Everything You Need To Know About CAT 2015

Are you among the 2 lakh students/candidates who are going to take CAT – the most competitive entrance exam of India this year? To introduce CAT, it is the popular entrance exam taken by students who aspire to pursue a management course or MBA in future. CAT is an entrance exam conducted by the IIM (Indian Institute of Management) for getting admission to 19 IIMs and many other prestigious B-schools across India.

Here we present The Complete Guide To CAT 2015: Everything A CAT 2015 Aspirant Needs To Know:

Important Dates:

• Registration starts – 6^th August 2015
• Last date of registration – 20^th September 2015
• Admit Card Download – 15^th October 2015, 1pm till exam day
• CAT 2015 Exam Date – 29^th November 2015, Sunday
• Declaration of Results – 2^nd week of January 2016

On 26^th July 2015, the advertisement for CAT 2015 has been released in 24 newspapers across India.

Important Features of CAT 2015 are as follows:

1. CAT 2015 will be held in 2 sessions in 1 day i.e. the exam is going to be conducted on 29.11.2015, Sunday.
2. CAT 2015 will be conducted in 136 cities comprising 650 test sites.
3. Students will get an option to select 4 test cities in order of preference.
4. Registration fees have to be paid through online mode only, including Credit Card, Debit Card and Net Banking.
5. After the submission of application, students will be permitted to download their admit card from 15 October 2015 onwards till the date of exam.
6. Duration of exam has been increased to 180 minutes instead of 170 minutes.
7. CAT 2015 will have 3 sections: Quantitative Aptitude (QA), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR), Verbal and Reading Comprehension (VRC).
8. QA and VRC will have 34 questions each and DILR will have 32 questions.
9. Some questions in each section may not be of multiple choice type. Instead, direct answers are to typed on the screen.
10. Tutorials will explain this change clearly.
11. Usage of basic on-screen calculator for computation is allowed.
12. Students will be allotted exactly 60 minutes for answering questions in each section.
13. They cannot switch from one section to another while answering questions in a section.
14. Tutorial to understand the format of examination will be available on CAT website from 15^th October 2015.
15. Candidates are advised to work on the tutorials, available on the website, well in advance.
16. Students can contact the helpdesk over mail or phone if they have any queries on any matter related to CAT 2015.
17. Email id is [email protected] and Help Desk number is 18002660207 (Monday to Saturday 9am to 6pm, not available on national/public holidays)
18. Website for reference: iimcat.ac.in
19. The official CAT 2015 notification can be checked : here

Key Changes to Remember:

1. CAT 2015 is a one day exam.
2. The test duration has increased by 10 minutes.
3. There are 3 sections in question paper instead of 2.
4. Descriptive questions are introduced alongwith Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
5. Students cannot switch between sections while answering questions
6. More test cities and more test centres for CAT 2015

CAT 2015 Syllabus:

Quantitative Aptitude (QA):

1. Number Systems
2. LCM and HCF
3. Percentages
4. Profit, Loss and Discount
5. Interest (Simple and Compound)
6. Speed, Time and Distance
7. Time and Work
8. Averages
9. Ratio and Proportion
10. Linear Equations
11. Quadratic Equations
12. Complex Numbers
13. Logarithm
14. Progressions (Sequences & Series)
15. Binomial Theorem
16. Surds and Indices
17. Inequalities
18. Permutation and Combination
19. Probability
20. Functions
21. Set Theory
22. Mixtures and Alligations
23. Geometry
24. Co-ordinate Geometry
25. Trigonometry
26. Mensuration

Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR):

Data Interpretation includes:

1. Tables
2. Column Graphs
3. Bar Graphs
4. Line Charts
5. Pie Chart
6. Venn Diagrams
7. Caselets

Logical Reasoning includes:

1. Number and Letter Series
2. Calendars
3. Clocks
4. Cubes
5. Venn Diagrams
6. Binary Logic
7. Seating Arrangement
8. Logical Sequence
9. Logical Matching
10. Logical Connectives
11. Syllogism
12. Blood Relations

Verbal and Reading Comprehension (VRC):

1. Vocabulary Based (Synonyms Antonyms)
2. English Usage or Grammar
3. Sentence Correction
4. Fill in the blanks
5. Cloze Passage
6. Analogies or Reverse Analogies
7. Jumbled Paragraph
8. Meaning-Usage Match
9. Summary Questions
10. Verbal Reasoning
11. Facts / Inferences / Judgements
12. Reading Comprehension

Recommended Readings:

1. Business World
2. Business Line
3. Business Today
4. Competition Success Review
5. The Hindu
6. Economic Times
7. Financial Express