Preferred Books for CAT Preparation

-    How to Prepare for Logical Reasoning for CAT by DINESH KHATTAR
                                or
    How to Prepare for Data Interpretation and Logical by Arun Sharma

-    Trishna’s Quantitative Aptitude And Data Interpretation For The CAT And Other MBA Examinations by Time

-    An Introduction To The CAT: Tips From An IIM Alumnus by Sidharth Balakrishana

-    Quantitative Aptitude Quantum CAT: Common Admission Test For Admission into IIMs by Sarvesh K Verma
                                or
    Quantitative Aptitude for the CAT and Other MBA Entrance Exam - Thorpes

-    Vocabulary Booster For The CAT: A Winning Approach By An IIM Alumnus by Sidharth

-    The Pearson Guide To Quantitative Aptitude And Data Interpretation For The CAT by Nishit K. Sinha

-    A Modern Approach To Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning by R. S. Aggarwal

-    Analytical & Logical Reasoning For CAT by Bs Sijwali
    
-    Geometry And Higher Mathematics For The CAT And Other MBA Examinations by Time

-    Mathematics For The CAT And Other MBA Examinations by Time

-    CAT Topic-Wise Solved Papers by Deepak Agarwal, Shipra Agarwal

-    Wren and Marten

CAT IIM

CAT IIM

The Common Admission Test (CAT) is conducted by the Indian Institutes of Management (IIM) as a pre-requisite for admission to various management programmes of IIMs. Indian Institutes of Management announced the highlights of the Common Admission Test 2011. Prometric, trusted provider of market-leading test development and test delivery solutions, is IIMs’ partner in developing and delivering CAT. For details on programmes offered by each of the IIMs, please refer to their respective websites:

IIM Ahmedabad http://www.iimahd.ernet.in/

IIM Bangalore http://www.iimb.ernet.in/

IIM Calcutta http://www.iimcal.ac.in/

IIM Indore http://www.iimidr.ac.in/

IIM Kashipur http://www.iiml.ac.in/kashipur_admission.pdf

IIM Kozhikode http://www.iimk.ac.in/

IIM Lucknow http://www.iiml.ac.in/

IIM Raipur http://www.iimraipur.ac.in

IIM Ranchi http://www.iimranchi.ac.in

IIM Rohtak http://www.iimrohtak.ac.in

RGIIM Shillong http://www.rgiim.ac.in/

IIM Tiruchirappali http://www.iimtrichy.ac.in

IIM Udaipur http://www.iimidr.ac.in/iimi/pages/posts/iim-udaipur-pgp-2011-13-batch-admission-offers211.php

The CAT entrance only contains two sections. The first section will focus on Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation; the second on Verbal Ability & Logical Reasoning. These two sections will be implemented sequentially with separate time limits. The examination will be 140 minutes. Candidates will have 70 minutes to answer 30 questions within each section which will have an on-screen countdown timer. Once the time ends for the first section, they will move to the second and will no longer be able to go back. Although new in the computer-based version of CAT, this format was previously practiced in some of the earlier paper-and-pencil years.

CAT is an exam which is given by many students every year. IIM offers comprehensive classroom training, study material for CAT Preparation including Mock Tests, CAT Math eBooks, Classroom Mock CATs, and preparatory material for IIM Bangalore's PGSEM Last year 204,267 students had registered for this exam.

There are 78 centers in the country that conduct this exam. These centers are located in 33 cities across India. Over 9000 computers are used to give the exam. Thankfully there were no issues with the computer based exam, which started on October 27th and ended on 27^th November.

As per the Government of India requirements, 15% of the seats are reserved for Scheduled Caste (SC) and 7½% for Scheduled Tribe (ST) candidates.  27% of seats are reserved for Other Backward Classes (OBC).

All the CAT test centres have been specifically selected as they meet Contingency Plans Prometric’s standards for computer hardware and software, generators and uninterrupted power supplies (UPS), internet connectivity and physical security. All testing areas will provide individual testing seats with partitions on either side as well as the front, for privacy.

CAT 2012

CAT 2012

Dates of the Common Admission Test (CAT 2011 - CAT 2012) have been declared. IIMs released the dates of CAT 2012.

As introduce by the management candidates will be given a 15-mins help guide or kind of tutorial will be presented before the test begins. The total duration of the exam, including the tutorial would be two hours and 35 minutes.  IIM will make the official practice test available within days.

In Year 2012 there are 13 IIMs will be take admission through CAT 2012. These 13 IIMs are IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, IIM Calcutta, IIM Indore, IIM Kashipur, IIM Kozhikode, IIM Lucknow, IIM Raipur, IIM Ranchi, IIM Rohtak, IIM Shillong, IIM Tiruchirappalli and IIM Udaipur.

