM for Reserved category. No fee to be paid to apply for any individual IIM
• One Day Exam: CAT exam will be held in single day on Sunday November 29, 2020 in three sessions. CAT is a Computer Based Test. Earlier it was held in 15 to 20 days testing window till 2013 by IIMs. Since 2015, CAT exam testing window has been shortened to one day only.
• 50 Days CAT 2020 Registration Window: The CAT Application process has opened on August 5 and closes on September 23, 2020
• Dual Degree Accepted: A candidate with dual bachelor's degree should mention the academic scores of both the bachelor's degree programme in CAT application form
• Single Fee for MBA Admission: CAT 2020 provides admission opportunity in 20 IIMs with the single point payment of CAT registration fee
• Choice of 50 MBA Programmes in IIMs: CAT 2020 offers a choice of more than 50 management programmes in 20 IIMs without any additional application fee for admission.

CAT 2020 Admit Card
CAT 2020 Admit Card download will start immediately with the release of the CAT hall ticket by IIMs. IIMs will upload the CAT 2020 Admit card on October 28, 2020. The CAT admit card release date may be extended by a few days in case the last date of registration for CAT 2020 exam is extended. The last date to download the CAT Admit Card is CAT 2020 exam date. 

5 Steps to Download CAT 2020 Admit Card

1. Logon to CAT official Website
2. Enter CAT Login ID & Password
3. Click on ‘Admit Card’
4. At Assessment drop down menu select Common Admission Test 2020
5. Click on Action-Download & Take Print of CAT Admit card

CAT 2020 Result & IIMs’ Admission Process
CAT 2020 exam result will be declared on January 5, 2021 in morning hours. Immediately after the CAT result declaration, IIMs will start announcing their shortlist on the basis of CAT scores and other parameters in their shortlisting criteria for final selection round. The final admission offer will be made to the candidates in the months of April/May 2021 by IIMs  

Important Changes in CAT over the Years
Journey of IIM-CAT has witnessed substantial changes. In recent years, number of sections and type of questions in CAT have changed substantially. Important changes in pattern and conduct of CAT are shared below: 

• CAT has changed from Paper Based to Computer based test
• CAT now has 3 sections instead of 2
• CAT has introduced 25 to 30 percent questions with No Negative marking

CAT Exam pattern over the past 10 years since it was computerised in 2009 has gone for perceptible changes. CAT paper pattern prior to 2009 was paper-pen based. CAT exam format was changed from paper based exam to CAT online computer based test in 2009. Even after that CAT paper pattern continued changing from 3 sections to 2 and then CAT pattern was changed to 3 sections in 2015. Since then CAT is following similar pattern. CAT 2020 pattern has however, changed but the number of sections and scoring pattern remains the same.

Before 2009, CAT was a paper based test. On May 1, 2009, it was announced that with effect from 2009, CAT would be a Computer based test. American firm Prometric was entrusted with the responsibility of conducting CAT for 5 years from 2009 to 2013. 

However, the first computer based CAT confronted many technical glitches like server slow down, blurred system display among others. At many test centres CAT had to be conducted again.

In 2014, the responsibility of testing agency to conduct CAT was assigned to Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). Since then, TCS has remained the partner testing agency for IIM-CAT.

CAT 2020 is the mandatory entrance exam for admission to MBA 2021 in 20 IIMs and other top MBA colleges in India. The exam is therefore referred to as IIM CAT and is conducted by IIMs on annual basis.