CAT Common Admission Test is a national level common aptitude test conducted for admission to management courses in Indian Institute of Management and other top B-schools across India. Indian Institute of Management started this exam to select the students for business administration programs MBA or PGDM). This exam is conducted every year by any one IIMs based on the rotation policy.
Courses offered in IIM
There are different courses offered by IIMs namely the post-graduate, doctoral and executive education program. Some of the institute even offer Fellowship Management Program (FPM) which is equivalent to PhD. But their flagship program is two years residential post graduate program. Find below the list of courses offered by IIM
Course Name
Degree
Post Graduate Program in Management
PGP
Post Graduate Program in Management in Food and Agriculture Management
PGP-FAM
Post Graduate Program in Management in Enterprise Management
PGPEM
Post Graduate Program in Management in Public Policy Management
PGPPM
Executive Post Graduate Program in Management
EPGP
Post Graduate Program in Management in Sustainable Management
PGPSM
Post Graduate Program in Management in Management for Working Executive
PGPWE
Post Graduate Program in Management in Business Management
PBPBM
Fellow Program in Management
FPM
Highlights of CAT Exam
Features
Details
Exam Name
Common Admission Test (CAT)
Conducting Body
Indian Institute of Management (IIM)
Exam Level
National
Exam Frequency
Once a year
Exam Mode
Computer-Based (Online)
Exam Pattern
MCQ and Non-MCQ Format
Exam Duration
3 hours
Exam Syllabus
· Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC)
· Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR)
· Quantitative Aptitude (QA)
Exam Language
English
Exam Purpose
Admission into IIMs, SPJIMR, MDS, FMS, IMT, and other top B-Schools.
There is no age limit set for appearing in the CAT exam.
Educational Qualification:
The candidate must have a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent from a recognized University or equivalent with a minimum of 50% or equivalent CGPA (45 % or equivalent CGPA for SC, ST, PWD/DA category) aggregate mark.
Candidates who have completed a professional course like CA/CS/ICWA with a minimum percentage are also eligible to appear for the exam.
Appearing and result awaited candidates are also eligible to appear for the exam.
v Green: Question answered but not marked as review
v Grey: Question neither viewed nor visited
v Violet: Question marked for review but not answered
v Violet with green tick: Question marked for review and answered
CAT Entrance Exam Section-wise
CAT EXAM SECTION-WISE
Section
TITA Question
MCQ Question
Total Question
Duration
Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC)
7
27
34
60 minutes (80 minutes for PWD)
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR)
8
24
32
60 minutes (80 minutes for PWD)
Quantitative Aptitude (QA)
11
23
34
60 minutes (80 minutes for PWD)
Total
74
26
100
3 hours (4 hours for PWD)
IIM CAT Entrance Exam
S.No
Name of the Institute
State
Establishment Year
1
IIM Ahmedabad
Gujarat
1961
2
IIM Calcutta
West Bengal
1961
3
IIM Bangalore
Karnataka
1973
4
IIM Lucknow
Uttar Pradesh
1984
5
IIM Indore
Madhya Pradesh
1996
6
IIM Kozhikode
Kerala
1996
7
IIM Shilong
Meghalaya
2007
8
IIM Raipur
Chhattisgarh
2010
9
IIM Ranchi
Jharkhand
2010
10
IIM Rohtak
Haryana
2010
11
IIM Kashipur
Uttarakhand
2011
12
IIM Tiruchirappalli
Tamil Nadu
2011
13
IIM Udaipur
Rajasthan
2011
14
IIM Amritsar
Punjab
2015
15
IIM Bodh Gaya
Bihar
2015
16
IIM Nagpur
Maharashtra
2015
17
IIM Sambalpur
Odisha
2015
18
IIM Sirmaur
Himachal Pradesh
2015
19
IIM Vishakhapatnam
Andhra Pradesh
2015
20
IIM Jammu
Jammu and Kashmir
2016
Getting in a good B-School is a dream, you need to plan it before that.
Career Planning plays an important role in shaping your career, so is the planning to choose the best suitable B-School for yourself. You need to focus on various aspects before jumping into a final decision.
