Overview of CAT Exam Pattern

The CAT Exam is Computer Based Test (CBT) rather than an Online Test. The distinction between the two is that in the CBT, the questions are kept constant and simply presented to the students in an online format rather than an Online Test where the questions are stored in question banks and the computer decides the questions to be asked of the students (E.g. GMAT).

The CAT Exam consists of 100 Questions spread across three sections:

• Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC)
• Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR)
• Quantitative Aptitude (QA)
• Each section is allocated 1 hour each meaning that the exam lasts for 3 hours or 180 minutes in total (20 minutes extra is provided in each section for candidates who have a disability).
• It is not possible to switch between sections although switching between questions within the section is allowed.

There are a total of 34 questions in the VARC section.

There are a total of 32 questions in the DILR section.

The final section is the QA section which accounts for 34 questions.

Common Admission Test or CAT exam is a common aptitude test which is a gateway to 20 IIMs and over 1200 B-schools in India. CAT is conducted by the IIM in the month of November in online mode in over 156 cities