CAT 2023 Exam Syllabus & Important Information

CAT 2023 Exam Notification

The syllabus of CAT 2023 is not that well defined (especially for Logical Reasoning Data Interpretation). The curriculum provided below is based on the previous year’s CAT paper pattern.

Common Admission Test [CAT] 2023 notification will be released in mid-July and the exam will be conducted on the last Sunday of November or 1st Sunday of December. The CAT exam is organized by one of the IIMs on a cyclic basis and is a gateway to the Top B-School of the country. Around 2 to 2.5 lakh candidates register for the CAT exam every year.

The CAT 2022 exam was conducted by IIM Bangalore on 27th November 2022. The CAT-23 result is expected to be announced in the Last week of december 2023.

CAT 2023 registration will begin from 2^nd Week of August and close by the end of September-2023.

As per the previous records, CAT 2023 result will be announced in the Last week of December 2023 or 1st week of January 2024.

Eligibility Criteria for CAT 2023

Graduation degree with an aggregate of 50 per cent marks or equivalent CGPA can apply for CAT 2023. For reserved category candidates, the aggregate per cent marks is 45 per cent or equivalent CGPA.
Candidates having a professional degree CA/CS/ICWA) with 50 per cent marks or equivalent CGPA can also apply for CAT-2023 exams (45 per cent for reserved category).
Candidates who are in their final year of graduation can also apply for the CAT exam.

Outline of CAT 2023 Exam Pattern

The CAT Exam is CBT, i.e., Computer Based Test.

The whole CAT Exam is divided into three major sections, namely:

Reading Comprehension and Verbal Ability (RCVA)
Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation (LRDI)
Quantitative Aptitude (QA)

Taking CAT 2021 Exam into consideration, the CAT 2023 Exam pattern can be:

VARC- 24 questions
DILR- 20 questions
QA- 22 questions

Sectional switching is not allowed in the CAT Exam, i.e. you can move onto the next section only when the allotted time is over.

The marking Scheme for the CAT 2023 exam is +3 for each correct answer and -1 for wrong Multiple Choice Questions.

Let us look at the past year paper pattern of CAT 2021 & CAT 2020

CAT exam pattern: Overview (Based on CAT 2021)
CAT Exam timings	Morning Slot: 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM Afternoon Slot: 12:30 PM to 2:30 PM Evening Slot: 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM
Number of sections	Three
Name of the sections	· Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC) · Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) · Quantitative Aptitude (QA)
Duration of exam	2 hours (40 min for each section)
Language of question paper	English
Total number of questions	66
Section-wise number of questions	· VARC – 24 · LRDI – 20 · QA – 22
Number of answer choices	Four
Type of questions	MCQs and Non-MCQs
Difficulty Level	Depends on the IIM who is setting the paper.
Maximum marks	198
Marking Scheme	· 3 marks for each right question · Negative marking of 1 mark for each wrong MCQ · No negative marking for non-MCQs

CAT exam pattern: Overview (Based on CAT 2022)

CAT exam pattern: Overview (Based on CAT 2022)
CAT Exam timings	Morning Slot: 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM Afternoon Slot: 12:30 PM to 2:30 PM Evening Slot: 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM
Number of sections	Three
Name of the sections	· Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC) · Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) · Quantitative Aptitude (QA)
Duration of exam	2 hours (40 min for each section)
Language of question paper	English
Total number of questions	76
Section-wise number of questions	· VARC – 26 · LRDI – 24 · QA – 26
Number of answer choices	Four
Type of questions	MCQs and Non-MCQs
Difficulty Level	Depends on the IIM who is setting the paper.
Maximum marks	228
Marking Scheme	· 3 marks for each right question · Negative marking of 1 mark for each wrong MCQ · No negative marking for non-MCQs

