The CAT examination pattern is generally not completely known until the notification of the exam is released. However the basic pattern remains similar. Therefore, you can prepare by following the previous trends.
As the trends show, the exam is generally held in the last week of November. It is conducted in over 400 test centers in Online Mode.
No of Sections = 3
Duration of the exam: 180 minutes (However due to Covid-19 the duration was reduced to 120 minutes in 2020. It is expected to go back to 180 minutes in 2021)
Test Centers: The list of test centers will be released basis the applicant strength and the exam is conducted in 2 shifts : Morning and Afternoon shift
Names of Sections :
No. of Questions: 100 combination of MCQ and Non-MCQ questions
Basis the previous trends the question split maybe as below:
Marking Scheme: Each question carries 3 marks and the total marks for the paper is 300 marks.
The CAT syllabus includes questions at 10+2 level and the basic eligibility is to have a degree. An overview of the syllabus with the most important topcis is shown below:
In the CAT exam, the most important part is to plan your strategies well so that you maximize your score.
Hi
CAT PAPER PATTERN
IIMs officially don't release cat examination pattern, expected CAT 2021 pattern is provided below:-
-)CAT 2021 will be of 2 hour duration
-)it is conducted in computer-based mode.
-)In cat 2021 , there will be a total of 76 questions - 54 mcqs and 22 non - mcqs
-)The complete paper will be divided into three major sections, which are listed below along with number of questions they have:-
QA i. e quantitative Ability :- it will have 26 questions in total (18 mcqs and 8 non - mcqs)
DILR i. e data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning : - it will have 24 questions (18 mcqs and 6 non - mcqs)
VARC i. e Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension :- it will have 26 questions( 18 mcqs and 8 non - mcqs)
-)There's 40 minutes for each section .
Marking scheme:-
3 marks is awarded for every correct answer
-1 marks for every wrong answer in case of mcqs
no marks deduction is there for wrong answers in case of wrong non -mcqs .
To help you further, preparation tips for CAT is provided below:-
To start your cat preparation, first of all go through its syllabus at
https://bschool.careers360.com/articles/cat-syllabus
Top books which you can follow for CAT are listed below section wise :-
QUANTITATIVE ABILITY
-)How to prepare for Quantitative Aptitude for the CAT by Arun Sharma:-
it is the best book for your Aptitude for your cat examination .
it covers all the topics according to your cat syllabus.
it has elaborative examples so that it's easy for you to understand them .
questions are divided into 3 levels of difficulty
DATA INTERPRETATION AND LOGICAL REASONING (DILR) :-
-)Logical reasoning and data interpretation for cat by K. Sinha Nishit:-
the best thing about this book is it starts with your fundamental and basics and then goes to advanced level too, you get each topics with explained examples.
it has questions divided into three difficulty levels, so that you can start from basic and move ahead step by step
-) how to prepare for data Interpretation for cat by arun sharma :-
it has strategies and concepts which you need to solve questions accurately and quickly.
it has exercises which are designed in a manner to help you boost your logical thinking etc.
VERBAL ABILITY AND READING COMPREHENSION
-) word power made easy by norman lewis:-
it is one of the best books that you can get for improving your vocabulary .
it helps you in learning correct usage of words etc.
at the end of each chapter you get review exercises
-) mastering the verbal ability for cat by ajay singh:-
it has more than around 200 passages for your practice .
it also contains test papers of other B-School as well, etc.
-) How to prepare for verbal ability and reading comprehension for the cat by arun sharma and meenakshi upadhyay:-
it is written in a very lucid manner.
it has past year question papers analysis .
you get topicwise segregation in this book along with mock papers for your practice.
For detailed information go through our page the link for the same is provided below
https://bschool.careers360.com/articles/best-books-for-cat-preparation
*Make a routine and religiously follow it as it will help you to utilise the time in the best possible way and avoid procrastination and laziness .
*Keep short breaks of 20 to 25 minutes after every 1.5 to 2 hours between your studies in your routine .Half of the time of your studies must be for practicing questions
* Plan your studies, and set daily, weekly and monthly goals and meet them without any fail.
*Solve previous year question papers of CAT :-it will let you know the examination pattern, type and difficulty level of questions, also concepts behind the question often gets repeated, so you should definitely solve year papers . You can get cat previous year question papers at https://bschool.careers360.com/articles/cat-question-papers
*Once you are done with complete CAT syllabus then go through CAT mock test papers , it will let you know your preparation level and and weak areas so that you can work on them and perform well in your examination
For detailed information go through
https://bschool.careers360.com/articles/how-prepare-for-cat/amp
Thank you
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