intro to cat

8/4/2019 Intro to Cat

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Exam: The Common Admission Test (CAT)

Conducted by: Conducted jointly by the IIMs (Indian Institutes of Management -- Ahmedabad, Calcutta, Bangalore,Lucknow, Indore, Calicut)

Eligibility criteria: Pretty much anyone who has a recognised bachelors degree from a recognised university iseligible for the CAT examination. Students who are to graduate the following year can appear as well. Note, however,that the CAT score is accepted by many institutes, and different institutes might have their own entrancerequirements. Many typically ask for a minimum of 50% marks at the graduation level.

Exam applicable to: There is no university that accepts the CAT scores. Since CAT is conducted by the IIM, whichis a set of autonomousinstitutes, only autonomous institutes accept CAT scores. Note that until very recently, theexam was only for the IIMs. The list however, changes every year and there is no way of knowing the exhaustive list.However, a good sample would include the following...

The Indian Institutes of Management

1. MICA (Mudra Insitute of Communication)2. TA Pai, Manipal3. IMT, Ghaziabad

4. MDI, Gurgaon5. Goa Institute of Management6. Institute of Technology and Management (multiple locations all over India).7. Institute of Management Development & Research, Pune

Exam Dates: The CAT exam usually takes place on the second Sunday of December. This year also it falls on thesame day, i.e.; December 13 1998.

Pattern of the paper: Although slight changes could be observed every year, typically the pattern is as follows...

Maths - 50 marks (including the regular topics -- percentage, numbers, ratios, geometry, distance, interest and thelikes for 40 marks and Data Sufficiency for 10 marks)Data Interpretation - 35 marksEnglish - 50 marks (including unjumbling of jumbled sentences, analogies, error spotting, finding the odd word and

the likes)Reading Comprehension - 50 marks (typically 6 to 8 passages)

Pros:

On attempting the test, one feels that indeed the test was well-designed. The questions that are tough are not toughsimply because of mindless calculations, but because of the conceptual knowledge required.

The exam is designed such that memorisation, rote learning, endless hours of slogging and other such brute forcemethods do not yield results all by themselves. Conceptual understanding is a must. The exam is fairly standardisedin format.

Cons:

Absolute lack of transperancy. No one knows how much they scored. No one knows how the institutes interpret/usetheir scores. No one knows how much of the admission decision is dependant on the CAT score alone. Such lack oftransperancy is not expected from a managment institute.

Though many non-IIM institutes have started accepting CAT scores, the application fee of these institutes is stillinexplicably high.

The CAT is primarily an exam of Math and English. Logical and Analytical Reasoning is nearly absent (except forsome verbal reasoning).


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Students who have not studied math at the graduation level stand little chance of scoring the bare-minimum marksrequired in the quantative section.

Words from the wise...

On preparation: Ajeet Khurana, the Director of KITS, a Bombay based institute that has been coaching students forMBA entrance exams in India feels that, "Like most exams, good study material, a study plan, a group of friends forgroup-study, some coaching are all required. However, due to CAT being one of the older MBA entrance exams, a lotof the study material is outdated. Then again, if you have even somewhat above average vocabulary, then spendingweeks learning a list of words and their synonyms shall be a very bad investment. But several students spend weeks,often months learning synonyms. (This might make sense for the GRE, but will yield poorly for CAT). Also, one needsto ensure that one indeed understood a particular question and topic before proceeding. Too often, students aresatisfied simply by getting the right answer. The idea is to focus on the right approach and speed building."

On coaching classes: According to Khurana, "As a medium, coaching classes do provide an opportunity to reduce theambiguity associated with the extent and scope of the syllabus. The biggest service they do is provide is to ensurethat the students is disciplined enough and keeps on preparing. The peer pressure also helps a lot. However,coaching classes certainly are no magic pill and even the best amongst them can clain to only 25 per cent of thecredit for their student's success. The rest is the candidates own dedication and sincerity.

