With Common Admission Test (CAT) around the corner, CAT aspirants are busy preparing for it with all their might. CAT is a computer-based test conducted at designated exam centers in 158 cities, that is mandatory for admission to 20 IIMs and several other prestigious B-Schools in India, It provides the choice of about 50 MBA programs including PGP, EMBA, PGPeX, Ph.D., Executive Ph.D., and FPM. Last year about 2.30 lakh cat aspirants had applied for the CAT exam which is expected to increase this year.
Being an MBA holder from IIMs or any other prestigious B-Schools offers a better job prospect at campus placements and gives you a head start at your career. But pursuing an MBA program from these top institutes is not affordable for most students. So, an education loan emerges as a viable option for those students after the CAT exam qualification. VidyaLoans is one such organization that can help students get non-collateral education loans for their higher education.
Read this article to know all the information regarding CAT 2021 like the important dates, CAT eligibility criteria, application fee, syllabus for CAT 2021, pattern, exam duration, etc.
CAT exam 2021 date
The CAT Committee has announced the CAT exam 2021 date on 31st Jul 2021. Have a look at the table below for the important dates of the CAT exam 2021.
|
CAT exam 2021 registration start |
4th Aug 2021 |
| Registration end | 15th Sep 2021 |
| CAT 2021 form correction | Third week of Sep 2021 |
| Admit card release | 27th Oct 2021 |
| CAT 2021 mock test release | The first week of Nov 2021 |
| CAT 2021 official tutorial release | The first week of Nov 2021 |
| CAT exam 2021 | 28th Nov 2021 |
| CAT exam 2021 result declaration | The first week of Jan 2021 |
CAT exam 2021 application fee
CAT registration fee can be paid through Debit/ Credit card/ Net banking/ BillDesk/ PayU/ Paytm.
| Category | CAT Application Fee |
| General Category | Rs 2200 |
| SC/ST/PwD | Rs 1100 |
CAT exam eligibility criteria
The CAT Committee has released the CAT exam eligibility in PDF format on July 31 and below are the important ones-
- CAT aspirants must have completed their bachelor’s degree with the required percentage of marks from an institute recognized by MHRD/ AICTE/ UGC.
- Or should have completed their professional degree (CA/CS/ICWA/FIAI) with the required percentage.
- Or should be in the final year of a bachelor’s degree with the required percentage. SC/ST/PwD and General/EWS/NC-OBC candidates should have a minimum of 45%. and 50% respectively.
- However, candidates can enter the “Promotion or Pass” option in the application form if they get “promotion/pass” instead of “award of marks” certificates in any of the last two years of the graduation program.
- There is no age limit as to apply for the CAT exam
- Work Experience is not mandatory
Candidates should also note that their candidature is liable to be canceled at a later stage if they are found ineligible for CAT on any account of false information.
CAT exam syllabus
The CAT exam syllabus has remained the same for the last ten years.
| CAT Syllabus 2021 sections | CAT Syllabus 2021 topics |
| Quantitative Aptitude (QA) | Number System Algebra Arithmetic Geometry Mensuration |
| Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) | Set Theory (Variables) Set Theory + Puzzles Puzzles with Additional Data Coding-Decoding Series |
| Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC) | Reading Comprehension Para Jumbles Summary Odd Sentence Out |
CAT exam pattern
The CAT Committee will not officially announce the CAT exam pattern and syllabus for CAT 2021. CAT aspirants will need to prepare as per the previous trends.
| Sections | QA, DILR, and VARC |
| Total number of questions with marks | 76 (228 marks) |
| Section-wise number of questions with marks | VARC - 26 (78 Marks) DILR - 24 (72 Marks) QA - 26 (78 Marks) |
| CAT exam time duration | 2 hours (120 Minutes) |
| CAT exam time duration per section | 40 minutes, PwD candidates get 20 minutes more per session. |
| Marking scheme | For every right answer: +3 marks For every wrong answer (only MCQ): -1 mark For Non-MCQ questions: NO Negative marks |
Clearing CAT is half the requirement, once candidates clear the CAT exam they get calls from institutes for their further selection rounds and it ends up with the selected candidates arranging the funds.
If you are looking for a non-collateral education loan to fund your MBA program of up to 7.5 lakhs, then we recommend you to connect with our team at Vidyaloans. Our processing officer will assist you with the entire education loan process.
About the organization: VidyaLoans is an organization which helps Indian students in India to secure a non-collateral loan from Government banks up to 7.5 Lakhs. We have a dedicated team of professionals who assist students with queries and guide them throughout the loan process. Our Team at Vidyaloans is committed to sanction the best loan option suiting the applicant's profile and needs, in a stipulated time frame.