The Cat Exam

The CAT or the Common Aptitude test is conducted for all MBA aspirants seeking admission in all the prestigious management institutes in the country. The test IIM's or the Indian Institute of Management conduct the test every year. There are seven IIM's in the country now namely Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Kolkatta, Lucknow, Indore, kozhikode and Shillong. IIM Shillong is the latest IIM to join the list and in the next few years, the Government wants to set up more IIM's in the country. Apart from the IIM, there are several other colleges affiliated with the CAT.

Any graduate of any stream or a student in the last year of graduation is eligible to give the common aptitude test. But, the student who have completed their Education need to have secured more than fifty percent and above in order to be eligible to sit for the exam. As in the case of SC's, ST's and PWD's this percentage is relaxed to forty five percent.

The students who are in the final year of graduation need to show proof that they have been able to secure more than fifty percent in their last exam. These students need to approach their college principal or director and get his/her signature on an application saying that the student has secured the desired percentage.

The CAT generally takes place in the month of November. This written test is known for its unpredictability and throws some or the other surprise every single time. The test could be of duration of two and a half to three hours and generally has three sections that test Verbal Reasoning, Logical Reasoning and Data interpretation and also Quantitative Reasoning. After the CAT exam, students are short listed for Group Discussions and Personal Interviews. After the interviews the selected students are given admissions to the respective colleges.