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CAT & Other MBA Entrance Exams

CAT (Common Admission Test) is one of the most popular exams conducted in the country for MBA aspirants. You get an entry to different IIMs if you appear for CAT. CAT and other MBA entrance exams are conducted for some of the best Indian institutes with either MBA or PGDM as a part of their curriculum. You can do an MBA in any field like Marketing, Sales, Finance, Supply Chain Management, etc. Before you start your CAT and other MBA entrance exams preparation, you must know the exams that you will have to take to secure a seat in one of the best colleges in India.

CAT and other MBA Entrance Exam Syllabus

There are three sections in the CAT exam. Other exams also have the same sections, but they might have an additional general knowledge section. Let's have a look at the sections that are a part of the CAT exam:

• Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension

• Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning

• Quantitative Aptitude

All of these sections have an equal weightage, but the institutes release a different cut-off for all of these sections based on the difficulty level of the exam. For the CAT exam, the IIMs do not publish a set syllabus. The majority of the questions are based on middle school Maths and English concepts. CAT is a computer-based test administered annually by one of the IIMs on a rotating basis. Candidates' quantitative, linguistic, data interpretation, and logical thinking are used to determine these test results. The Indian Institute of Management (IIMs) created this test to help them choose the best candidates for their various business administration degrees.

There are 76 questions in the CAT exam, out of which 54 are MCQs, and for the remaining 22 questions, you will have to type in the answers. The exam duration is 120 minutes, and 40 minutes is allotted to each candidate for every section. However, the students under the PwD category are given 53 minutes and 20 seconds to complete the exam. The exam is conducted in three slots on the same day. The slots are called morning, afternoon, and evening, respectively. The total marks of this paper are 228, and the cut-off is released later. 

The English section covers concepts like comprehension, para jumbles, idioms, phrases, analogies, etc. However, every year the pattern of the question changes slightly. You must brush up on your basic grammar skills before appearing for the CAT exam.

Similarly, Data Interpretation tests your number chunking skills. You will be given some charts and graphs. You will have to crunch the numbers and determine the results based on these charts. Topics such as blood relations, Venn diagrams, etc., are covered in the Logical Reasoning section.

The Quantitative Aptitude section covers questions on basic aptitude. You will be tested on some basic Mathematical concepts and your knowledge of Algebra and Geometry.

Free Study Materials for CAT and other MBA Entrance Exam Preparation

It can be challenging to find appropriate content for your CAT and other MBA entrance exams preparation. You may come across many videos and materials on the internet, but you may be unsure where to begin. The internet is inundated with material, but there is no correlation between the material available on various platforms and how you should begin preparing for the CAT and other MBA entrance tests. With Unacademy, you may put an end to the turmoil and make a plan for your CAT and other MBA entrance exams.

You may have access to various resources to help you conquer the CAT and other MBA entrance exams. You may gain an overview of the topic by using the notes on the Unacademy platform, and then you can start digging further using the detailed resources on Unacademy.

Unacademy also provides you with a trove of free expert-level study materials. You can watch many videos from some of the country's greatest MBA professionals on the portal for free. If you like the material, you may upgrade your account to obtain unlimited access to some of the best-paid CAT and other MBA entrance test topics. Unacademy has a variety of resources that will guide you and help you put your knowledge to the test to see where you are in terms of your MBA entrance exam preparation. There are different practice tests on sections and topics that you can try out and take your preparation to the next level. The resources on Unacademy will be instrumental in your preparation.

How to kickstart the CAT and other MBA Entrance Exam Preparation

It would be best if you kickstarted your CAT and other MBA entrance exams preparation as soon as you are notified about the dates of these exams. Also, you can start your preparations even from the day you decide to sit for these exams. Some of the steps that you can take to kickstart your preparation is:

• Get notified about the exam dates.

The dates of the CAT and other MBA entrance exams must be known before you begin your CAT and other MBA entrance exams preparation. You might not plan the ideal strategy for your CAT and other MBA entrance exams preparation if you don't have a date in mind. You should be aware of the exam dates and watch for any notifications issued by the official institutions in charge of these exams. You can subscribe to Unacademy's notifications. You will be promptly informed of any developments or news regarding CAT and other MBA entrance exams if you use these notifications.

• Prepare for the exam.

