Syllabus for CAT

CAT is an aptitude test. There is no set or defined syllabus for the exam. What we can say about CAT is it is designed to assess the natural ability of a person towards their desired objective. CAT is designed to test the inclination of the applicant towards managerial tasks and roles. Mainly the questions are asked from.

Quantitative Ability (QA)

The questions are designed to stress more on reasoning skills of the candidates, rather than on their computational skills. The level of difficulty of this section is perceived to be higher because the questions are not only lengthy to read but at times require more effort in terms of understanding and solving.

Data Interpretation (DI)

This section presents data to the candidate in forms such as caselets, pie diagrams, bar graphs, etc and questions are set to evaluate the candidate’s skills at analyzing the given information. It also includes few Data Sufficiency (DS) questions. DS questions are based on basic mathematics (at times Data Sufficiency is a part of the Quantitative Ability section).

Verbal Ability (VA)

This section usually has 3-5 Reading Comprehensions (RC) passages. Passage length is usually between 550-650 words with each following with a set of 3-5 questions. Other than passages this section typically comprises questions on jumbled paragraphs, sentence correction, complete the paragraph, verbal reasoning etc.

Download CAT 2007 Paper

Download the CAT 2007 paper

Download the CAT 2007 key

CAT 2007 Analysis

CAT 2007 followed the exact pattern of CAT 2006. In all there were 75 Questions divided in 3 sections of 25 questions each. There were 5 options and each question carried 4 marks for correct answer and negative score of 1 for incorrect answer. The first section was Quantitative Ability, followed by Data Interpretation and the last section was Verbal Ability.

Quantitative Ability (Section I)

Quantitative Ability (Quant) had just 25 questions like CAT 2006. But what was different this year was the difficulty level. It was the most difficult of all in CAT 2007 sections and was quite impossible to solve all of them in 50 minutes. However, there were still few easily answerable questions interspersed across the section. Identifying and solving these questions was the key to success in this section.

Algebra and Arithmetic comprised almost 60% of the questions while Geometry took a back seat. Modern Math questions were relatively less time-consuming but required clarity in fundamental concepts. Data Sufficiency questions appeared in this section after a long time. Some of them were also quite tough and confusing.

Cut-off was estimated to be around 32-38 per cent for most of the IIMs in Quant.

Data Interpretation (Section II)

Data Interpretation (DI) was comparatively easier section of CAT 2007. The stress was on logic rather than mere calculations.

This section had 21 DI questions and 4 Data Sufficiency (DS) questions. DS questions were easy as mere comprehension was sufficient to answer the question. These questions should have been given the first preference while attempting this section.

All the sets in Data Interpretation were based on simple or intensive calculation. One needed a fair level of comprehension and reasoning ability before proceeding to perform the relevant calculations.

Cut-off was estimated to be around 42-50 per cent for most of the IIMs in DI.

Verbal Ability (Section III)

CAT 2007 Verbal Ability section had 4 RCs (with 3 questions each) as compared to 3 (with 5 questions each) in CAT 2006. Passages were fairly short, and except for one passage, quite easy to read. The questions ranged from very simple and direct to challenging and inferential ones.

Grammar, Jumbled paragraphs and Vocabulary were re-introduced in CAT 2007. Complete the Theme questions were the only familiar construct.

Overall, this section was of medium difficulty and slightly easier than CAT 2006. A student with good language concepts and reading skills should not have faced any insurmountable difficulties here.

Cut-off was estimated to be around 40 - 46 per cent in the Verbal Ability.

Outlook BSchool Rankings 2007

Indian BSchool Rankings 2007

Rank		University/Institute
1		IIM, Ahmedabad
2		IIM, Bangalore
3		IIM, Kolkata
4		IIM, Lucknow
5		XLRI, Jamshedpur
6		MDI, Gurgaon
7		S P Jain, Mumbai
8		NITIE, Mumbai
9		IIM, Indore
10		NMIMS, Mumbai
11		IMT, Ghaziabad
12		IIM, Kozhikode
13		IIFT, Delhi
14		ICFAI, Hyderabad
15		XIM, Bhubaneshwar
16		SJMSOM, IIT Mumbai
17		IMI, Delhi
18		IRMA, Anand
19		TAPMI, Manipal
20		Symbiosis, Pune
21		IFMR, Chennai
22		Alliance, Bangalore
23		IIFM, Bhopal
24		Bimtech, Noida
25		MANAGE, Hyderabad
26		IHMR, Jaipur
27		BIM, Trichy
28		Inst of Public Entp. Hyderabad
29		IIMM, Pune
30		IISWBM, Kolkata
31		KJ Somaiya, Mumbai
32		Nirma, Ahmedabad
33		GIM, Goa
34		LBSIM, Delhi
35		LIBA, Chennai
36		SIES, Navi Mumbai
37		IMT, Nagpur
38		PSG, Coimbatore
39		College of Agri Business, Pantnagar
40		Christ, Bangalore
41		Amrita, Coimbatore
42		NIILM, Delhi
43		ITM, Navi Mumbai
44		DMS, Dhanbad
45		IFIM, Bangalore
46		IMS, Ghaziabad
47		SCMS, Cochin
48		Jaipuria, Lucknow
49		ICFAI, Mumbai
50		Rajagiri, Cochin