Career path analysis helps you in getting the best road map. Get your career assessment test by appearing for the free student profiling process. https://eduxact.edumilestones.com/
Study_Abroad
Click the link below and get an exhaustive career report and book for a free counseling session. For Studying abroad in 15000+ across 20+ Countries visit the mentioned link.
Xavier Aptitude Test (XAT) is a national level entrance examination conducted by Xavier Labor Relations Institute (XLRI) for admission to MBA/PGDM program. Xavier School of Management (XLRI-XSM or XLRI) is a private Catholic business school run by the Society of Jesuits in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand. It was founded in 1949 and got the name Xavier Labor Relations Institute (XLRI) in 1955.
XLRI offers two years MBA flagship programs like Postgraduate Diploma in Business Management (PGDBM), Postgraduate Diploma in Human Resource management (PGDHRM), General Management Program (GMP), Doctoral Level Fellowship Program (FPM) and other short term management development program.
Apart from XLRI, XAMI members and other 800 B-School accepts the XAT score for admissions to their postgraduate management program.
Foreign Nationals can apply through the GMAT score.
Age limit:
There is no lower and upper age limit set for appearing XAT exam.
Educational Qualification:
The candidate must have a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent from a recognized University or equivalent can appear for XAT Exam.
Appearing and result awaited candidates are also eligible to appear for the exam.
The number of attempts:
There is no fixed number of attempts for the exam.
Exam Pattern of XAT Exam:
Feature
Details
Exam Mode
Computer Based Test (CBT)
Name of sections
Verbal and Logical Ability
Decision Making
Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation
Number of Questions
99
Total Marks
300
Exam Format
MCQs
Exam Duration
180 minutes
Medium of Exam
English
Marking Scheme
+1 awarded for a correct answer
-0.25 deducted for an incorrect answer
Beyond 8 unanswered question, 0.10 mark deducted
No negative mark for GK Questions
Note: Visually impaired candidates will get an extra 25 minutes of time.
Section-wise Exam Pattern
Section
Number of Questions (MCQ)
Duration
Part -1
Verbal and Logical Ability
26
165 minutes (No sectional limit)
Decision Making
21
Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation
28
Part-2
General Knowledge
25
15 minutes
Total (Part-1+Part-2)
100
Notable Alumni:
Some of the notable XLRI Alumni include:
Abhijit Bhaduri author and Chief Learning Officer, Wipro
Abhishek Singh, former Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha for Rajnandgaon
Akash Khurana, actor.
Ananth Vaidyanathan, actor and voice trainer.
Krishnakumar Natarajan, chairman, Mindtree
Leena Nair, global senior vice-president, Unilever.
Rekha Menon, Chairman & Senior MD, Accenture
Mohan Raman, television and film actor, management trainer.
B Muthuraman, vice -chairman, Tata Steel.
Naveen Jain, founder of income and Moon express.
Career Planning plays an important role in shaping your career, so is the planning to choose the best suitable B-School for yourself. You need to focus on various aspects before jumping into a final decision.
Career path analysis helps you in getting the best road map. Get your career assessment test by appearing for the free student profiling process. https://eduxact.edumilestones.com/
Study_Abroad
Click the link below and get an exhaustive career report and book for a free counseling session. For Studying abroad in 15000+ across 20+ Countries visit the mentioned link.
There are hundreds of business degree programs offered across the globe, but choosing the best out of the rest seems to be a challenging job.
Before drawing a conclusion with your choice, it is imperative for you to do thorough research on this.
There are many deciding factors on choosing the best business programs.
This article will help you in drawing a clear picture in choosing an MBA or an EMBA.
To deep dive further, lets us first understand the program in a concise way :
Master of Business Administration referred to as MBA is a general management degree. This can be one year or two years and both tend to be full-time degrees.
Executive Master of Business Administration referred to as EMBA is also a general management degree. This can be done part-time, taking around two to four years of time to complete.
Some EMBA is even designed in two forms, can full-time as well as part-time. Usually, the full-time EMBA is for a duration of 12-15 months and part-time EMBA is for 2-3 years.
