CAT 2008: A comparative study of sections, topics

CAT has always lived up to its expectations of being the most uncertain examination held in India, and come November and all the MBA aspirants in the nation will be set to face the CAT-astrophic storm of 2008. And it’s not always the changing pattern that students face as the demonstration of CAT-astrophy.

For instance, CAT 2007 did not surprise the takers with its pattern, though it’s Quantitative and Verbal sections certainly gave the test takers a hard time.CAT 2007 was characterised by a tough Quantitative section, a lengthier (over 180 words per question) Verbal section and the only life saver in the form of DI section.

The test security was unbeatable with four sets of question papers having answer options jumbled even for the same questions in all the four sets. That is, if your answer in Series 111 for a particular Quant question was Option 4, the answer for the same question in Series 222, 333 and 444 may not be the same (ie Option 4).
This was a proactive step taken by the exam setters because, since CAT 2006, students are getting more than two minutes per question (considering the fact that no one attempts all the questions) increasing the possibility of copying.

To help this year’s test takers crack CAT 2008, experts from TCYonline.com have analysed the last 4 CATs in the deepest possible detail. Let’s analyse the components one by one:

CAT Quantitative Section
This section was the toughest of all. The topic wise break-up of the Quantitative section is as follows:

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theory. Surprisingly, Higher Math occurred second as regards the share in total number of questions. A comparison of the CAT 2007 with the previous 4 CATs (Chart No 2) shows that Number Theory and Geometry are becoming hot favourites of the exam setters. On the other hand the number of Area/Volume questions has fallen drastically since last CAT.
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CAT Verbal Section
Though seemed similar from the outset, CAT 2007 verbal was much different from CAT 2006. The return of Grammar; a new creative face of vocabulary under the guise of sentence completion and lengthier Para jumbles as compared to the earlier versions. An overview of CAT 2007 verbal is given below:

CAT

difficult with the number of RC passages going up from 12 in CAT 2006 to 15 this year and the number of RC questions going down from 15 in CAT 2006 to 12 this year.

Para Jumbles took the RC avatar with long paragraphs in place of sentences as jumbled parts. A careful comparison ofCAT 2007 with the past 4 CATs (Chart No 4) shows that RC is the hot favourite of the verbal exam setters. On the other hand, Para Jumbles appeared as an important ingredient of CAT only after CAT 2004.

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CAT

CAT DI Section
This was the only scoring section in the CAT 2007. The questions were easier but trickier as compared to CAT 2006. Data Sufficiency appeared in this section after a long absence. But the most important fact is that Logical reasoning is getting more and more preference of the test takers (see Chart No 5). Moreover, it is retaining the trend since CAT 2005.

CAT

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CAT 2008 Notification

ndian Institutes of Management (IIMs)
Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, Indore, Kozhikode, Lucknow,Shillong
Common Admission Test (CAT)
on Sunday, November 16, 2008

This advertisement along with the Common Admission Test (CAT) Bulletin details the eligibility, the admission process, and other terms and conditions related to admission to the Postgraduate and Fellow Programmes of Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), for which CAT is an important pre-requisite. Candidates are advised to retain this advertisement for future reference.

PROGRAMMES

Post Graduate Programmes in Management (PGP)

IIM Ahmedabad - PGP and PGP-ABM
IIM Bangalore - PGP and PGSEM and PGPPM
IIM Calcutta - PGP-PGDM and PGP-PGDCM
IIM Indore - PGP and Ex-PGP
IIM Kozhikode - PGP
IIM Lucknow - PGP and PGP-ABM
RGIIM Shillong - PGP

Fellow Programme in Management (FPM)

IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, IIM Calcutta, IIM Indore, IIM Kozhikode, IIM Lucknow

Note: Separate advertisements will appear for the Fellow Programme of each institute as well as PGP-ABM of IIM Ahmed abad, PGSEM and PGPPM Programmes of IIM Bangalore, PGDCM Programme of IIM Calcutta, and the Ex-PGP of IIM Indore. See the CAT Bulletin for further information.

