CAT 2023: Exam Date, Notification, Registration, Syllabus, Pattern

CAT 2023: Indian Institutes of Management (IIM) Lucknow is expected to conduct CAT exam 2023 November 26 (Sunday). The IIM will likely announce the official CAT 2023 notification in July and open the CAT registration 2023 from the fist week of August. Those who are interested in taking CAT exam can apply for the same at the official website of CAT, iimcat.ac.in. Only those who meet the eligibility criteria can appear for the CAT exam 2023. This IIM MBA entrance exam will likely held as a Computer Based Test in sessions across various cities spread throughout the country.

Common Admission Test (CAT) is a national level management entrance exam conducted for MBA admission in 20 IIMs. Candidates can also apply for more than 1200 CAT colleges with a valid CAT score. Some of the top MBA colleges in India accepting CAT exam for admission are MDI Gurugram, SPJIMR, IMT, FMS, IM, IITs, GIM, GLIM, LIBA, NITIE, MICA, IRMA, etc. Read this article fully to know everything about CAT 2023 such as when is the CAT 2023 exam, last date apply, eligibility criterial, steps to fill the form of CAT exam, etc. Candidates can also download below the CAT 2022 question paper, sample question, and tips to crack the entrance exam.

CAT 2023 exam overview

CAT exam 2023 will be an in-centre online test and will be conducted in three sessions. According to the test patter followed, there will be fours sections viz. QA, DILR, and VARC and duration of the exam will be 2 hours. CAT exam will be of negative marking which means one mark will be deducted for every wrong answer. Each question will carry 3 marks. No marks will be given or deducted for the question not attempted. IIM CAT is the most popular MBA entrance exam and approximately 2 lakh candidates appear for CAT exam every year. With a CAT score, a candidate can apply for more than 20000 MBA seats offered at top B-schools in India.

CAT 2023 Highlights

IIM CAT is held to test the candidates’ business aptitude, reasoning and analytical ability and English language skills. Here is the overview of CAT 2023 exam below.

CAT 2023: Important dates

Aspiring candidates of CAT 2023 are advised to keep track of all important dates and events. Though CAT official notification 2023 is yet to be announced, candidates can check the tentative dates of CAT 2023 such as registration, last date to pay fee, application correction, mock test, etc.

CAT Exam Eligibility Criteria

Candidates who passed a 3 year bachelor degree from any stream from a UGC recognized degree are eligible to apply for CAT 2023. Check the detailed eligibility criteria for CAT exam below:

• Bachelor's degree from a recognized university with minimum 50% marks (45% in case of SC, ST and PWD/DA category).
• Candidates who have done CA/CS/ICWA and have scored the required percentage can also appear for CAT
• Candidates who are in final year of bachelor degree can apply for the CAT 2023

CAT 2023 application form

CAT exam registration 2023 will likely begin in the first week of August 2023. CAT Application will only be accepted in online mode. Candidates who wish to appear for CAT 2023 can fill the CAT form at the official website, iimcat.ac.in. While filling the form candidates will be required to pay the CAT registration fee of 23,00 for general category and Rs 1150 for reserved category.

CAT 2023 registration process

CAT registration 2023 process consists of three stages. Candidates will have to complete all these stages to successfully register for the CAT exam. These include the following steps.

• Online CAT 2023 registration
• Filling up CAT exam form 2023
• Payment of CAT exam fee

How to fill CAT 2023 application form

The candidates who want to apply can follow the simple step by step process below to fill the CAT application form 2023 correctly.

1. Visit the official website of CAT 2023, iimcat.ac.in

2. On the home page, click on the “New Candidate Registration”

3. A new page will open. Enter the follow details

   • Name of the Candidate

   • Date of Birth

   • Email Address

   • Country

   • Mobile Number and

   • Captcha

4. After filling the required information, click on the “Generate OTP”. OTP will be sent to the registered email ID and mobile number. Enter the received OPT to verify your email ID and mobile number.

