Common Admission Test (CAT) is an entrance exam conducted nationally to select candidates for top management institutions in India. The use of CAT score comes to the surface as now IISc and IITs are also considering CAT scores other than IIM. There are several processes of sieving before getting admission. The qualifying score for CAT can also vary with institutions. Evaluation parameters for group discussion are an excellent way to filter candidates besides their academic ability.

What is a CAT Score?

CAT is an entrance exam for India’s no. 1 business institutions like IIM. The exam will check your reading and writing ability, data interpretation, logical reasoning, and quantitative analysis. The minimum criteria for the CAT exam are a bachelor’s degree or equivalent qualification from reputed universities. It is a computer-based test for management programmes. The selection will be based on CAT score and CAT percentile. CAT score is the marks obtained, and the CAT percentile is the relative score of the total candidates. It is a total of 198 marks, which is three marks for a correct answer and one negative mark for a wrong answer.

Qualifying Score for CAT

There are mainly two types of admission processes with CAT scores. To know about the qualifying score for CAT, one must understand the admission process better.

Admission to IIM: IIM primarily announces the desired cut-off for the year. Students will be shortlisted based on this cut-off. Later, they have to go through three stages: group discussion, writing ability, and personal interview. After completing all the stages, the institute will calculate your CAT percentile with other competitors.

Admission to other institutions: Institutes other than IIM announce their cut-off category-wise (General and Reservation). However, after the screening process, the considered CAT score will be pretty high to get admission.

Qualifying cut-off and admission cut-off are two things. The first one is announced before the CAT result, whereas the latter is announced after the result. AS you can understand from this, CAT exams are medium- to highly difficult exams.

To understand the cut-off, let’s consider institutions as a three-tier system. Institutions like the top IIM will consider above 98% as the cut-off CAT percentile. Second-tier institutions will take from 90%-95%. The minimum for them will be 80%. Third-tier colleges take students with 60% or above.

CAT Group Discussion

Group discussion (GD) is one of the screening processes at IIM for the shortlisted candidates. There are several evaluation parameters for group discussion in CAT. Group discussion is an excellent tool to shortlist the candidates as it evaluates every aspect of a person. The candidate should be likeable and excellent in expressing their answers. It should not be a blunter or unclear answer. The candidate should be confident and comfortable working as a team.

  • Communication Skills: The ability to communicate is the core factor determining your CAT percentile.
  • Writing Skills: The ability to write is also an important factor to be considered. Many of the candidates might flatter the hirer with their speeches but lack commendable and robust writing skills.
  • Knowledge: You should not be someone who by-hearted everything and passed the cut-off. Institutions need someone with deep knowledge that can be beneficial in practical ways.
  • Attitude and Listening Abilities: These are qualities you can’t fake. You must be humble and should always listen to others’ opinions before reaching conclusions. You should not feel superior or inferior to others.
  • Confidence and Way of Presentation: You should be confident even in unpleasant or challenging situations. Corporate fields need more people with skill-sets to overcome the pressure. The way you present your opinions and ideas is also a measuring tool for your knowledge and attitude towards others. Keep your tone clear but precise.
  • Accepting Others’ Ideas: You must express your ideas and solutions if you agree or disagree with others – but be ready to appreciate others’ ideas if it is better than yours.
  • Leadership and Interaction Skills: To compete in the corporate field, you must have leadership skills with good interaction power. You can be a good boss only when you are likeable to your juniors. It is an evaluation parameter for group discussion. It confirms your worth to be a graduate of top universities because they supply many workforces to top corporate companies.
  • Decision-Making: You must possess decision-making and problem-solving abilities that should reflect in your interaction
  • Analytical Skills: It is important to possess analytical skills to organise and establish a plan.

Use of CAT Score

The CAT score mainly provides the beginning of the journey in the management field. To achieve success in the corporate world, one would need an MBA. To complete an MBA from a top university, you have to qualify in the CAT exam. The Indian Institute of Management, Indian Institute of Technology, and Indian Institute of Science also decided to consider the CAT score for admission purposes.

If you can excel in your workplace, an MBA will help you reach the top much faster. An attractive salary package and a better lifestyle are bonuses for an MBA graduate who excels in the corporate field.

Conclusion

CAT is an exam for top management institutions in India. There is a specific qualifying score for CAT. After the first round, evaluation parameters for group discussion are an essential step to getting admission. The use of CAT score is wide as now IITs and IISc are also considering this for admission.