Common Admission Test (CAT) is one of the biggest all-India exams for admissions into prestigious managerial institutes like IIMs and top non-IIM business schools. The exam is held once a year, and as many as 2 Lakh students register for the examination.
CAT 2019 was conducted and administered by IIM Kozhikode, and this year IIM Indore is going to conduct CAT 2020 examination.
The registration for the exam is usually held in the month of July and exams are conducted by November, but due to the global pandemic, CAT 2020 registrations have begun from 5 August 2020, and CAT 2020 exam will be conducted on November 29, 2020. The CAT website has been updated with the new schedule of the examination.
Important Highlights of CAT 2020 Examination
| Examination | Common Aptitude Test (CAT) |
| Frequency of Examination | Once a Year |
| Conducting Body | IIM Indore |
| Examination Mode | Computer Based Test |
| Medium of Examination | English |
| Total Duration of Examination | 3 Hours |
| Institutes under the CAT 2020 Exam | 20 IIMs and approximately 200 other non-IIMs institutes |
| Application Dates | 05th August 2020 |
| Date of Examination | 29th November 2020 |
| Result Declared On | Not Announced |
Let us have a look at the important dates for CAT 2020 –
| Important event | Date |
| CAT 2020 Registration Begins | August 5, 2020 at 10.00 AM |
| CAT 2020 Registration Ends | September 16, 2020 at 5.00 PM |
| CAT 2020 Admit Card Release | October 28, 2020 from 5.00 PM |
| CAT 2020 Exam Day | November 29, 2020 |
| CAT 2020 Result | To be announced |
Since the exam dates are out in the midst of a global pandemic, CAT 2020 aspirants must not panic and keep on preparing for the test. Taking notes of important dates and some essential preparation tips will help students in revision and final preparations.
Some Important Exam Tips
- Go through your syllabus in full details – CAT is considered to be one of the toughest exams in India and to make sure that your preparation is top-notch knowing the syllabus of CAT 2020 is very important for your examination. The syllabus for CAT 2020 is a vast one. The paper is divided into three important sections: Part I (Verbal and Comprehension), Part II (Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning), and Part III (Quantitative Aptitude).
Syllabus for CAT 2020
- Verbal and Comprehension: Unseen Passage, meanings, synonyms, antonyms, analogies, word usage, correct – incorrect sentences, para jumble, para completion, verbal reasoning etc.
- Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning: Analogies, syllogism, critical reasoning, logical matching, blood relations, graphs, seat arrangements, pie charts, assumptions, Venn diagrams, etc.
- Quantitative Aptitude: Simplifications, averages, profit and loss, time and word, speed, distance, and time, LCM and HCF, geometry, set theory, probabilities, coordinate geometry, trigonometry, and quadratic equations etc.
- Do not lose hope thinking that CAT is solely for engineering students or since you belong to a non-engineering background, you cannot compete with engineering students. CAT Syllabus 2020 has been designed in such a way that students across different streams can prepare and apply for the same.
- Online mode of preparation is more effective than the offline mode as it will help your preparation in centering around mock tests and solving previous year questions which are of vital importance for CAT 2020. As dates of the exam are extremely near, it is very important to keep their focus intact on the question pattern and question types of CAT.
- It is very important to understand that Mock Tests are very crucial for CAT 2020 preparation. Since the main examination is conducted on a computer-based mode, online tests and mock tests will help students in getting a better hang of the exam patterns and marking scheme.
Exam Pattern of CAT 2020
CAT 2020 Exam paper has three sections: Part I (Verbal and Comprehension), Part II (Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning), and Part III (Quantitative Aptitude).
Part I has 34 questions, Part II has 32 questions, and Part III has 34 questions. All three sections consist of a combination of Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) and non-MCQ questions.
| Section | No. of questions | Question types |
| Verbal & Comprehension | 34 | MCQ & Non-MCQ |
| Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning | 32 | MCQ & Non-MCQ |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 34 | MCQ & Non-MCQ |
| Total Number of Questions | 100 |
Marking Scheme for CAT 2020
CAT 2020 exam consists of negative markings as well. For every correct answer, three marks are awarded, and for every wrong multiple choice based question, one marks are deducted.
| Section | Marks | Marks Distribution |
| Verbal & Comprehension | 102 Marks | 3 marks for every correct answer & a penalty of 1 mark for every incorrect answer. |
| Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning | 96 Marks | 3 marks for every correct answer & a penalty of 1 mark for every incorrect answer. |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 102 Marks | 3 marks for every correct answer & a penalty of 1 mark for every incorrect answer |
| Total Marks | 300 |
- Students from humanity background are always worried about quantitative aptitude. But they should know that practising basic quantitative questions and solving mock papers will make things extremely easy for CAT aspirants.
- CAT Exam 2020 requires great time management as the paper is usually lengthy because of the quantitative, data interpretation and logical reasoning, and verbal and comprehension sections.
- According to the toppers of CAT examination, CAT coaching is not everything. Students who are not enrolled in any coaching classes have equal chances of scoring as any other student with CAT coaching. So, if you are someone who is not taking CAT exclusive classes, you should not lose hope.
- Just a few weeks before the final examination, the official CAT website releases a series of mock tests. These mocks tests should not be missed. So, make sure to check the official websites for important notifications and announcements.
Hopefully, these essential exam tips will help you in scoring for CAT 2020. All the best!
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