Generally, the defining difference between the MBA and the EMBA is the time schedule, but there are many others factors that need to consider.
In this article, I will discuss the difference between MBA and EMBA under the following bullet headline mentioned :
Master of Business Administration is designed for those who have recently graduated or for middle-level career professionals.
This will help them in getting deeper knowledge, help in skill enhancement, and also them in exploring various other career opportunities.
EMBA is developed for working professionals. This is designed for enhancing their knowledge, managerial abilities, and leadership capabilities.
2. Average Age
The simple difference between the MBA and EMBA is the profile of the students.
MBA aspirants are generally younger with an average age of 28 years with around 3-5 years of working experience.
While EMBA students have more years of professionals and working experience.
The average age of the EMBA aspirants is 38 years with a working experience of more than 5 yrs.
3. Application Requirement
Mentioned below is the general application requirement for most colleges and Universities. Many universities have extra requirements, which should be checked before applying in those places :
MBA
Bachelor’s degree in any field
Transcript of records
At least 3 years of professional work experience
GMAT exam score
GRE exam score
IELTS Academic 6.0, TOEFL iBT 70, PTE Academic 60
Letters of recommendation
Resume/CV
EMBA
Bachelor’s degree in any field
Transcript of records
A minimum of 3-5 years of work experience
GMAT or GRE test scores
IELTS Academic 6.5, TOEFL iBT (80), or PTE Academic (60)
Letter of motivation
Letters of reference
4. Tuition costs
The tuition cost depends upon the school and the location where you are going.
Usually, the EMBA program is more expensive when compared with the traditional MBA program.
The average cost of the MBA degree
In the U.S the tuition cost is around 50,000 USD
In the UK, the tuition cost is around 15,000 GBP
In the rest of Europe, the tuition cost is between 36,000 and 65,000 USD.
There are other MBA programs within universities in Europe that cost between 15,000 and 36,000 USD.
The average cost of the EMBA degree
In the U.S, the tuition cost is around 160,000 USD
However, you can also find EMBA programs with tuition that cost 50,000 USD.
In the UK, the tuition cost is around 18,000 GBP
In the rest of Europe, the tuition cost is between 21,000 and 29,000 EUR
5. Company Sponsorship and Funding
MBA is generally self-funded across the globe.
There are various scholarships and financial packages, loans available to the business schools themselves.
EMBA is generally employee-funded across the globe.
The fund can be partial or full depends on the decision of the employee and the employer.
There has been a trend of self-funding in EMBA in recent years. There are various scholarships and financial packages, loans available to the business schools themselves.
6. Workload and Lifestyle
The student’s lifestyles will be very different on the basis of the program they have opted for.
Full-day MBA will a rigorous and stringent, who will spend more time with the classmate in the classroom, in the library, or at networking and MBA events on evenings and weekends.
EMBA students, have to balance a significant and continuous work balance alongside their academic schedules, courses, and a 9 to 5 job.
In short a balance between work and studies needs to be maintained.
7. Program Duration
The course duration of an MBA is two years.
While the duration of EMBA is 1 year to 4 years depending on the kind of program one has chosen.
8. Curriculum
MBA: The classes are more thus it makes them difficult to get along with any other activities.
The curriculum is more or less the same with similar skills but the flexibility is more choosing the electives.
A regular MBA is like a Marathon.
EMBA is a part-time program because of which they can either go for the online as well as the offline classes.
Offline classes are generally scheduled on weekend or evening depending on the kind of format the students has selected.
The curriculum is quite similar but with a lesser number of electives.
EMBA is like a Sprint
9. Salary
The MBA graduates get a significant monetary return after completion of the program.
While the salary increment for the EMBA is less than MBA. But they get the opportunity of more job responsibility and good promotions.