CAT ELIGIBILITY

The candidate must hold a Bachelor’s Degree, with at least 50% marks or equivalent CGPA [45% in case of the candidates belonging to Scheduled Caste (SC) / Scheduled Tribe (ST) or Persons with Disability (PWD) category], of any of the Universities incorporated by an act of the central or state legislature in India or other educational institutions established by an act of Parliament or declared to be deemed as a University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956, or possess an equivalent qualification recognized by the Ministry of HRD, Government of India. The Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent qualification obtained by the candidate must entail a minimum of three years of education after completing higher secondary schooling (10+2) or equivalent. The percentage obtained by the candidate in the bachelor’s degree would be based on the practice followed by the university/institution from where the candidate has obtained the degree.
In case of the candidates being awarded grades/CGPA instead of marks, the equivalence would be based on the equivalence certified by the university/institution from where they have obtained bachelor’s degree. In case the university/institution does not have any scheme for converting CGPA into equivalent marks,the equivalence would be established by the IIMs by dividing obtained CGPA with the maximum possible CGPA and multiplying the resultant with 100.

Candidates in the final year of bachelor’s degree/equivalent qualification and those who have completed degree requirement and are awaiting results can also apply. Such candidates must produce a certificate from the Principal/Head of the Department/Registrar/Director of the university/institution certifying that the candidate is currently in the final year / is awaiting final results and has obtained at least 50% marks or equivalent (45% in case of candidates belonging to SC/ST/PWD category) based on latest available grades/marks.

Eligibility for Post Graduate Programmes in Management of IIMs

The candidate should meet CAT 2008 eligibility as detailed above. A candidate who is in the final year of bachelor’s degree/equivalent qualification, if selected, will be allowed to join the programme provisionally only if he/she submits a certificate latest by June 30, 2009 from the Principal/Registrar of his/her college/institute (issued on or before June 30, 2009) stating that the candidate has completed all the requirements (the results may, however, be awaited) for obtaining the bachelor’s degree/equivalent qualification on the date of issue of the certificate. The admission will be confirmed only when the candidate submits the mark sheet and a certificate of having passed the bachelor’s degree / equivalent qualification referred to in the certificate issued by the Principal/Registrar with at least 50% marks (45% in case of candidates belonging to SC/ST/PWD category). The deadline for submission of the mark sheet and the certificate is December 31, 2009. Non-fulfilment of this condition will automatically result in the cancellation of the provisional admission. IIMs would not allow any candidate to join their programme in case the candidate is unable to complete all the requirements for a bachelor degree on or before June 30, 2009. The IIMs would also not offer admission to any candidate after June 30, 2009.

Special Eligibility Requirements

IIM Ahmedabad: PGP in Agri-Business Management (PGP-ABM)

(1) The candidate must hold a Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in Agriculture Sciences or in Agriculture-related disciplines, with at least 50% marks or equivalent CGPA in Bachelor’s Degree [45% in case of the candidates belonging to Scheduled Caste (SC) / Scheduled Tribe (ST) or Persons with Disability (PWD) category], of any of the Universities incorporated by an act of the central or state legislature in India or other educational institutions established by an act of Parliament or declared to be deemed as a University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956, or possess an equivalent qualification recognized by the Ministry of HRD, Government of India. The Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent qualification obtained by the candidate must entail a minimum of three years of education after completing higher secondary schooling (10+2) or equivalent.
OR

(2) The candidate must hold at least a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent qualification in any non-Agriculture discipline from a University or Institution as defined in the above paragraph and should have an interest in Agriculture, Agro/Food Processing, Rural and Allied sectors. The Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent qualification obtained by the candidate must entail a minimum of three years of education after completing higher secondary schooling (10+2) or equivalent.

