All about CAT syllabus

If obtaining a postgraduate management degree is your goal. The first thing you will need to think about is becoming eligible to take the MBA admission test. The GMAT is the admission test you should focus on if you plan to study abroad more often. However, you must get ready for the CAT test if your goal is to earn an MBA from one of India’s top business schools. Therefore, you will study all the crucial facts you need to know while beginning your CAT preparation in this video.

What is the CAT exam ?

The Indian Institutes of Management administer the Common Admission Test (CAT) on a rotating basis each year. It is intended to evaluate graduates’ ability to continue their study in management. You can enter the IIMs and other prestigious business institutions in India using this exam.

First, review the guidelines and prerequisites for taking the CAT exam:

The applicant must hold a bachelor’s degree with at least a 50% average.
English is the only language allowed to be used to take this test.

The CAT exam costs about 2200 rupees, which is cheaper than the cost of comparable management admission examinations like the GMAT.

The CAT scores are valid for one year.
Exam CAT offers unlimited retakes

Only a few business colleges in India do not recognise CAT scores. For instance, NMIMS, which is regarded as one of India’s best business schools. The NMAT admission test is administered by this business school.

Marking scheme for CAT is as follows
3 marks for correct answer

And -1 mark for each wrong answer

No mark will be given if the question is unanswered

The CAT Exam Syllabus

VARC, DILR, and QA are the three portions that make up the CAT test. Now, you will learn more about each of these parts in depth.

VARC section

The Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension Test (VARC) segment gauges the language proficiency of candidates. You will encounter questions focused on Vocabulary, Grammar, and Reading Comprehension in this part.

Vocabulary tests, fill-in-the-blanks, synonym and antonym searches, analogies, and sentence completion exercises are all included in this section. You’ll need strong reading comprehension, logical thinking, and vocabulary knowledge to answer these questions correctly. Knowing a word’s definition is only one aspect of vocabulary; it’s also important to understand the context in which it could be used. Therefore, make an effort to comprehend each word’s fundamental meaning. You will undoubtedly get better answers to these queries if you do that.

Grammar mistakes, parts of speech, paraphrases, article use, subject-verb agreement, pronouns, phrases, and modifiers are all addressed in this area of the test. You must be familiar with all of the grammatical rules in order to correctly respond to every question in this section.

Reading comprehension: Developing a regular reading routine is the only way to successfully answer questions of this nature. Start with blogs, newspapers, and short tales. Aim for a reading speed of at least 300 words per minute, depending on the book or blog you’ve selected to read. And read endlessly. After you build up a sizable vocabulary and quick reading speed, test yourself by going through some reading comprehension question banks.

The objective of these tests should be to answer as many questions as possible in the least amount of time. 18 questions on reading comprehension, 6 on grammar, and 2 on vocabulary made up the VARC part of the CAT 2020. Therefore, you must have good speed in order to finish the DILR and QA portions in time.

Additionally, keep in mind that 5-8 of these 26 questions might be TITAs. There will be no other options for these questions, and candidates must type their responses.

DILR section

Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR) section weighting has been virtually comparable to the other two parts’ weights since CAT 2020. It is also acknowledged as being somewhat challenging. The fact that this section is not a formulaic mathematics problem presents the only significant difficulty. It is logically based and necessitates basic math and counting. As a result, it must be learnt as a talent rather than a piece of information to be remembered.

Quick mental calculations are essential for success in the DILR portion. Don’t use calculators when practicing the questions in this section. Memorize the numbers 1 through 20 as well as fractions from 1/2 to 1/20. With a lot of work, you may get an ideal score in this area.

QA Section

Arithmetic, algebra, advanced mathematics, and geometry-based problems can be found under the Quantitative Aptitude (QA) area. There is no other way to succeed in this area than carefully reading each and every chapter. The table below lists the chapter-by-chapter course material for this section:

How Should You Prepare for the CAT?

The most affordable and flexible option of CAT preparation is self-study. There are several excellent CAT books available to help you cover everything from the fundamentals to the more complex subjects. Comprehensive CAT preparation series may assist you in covering all key ideas and a substantial amount of practice questions.

An average CAT study takes around five months to complete. However, a lot will depend on how quickly you can pick up the fundamentals and the study method you decide to use to be ready. An online mock exam is the key component of your CAT preparation that will help you perform to the best of your ability. An essential component of CAT preparation is working through sample questions and taking online practice tests.

During their preparation phase, candidates must take 35 to 40 CAT practice tests. You should keep in mind the following main aspects when answering sample questions or taking CAT mock tests:

Try to first comprehend the questions and their reasoning before beginning to solve sample problems for a certain topic. Go ahead and try again, this time attempting every question without any time restrictions. Try to answer the same set of questions in your third attempt while giving yourself enough time.
Once you’ve studied the whole syllabus, start practicing for the CAT online so you don’t get stuck on any subject.

Increasing your speed and accuracy should be the goal of CAT mock examinations. Get psychologically and physically ready to offer two hours of your life without getting tired.
Analyze your performance after finishing each practice exam. Make an assessment to determine which area needs the most improvement.
Practice the area you believe needs the most work.

If the outcomes are not favorable right away, don’t give up; instead, keep identifying your deficiencies and working to improve them. The only method to ace any MBA admission exam, including the CAT, is to do well on practice tests.