"It is also noteworthy to distinguish between one coaching class and another. Students should certainly check thecredentials, methodology and faculty of the coaching classes before enrolling. The CAT coaching class industry ischaracterised by a lot of institutes that start with a big bang and are non-existent in a year or two.

If at all you do get a call: Different institutes have different procedures that follow. Most have a filteration processbefore final selection on the basis of Group Discussions and Personal Interviews. Some institutes (e.g. MICA),conduct a supplementary exam of their own.

Helpful tips for the Group Discussion and interview:

Keep up with the latest news by reading newspapers and magazines regularly. Prepare a career plan Improvecommunication skills (Some coaching classes like KITS, for instance helps with this too.)

Note: Typically calls from the IIMs come during the end of February to the mid of AprilAs far as other institute are

concerned, they continue as long as July. Sometimes, the dates of the final exams of T.Y.B.Com. students clasheswith the dates of the G.D or the interview. Not too much can be done about the clashing of dates. However, if one isprepared in advance, one just needs to invest half a day for the GD and interview sessions. If indeed you have anexam at the same time as your GD and interview, you could try talking to the MBA institute about it. But pastinstances reveal that this does not usually bear fruit.

COLLEGES ACCEPTING CAT SCORES

1. Bhavan's Royal Institute of Management

2. IIM Ahmedabad

3. IIM Bangalore

4. IIM Indore

5. IIM Kozhikode

6. IIM Lucknow


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Top B-Schools in India for MBA, PGDM

Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai (JBIMS)

S. P. Jain Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai (SPJIMR)

Schools of Management, IIT (Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai)

Management Development Institute, Gurgaon (MDI)

Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai (NMIMS)

Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar (XIM B)

Symbiosis Institute of Business Management, Pune (SIBM)

Symbiosis Center for Management & Human Resources Development, Pune (SCMHRD)

Institute of Management & Technology, Ghaziabad (IMT)

International Management Institute, Delhi (IMI)

Bharathidasan Institute of Management, Trichy (BIM)

Mudra Institute of Communications, Ahmedabad (MICA)

Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, Delhi (IIFT)

T. A. Pai Management Institute, Manipal (TAPMI)

Loyola Institute of Business Administration, Chennai (LIBA)

Institute of Rural Management, Anand (IRMA)

Institute of Management Development Research, Pune (IMDR)

Symbiosis (pune)

Master of Business Administration (MBA)

Residential MBA Programme

Specializations:Finance, Human Resources, Marketing and Operations ManagementDuration: Two years full time.Eligibility: A graduate from any statutory university with a minimum of 50% marks (45% for SC/ST) at graduationlevel. Candidates passing degree examination by part time or correspondence course are not eligible. Finalyear appearing students can apply but their admission will be subject to obtaining a minimum of 50% marks(45% for SC/ST) at qualifying examination.Intake: 180


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Reservation within intake: 15% and 7.5% of seats reserved for SC/ST candidates respectively 3% seats reserved for Differently Abled" candidates (blind, hearing impaired(Deaf/dumb) mentally retarded or those with orthopaedic disorders). The minimum degreeof disability should be 40% in order to be eligible under this category. 15% seats reserved for Management seats - applicant need to comply with all the

eligibility norms and apply separately only after the entire process is complete. Appearingfor SNAP test and filling of SIBM form is mandatory.Reservation above intake: Kashmiri Migrants: 2 seats children of migrants from J&K valley. 15% seats for International students.Students can apply to one category only.Fees :Total fees Rs. 3.5 lacs p.a. (total fees not including transportation)Management Quota twice the total fees - per annumPre induction course fees as Rs. 25000/- (non-refundable)Total hostel fees including deposit Rs. 1,00,000/- p.aSelection Procedure : The selection of the students shall be on the basis of SNAP Test +Group Task + Personal Interview.

The shortlist for Group Discussion / Task & Interview shall be based on sectional and overallcutoff.

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