This will help CAT 2012 aspirants take get the feeling of the test and get familiar with the new format of the test.

To reduce the difficulties in purchasing CAT vouchers, now candidates will also be able to purchase CAT vouchers from 201 Axis Bank branches, an increase of 30 outlets.

CAT 2012 Reservation Criteria

15% seats are reserved for Scheduled Castes(SC) and 7.5% seats are reserved for Scheduled Tribe(ST), 27% for OBC candidates belonging to Non-Creamy layer and 3% seats are reserved for Differently Abled (DA), PWD candidates.

Registration Details

CAT 2012 Vouchers can be get from Axis Bank branches in between – Wednesday, 17 August 2011 to Monday, 26 September 2011

CAT Exam Form Voucher price – Rs. 1600/-(800/- for SC/ST candidates)
Sc/ST candidates must show a copy of SC/ST certificates at the time of obtaining the CAT2012 voucher form.

CAT Online Registration for CAT 2012

CAT 2012 online Registration will start from Wednesday, 17 August 2011 and will close on Wednesday, 28 September 2011. 

CAT 2012 Result and Score Card

Tentative Result Date of CAT 2012 : Wednesday 11 January 2012
score card is valid till December 31, 2012.

 CAT 2012 will be conducted during October to November in an online format and students will have the choice to pick up their centers and date. From this year onwards management schools of the elite IIT's have also decided that admission to their post graduate management programs will be done through cat 2012.

CAT 2012 score card is valid for 13 Indian Institute of Management(IIM) and other non IIM member institutions which use CAT score card for admission.

CAT Exam

CAT Exam

CAT (common admission test) exam is a computer adaptive test that has to be cleared by candidates willing to do MBA in the IIMs (Indian Institute for Management Studies), and in some of the other prestigious institutions that would accept CAT scores for admission. The test pattern is unstable and it varies every year.

CAT BASIC PATTERN

1.Verbal Ability
2.Reading Comprehension
3.Problem Solving
4.Data Interpretation
5.Logical Reasoning
6.Data Sufficiency
7.Maths Problems 

Cat exam is designed to test the fundamental concepts and analytical skills of the candidates. Over the years, the pattern of this exam has changed significantly to fit the best possible testing criteria for this exam.         Cat exam has evolved from being a speed-based test to analytical skills based test and enough time is provided to solve the tricky questions if the candidate is aware of the strategy to be followed to solve the sums.

Management courses have made everyone realize their importance in the recent past as they provide an incredible hype in the career path of a professional person. People are opting for management courses that suites them according to their needs and availability of resources such as time, money, familiar and social responsibilities.

CAT or Common Admission Test is one of the largest MBA entrance exams conducted in India, annually. Common Admission Test (CAT) is an all-India test conducted by the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), considered to be the most prestigious B-schools of India. It is an entrance exam for students who want to pursue Post Graduate level Management Degree from world renowned IIM’s. Performance in Common Admission Test or CAT, followed by Group Discussions and Personal Interviews, serves as the basis for admission. Apart from the IIM's, a candidate can take admission in many other business schools with a CAT score.

Cat exam is the most popular and competitive of all these exams as it is the gateway to enter incredibly reputed Indian institutes of management (IIMs) and other prestigious management institutes of the country. Cat exam is simply the toughest of all mba entrance exams of the country. The CAT score is also accepted by more than 75 non-IIM institutes across India, some of which are as reputed as the IIMs. (non IIM Institutes Accepting CAT Scores). The CAT is one of the world's most demanding entrance examinations for any graduate institute.

How to Prepare for CAT

How to prepare for CAT

CAT - known as Common Admission Test is all India national level exam directed by IIMs as entrance exam for admission to various MBA Courses.  The CAT exam is designed to develop advanced skills essential to fasten the perceived competitive entrance examination for an MBA course. CAT exam will be held every year in the month of November for the session starting in July-August and the eligibility is about 50% of marks acquired in graduation in any discipline.