Rules for conversion of CGPA, for computation of percentage scored and for the candidates appearing in the final year of qualifying examination would be same as mentioned above in the minimum eligibility criterion for admission to PGP for all IIMs. Please note that though the expected registration date for the PGP-ABM first year is June 1, 2009, students who are in the final year of their bachelor’s degree education and may have to go back to complete their examination formalities during June 2009 will be granted special leave for this purpose. The provisional admission of students who do not complete all their examination formalities on or before June 30, 2009 will be cancelled. Under no circumstances will an extension of this date of June 30, 2009 be granted.

You are required to produce the mark sheet and a certificate on or before December 31, 2009 of having passed the Bachelor’s degree/equivalent qualification on the date of issue of the Institute. The admission will be confirmed only when you submit the mark sheet and a certificate of having passed the bachelor’s degree/equivalent qualification as mentioned in the certificate issued by the Principal/Registrar with at least 50% marks (45% in case of candidates belonging to SC/ST/PWD category). Under no circumstances the deadline of December 31, 2009 will be extended.

IIM Bangalore: PGP in Software Enterprise Management (PGSEM)

Participants are admitted to the Programme based on a combination of requirements. First, the candidate must hold a Bachelor’s Degree of any of the Universities incorporated by an act of the central or state legislature in India or other educational institutions established by an act of Parliament or declared to be deemed as a University under section 3 of UGC Act, 1956, or possess an equivalent qualification recognized by the Ministry of HRD, Government of India. Second, applicants need to have (or are expected to have) a minimum of two years experience in the Software Industry as on June 10, 2009. Applicants having 4 to 5 years or more of work experience are likely to gain most from this Programme. most from this program.

CAT applicants applying for PGSEM are required to submit a separate application for PGSEM available from December 01, 2008. The application may be submitted online, or can be downloaded from our website (http://pgsem.iimb.ernet.in). Application forms will also be issued free of cost on request. Completed applications along with a demand draft worth Rs.500/- if using CAT/GMAT; Rs.1300/- if using PGSEM test payable to the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, must reach the PGSEM Office, Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, Bannerghatta Road, Bangalore 560076 by January 31, 2009.
Post Graduate Diploma in Computer Aided Management (PGDCM):- Apart from eligible Government Officials, PGPPM is also open to Civil society functionaries, mid career executives belonging to PSUs and Corporate Undertakings and other individuals with minimum 7 years of professional experience. CAT applicants seeking admission to PGPPM are required to submit a separate application which can be downloaded from our website (www.iimb.ernet.in) from 1 September 2008 onwards. Completed application forms along with a demand draft worth Rs.500/- payable to the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, must reach the PGPPM office, IIMB, Bannerghatta Road, Bangalore 560 076 by December 31, 2008. PGPPM admissions will be separately notified in national dailies, journals and magazines during end August 2008.

IIM Calcutta: Post Graduate Diploma in Computer Aided Management (PGDCM)

Candidates can apply to both the Post Graduate Programmes, i.e. PGDM and PGDCM, by darkening the circles against PGP-PGDM and PGPPGDCM along with other options. Please note that no further application fee is to be paid. Further, no separate application or test for admission will be required for the PGDCM Programme from this year. The eligibility criterion for the PGDCM candidates will be the same as detailed under “Eligibility for Post Graduate Programmes in Management of IIMs”. For further details, kindly refer to the CAT Bulletin.

IIM Indore: Post Graduate Programme in Management for Executives (Ex-PGP)

The candidate must hold a Bachelor’s Degree, with at least 50% marks or equivalent CGPA [45% in case of the candidates belonging to Scheduled Caste (SC)/ Scheduled Tribe (ST) or Persons with Disability (PWD) category], of any of the Universities incorporated by an act of the central or state legislature in India or other educational institutions established by an act of Parliament or declared to be deemed as a University under section 3 of UGC Act, 1956, or possess an equivalent qualification recognized by the Ministry of HRD, Government of India. The Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent qualification obtained by the candidate must entail a minimum of three years of education after completing higher secondary schooling (10+2) or equivalent. The candidate should also have a minimum of 5 years of managerial/ entrepreneurial/ professional experience as on May 31, 2009. Work experience obtained only after graduation will be considered. Organizational sponsorship is welcome.

