By Q: When is CAT exam conducted?
A: CAT exam is generally conducted on last Sunday of November every year. CAT 2021 was conducted on 29th November at over 425 exam centres in three slots.
Q: Which IIM will conduct CAT 2022?
A: The name of CAT 2022 conducting institute will be announced by the month of June. The official notification of CAT 2022 will be released in the last week of July.
Q: How many months are good enough to prepare for CAT exam?
A: One must dedicate at least six to nine months to prepare for CAT exam. Daily eight to ten hours of studies is required atleast five days a week. However, there are some candidates who may be able to complete the preparation in lesser time. Each candidate must start CAT preparation according to their capability and previous knowledge of VARC, DILR and QA.
Q: Which is the toughest section of CAT exam?
A: One cannot really say which section is the toughest in CAT. Although QA is considered tough because it is calculation intensive, but it has been seen in the past that sometimes VARC turns out to be tricky or DILR has surprise questions. Overall, the difficulty level of CAT exam is higher than any other MBA entrance exam.
Q: Can I prepare for CAT on my own?
A: Yes, you can prepare for CAT on your own, but that would require strict self-discipline, hard work and dedication on your part. The candidates must be prepared to dedicate a good amount of their time to studies on a daily basis, including weekends.
Q: Is coaching mandatory for scoring 99+ percentile in CAT?
A: No, coaching is not mandatory for CAT exam preparation. Many candidates in the past have scored 99+ percentile by self-study. However, to join a coaching school or not is an individual decision to be made keeping in mind personal discipline and availability of time for CAT preparation. The advantage of coaching is that, you get a mentor to guide you through your preparation journey.
Q: How many questions are asked in CAT?
A: The CAT 2021 paper had 66 questions. The VARC section had 24 questions, DILR had 20 questions and QA section had 22 questions.
Q: Is there negative marking for wrong answers in CAT?
A: Yes, there is negative marking of -1 for every wrong attempt in CAT exam. So, the candidates must carefully mark their answers in the paper. However, there is no negative marking for TITA questions.
Q: Do PwD candidates get extra time in CAT exam?
A: Yes, PwD candidates get 20 minutes extra for each section in CAT exam. To avail this facility they need to upload PwD certificate with the CAT application form and carry one copy of the certificate to the exam centre.
Q: How can I master VARC section of CAT?
A: To have a stronghold on VARC section, start reading English novels and books of all genres from the early stage of CAT preparation. This will strengthen your vocabulary, grammar and reading comprehension skill.
Q: Is practicing sample questions enough to cover DILR section?
A: Since DILR is logic-based section, one may think that practicing sample papers will be enough, but to build a strong base to solve any type of puzzle, it is very important to understand the fundamentals of DILR topics.