10. Opportunities
MBA: There are several opportunities that an MBA graduate gets. Some of them are mentioned below
To start an accelerating career
To shift their career to the next level, if you are already having experience
To foster an innovative perspective
To add extra brand value to yourself
To magnify personal growth
To start a business or become an entrepreneur
Improve leadership skills
Network and create connections
Manage critical situations
Make tough calls at the right time
EMBA: There are several opportunities that an EMBA graduate gets. Some of them are mentioned below
Get the ability and the skill to apply immediately into your job
Increased scope of personal and professional networking
Accelerate your career exponentially
Increase the leadership qualities and skills
MBA_EMBA
Here are a few universities and B-Schools where you can apply for an MBA or EMBA :
What do you think when it comes to becoming an MBA Graduate?
There is a natural tendency to follow the crowd.
But the question is whether you should always follow the crowd?
At times it may work.
But there is a wise saying that “ The person who follows the crowd will go no further than the crowd”.
This holds very true for pursuing and getting an MBA graduate degree.
The buzz for MBA graduates is so powerful, that the aspirants go and dive into it without even knowing, the in and out MBA graduate program.
You may have often come across the saying that “ If you have nothing to do, then go and get an MBA degree”.
Everything comes with its Goodness and Badness.
It all depends on how to go with it.
Therefore, it is very important to analyze both sides and then jump to any conclusions.
The same holds for “ The Future MBA Graduate Students”.
Before you make a mind to become an MBA Graduate, it is very important and imperative to brainstorm yourself.
This article will give you an insight into the MBA graduate program in respect to different entrance examinations, exam patterns, syllabus, list of B-Schools, and the plan and strategy to crack the CAT exam.
Master of Business Administration commonly known as MBA is considered as among one of the most popular graduate degrees in the world. This Comes with various advantages as well as some disadvantages.
Among the benefits of an MBA degree, the Job Security, High Pay Packages, Increased Leadership possibilities, Discover different Careers, Expands Entrepreneurship possibilities, Increased Professional Network, and many more.
MBA Entrance Examinations
Gateway for an MBA degree comes with some of the most promising entrance examinations. Future MBA aspirants will have to go through these exams as mandatory screening steps.
Some of the highly sought out entrance examination for MBA graduate degree are mentioned below:
National Level MBA Entrance Exam
CAT
CMAT
MAT
XAT
NMAT
SNAP
ATMA
GMAT
State Level MBA Entrance Exam
MAH-CET
PGCET
TSICET
KMAT
TANCET
Some of the other Entrance examinations are IBSAT, IRMASAT, IIFT, FMS, etc.
CAT Notifications, Exam Pattern & Syllabus
Common Admission Test, commonly called CAT is a national-level common aptitude test conducted for admission to management courses in the Indian Institute of Management and other top B-schools across India.
Indian Institute of Management started this exam to select the students for business administration programs MBA or PGDM).
This exam is conducted every year by anyone IIMs based on the rotation policy.
Different Courses offered in IIM
There are different courses offered by IIMs namely the Post-graduate, Doctoral, and Executive education programme.
Some of the institutes even offer Fellowship Management Program (FPM) which is equivalent to Ph.D. But their flagship program is two years residential post-graduate program.
Find below the list of courses offered by IIM.
Course Name
Degree
Post Graduate Program in Management
PGP
Post Graduate Program in Management in Food and Agriculture Management
PGP-FAM
Post Graduate Program in Management in Enterprise Management
PGPEM
Post Graduate Program in Management in Public Policy Management
PGPPM
Executive Post Graduate Program in Management
EPGP
Post Graduate Program in Management in Sustainable Management
PGPSM
Post Graduate Program in Management in Management for Working Executive
PGPWE
Post Graduate Program in Management in Business Management
PBPBM
Fellow Program in Management
FPM
Highlights of CAT Examination
Features of CAT Exam
Details
Exam Name
Common Admission Test (CAT)
Conducting Body
Indian Institute of Management (IIM)
Exam Level
National
Exam Frequency
Once a year
Exam Mode
Computer-Based (Online)
Exam Pattern
MCQ and Non-MCQ Format
Exam Duration
3 hours
Exam Syllabus
· Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC)
· Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR)
· Quantitative Aptitude (QA)
Exam Language
English
Exam Purpose
Admission into IIMs, SPJIMR, MDS, FMS, IMT, and other top B-Schools.
