CAT 2014 Exam dates, Syllabus, Application Form, Pattern

CAT is an all-India test conducted by the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) as an entrance examination for the management programs offered by its business schools (B-schools) as well as other top Master of Business Administration (MBA) schools. This year CAT 2014 will be conducted in 2 days testing window on 16 November & 22 November 2014 in 4 sessions of morning and afternoon instead of 21 days in 99 cities at 354 testing sites.

Candidates appearing for the Common Admission Test (CAT) for entrance to IIMs and other prestigious business schools on November 16 and 22 will get 30 minutes more as number of questions will be more this time.

"Earlier, candidates appearing for CAT were getting 140 minutes to solve the paper, but now time has been increased to 170 minutes," a spokesperson of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Indore, which is conducting the online CAT 2014.

As per the new feature, the candidates can allot time accordingly to solve either of sections of their choice depending on their ability and convenience. Earlier, students had to solve these sections in a serial order, with fixed duration of time.

Important Dates
• Opening date for Online Application Forms: 6 August 2014
• Closing date for Online Application Forms: 30 September 2014
• Date of Download of Admit Card: 16 October 2014
• CAT exam dates (forenoon and afternoon sessions): 16 November 2014 (Sunday) and 22 November 2014 (Saturday)
• Tentative dates for Results: Third week of December 2014

Eligibility Criteria for Admission

• The candidate must be a graduate with 50% marks or equivalent CGPA (45% in case of SC/ST/DA/PWD) or possess an equivalent qualification recognized by the ministry of HRD, Government of India.
• Candidates appearing for the final year of bachelor’s degree / equivalent qualification examination and those who have completed degree requirements and are awaiting results can also apply. (Candidate if selected needs to submit a certificate latest by 30th June 2015 from the Principal/Registrar of College/Institute stating that the candidate has completed all the requirements for obtaining the bachelor’s degree/equivalent qualification on the date of the issue of the certificate.)

15.00%	Scheduled Caste (SC)
7.50%	Scheduled Tribe (ST)
27.00%	Other Backward Classes (OBC) candidates belonging to the “non-creamy” layer
3.00%	Differently Abled (DA)

Application Fee

• General/NC-OBC candidates need to pay the fee of Rs.1600/-
• Rs.800/- for SC/ST/PWD (DA) candidates through Online.

Registration process
• Eligible candidates are required to apply online through Official Website: http://www.iimcat.ac.in on or before 30 September 2014
• No other means / mode of application will be accepted.
• General/NC-OBC candidates need to pay the fee of Rs.1600/- and Rs.800/- for SC/ST/PWD (DA) candidates through Online.
• Candidate need not send hard copy to the University.

Selection Criteria
Candidate’s selection will be made on the basis of their performance at Written Ability Test (WAT), Group Discussions (GD) and Personal Interviews (PI) conducted individually.

Test Duration & Pattern (CAT 2014)

Section	No. of Questions	Duration
1. Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation	50	2 hrs. 50 mins
2. Verbal Ability & Logical Reasoning	50
Total	100	2 hrs. 50 mins

Significant changes in CAT 2014:

• Exam duration has been increased to 170 minutes from the existing limit of 140 minutes.
• Quantitative Aptitude and Data Interpretation will consist of 50 questions and Logical Reasoning and Verbal Ability will have 50 questions each.
• The tutorial which was made available before start of examination will not be available this time.
• Candidates have the flexibility to devote more or less time to each section according to their ability.
• One can switch over from one section to another section at any point during the examination timing.

Exam Format
CAT is a computer based test, conducted in multiple cities during a window of 3-4 weeks. A candidate can select his / her test date and slot as per choice and availability.

Important Dates (2014)

Registrations	Aug 06 - Sep 30, 2014
Download of Admit Card	Oct 16, 2014
Exam dates	Nov 16 & Nov 22, 2014
Results	3rd Week of Dec, 2014

How to Apply
• Eligible candidates are required to apply online through Official Website: http://www.iimcat.ac.in
• No other means / mode of application will be accepted.
• Candidate need not send hard copy to the University.

For Detailed Notification click here

The Verbal or English Ability Syllabus of CAT 2014 includes

• Reading comprehension
• Syllogisms
• Verbal reasoning
• Analogies
• Antonyms & synonyms
• Sentence correction
• Fill in the blanks
• Idioms, etc.

The Quantitative or Mathematical Ability Syllabus of CAT 2014 includes

• Number Systems
• Trigonometry
• Geometry
• Permutation Combination
• Probability
• Algebra
• Mensuration
• Averages
• Time and Work
• Percentages
• Quadratic
• Profit And Loss
• Linear Equations, Etc.

The Logical Reasoning Syllabus of CAT 2014 includes

• Clocks
• Binary Logic
• Calendars
• Blood Relations
• Logical Sequence
• Seating Arrangement
• Premise, Conclusion
• Assumption
• Linear And Matrix Arrangement, Etc.