As per the previous trends, the CAT 2023 exam will be conducted in the last week of November, on Sunday. Going by the CAT exam trend of the past few years, most probably CAT will be held on 26th November 2023. CAT is conducted by IIM; it is a national-level MBA entrance exam that is organized for candidates to seek admission to over 1200+ B-Schools across India. There are 400 test centers across India where CAT exam tests are conducted online.
The question paper of the CAT exam consists of 100 questions in total, which includes MCQ and non-MCQ format. The questions are related to Reading Comprehension, Verbal Ability, Data Interpretation & Logical reasoning, and Quantitative Aptitude. Due to the pandemic, the CAT 2020 examination timings were decreased from 180 minutes to 120 minutes, but now, as per the CAT’s recent updates, the examination timings will be back to 180-minute minutes.
CAT 2023 Highlights
| Features | Details |
| Name of the examination | Common Admission Test (CAT) |
| Organizing Body | IIM |
| Level of Exam | National Level Exam |
| Mode of the examination | Online exam |
| Exam frequency | Once in a year |
| Language | English |
| Exam fees | For general category – Rs 2200 For reserved category – Rs 1100 |
| Courses offered | PGDM/MBA |
| Official Website | https://iimcat.ac.in |
CAT 2023 Important Dates
| Event | Important Dates (Tentative) |
| Notification Release Date | 31st July, 2023 |
| Registration Process Start Date | 3rd August, 2023 |
| Last date to Apply | 3rd week of September, 2023 |
| Correction Window | 3rd week of September, 2023 |
| Admit card Release Date | 4th week of October, 2023 |
| Exam Date | 26th November, 2023 |
| Answer Key Release Date | 1st week of December, 2023 |
| Challenge Questions | 1st week of December, 2023 |
| Result Announcement Date | 4th week of December, 2023 |
CAT Eligibility Criteria
- It is mandatory that the candidate must have cleared their graduation program with at least 50% marks or equivalent CGPA from a renowned board or university. ( For ST/SC/PWA/DA category candidates, 45% marks in graduation is mandatory).
- Aspirants holding a professional degree ( CA/ICWA/CS) with a good percentage are eligible.
- Those candidates who are in their graduation final year are also eligible to apply for the 2023 CAT examination.
CAT Exam Pattern 2023
In 2020, the exam pattern of the CAT exam will be revised. The duration of the CAT examination has been decreased from 180 to 120 minutes. But now, as per the CAT 2023 updates, it is expected that the exam timings will be reverted to 180 patterns. Check out the below table for the CAT exam pattern.
CAT 2023 Marking Scheme
- The total number of questions will be 100 in CAT 2023
- The questions will be a combination of subjective and objective-type questions.
- The candidate will score + 3 for the correct answer
- For each incorrect answer in the MCQ, 1 mark will be deducted
- There will be no negative in the subjective questions
Check out the section-wise distribution of marks
| Subject | Marks Allotted in 2023 | No of questions |
| Verbal & Reading Comprehension | 102 | 34 |
| Quantitative Ability | 96 | 32 |
| Data adequacy and logical reasoning | 102 | 34 |
| Total | 300 | 100 |
CAT 2023 Syllabus
CAT Syllabus includes various topics of different subjects.
For further information, read out the below table.
| Section | Subjects | Important topics |
| Data adequacy and logical reasoning | Data Interpretation Logical Reasoning | Bar Graph, Line Graph, Data Sufficiency, a combination of Graphs, Pie chart, Caselet, and Tables, etc. Matching Puzzles, Binary Logic, Blood relationships, Seating Arrangement, Family trees, Proposition, Clocks and calendars, sets, Syllogism, Venn Diagram, etc. |
| Quantitative Ability | Mathematics | Geometry, Algebra, Arithmetic Number system, Time and work Mensuration, Modern Mathematics, Simple interest, Trigonometry, etc |
| Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension | Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension English Grammar | Passages fill in the blanks vocab questions, para jumble, para completion, Fact Inference Judgement Grammar and verbal reasoning like fill in the blanks, sentence correction, Direct-indirect, Active voice, passive voice, Antonyms, Synonyms, and jumbled sentences |
CAT 2023 Recommended Books
What is the most difficult task for students preparing for CAT? The selection of the right books for every subject, Right? As the market is flooded with different books of different authors, it is a challenging task to select the best book out of thousands of books. So we have curated a list of CAT entrance books for every section, which you can prefer.
| Section | Name of the Book | Name of the Publisher/Author |
| Quantitative Ability | Quantitative Aptitude for the CAT How to Prepare for Quantitative Aptitude for the CAT Quantitative Aptitude Quantum CAT Common Admission Tests for Admissions into IIMs | Nishit K.Sinha Arun Sharma Sarvesh k. Verma |
| Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension | How to Prepare for verbal ability and Reading Comprehension for the CAT PSC for VA for CAT Exam 30 Days to a More Powerful Vocabulary Mass Market Paperback | Sharma and Upadhyay Nishit Sinha Wilfred Funk & Norman Lewis/ Simon & Schuster |
| Data adequacy and logical reasoning | Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation for the CAT CAT Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning | Nishit k. Sinha Gautam Puri |
Scope of CAT exam
The aspiring candidates, who are looking forward to building their career in the management field, or want to be the future entrepreneur, Manager of MNC, must take admission in IIMs (Institute of management). IIMs are one of the top B schools across India, you need to get a good score in the CAT examination if you want to enter IIM.
In the premium institute IIM, students are picked out by top companies with lucrative salary packages. If you do MBA from IIM, then you will get an opportunity to start your venture. An MBA is definitely the best course to opt for as it enhances your job opportunities, better recognition, increases your credibility too.
CAT is undoubtedly one of the toughest exams for MBA admissions! The candidates need an unconventional approach to handle questions and must have good techniques to answer them. You can go for an online CAT preparation course from BYJU’s, you will learn simple and shortcut techniques to solve the CAT exam.
Aspirants! It’s time for you to make your CAT exam worth it by taking offline courses or online courses from CAT scorers. By learning tricks, you can make your final CAT preparation a breeze.