Age limit of CAT Exam: There is no age limit set for appearing in the CAT exam.
Educational Qualification of CAT Exam
The candidate must have a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent from a recognized University or equivalent with a minimum of 50% or equivalent CGPA (45 % or equivalent CGPA for SC, ST, PWD/DA category) aggregate mark.
Candidates who have completed a professional course like CA/CS/ICWA with a minimum percentage are also eligible to appear for the exam.
Appearing and result-awaited candidates are also eligible to appear for the exam.
CAT Exam Pattern
Particulars
Details
Exam Mode
Computer-Based Exam (Online)
Number of Sections
3
Duration of the exam
3 hours.
4 hours for PWD Category
Sectional duration of the exam
60 minutes.
80 minutes for PWD Category
Number of questions
100
Marking Scheme
3 marks awarded for every correct answer.
1 mark deducted for every wrong answer
Panel color indication
Red: Question not answered nor marked as review.
Green: Question answered but not marked as review.
Grey: Question neither viewed nor visited.
Violet: Question marked for review but not answered.
Violet with green tick: Question marked for review and answered
CAT Exam Section-wise
Section
TITA Question
MCQ Question
Total Question
Duration
Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC)
7
27
34
60 minutes (80 minutes for PWD)
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR)
8
24
32
60 minutes (80 minutes for PWD)
Quantitative Aptitude (QA)
11
23
34
60 minutes (80 minutes for PWD)
Total
74
26
100
3 hours (4 hours for PWD)
Best B-School
Getting into The Holy Trinity of the Indian Institute of Management is a dream come true experience.
IIM Ahmedabad
IIM Bangalore
IIM Calcutta
If you cannot make it in the top three Indian Institute of Management.
The next best are the IIM Bangalore, IIM Lucknow, IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Calcutta, IIM Kozhikode, IIM Indore) generally referred to as “BLACKI”.
OLD-Indian Institute Management
Name of Institute
Founding Year
IIM Rohtak
2009
IIM Ranchi
2010
IIM Raipur
2010
IIM Trichy
2011
IIM Kashipur
2011
IIM Udaipur
2011
Baby IIM: Out of 20 IIMs, Newly 7 are called the baby IIMs.
BABY- Indian Institute Management
Name of Institute
Founding Year
IIM Amritsar
2015
IIM Bodh Gaya
2015
IIM Nagpur
2015
IIM Sambalpur
2015
IIM Sirmaur
2015
IIM Visakhapatnam
2015
IIM Jammu
2015
Top B-school except for IIMs
Faculty of Management Studies (FMS), Delhi accepts the CAT score and the course offered is MBA with an intake of 287 seats.
S.P. Jain Institute of Management & Research (SPJIMR), Mumbai accepts CAT, XAT, GMAT scores and offers a PGDM course with an intake of 240 seats.
Xavier School of Management (X.L.R.I), Jamshedpur accepts XAT, GMAT score and offers a PGDM course with an intake of 180 seats.
Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies( JBIMS), Mumbai accepts MAH-CET, CAT, CMAT, MAT, ATMA offers MMS courses with an intake of 120 seats.
Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT), New Delhi accepts IIFT scores and offers MBA courses with an intake of 420 seats.
Symbiosis Institute of Management, Pune accepts SNAP and offers an MBA course with an intake of 180 seats.
Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS), Mumbai accepts NMAT and offers an MBA course with an intake of 540 seats.
Mudra Institute of Communication (MICA), Ahmedabad accepts MICAT, CAT, XAT, GMAT and offers courses like PGDM/PGDM-C with an intake of 216 seats.
National Institute of Industrial Engineering (NITIE), Mumbai accepts CAT scores and offers a PGDM course with an intake of 540 seats.
Indian School Of Business (ISB), Hyderabad accepts GMAT scores and offers PGPM courses with an intake of 886 seats.
Management of Development Studies (MDI), Gurgaon accepts CAT scores and offers courses like PGPM/PGP-HR/PGP-IN with an intake of 420 seats.
