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Exam Pattern
CAT Exam Structure |
Details |
|---|---|
| Number of sections |
3 (Verbal & Reading Comprehension, Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning, and Quantitative Aptitude) |
| Duration of exam |
180 minutes (60 minutes per section) |
| Number of questions |
100 |
| Total marks |
300 |
| Language of question paper |
English |
| Number of answer choices |
4 |
| Mode of examination |
Online |
| Marking scheme |
+3 marks for correct answer -1 mark for incorrect answer |
Section Wise CAT Exam Pattern
Take a look at the number of questions asked in each section of CAT exam and time allotted to each of them
| Section | Questions | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Quantitative Aptitude (QA) |
34 |
60 minutes |
| Logical Reasoning & Data Interpretation (LRDI) | 32 |
60 minutes |
| Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) |
34 |
60 minutes |
| Total |
100 |
180 |
CAT Exam Pattern - Overall and Sectional Time limit
CAT exam has sectional time limit, which means the candidates will not be allowed to choose any section to start with or switch from one section to another. They will have to follow the CAT 2019 question paper chronologically, from section 1-3. The chronology of the sections will be Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension, Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning and Quantitative Aptitude
Aspirants must remember that they will have to complete each section within one hour and as the minute one hour is completed, the screen will automatically move to the next section, and they will not be allowed to complete it later.
CAT Marking Scheme
It is important to know CAT marking scheme before attempting the exam so that you can select which questions to answer and which ones to skip. Total marks of CAT 2019 paper will be 300. Each question will carry 3 marks. There will be negative marking of -1 for each wrong answer. There will be no deduction of marks in case a candidate chooses not to attempt a given question. Some questions in each section may not be of multiple choice type, thus the answers will have to be typed on the screen.
Important Points About CAT Exam Pattern
- Use of basic onscreen calculator will be allowed for computation
- An onscreen clock will help candidates keep a check on time
- A rough paper will be provided for rough work, which has to be submitted at the exam center as soon as the exam gets over
- The candidate cannot start solving the question paper before time
- All the computer screens will switch on at the same time
- Candidates must sit in their designated area, if found sitting anywhere else, he/she will be debarred from the exam
Eligibility
CAT Eligibility Criteria - Academic Details
- Candidates who are in the final year of graduation, they would be eligible to apply for CAT
- Candidates who have completed their graduation and are waiting for the result to be announced, they will be eligible to apply for CAT However, according to CAT eligibility criteria such candidates will be offered provisional admission. The admission of the candidates will be confirmed only after they provide a certificate from the registrar or principal of the institution or university mentioning that the aforesaid candidate has met all the necessary requirements to obtain the bachelor’s degree.
- Candidates belonging to the general category must score at least 50 per cent marks or equivalent CGPA to appear in CAT exam entrance exam . They must have completed their graduation by an Act of the Parliament or State legislature in India or declared to be deemed as a University under Section 3 of the UGC Act, 1956
- Those candidates will also be eligible to appear for CAT exam who possess an equivalent qualification that has been accorded recognition by Ministry of Human Resource Development
- Candidates who belong to Scheduled Tribe (ST), Schedule Caste and persons with disability must score at least 45 % marks in their graduation to be eligible to appear in CAT
CAT Eligibility Criteria - Calculation of marks to be eligible for Common Admission Test
If the candidate has scored marks in CGPA format, then in such a case, the marks would be converted as per the guidelines laid down by the respective institute or university.
If the institute does not follow any conversion policy, then in such a case the equivalent marks would be calculated by dividing the CGPA of the candidate by the maximum possible CGPA and the result will be multiplied by 100.
CAT Eligibility Criteria - Reservation Criteria
As per the eligibility criteria of CAT , certain percentage of seats are reserved for candidates belonging to SC, ST, OBC and persons with disability
Reservation and category
S.No | Category | Reservation |
1 | Scheduled Tribe (ST) | 7.5 per cent |
2 | Scheduled Caste (SC) | 15 per cent |
3 | Other Backward Classes (OBC) belonging to non-creamy layers | 27 per cent |
4 | Persons with disability | 3 percent |
Overview of CAT Syllabus
Given below are the main topics of QA, DILR and VARC on which the aspirants must pay extra attention while preparing from the CAT syllabus
| CAT Sections | CAT Important Topics |
|---|---|
| Quantitative Aptitude (QA) | Mensuration, Number System, Geometry, Algebra, Time and Work |
| Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) | Tables, Graphs, Seating Arrangement, Blood Relation, Syllogism, Data Caselets |
| Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) | RC passages based questions, sentence completion, para-jumbles & para-summary, inferences |
CAT Exam Full Syllabus
Quantitative Aptitude Syllabus |
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning Syllabus |
Verbal Reasoning Syllabus |
| Number Systems | Tables | English Usage or Grammar |
| Profit, Loss and Discount | Caselets | Vocabulary Based (Synonyms/ Antonyms) |
| LCM and HCF | Bar Graphs | Fill in the blanks |
| Speed, Time and Distance | Line Charts | Sentence Correction |
| Percentages | Column Graphs | Cloze Passage |
| Time and Work | Venn Diagrams | Jumbled Paragraph |
| Ratio and Proportion | Pie Chart | Meaning-Usage Match |
| Averages | Other Basic Reasoning Questions | Analogies or Reverse Analogies |
| Quadratic Equations & Linear Equations | Calendars | Summary Questions |
| Complex Numbers | Number and Letter Series | Verbal Reasoning |
| Simple and Compound Interest | Clocks | Facts-Inferences-Judgments |
| Logarithm | Venn Diagrams | Reading Comprehension |
| Sequences and Series | Cubes | |
| Inequalities | Seating Arrangement | |
| Probability | Binary Logic | |
| Surds and Indices | Logical Matching | |
| Set Theory & Function | Logical Sequence | |
| Permutation and Combination | Syllogism | |
| Mixtures and Alligations | Logical Connectives | |
| Trigonometry | Blood Relations | |
| Coordinate Geometry | ||
| Geometry | ||
| Mensuration |