A separate Ex-PGP Application form also needs to be submitted for applying to Ex-PGP. For obtaining the Application Form and Brochure, write to Ex-PGP Office, Indian Institute of Management Indore, Prabandh Shikhar, Rau-Pithampur Road, Indore – 453331, with a crossed demand draft for Rs.1000/- (Rupees One Thousand only) drawn in favour of IIM Indore, payable at Indore along with a self addressed A4 sized envelope. Application Form can also be downloaded from the website www.iimidr.ac.in The Ex-PGP Application Form(s) will be available from August 01, 2008 to October 25, 2008. The last date for receiving the completed Application Form is November 12, 2008. For further details, kindly refer to CAT Bulletin.

IIM Lucknow: PGP in Agri-Business Management (PGP-ABM)

Candidates should have any of the following qualifications: -

(a) A Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture Science / Agricultural Engineering or allied subjects with at least 50% marks (45% in case of SC/ST/PWD category) or equivalent CGPA from any of the Universities incorporated by an act of the Central or State legislature in India or other educational institutions established by an act of Parliament or declared to be deemed as a University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956, or possess an equivalent qualification recognized by the Ministry of HRD, Government of India. The Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent qualification obtained by the candidate must entail a minimum of three years of education after completing Higher Secondary schooling (10+2) or equivalent.

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CAT Examination Syllabus

CAT is an aptitude test. There is no set or defined syllabus for the exam. what we can say about CAT is it is designed to assess the natural ability of a person towards their desired objective. Hence CAT is designed to test the inclination of the applicant towards managerial tasks and roles.

Mainly the questions are asked from

Quantitative Aptitude,
Reading Comprehension & Verbal Ability,
Data Interpretation & Data Sufficiency

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CAT Exam pattern

the TEST PATTERN is unstable .
Every Year it varies.To an extent , the test pattern can be judged

CAT BASIC PATTERN

1.Verbal Ability
2.Reading Comprehension
3.Problem Solving
4.Data Interpretation
5.Logical Reasoning
6.Data Sufficiency
7.Maths Problems
Any of the above sections can be clubbed with any of the other

Some of the latest test patterns are as follows

2000:

Total Questions - 165
Time - 120 minutes
Section 1 : 55 Q - Verbal Ability - 15 Q and Reading Comprehension - 40 Q
Section 2 : 55 Q - Problem Solving - 55 Q
Section 3 : 55 Q - Data Interpretation - 31 Q and Verbal Ability - 24 Q

2001:

Total Questions - 150
Time - 120 minutes
Section 1 : 50 Q - Verbal Ability - 20 Q and Reading Comprehension - 30 Q
Section 2 : 50 Q - Problem Solving - 50 Q
Section 3 : 50 Q - Data Interpretation - 31 Q and Logical Reasoning - 19 Q

2002:

Total Questions - 150
Time - 120 minutes
Section 1 : 50 Q - Data Interpretation - 40 Q and Logical Reasoning - 10 Q

Section 2 : 50 Q - Problem Solving - 50 Q
Section 3 : 50 Q - Verbal Ability - 25 Q and Reading Comprehension - 25 Q

2003 (re-exam format given):

Total Questions - 150
Time - 120 minutes
Section 1 : 50 Q - Verbal Ability - 25 Q and Reading Comprehension - 25 Q

Section 2 : 50 Q - Data Interpretation - 30 Q and Logical Reasoning - 20 Q
Section 3 : 50 Q - Problem Solving

2004:

Total Questions - 123 Total marks: 150
Time - 120 minutes
Section 1

Data Interpretation: 20Q of 1 mark each

Data Sufficiency: 6 Q of 1 mark each

Logical Reasoning: 12 Q of 2 marks each

Section 2

Math problems: 20 Q of 1 mark each

Math problems: 15 Q of 2 marks each

Section 3

Verbal Ability: 10 Q of 0.5 marks each

Verbal Ability: 14 Q of 1 mark each

Verbal Ability: 5 Q of 2 marks each

Reading Comprehension: 21 Q of 1 mark each
CAT 2005
CAT Pattern

The pattern of this test has often been changed in the past. 2005 test included the following: three sections—data interpretation / reasoning, quantitative analysis, and reading, comprehension/verbal ability.

