The Common Admission Test, popularly known as the CAT exam, is a management entrance test that is conducted in the month of November every year. CAT is a national-level entrance exam, which means that aspirants from all over India can appear for the exam. It is a computer-based test, and aspirants have to go to the allotted examination centers on the day of the exam. 

Preparation of the CAT exam requires the aspirants to have knowledge about the CAT exam pattern. There are three major sections in the exam, and a proper and systematic preparation of all three sections is necessary to gain good scores in the exam. Through the course of this article, we will explain the different aspects of the CAT exam pattern and the three sections of the exam.

Sections Of The CAT Exam

The main aim of the CAT exam is to assess the aspirants' skills in solving mathematical, English and logical reasoning problems all within a specific time frame. Therefore, the sections of the exam and the pattern of questions are structured in a manner that tests out all these skills of the students. There are three main sections in the exam. The names of these sections are as follows:

1. Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension 

2. Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning 

3. Quantitative Aptitude 

• The first section of the exam is also known as the CAT VARC section, which is the English language section that includes topics such as Reading Comprehension, Para Jumbles, Para Summary, Odd Sentence Out, Inferences, One-Word Substitution, Verbal Logical Questions, etc. to test the grammar and vocabulary knowledge of the students. In order to prepare for the CAT VARC section, aspirants require thorough knowledge of reading comprehension a strong vocabulary.

• The second section of the exam is also known as the DILR section. For the DILR in CAT questions, the topics are based on Caselets, Blood Relations, Syllogisms, Directions, Clocks and Calendars, Tables, Graphs, Connectives, Logical Sequence, Matching or Puzzles, Number and Letter series, Seating Arrangements, etc. Aspirants have to prepare for all DILR in CAT topics well.

• For the aspirants to have good CAT quant preparation, they require knowledge of mathematical formulas and topics ranging from Algebra, Arithmetic, Probability, Number Systems, Percentages, Profit and Loss, Simple and Compound Interest, Time and Distance, Mensuration, Logarithms, Averages, etc. CAT quant preparation requires dedication from the aspirants side.

CAT Important Dates

Given below is a list of all the important dates related to the CAT exam. There is no official announcement regarding the dates, and hence given below is a tentative list.

CAT Exam Slots

The CAT exam is conducted in three slots. Given below are the timings of the three slots:

• Morning: 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM

• Afternoon: 12:30 PM to 2:30 PM

• Evening: 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM

Duration of Exam According to CAT Exam Pattern

The total duration of the exam according to the CAT exam pattern is 120 minutes. Aspirants will also find that there is a strict sectional time limit. Every section of the CAT exam has an allotted time of 40 minutes. They will only get 40 minutes to complete the questions of each section, and they will not be able to navigate between the different sections. 

Once the duration of a particular section is over, the computer screen will automatically switch to the next section. The aspirants will not get any extra time to make changes in the previous section once the time limit is over.

Marking Scheme 

The marking scheme is also an important aspect of the CAT exam pattern because it helps aspirants formulate their individual strategy regarding the exam. 

For each correct answer in the exam, test-takers are awarded three marks. One mark is deducted for every incorrect multiple-choice question. There is no negative marking for the type in the answer type (TITA) questions. This allows the aspirants to solve all the types of answer-type questions without any risk of marks being deducted.

Conclusion 

The aspirants should make an effort to understand the CAT exam pattern and apply it at the various steps in their preparation journey. The information will help them build a strong foundational base that allows them to make a good preparation. Even when they are part of a good coaching institution like Hitbullseye, the main aim of the faculty members initially is to provide all the relevant information regarding the exam pattern and structure to the aspirants. 

It is also the aspirants responsibility to check the official website of the exam to get all the relevant information and trust only reliable resources for any information regarding the CAT exam pattern.

Frequently Asked Questions 

1. What type of questions are asked in the CAT exam?

A: There are two types of questions in the CAT exam. There are MCQ’s that have options provided for the students. There are TITA questions with space provided for the aspirants to type the answer.

2. Are all questions in the CAT exam syllabus based on it?

A: There is no official syllabus of the CAT exam that is published or released. Aspirants can get an idea of exam topics from each section in the CAT exam pattern, the previous year's question papers, mock test papers, etc.

3. Can students use calculators for the CAT exam?

A: Yes, the CAT exam allows the use of an on-screen calculator during the Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation sections. However, physical calculators are strictly prohibited.