In most of these exams, there is just one online exam. These exams have multiple-choice questions, and you need to be prepared for handling these questions. You need to refer to all kinds of resources to pass CAT and other MBA entrance exams with flying colours. You can buy some books that will help you prepare for these exams. It would be best if you referred to the study material provided by Unacademy so that you are thorough with every topic. 

• Prepare for the next rounds.

While there are no other rounds after CAT and other MBA entrance exams, still some institutes take a written exam or a short aptitude test as a part of the selection process. You get a very small time frame to prepare for these rounds. Therefore, it is advisable to prepare for these rounds as and when you prepare for CAT and other MBA entrance exams. You need to clear these rounds to reach the personal interview round. Some institutes also take group discussions for these rounds. Unacademy has several resources that will prepare you for these rounds. You must go through all the material to be well-prepared for these rounds.

• Personal Interview preparation

Personal interview is one of the most important rounds of CAT and other MBA entrance exams. In some colleges, these interviews are even given more than 30% weightage. Therefore, you need to focus on the preparation of your interviews. Unacademy has several resources on interview preparation that will make the entire process smooth and hassle-free for you. You should take help from these resources and then give several mock interviews to understand your strengths and the places where you might go wrong.

Tips and Tricks to crack CAT and other MBA Entrance

There are several tips and tricks that you must apply when you start with your CAT and other MBA entrance exams preparation. You can easily navigate through the CAT and other MBA entrance exams preparation if you bring these tricks to action.

• Build a strategy for CAT and other MBA entrance exams preparation

Having a strategy is mandatory if you start with your CAT and other MBA entrance exams preparation. You should go through the syllabus thoroughly and then develop a plan to prepare for these MBA entrance exams. You need to cover hundreds of topics while preparing for these exams. You might lose track of everything you need to cover to get the best out of these exams. Therefore, you must create a schedule that helps you keep track of what has to be studied and what you have completed. Also, you must mandatorily include practice tests in your strategy, as you should keep measuring your process constantly.

• Stay Updated (Current Affairs)

CAT does not have any questions on current affairs. However, other important exams like XAT, TISS-NET, SNAP, etc., have questions on current affairs. Therefore, you should keep yourself aware of these current affairs. Unacademy has a separate section on current affairs. You can refer to this section to keep yourself updated on what's going on worldwide. This section gets updated every day so that you don't miss any news or update on what's going on around you.

• Time Management

When studying for the CAT and other MBA entrance exams, it's critical to keep track of your time. CAT and other MBA entrance exams will have a total time limit of around 2 hours for all papers. As a result, you should get into the habit of finishing papers within a stipulated amount of time. You can give some of the topics a time limit and complete them within that time range. Time management is a talent that can only be learned through practice. As a result, you should maintain the practice even if you finish the topics on time. You will only ace your examinations if you make it a habit to finish the questions on time.

• Mock Tests

CAT and other MBA entrance exams preparation depend a lot on mock tests. You will have to keep practising until you get all the answers right within the stipulated time. There are various mock tests for CAT and other MBA entrance exams preparation on Unacademy. You can use these papers to prepare for CAT and other MBA entrance exams. These mock tests are timed, making you ready for the final exams.

FAQs

1. Do all MBA colleges accept the CAT scores for admission?

2. Does IIM Ahmedabad accept CAT scores?

Yes, IIM Ahmedabad only accepts CAT scores, and they release their merit list based on the cut-off they decide for the year. This cut-off applies to the people who appear for the CAT exams.

3. What is the duration of the CAT exam?

Earlier, the CAT exam had 3 hours, where 1 hour was allotted to each section. However, this pattern has been changed since 2021. The candidates get only 2 hours or 120 minutes to complete the exam. You will have to finish all the sections within these two hours.

4. What are the sections that are a part of the CAT question paper?

The CAT paper has three sections. These sections are Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension, Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning, and Quantitative Aptitude. You will have to clear the cut-offs for all of these sections if you want to get admission in any of the IIMs.

5. Are the cut-off marks for all the IIMs the same?

No, the cut off marks for all the colleges are not the same. Different colleges release different cut-offs for their courses. You will have to meet their criteria to get admission into any particular college. 

6. What are some of the other important MBA entrance exams?

There are several other important exams apart from CAT. These exams are XAT, TISS-NET, NMAT, SNAP, MICAT, MAT, etc. You can appear for all of these exams along with CAT to improve your chances of getting into a good MBA college. These exams are conducted by some of the best colleges in India.