Duration: 2 hours

Total number of questions: 90

Total marks: 150

Negative marking: 1/3 of the marks allotted to a question is docked if the answer is wrong

DI/Reasoning

Number of questions: 30

Marks: 50

Quantitative Analysis

Number of questions: 30

Marks: 50

Reading Comprehension/Verbal ability

Number of questions: 30

Marks: 50

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CAT colleges And Website

CAT (Common Admission Test) is conducted by IIMs (Indian Institute Of Managements) for its admission.

The IIM’s in India are:

* Indian Institute of Management, Bannerghatta High Rd, Bangalore-560076
http://www.iimb.ernet.in
* Indian Institute of Management, Vastrapur, Ahmedabad-380015
http://www.iimahd.ernet.in
* Indian Institute of Management, REC Campus, Calicut-673601, Kerala
http://www.iimk.ac.in
* Indian Institute of Management, Joka, Kolkata-700027
http://www.iimcal.ac.in
* Indian Institute of Management, Sector I, Aliganj Extension, Lucknow-226022
http://www.iiml.ac.in
* Indian Institute of Management, Rajendra Nagar, Indore 452012
http://www.iimidr.ac.in

The programmes conducted by IIMs are as follows:

Post Graduate (P.G) Programmes

* Fellow Programmes
With sectoral programmes on : Agricultural & Rural Development, Energy & Power, Human Settlements & Environment, Population & Health, Transportation & Education Management
* Specialisation:
Specialisation is available in Management Accounting, Business Policy, Environmental Factors, Finance, Marketing, Information Systems, Human Resources, International Trade, Operation Research, Production etc.

Post-Graduate Programmes in Management (PGP)

* IIM Ahmedabad : PGP and PGP-ABM
* IIM Bangalore : PGP
* IIM Calcutta : PGP-PGDM, PGP-PGDCM and PGP-PGDBM
* IIM Indore : PGP
* IIM Kozhikode : PGP
* IIM Lucknow : PGP and PGP-ABM

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CAT caoching Institutes

Top training institutes, coaching classes for CAT in India
List of top training institutes that offer coaching classes as classroom programs and as correspondence course for CAT, XAT, FMS, IIFT and other MBA entrance exams in India.

Ascent Education’s 2IIM - CAT Classes
An IIM Alumni venture, Ascent Education offers classroom coaching for CAT in Chennai and a comprehensive correspondence course for CAT. The institute also conducts Mock CATs and GD, PI training.

Career Forum
Headquartered in Pune, Career Forum is a training institute that offers training program for CAT, XAT and other MBA entrance exams in 6 cities.

Career Launcher (CL)
Headquartered in Delhi, Career Launcher is a training insitute for CAT with a nationwise presence. Offers its Pegasus program for CAT and other MBA entrance exam preparation.

IMS Learning Resources Pvt Ltd
One of the oldest coaching classes for CAT, XAT, CET and other Indian MBA entrance exams. Based out of Mumbai, IMS offers courses in over 50 cities in India. Offers both classroom and correspondence course for CAT.

Triumphant Institute of Management Education Pvt Ltd (T.I.M.E)
An IIM, XLRI alumni venture headquartered at Hyderabad offers classroom coaching for CAT, XAT, MCA, Engineering Entrance and wide range of entrance exams in various cities and towns in India.