CAT 2008 Important Dates & Test Centers

Important dates for CAT 2008

Issue of CAT Bulletins by Axis Bank STARTS	JULY 14, 2008 (Monday)
Issue of CAT Bulletins by Axis Bank ENDS	AUGUST 8, 2008 (Friday)
Issue of CAT Bulletins by IIMs ENDS	AUGUST 13, 2008 (Wednesday)
Last date for receipt of completed CAT Applications by the IIMs	SEPTEMBER 5, 2008 (Friday)
COMMON ADMISSION TEST 2008	NOVEMBER 16, 2008 (Sunday)

Test centers CAT 2008

Ahmedabad	Gurgaon	Lucknow
Bangalore	Guwahati	Mumbai
Bhopal	Hyderabad	Nagpur
Bhubaneswar	Indore	Noida
Chandigarh	Jaipur	Patna
Chennai	Jamshedpur	Pune
Coimbatore	Kolkata	Varanasi
Delhi	Kozhikode

CAT Eligibility

The candidate must hold a Bachelor’s Degree, with at least 50% marks or equivalent CGPA [45% in case of the candidates belonging to Scheduled Caste (SC)/ Scheduled Tribe (ST) or Persons with Disability (PWD) category], of any of the Universities incorporated by an act of the central or state legislature in India or other educational institutions established by an act of Parliament or declared to be deemed as a University under section 3 of UGC Act, 1956, or possess an equivalent qualification recognized by the Ministry of HRD, Government of India.

The Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent qualification obtained by the candidate must entail a minimum of three years of education after completing higher secondary schooling (10+2) or equivalent.

The percentage obtained by the candidate in the bachelor’s degree would be based on the practice followed by the university/institution from where the candidate has obtained the degree. In case of the candidates being awarded grades/CGPA instead of marks, the equivalence would be based on the equivalence certified by the university/institution from where they have obtained bachelor’s degree. In case the university/ institution does not have any scheme for converting CGPA into equivalent marks, the equivalence would be established by the IIMs by dividing obtained CGPA with the maximum possible CGPA and multiplying the resultant with 100.

Candidates appearing for the final year bachelor’s degree / equivalent qualification examination and those who have completed degree requirement and are awaiting results can also apply. Such candidates must produce a certificate from the Principal/Head of the Department/Registrar/Director of the university/ institution certifying that the candidate is currently in the final year / is awaiting final results and has obtained at least 50% marks or equivalent (45% in case of candidates belonging to SC/ST/PWD category) based on latest available grades/ marks.

NON-IIM INSTITUTIONS USING CAT SCORES

NON-IIM Institutes which will use CAT 2008 Scores

Accurate Institute of Management & Technology, Greater Noida	www.accurate.in
AICAR Business School, Raigad	www.aicar.net
Algol School of Technology, Gurgaon	www.algolworld.com
Alliance Business Academy, Bangalore	www.alliancebschool.org
Amrita School of Business, Coimbatore	www.amrita.edu/asb
Apeejay School of Management, New Delhi	www.apeejay.edu/asm/home.htm
Aravali Institute of Management, Jodhpur	www.aravali.org
Army Institute of Management, Kolkata	www.aim.ac.in
Asian School of Business Management (ASBM), Bhubaneswar	www.asbm.ac.in
Asia-Pacific Institute of Management, New Delhi	www.asiapacific.edu
Bharathidasan Institute of Management, Tiruchirappalli	www.bim.edu
Birla Institute of Management Technology, Greater Noida	www.bimtech.ac.in
BLS Institute of Management, Ghaziabad	www.blsim.org
Calcutta Business School, Kolkata	www.calcuttabusinessschool.org
Centre for Management Training & Research, Mohali	www.cmtrindia.org
Chandragupt Institute of Management, Patna	www.cimp.in
College of Agribusiness Management, G. B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar	www.cabm.ac.in
Cosmic Business School, New Delhi	www.cosmicbschool.in
Delhi School of Professional Studies & Research, Delhi	www.dspsr.ac.in
Department of Business Management, Kolkata	www.mbmcu.org
Department of Business Management, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana	www.pau.edu
Department of Commerce, University of Calcutta, Kolkata	www.caluniv.ac.in
Department of Management Studies, Indian School of Mines University, Dhanbad	www.ismdhanbad.ac.in
Department of Management Studies, Pondicherry University, Puducherry	www.pondiuni.edu.in
Dr. Gaur Hari Singhania Institute of Management & Research, Kanpur	www.ghsimr.org
EMPI Business School, New Delhi	www.empiindia.com
EMPI’s Ajit Haksar Institute of Advertising, Communication & Marketing, New Delhi	www.adcom.empi.in
Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India, Gandhinagar	www.ediindia.org
Faculty of Management Studies, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi	www.bhu.ac.in
FORE School of Management, New Delhi	www.fsm.ac.in
Fortune Institute of International Business, New Delhi	www.fiibindia.com
Galgotias Business School, Greater Noida	www.galgotiasbschool.in
Globsyn Business School, