Hi guys and welcome back to the channel. In this video, we will discuss the complete details of the Common Admission Test, which is the CAT exam. Before making this video, let me explain why I'm creating it. When I was preparing for the CAT exam, I had no idea that such an exam is conducted for MBA admissions. None of my family members had pursued an MBA. I didn't have any friends or seniors in college who were familiar with it. I conducted extensive research to understand the exam pattern, syllabus, and how to prepare. I also read about the experiences of others. The whole process took me about a month. That's why I've made this video. If you want to take the CAT exam in 2024, you won't need anything else besides this video to know what this exam is about and how to prepare for it. Let's first understand an overview of the CAT exam. CAT is the biggest management entrance exam in India because almost 200,000 to 250,000 people appear for this exam every year. Last year, 3.28 lakh people registered for it. The registration for CAT is done online. The application form usually opens in the first week of August and closes by the middle of September. It is conducted on the last Sunday of November, which means the CAT exam for 2024 will most likely be held on the 24th of November. Last year, the registration fee was 2400 rupees for general category students and 1200 rupees for reserve category students. This exam grants admission to the IIMs, which stands for the 'Indian Institutes of Management', which are the top business schools in the country. Now that you know the basics, let's talk about the eligibility and process. There are two major eligibility conditions to register for the CAT exam. Firstly, you need to have a minimum of 50% marks in your graduation. This refers to your aggregate marks from all semesters, which should be at least 50% at the time of application. If you belong to a reserved category, the percentage required is 45%. The second condition is that you must possess a minimum of a 3-year graduation degree. It could be a 4-year or even a 5-year degree, but a minimum of 3 years is necessary. An important point here is that even if you're in your final year, you can apply for the CAT exam. If you are in your final year on the 24th of November, you are eligible to register for this exam. For this exam, no work experience is required. It's not necessary. Even if you have it, you can still apply. If you are studying in any recognized college or university in India, then you can definitely apply for this exam. It doesn't matter whether you're an engineer or non-engineer, your degree is obtained online or offline. You can register for it. So, our eligibility criteria are covered. Let's talk about its structure now. Last year, this exam had a total of 66 questions. The time allotted to solve these questions is 2 hours. The types of questions asked in this exam are divided into two categories. The first type is called MCQ, which stands for multiple-choice questions, where you're given four options to choose from. The second type is TITA, or what we call 'Type in the Answer' questions. In these, you're provided with a box where you have to type your answer. For instance, if there are four options, you might need to type something like 1, 2, 3, or 4. Sometimes, if the answer to a question is 120, you'd have to type 1 2 0. The split of these 66 questions is such that almost 48 questions are MCQs, and 18 questions are of the TITA type. Now, let's understand its marking scheme. For every correct answer, you get 3 marks. For every wrong answer, there's a deduction of 1 mark, but this deduction of 1 mark applies only to MCQs. This means if you answer a TITA question incorrectly, there won't be any negative marking; It'll be counted as zero. Similarly, if you skip or leave a question unanswered, it'll also be considered as zero without any negative marking. Now, let's talk about its sections. This exam consists of three sections. The first one is Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension, referred to as VARC. The second is Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning, known as DILR. The final is Quantitative Aptitude, often called Quant. No. of questions varies across these three sections. For example, VARC has 24 questions, DILR has 20, and Quant has 22. The highest number of marks possible in each section would be 24 multiplied by 3, which is 72. Similarly, it would be 60 and 66. As I mentioned earlier, the time limit for the entire exam is 2 hours, but it's also divided section-wise. The first section is allocated 40 minutes. The second section also gets 40 minutes. The third section has 40 minutes as well. When you start the paper, firstly VARC will appear, followed by DILR, and then Quant. You cannot switch between sections, nor can you change the order. VARC will be there for a complete 40 minutes, only then will DILR appear, and after 40 minutes, Quant will appear. Let's discuss the syllabus and difficulty level of exam. Honestly, there's no defined syllabus for CAT exam. Even if you visit the official website, you won't find specific chapters mentioned. The general understanding is that it includes math up to the 10th-grade level, but the questions are application-based. The questions asked vary between easy, medium, and difficult levels. Overall, the CAT exam is considered to have a moderate difficulty level. For your reference, I had prepared a PDF file where I mentioned the syllabus of the CAT exam. In this, you'll find the syllabus. On the second page, there's a trend analysis of chapters for Quant, indicating the number of questions from each chapter in previous years. This will help you understand which chapters are important for this exam. Along with this PDF, I would recommend looking into past years' papers. These PDFs are available online for free. Simply download them and check what kind of paper was presented last year; it will help you. Let's talk about the preparation for the CAT exam. Preparation for this exam is done over a year. Some people do it for a shorter duration, while others put in more time. On average, one year is considered sufficient. The study material for it is divided into three parts. Firstly, you need some videos to clear your concepts. Secondly, you require a question bank for practice. Thirdly, you need mock tests, which are like sample papers. You solve them online to gauge your comfort level and track how your scores improve. Coaching for preparing for this exam isn't mandatory, but it's an option. Many people self-study using books to cover their concepts, know the questions, and then take mocks. On the other hand, some opt for coaching where mocks, videos, question banks, everything is provided by the coaching institute. Here, I'd suggest thoroughly checking a coaching institute's website, their demo