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CAT Examination Eligibility

Eligibility
For Post Graduate Programmes in Management:

For all IIMs, the minimum eligibility criterion for admission to PGP is at least a three-year Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in any discipline recognized by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU)/ All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) as eligible for Post-Graduate Studies in Management.

Special eligibility requirements:

* IIM Ahmedabad: PGP (Agri-Business Management) (PGP-ABM)
Candidates should have, from an institution recognized by the Association of Indian Universities/ AICTE:
1. Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Agriculture Sciences OR
2. a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Agriculture related disciplines OR
3. at least a three-year Bachelor’s degree in any discipline, and a strong interest in Agriculture, Agro/Food Processing, Rural and Allied Sectors. Such candidates, with a strong interest in these sectors, must submit a special form available with the PGP-ABM Office during October 2004.
* IIM Bangalore: PGP in Software Enterprise Management (PGSM>
Candidates must, at the minimum, possess at least a three-year Bachelors degree in any discipline that is recognised by Association of Indian Universities(AIU)/ All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). In Addition, candidates need to have a minimum of two years work experience in the software industry as on June 10, 2005.
* IIM Calcutta:
Candidates can apply to more than one of the Post Graduate Programmes viz, PGDM, PGDCM and PGDBM. For Post Graduate Diploma in Computer Aided Management (PGDCM), a candidate is required to send a crossed demand draft payable in Kolkata for Rs.600/- in favour of Indian Institute of Management Calcutta along with a self-addressed envelope of size 10″ x 5″ between August 2 and November 1, 2004. PGDCM Application Forms and a sample paper of Aptitude Test in Mathematics (ATM) will be sent to the applicant on receipt of the demand draft. Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management (PGDBM) is a three-year evening programme. For this programme an applicant must have (i) a minimum of two years work experience (by May 31, 2005) at an Executive /Supervisory level after graduation and (ii) must be employed in a full time job at the time of admission (Details in CAT Bulletin).

**Note (for all IIMs): Candidates who are currently in their final year of Bachelor’s degree (or its equivalent) can also apply, provided they expect to complete all their exams and other requirements for obtaining the qualifying degree before June 30, 2005. Such candidates, if selected for admission, will have to submit a certificate at the time of registration, stating that the candidate has completed all the requirements for obtaining the Bachelor’s degree before June 30, 2005. This certificate has to be obtained from the HOD/ Registrar / Principal of the institution where the candidate is studying. In addition, such candidates must produce the final year marksheet and the degree certificate as proof of having satisfied the minimum eligibility requirements, by the dates specified by the respective IIMs in the CAT Bulletin.

Scholarships/Financial Assistance :
It is the endeavour of the IIMs that no student be denied opportunity to pursue the Post-Graduate Programme in Management for want of adequate financial resources. Substantial need-based scholarship schemes covering even up to 100% of expenses are available. (Please see the write-up on each IIM included in the CAT bulletin for details).

Reservations :
As per Government of India requirement 15% and 7½% seats are reserved for SC and ST candidates. 3% seats are reserved for Persons with Disability (PWD) of which 1% each is reserved for low-vision/blindness, hearing impairment and locomotor disability/cerebral palsy.

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CAT Information About IIMS

IIM - Indian Institute of Management
Indian Institutes of Management Government of India in the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Department of Secondary and Higher Education have set up six Indian Institutes of Management at Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Calcutta, Lucknow, Indore and Kozhikode. These institutes are fully funded and controlled by Ministry of Human Resource Development, Department of Secondary and Higher Education. These six IIMs mainly conduct two-year courses in Post Graduate Diploma in Management which is equivalent of MBA and Fellowship Programme in Management which is equivalent to Ph.D. In the fraternity of IIMs the two IIMs at Indore and Kozhikode were established by the Government of India in the 1997. These institutes are still in the project mode and the construction activities of the campus are in full swing. While IIM Indore is presently functioning from the building of the Government Women Polytechnic College at Indore, IIM Kozhikode is currently functioning from the building of REC, Calicut.

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