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CAT 2023 Exam Syllabus & Important Information

CAT 23 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 2nd 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 timingsMorning 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 sectionsThree
Name of the sections·         Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC)
·         Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR)
·         Quantitative Aptitude (QA)
Duration of exam2 hours (40 min for each section)
Language of question paperEnglish
Total number of questions66
Section-wise number of questions·         VARC – 24
·         LRDI – 20
·         QA – 22
Number of answer choicesFour
Type of questionsMCQs and Non-MCQs
Difficulty LevelDepends on the IIM who is setting the paper.
Maximum marks198
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 timingsMorning 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 sectionsThree
Name of the sections·         Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC)
·         Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR)
·         Quantitative Aptitude (QA)
Duration of exam2 hours (40 min for each section)
Language of question paperEnglish
Total number of questions76
Section-wise number of questions·         VARC – 26
·         LRDI – 24
·         QA – 26
Number of answer choicesFour
Type of questionsMCQs and Non-MCQs
Difficulty LevelDepends on the IIM who is setting the paper.
Maximum marks228
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 SyllabusLogical Reasoning & Data Interpretation SyllabusReading Comprehension & Verbal Ability Syllabus
Number SystemsTablesReading Comprehension
Profit, Loss and DiscountCase letsPara jumbles
LCM and HCFBar GraphsSummary Type Questions
Speed, Time and DistanceLine ChartsVerbal Reasoning
PercentagesOther Basic Reasoning QuestionsFacts-Inferences-Judgments
Time and WorkVenn Diagrams 
Ratio and ProportionPie Chart 
AveragesColumn Graphs 
Quadratic Equations & Linear EquationsCalendars 
Complex NumbersVenn Diagrams 
Simple and Compound InterestCubes 
LogarithmSeating Arrangement 
Sequences and SeriesBinary Logic 
InequalitiesLogical Matching 
ProbabilityLogical Sequence 
Surds and IndicesLogical Connectives 
Set Theory & FunctionBlood Relations 
Permutation and Combination  
Mixtures and Alligations  
Trigonometry  
Coordinate Geometry  
Geometry  
Mensuration  

Fee Structure & Important Dates for CAT- 2023

CategoryCAT fees
General/NC-OBCRs 2400
SC/ST/PWD/EWSRs 1200
CAT 2023 EventsCAT 2023 Dates
CAT 2023 notification releaseJuly 4th week
CAT 2023 RegistrationAugust 1st week
Registrations endSeptember 4th week
CAT form correctionSeptember 4th week
CAT mock test and official tutorial releaseOctober 2nd week
Admit card releaseOctober 3rd week
CAT 2023 exam27th November (tentative)
Answer key releaseDecember 2nd week
Declaration of ResultJanuary 1st week, 2023
Type of QuestionsCorrect AnswerIncorrect Answer
MCQ+3-1
Non-MCQ+30

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  4th week of November or 1st week of December. The result of the CAT exam is announced in the 1st 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 10th percentage or CGPA
  • Class 12th 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.

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.

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.

YearNumber of questionsTime durationSections
201060150 minsVARC, LRDI & QA
201160140 minsQA & DI, LR & VARC
201260140 minsQA & DI, LR & VARC
201360140 minsQA & DI, LR & VARC
2014100170 minsQA & DI, LR & VARC
2015100180 minsVARC, DILR, QA
2016100180 minsVARC, DILR, QA
2017100180 minsVARC, DILR, QA
2018100180 minsVARC, DILR, QA
2019100180 minsVARC, DILR, QA
202076120 minsVARC, DILR, QA
2021, 202266120 minsVARC, DILR, QA

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