Great Lakes - PGDM & PGPM Admissions 2026
Admissions Open | Globally Recognized by AACSB (US) & AMBA (UK) | 17.8 LPA Avg. CTC for PGPM 2025
CAT Admit Card Date:05 Nov' 25 - 30 Nov' 25
The CAT 2024 exam is conducted by IIM Calcutta on November 24, 2024. Candidates who want to crack the IIM entrance exam with a good score and get a call from one of the top IIMs must know some common mistakes that many of them often make during the exam. For better performance and good marks in the CAT exam, candidates are advised to avoid these mistakes. CAT is the gateway to admission at IIMs and other leading MBA colleges in India.
The below-mentioned mistakes are frequently made by candidates while taking the CAT 2024.
No denying, CAT is one of the most difficult MBA entrance exams in India. Though CAT questions are of easy to moderate difficulty, the paper also contains some tricky questions where many candidates get stuck. Such questions consume a lot of time.
As per the CAT 2024 exam pattern, the question paper of CAT will be divided into multiple-choice questions as well as TITA questions. Candidates should scan the questions and answer the easy ones first, then the medium and difficult ones. With this approach, candidates can answer more questions accurately.
Admissions Open | Globally Recognized by AACSB (US) & AMBA (UK) | 17.8 LPA Avg. CTC for PGPM 2025
Ranked No. 3 Business School in India and no.35 in world by Financial Times MiM 2025 Ranking | Highest CTC: INR 89 LPA
Sometimes it happens that, on account of nervousness, candidates tend to read questions abruptly. This is where the mistake occurs. While reading questions, do not hurry up. Focus on the question so that you can properly understand it. It is important to understand the question to answer it correctly.
However, candidates should keep the time in mind. Do not take too much time to read a question. In CAT 2024, candidates will be provided 40 minutes to answer a section. After the time limit is over, they will automatically move to another section. Solving more questions matters, but what matters most is answering them with high accuracy.
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Concentrate on your own workstation. Once a candidate enters the exam hall, their sole aim should be to concentrate on their activities. As one of the tips on CAT 2024 mistakes you must avoid on exam day, candidates are advised to not be considerate about what others are doing. The focus should be on your personal computer screen. Putting your nose into others' business may lead to writing the wrong answer or, worse, being expelled from writing the CAT exam. Hence, do not get distracted and do what you are there for.
Around 3 lakh candidates are expected to appear for the CAT 2024. All registered candidates must carry a hard copy of their admit card of CAT 2024 along with some other important documents. Candidates should keep all necessary documents handy beforehand to avoid forgetting to carry them on the day of CAT 2024. One of the most common mistakes candidates make is bringing only a copy of their CAT 2024 admit card. As per the CAT 2024 admit card, there are certainly other major documents that are necessary to be carried along on exam day.
As per the exam pattern of CAT 2024, candidates will have a total of 120 minutes to take the exam. Moreover, to solve the three given sections, only 40 minutes per section will be provided, i.e., there will be sectional timing in CAT. Hence, as part of the tips for avoiding CAT 2024 mistakes on exam day, candidates must ensure that they follow the given time schedule. Managing the time will be beneficial, as candidates will be able to save some time and solve more in the given time. To have a strong hold on time management, candidates are advised to take a CAT mock test, solve previous year question papers, or attempt sample papers while keeping time in mind.
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Apart from the above-mentioned CAT 2024 mistakes to avoid on the test day, candidates must adhere to the below-mentioned guidelines on the exam day to ensure security. Let us look at each guideline one by one to gain a better understanding.
Do not carry or wear heavy jewellery/jackets/improper attire. Candidates wearing jewellery and jackets will be asked to take it off. Be in proper and suitable attire so that no one can question your presence.
It is clearly mentioned on the admit card of the candidates for CAT 2024. No candidate will be allowed to enter the examination hall after the reporting time is over. Carefully check your admit card and be on time for reporting. Once the exam centre of CAT gates is closed, no candidates will be allowed to get inside. The reporting times for CAT 2024 for every slot are provided below.
| CAT exam slot | Reporting time | Latest entry allowed |
| Slot 1 (8:30 AM to 10:30 AM) | 7:00 AM | 8:15 AM |
| Slot 2 (12:30 PM to 2:30 PM) | 11:00 AM | 12:15 PM |
| Slot 3 (4:30 PM to 6:30 PM) | 3:00 PM | 4:15 PM |
Above all, leave all the worries aside and focus on what is important. Remember that in a panic situation, you will ruin all the good as well. Answer questions only after reading and understanding them carefully. Forget the worry and hope for the best. Try to imagine that you have already cleared the exam and are getting into your dream B-school to pursue an MBA degree.
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On Question asked by student community
Hello dear candidate,
Yes, you have a very good chance of getting a BPT seat with 488 out of 600 and TS EAMCET rank of 14,000 under the ST category.
As the cut off of BPT for ST category students are generally between 25,000 to 45,000 ranks, depending upon the college and you have TS EAMCET rank of 14,000.
Thank you.
If you got 802 marks in Telangana Intermediate and belong to the ST category, you have a fair chance to get admission in a BPT course in 2025, but it depends on the college and cut-off. Most BPT colleges in Telangana ask for 12th marks in Physics, Chemistry, and Biology, and some also use the TS EAMCET rank for admission. The cut-off for ST students is usually lower than for general students, but it changes every year. It is better to check the previous year’s cut-offs of the colleges you want to apply to.
Hello, Getting shortlisted for IIM Lucknow or IIT Bombay (SJMSOM) with your profile is challenging, primarily due to your 58% in Class 10th, which significantly impacts the composite score calculation for both institutes. While your 98 percentile CAT score is excellent, and your 24 months of work experience, B.Com (Hons) background (providing academic diversity, especially for IIM-L), and KVS National player status are valuable additions, top IIMs and IITs heavily weigh consistent academic performance. Your 74% in 12th is also on the lower side. IIM Lucknow places substantial weight on 10th and 12th marks, making a call quite difficult despite your strengths. You likely have a relatively better, though still uncertain, chance at IIT Bombay, as their weighting might be slightly less penalizing for past academics compared to IIM-L, and your high CAT score is a major factor. However, the low 10th score remains a significant hurdle for both prestigious institutions.
I hope you found this information helpful and for study related queries you can ask in careers360 app, Have a great day and!
Hey,
You already have a strong profile with the score of 58% in Class 10, 74% in Class 12, and 80% in graduation, but admission in IIT Bombay, Shailesh J Mehta School of Management is quite competitive, especially if you are in general category because the cutoff for general goes to 98.5-99%. Your CAT percentage is impressive but your 10th marks might reduce your score during the shortlisting process. If you perform well in Written Ability Test and Personal Interview, and present your commerce background you still stand a fair chance. But it would also be wise if you have some backups like MDI Gurugram, IMT Ghaziabad, IMI Delhi, where your marks and profile will fit well in their selection range.
HELLO,
I am providing you the link below through which you will be able to download the previous 10 years CAT question papers
Here is the link :- CAT Previous year Question papers
Hope this Helps!
Admissions Open | Globally Recognized by AACSB (US) & AMBA (UK) | 17.8 LPA Avg. CTC for PGPM 2025
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