videos, and their reviews before joining. For this video, I've partnered with iQuanta because last year, several toppers emerged from there. For instance, Gursimran Ahuja, who scored 99.8% and got into IIM Ahmedabad. Rishi Mittal scored 100% and joined IIM Bangalore. Ananta, who scored 99.9%, went to IIM Ahmedabad. All these toppers were iQuanta students. In fact, many questions in last year's CAT 2023 were from iQuanta's CAT course. You can also check the reviews of students about this on a particular blog post which I'll provide a link to. This time, iQuanta is adding Non-Engineer Conceptual Videos for their CAT 2024 Course, which will essentially summarize the content from 6th to 10th NCERT textbooks, aligned with the CAT Syllabus. Past students of iQuanta have shared that the institute generally covers each topic in two ways. Firstly, they explain it in their live stream classes. Then there's an application-based session where they present questions related to the topic. This way, you not only know the concepts of a topic but also learn how to apply them. You will also have a 24x7 doubt-solving facility. You can get your questions resolved at any time. If you're looking for good coaching for CAT 2024, you can consider iQuanta. I have added all the details, strategies, syllabus, everything about iQuanta's CAT course in the description. You can check it out comfortably. Let's talk about the plan I mentioned for one year and how it's divided into stages. It consists of five stages. First, you cover your basics. Then move on to understanding concepts, followed by efforts to clear your syllabus. Next, you start taking mocks, and finally, you revise. I've already created a comprehensive video on this, which I'll link in the description for you to check out. For those deciding to self-study, I'll also make a detailed video outlining a daily routine. For now, you can use an Excel sheet where I've structured all the available YouTube videos on different chapters, which can assist you. If you need guidance throughout this entire process, you can use Instagram, YouTube, or Reddit channels. There are numerous creators available there. If you need to resolve any doubts, there are excellent Facebook groups available, such as iQuanta's Facebook group. Similarly, there are several WhatsApp groups, and a proper forum on Reddit. You'll also find groups on Telegram. The CAT exam is a CBT (Computer Based Test), which means you don't have to write anything. You're provided with a computer or a desktop where the questions appear, and you use a mouse to mark your answers. You do get rough sheets for calculations, but you don't mark any answers on any sheet. Everything is done on the computer. Note that this is conducted in physical centers. It's not an exam you can take from home. You have to go to a test center to take the exam. Generally, you have the option to select 6 cities. There are around 350 test centers across the country. The exam is conducted in approximately 160 cities. When you fill out the form, they ask you for your preferred 6 cities. Based on your preferences, the test centers are allocated to you. The CAT exam is conducted in a total of 3 slots. The first is the morning slot, which is from 8:30 to 10:30 AM, followed by the afternoon slot from 12:30 to 2:30 PM, and finally, the evening slot from 4:30 to 6:30 PM. The slot you're assigned is totally random. You have no control over it. However, it doesn't make a difference. Different papers are presented in all three exams. You might think that if a different paper comes, the paper in another slot might be easier. For this, a process called normalization and scaling is used. Basically, when your exam result comes out, your total marks are received, which will be allotted to you. These marks are then scaled or normalized. This means that depending on how difficult the paper was in your slot, it is adjusted accordingly, either increased or decreased so that all the papers across different slots are considered at an equal level. After that, the answer key is released, usually within 7 days from the exam day. This allows you to check approximately how many marks you might score. Let's discuss the CAT exam's result and the admission process. The result arrives in the last week of December generally or the first week of January. Some colleges, such as certain IIMs, don't require a separate application form. While filling out the CAT form, you can select which IIMs and programs you wish to apply for. Your application will be directly sent to those IIMs. For other MBA colleges, you have to apply separately along with the CAT form. The application deadlines for applying to these other colleges vary—some are before the CAT exam, some are after, but before the result, and for some colleges, it's after the result. You can check individually on their websites. I have also made a video for reference, and you can watch it for more details. After the CAT Exam, the interview rounds typically inquire about four main aspects broadly. Each college has its own criteria, such as personal interviews, group discussions, written ability tests, and statement of purpose. I've also made a video recently on this topic, which you can check out. During the admissions process for MBA colleges, the CAT score is one component, along with your academic marks, whether you have work experience or not, and the evaluation of your profile & extracurricular activities. After considering all these factors, the colleges create their merit lists. Each college has its own selection criteria. The CAT exam score is valid for one year for most business schools. You can take the exam as many times as you wish. The exam is held only once a year, but you can take the exam for as many years as you want. There is no maximum age limit for this exam. Now let's talk about alternatives, if your CAT exam doesn't go well. There are some MBA colleges that don't require the CAT exam. They evaluate based on your profile without needing the CAT score. Another thing is there are exams other than CAT that you can take. Most colleges accept these exams too, such as XAT, SNAP. IIFT didn't happen this year, but IIFT is also an exam. Similarly, you can take the CMAT or the MAT exam. The final point is about queries. If you have any doubts, then the CAT official website provides a helpline number and an email ID that you can reach out to. Every year, different IIMs conduct the CAT exam. CAT 2023 was conducted by IIM Lucknow. This is an in-depth about the CAT exam, covering everything you may want to know before you start your preparation. I truly hope that what I personally saw within a month, I've managed to cover and explain in a video— not too short, a bit long, but in a simple manner. I truly hope that it helps you. Thank you so much for watching, guys! Wish you the very best for your journey.