Shailesh J.Mehta School of Management (SJMSOM), IIT Mumbai accepts CAT scores and offers an MBA degree, and has an intake of 120 seats.
Institute of Management Technology (IMT), Ghaziabad accepts the score of CAT/XAT/GMAT and offers a PGDM course, and has an intake of 660 seats.
Vinod Gupta School of Management (VGSoM), IIT Kharagpur accepts the score of CAT and offers courses like MBA and has an intake of 140 seats.
Department of Management Studies (DoMS), IIT Madras accepts CAT scores and offers courses like MBA with an intake of 68 seats.
DMS, IIT Delhi accepts the CAT score and offers an MBA degree with an intake of 115 seats.
Xavier Institute of Management (XIMB), Bhubaneswar accepts XAT/CAT/GMAT score and offers a degree of MBA, and has a seating capacity of 480.
Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA), Gujarat accepts CAT/XAT scores and offers a PGDRM course, and has an intake capacity of 180 seats.
T.A.Pai Management Institute (TAPMI), Manipal accepts the score of CAT/XAT/GMAT and offers PGDM with an intake of 420 seats.
Foundation for Organizational Research and Education (FORE) School of Management, New Delhi accepts the score of CAT/XAT/GMAT and offers the PGDM, and has an intake of 180 seats.
GIM (Goa Institute of Management), Goa accepts the score of CAT/XAT/GMAT and offers PGDM, and has an intake of 60 seats.
Strategy to Crack CAT Exam
MBA Entrance Exam
CAT is considered to be one of the most demanding and tough competitive entrance examinations which require proper planning and hard work.
Many aspirants devote years and years of time to crack this exam, but this is not needed.
One can easily crack CAT if some of the aspects are kept in mind and are implemented properly. They are enumerated below :
Every individual is their own judge to gauge their own capability and potential. Therefore, students are advised to self-assess before jumping to conclusions.
Whether they can complete the syllabus in time or not is one big question.
After assessing and analyzing their level the student can take a call, whether one should join a good coaching institute or they can go for self-preparation.
2. Early Starter
If you are planning to crack the CAT exam, it is always advised to start early with the preparation.
Generally, it takes six months to one year to prepare, and complete the examination on the very first attempt.
Early preparation will give ample time to the students to revise well and they will be not struggling at the last moment.
3. Know your Exam and Syllabus
First thing first before starting the preparation for CAT, it is strongly recommended to go through the exam pattern and the syllabus of the CAT.
The next step is to make a comprehensive plan to start with the preparation.
This can be done by going through the previous year’s question papers and getting to know about the topics and sub-topics.
According make a plan and stick to it. Set a micro-target of a week and try to achieve it.
A better understanding of the syllabus will help in the preparation in the right direction.
4. Strategy for Examination paper
The exam paper is divided into three sections. Each section has its own importance, therefore students should make a strategy for each section on the basis of their expertise.
Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension(VARC) sections – this section consist of grammar, reading comprehension, vocabulary, and verbal reasoning. VR and RC require their own strategy and approach to crack.
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) section -This section consists of different types of charts, graphs, etc. This generally tests the analytical and logical reasoning of the students.
Quantitative Aptitude (QA) –This section mainly consists of math, algebra, geometry. This requires lots of calculation and formulas and is quite a rigorous section.
5. Take Mock Tests Paper
Taking mock tests is the key to cracking the CAT. Once the basic preparation is done, start taking mock tests.
Start with 1-2 mock tests in a week and then increase the number to 4-5 mock tests in a week.
This will help you understand weak and strong areas.
6. Analyze Yourself and Improve
Analyze your result after each test and find out the weak and strong areas by doing a SWOT analysis.
Focus on the sectional and overall time limit and practice accordingly.
7. Time Management, Confidence, and Motivation
Six months to one year time is enough to crack CAT in the first attempt.
Therefore, students should divide the time before starting the preparation.
Be confident and motivated with your approach.
Stay connected with your buddy and mentor who can support and boost you.
The future MBA graduate makes are the future of the developing nation.
Therefore, it is advisable for all future MBA graduates to go through the article properly.
All the very BEST to all the Future MBA graduates.