CAT 2023 Exam Syllabus

Quantitative Aptitude Syllabus	Logical Reasoning & Data Interpretation Syllabus	Reading Comprehension & Verbal Ability Syllabus
Number Systems	Tables	Reading Comprehension
Profit, Loss and Discount	Case lets	Para jumbles
LCM and HCF	Bar Graphs	Summary Type Questions
Speed, Time and Distance	Line Charts	Verbal Reasoning
Percentages	Other Basic Reasoning Questions	Facts-Inferences-Judgments
Time and Work	Venn Diagrams
Ratio and Proportion	Pie Chart
Averages	Column Graphs
Quadratic Equations & Linear Equations	Calendars
Complex Numbers	Venn Diagrams
Simple and Compound Interest	Cubes
Logarithm	Seating Arrangement
Sequences and Series	Binary Logic
Inequalities	Logical Matching
Probability	Logical Sequence
Surds and Indices	Logical Connectives
Set Theory & Function	Blood Relations
Permutation and Combination
Mixtures and Alligations
Trigonometry
Coordinate Geometry
Geometry
Mensuration

Fee Structure & Important Dates for CAT- 2023

Category	CAT fees
General/NC-OBC	Rs 2400
SC/ST/PWD/EWS	Rs 1200

CAT 2023 Events	CAT 2023 Dates
CAT 2023 notification release	July 4th week
CAT 2023 Registration	August 1st week
Registrations end	September 4th week
CAT form correction	September 4th week
CAT mock test and official tutorial release	October 2nd week
Admit card release	October 3rd week
CAT 2023 exam	27th November (tentative)
Answer key release	December 2nd week
Declaration of Result	January 1st week, 2023

Type of Questions	Correct Answer	Incorrect Answer
MCQ	+3	-1
Non-MCQ	+3	0

Admission Process of IIM’s

The Indian Institute of Management considers the CAT exam for their admission process. The CAT exam is managed in 157 cities across the country in the 4^th week of November or 1^st week of December. The result of the CAT exam is announced in the 1^st week of January. After the declaration of CAT result, the 20 IIMs screen the test takers based on their CAT score and academic achievements. For shortlisting of candidates, a category-wise CAT cut off percentile is fixed.

Components considered for the further selection of candidates for IIM’s GD/WAT-PI are listed below:

CAT score
Class 10th percentage or CGPA
Class 12th percentage
Graduation percentage or CGPA

After the completion of GD/WAT-PI process, a Composite Score of each candidate is considered. This Composite score is calculated by calculating marks obtained by a candidate on various parameters.

Parameters for Final Selection at IIM

CAT score
GD/WAT-PI score
Class 10^th percentage or CGPA
Class 12^th percentage
Graduation percentage or CGPA
Gender diversity
Academic diversity
Work experience

The weightage for each of the above parameters varies for each IIM. FundaMakers CAT Coaching has developed an AI-Powered tool named “Profile Professor”, through which you can check the percentile requirement for getting into your dream B-School on the basis of your academics and profile.

Know your chances of getting an IIM Call here

Admission Process of Top B-Schools in India other than the IIMs

Top B-Schools of the country have the same admission process. The only difference between IIM and them is that other B-Schools accept scores of multiple entrance exams like XAT, NMAT, GMAT etc.

Know Your B-School

CAT Exam Pattern- Changes in recent years

There was a massive change in the CAT exam paper pattern in 2013-2014. The total number of questions and the duration of the CAT exam was changed. The mode of the exam was also changed from pen and paper-based to the CBT or online mode.

Let’s look into the table to see how the CAT exam pattern changed over the years.

Year	Number of questions	Time duration	Sections
2010	60	150 mins	VARC, LRDI & QA
2011	60	140 mins	QA & DI, LR & VARC
2012	60	140 mins	QA & DI, LR & VARC
2013	60	140 mins	QA & DI, LR & VARC
2014	100	170 mins	QA & DI, LR & VARC
2015	100	180 mins	VARC, DILR, QA
2016	100	180 mins	VARC, DILR, QA
2017	100	180 mins	VARC, DILR, QA
2018	100	180 mins	VARC, DILR, QA
2019	100	180 mins	VARC, DILR, QA
2020	76	120 mins	VARC, DILR, QA
2021, 2022	66	120 mins	VARC, DILR, QA

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