Following are the tips to prepare for CAT Exam –

1. Preparation for CAT requires to read innumerous number of books to increase vocabulary and verbal skills of the candidates appearing for CAT exam.  For this the candidates need to read newspapers and magazines especially the editorial page to enhance the verbal and grammar skills, and even know the meanings of new words.
2. The candidates preparing for CAT exam should first possess good analytical skills by knowing the strong basics of the subjects. Whatever the nature of exam whether the CAT is a paper-based or a computer-based test, having strong knowledge on basic concepts is important.
3. CAT Preparation needs a study material that covers basic concepts explained in a friendly manner. The candidate preparing for CAT exam should assess themselves whether he is proficient, an average or requires more improvement in each subject.
4. CAT exam is a test of managerial aptitude and managerial skill sets like Time management so manage time and allocate certain time to each section depending on your strength and weakness.
5. The candidate should be able to handle the pressure and uncertainty during CAT exam and should develop good decision making tactics by prioritizing the subjects.
6. While preparing for CAT exam first the candidate should try to solve the previous years question papers. Practice the maths of 8th, 9th, 10th standard, revise the maths formulas at the last moment. At this stage having a grip on fundamentals is very essential.
7. At the early stage of preparation do not try to solve at speed and do not pressurize while preparing fundamentals. Instead learn with your own competence because without grasping fundamentals clearly, the candidate cannot solve the problems speedily.
8. Having positive attitude while preparing for the CAT exam is essential for the candidates to never lose hope on subject. So starting for the exam preparation well in advance is very much important. Otherwise the candidates will not get time to revise or try for new material. No one knew what to be expected on the examination paper, so it is better to get started as early as possible and at the last moment the candidate will be left with only stress and nothing else.
9. The candidates should have proper planning which is very essential for the preparation of CAT exam. One must start collecting information about the CAT preparation material, enquire about the CAT coaching institutions. So form a good strategy that works better by spending as many hours as you can for preparing for the CAT exam. A systematic approach will help the candidates to achieve their goals. Always keep yourself motivated but do not stress yourself, by studying all the time.

   10.  Always check the performance and accuracy of your preparation, until and unless you check your performance it is hard to find out whether you have improved in your weak areas or not. Focus on attempting maximum number of questions you know you can solve correctly.

   11.  The candidates preparing for CAT exam should Keep their body and mind healthy by eating healthy food, reading good magazines and novels and try to get information on current affairs. Keep in minds that getting through CAT exam requires smart work rather than hard work.

CAT Syllabus

CAT Syllabus

In the test site, each candidate will be sitting at a desk with a computer and he / she will be provided with scratch paper for making the calculations. After the test, the candidate must leave the waste paper in the office. The project cannot be done in another paper / foil, as they are not allowed to enter the testing room.

CAT 2012 Syllabus for GK/GA/BA:

 
* Current Affairs, Business, Punch line of companies, Top officials of big companies, Major corporate events
* Famous award and prizes
* World Records
* Books and authors
* Science, History, Geography, International organizations
* Important quotations
* Social issues, Sports, Finance, Automobiles, Entertainment, Politics etc.

CAT 2012 Syllabus for Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning:

 
* Data Interpretation based on text, Data Interpretation based on graphs and tables.
* Graphs can be Column graphs, Bar Graphs, Line charts, Pie Chart, Graphs representing Area, Venn Diagram, etc.
* Puzzles, Syllogisms, Functions, Family tree – identifying relationship among group of people, Symbol Based problems, Coding and decoding , Sequencing , identifying next number in series, etc.

* Critical reasoning, Visual reasoning, Assumption-Premise-Conclusion, Assertion and reasons, Statements and assumptions, identifying valid inferences , identifying Strong arguments and Weak arguments, Statements and conclusions, Cause and Effect, Identifying Probably true, Probably false, definitely true, definitely false kind of statement, Linear arrangements, Matrix arrangements.

CAT 2012 Syllabus for English Syllabus:

 
Comprehension of passage, Verbal Reasoning, Syllogisms , Contextual usage, Analogies, Antonyms, Fill In the Blanks, Jumbled paragraphs with 4 or 5 sentences, Foreign language words used in English, Sentence completion, Sentence correction, odd man out, idioms, one word substitution, Different usage of same word, Errors in word choice, mania & phobia, Incorrect words, Mood, Conditionals & Multiple Usage, Punctuation, Proverb, Phrasal verb etc.

CAT 2012 Syllabus for QA – Quantitative Ability:

 
* Geometry, (Lines, angles, Triangles, Spheres, Rectangles, Cube, Cone etc)
* Ratios and Proportion, Ratios, Percentages, In-equations
* Quadratic and linear equations
* Algebra
* Profit & Loss
* Averages, Percentages, Partnership
* Time-Speed-Distance, Work and time
* Number system: HCF, LCM, Geometric Progression, Arithmetic progression, Arithmetic mean, Geometric mean , Harmonic mean, Median, Mode, Number Base System, BODMAS
* Mensuration, Alligation & Mixtures, Work, Pipes and Cisterns
* Simple Interest & Compound Interest
* Set Theory, Venn Diagram
* Instalment Payments, Partnership, Clocks
* Probability, Permutations & Combinations