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Common Admission Test or CAT, is India's most prestigious national-level entrance examination. The CAT exam is conducted for admission to a postgraduate management programme, such as an MBA/PGDM, offered by the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) and various prestigious business schools. This year, the IIM Calcutta will conduct the CAT 2024 on November 24, 2024, Sunday. Read this article to know why CAT exam is necessary for MBA?, CAT exam uses, difficulty level of the CAT, etc.
The CAT entrance test is the largest MBA entrance test in the country and allows aspirants to get into top management institutes. The CAT exam assesses the verbal ability, logical reasoning, quantitative ability, and data interpretation skills of candidates working in management education, business, and administration fields.
Before entering the topic, you need to know is CAT exam mandatory for MBA? Not necessarily, but candidates who want to get admission to IIM or any other top B-schools in India must appear in the CAT exam. Many MBA colleges in India accept certain MBA entrance exam scores like CMAT, MAT, XAT, and NMAT.
Admissions Open | Globally Recognized by AACSB (US) & AMBA (UK) | 17.3 LPA Avg. CTC for PGPM 2024 | Application Deadline: 10th March 2025
250+ Companies | Highest CTC 16 LPA | Average CTC 8 LPA | Ranked as Platinum Institute by AICTE for 6 years in a row
The Common Admission Test (CAT) is a national-level management aptitude test that is conducted by the IIM on a rotational basis for admission to the MBA courses offered by its 20 campuses and more than 1200 B-schools in India. Every year, more than 2.5 lakh candidates apply for the CAT exam.
CAT exam is conducted on a single day in three sessions (Morning, Afternoon, and Evening) at about 400 test centres in 155 cities across India. The majority of government and private MBA colleges in India accept the CAT exam, so those who intend to pursue an MBA in the 2025 academic session should take CAT 2024.
The CAT exam is a test that evaluates a student's skills and ability to determine whether they are suitable for a managerial job. Whether you are close to completing your graduation or have worked in the industry for a few years and are planning to pursue an MBA at one of the top B-schools in India, preparation for the CAT exam is very important. Check out below the what is the use of CAT exam
Gateway to Prestigious Institutions: The CAT entrance exam opens the door to prestigious Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and other top MBA colleges in India.
Multidisciplinary Skill Development: Preparing for CAT helps develop essential skills like critical thinking, problem solving, time management, and decision making skills.
Career Advancement: Clearing the CAT exam can significantly improve career prospects, providing access to higher-paying job opportunities in various industries.
Business and Leadership Intelligence: Rigorous curriculum and exposure to excellent management programmes develop business acumen, leadership skills, and strategic thinking skills.
Networking Opportunities: Joining top management institutes through CAT provides a great platform to network with like-minded individuals and professionals.
Also Read:
How Many Students Clear CAT Exam Every Year? | How To Get into IIM Without CAT |
How Many Students Give CAT Exam Every Year? | How to Get Into IIM: Selection Criteria, Cutoff, Admission Process |
If you are interested in studying MBA, here we have listed some advantages of the CAT exam.
Students passing out from these premium institutes, i.e., IIMs, are selected by companies with attractive MBA salary packages.
The sheer variety of jobs and the amount of responsibility you get with an MBA in a job make it worth it. You can choose from many specializations like advertising, finance, strategy, marketing, consulting, etc.
To grow beyond a certain level in your job, you need an additional degree. Choosing a career in MBA is one of the best options for higher education in India.
If you have done an MBA at one of the best B-schools in the country, your ability to get seed capital to start a new business (as an entrepreneur) will be greatly enhanced. You can interact with people from different backgrounds, where you can brainstorm your ideas and handle things better.
An MBA certainly offers better recognition, networking opportunities, and credibility.
Know more about IIM Placement Report
Candidates appearing in the CAT exam will have the following opportunities and know what is CAT exam used for and CAT exam is for which stream;
For those who wish to pursue a career in management, taking the CAT exam is an overall great choice. It is important to remember that it is very competitive, and success requires a lot of effort and dedication.
With a 65 percentile in CAT, getting admission to USMS (Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University) may be difficult, as its cutoff is usually 75-85 percentile or higher for the general category.
However, you can consider other good MBA colleges that accept 60-70 percentile in CAT, such as:
Christ University, Bangalore
Institute of Public Enterprise, Hyderabad
Amrita School of Business, Kochi
PES University, Bangalore
KIIT School of Management, Bhubaneswar
Rajagiri Centre for Business Studies, Kochi
Army Institute of Management, Kolkata
Research their admission criteria, placements, and faculty to choose the best fit.
Hello
With a 65 percentile in CAT , USMS (GGSIPU) admission is difficult as its cutoffs are usually higher. However, you can explore private and tier-2/tier-3 MBA colleges that accept lower CAT scores.
Options to Consider:
1. Private MBA Colleges :
Amity University, Noida
LPU (Lovely Professional University)
Alliance University, Bangalore
Christ University, Bangalore
Apeejay School of Management, Delhi
2. B-Schools Accepting Lower CAT Percentile :
BIMTECH (PGDM-Retail/IB/Insurance)
XIME Bangalore
ITM Navi Mumbai
IPE Hyderabad
Jaipuria Institute of Management
3. Other Entrance Exams :
Appear for MAT, CMAT, XAT (low percentile accepted by some colleges)
Consider state-level exams like MAH CET, KMAT or TANCET .
Hope this gives you the clarity you need.
Hello there,
With your
academic profile (General, Male, Non-Engineer)
, you should
target MBA colleges that focus more on CAT percentile than past academics.
Target Colleges & Minimum CAT Percentile:
You
can
get a good MBA college with
strategic applications
and
high CAT/XAT percentile.
I hope this answer helps you. If you have more queries then feel free to share your questions with us we will be happy to assist you.
Thank you and wishing you all the best for your bright future.
Hi,
As per your given JEE Main percentile which is 88.34 in the SC Category, Your Predicted JEE MAINS 2025 rank may range between 147086 - 170102.
Based on the previous year analysis, According to your JEE MAINS percentile and category you have less possibility of getting a seat for admission in NIT Surathkal.
Some of the other colleges in which you have chances to get admission includes:
You can predict more colleges using the JEE MAINS 2025 college predictor tool.
Hope this information will help you
With your academic background, you have a good chance of getting into some of the top IIMs. Here's a breakdown of your profile:
- Class 10:91.6% - Excellent!
- Class 12:66% - Average, but not a deal-breaker
- B.Tech Computer Science: 8.4 CGPA - Very good!
Assuming you score well in CAT , here are some IIMs you might have a good chance of getting into:
- IIM Ahmedabad: Although the qualifying CAT cut off is 85 percentile, the final cut off typically goes up to 99-100 percentile.With a good CAT score, you might be considered.
- IIM Kozhikode: The CAT cut off for IIM Kozhikode is typically around 95-98 percentile. Your academic profile and a good CAT score might make you a competitive candidate.
- IIM Indore:The CAT cut off for IIM Indore is typically around 90-95 percentile. With a good CAT score and your academic background, you might have a chance.
Keep in mind that CAT cut offs can vary from year to year, and other factors like work experience, extracurricular activities, and personal interviews also play a significant role in the admission process.
To increase your chances, focus on scoring well in CAT, and make sure you have a strong overall profile.
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