5. Now login again, using the CAT ID and password created and fill the following details.

   • Personal Details

   • Other Personal Details

   • Communication Address

   • Emergency Contact Details

   • Upload Documents (in a prescribed format and size)

6. Provide academic details of SSC/ Class 10, HSC/ Class 12, Bachelor’s Degree Details, Master’s Degree Details, Other Professional Degree Details

7. Enter only full time work experience

8. Select exam cities. Candidates can choose up to six cities as their preferred exam cites

9. Pay the CAT registration fee through any of available method

   • For General Category Candidates: Rs 2000

   • For SC/ ST/ PwD: Rs 100

10. Take a print out of filled CAT 2023 application for future reference

CAT 2023 exam pattern

The CAT 2023 questions paper will consist of three sections - VARC, DILR and QA. Most of the questions will be MCQ based. However, there are some short answer questions called TITA. The difficulty level of the CAT exam is moderate to high. Check the highlights of CAT 2023 exam pattern below:

CAT 2023 syllabus

Candidates should note that there is no officially released syllabus. However, candidates can check the CAT syllabus 2023 drawn on the basis of previous CAT questions. Here are some of CAT 2023 important topics and number questions for each of the sections - VARC, DILR, and QA.

CAT 2023 sample paper

Candidates appearing for the CAT 2023 exam must be aware of the CAT syllabus. It is important to know that there is no officially released CAT syllabus. However, candidates can learn about the CAT syllabus through CAT mock test, sample paper, previous CAT questions, etc. To download the previous years CAT questions paper and sample papers, check the table below.

CAT 2023 Preparation

Common Admission Test, CAT is one of the toughest MBA entrance exams to crack. Around 2.5 lakh students registered for CAT 2022 and out of which 2.2 lakhs appeared in the test. With that, the competition for admission into the top B-schools is very high. So candidates must have a solid plan and strategy to prepare for CAT exam. Here are a few tips to prepare for the CAT 2023 exam-

• Draw your own study strategy: Each candidate should a distinct strategy of preparation made based on their ability. So divide the entire CAT syllabus into various sections and parts, so you can properly allot time for each section and commit to it. Make sure you give each section enough time to prepare well.
• Assess your ability: Identify your strengths and weaknesses so you can devote more time to areas where you are weak in.
• Choose the Mode of Preparation: Decide where you want to self prepare for CAT 2023 exam or go for coaching classes. If you choose the self study, make sure to use only the CAT preparation materials, books, and other resources.
• Focus on Mock Exams: As you have done some preparation and basic concepts are clear, it is time to go for mock tests. This will help you know how your preparation is going and areas where you lag behind, so you can direct your focus accordingly.

CAT 2023 Admit Card

The CAT exam conducting body will release the admit card before the exam. CAT 2023 admit will likely be issued in October 2023. Candidates appearing for CAT exam should keep in mind some important things as mentioned below.

• Only registered candidates can download CAT 2023 admit card
• Candidates can access and download their CAT admit cards at the official IIM CAT official website, iimcat.ac.in by logging with the ID and password
• The tests centre, date and other details of the exam will be present on the admit card
• CAT admit card is an important document to carry on the day of the examination

CAT 2023 Results

The CAT results will likely be announced on the official website tentatively in December, 2023. The CAT results will be valid for a year i.e. till 2024.

The IIMs will separately release CAT cut-offs for academic year 2024-26 . There is no centralised counselling for the CAT exam as all the IIMs have their own individual admission policy which may include several steps. Candidates should check the selection process of IIMs and other B-schools they want to apply for.

CAT 2023 selection process

After the CAT result 2023, candidates who clear the CAT exam will have to participate in the CAT selection process. Each IIM and MBA colleges may have different admission processes which may include shortlisting of candidates based on CAT score, WAT, GD/PI. Check the detailed selection process below.

• Written Ability Test (WAT)
• Group Discussion (GD)
• Personal Interviews (PI)

Candidates should understand that CAT participating institutes are of two types namely IIMs and non-IIMs. Some of Non-IIMs institutes accepting CAT scores include 6 IITs, IISc Bangalore, NITs, JNU, IMT Ghaziabad, IPU, MDI Gurgaon, and SPJIMR Mumbai.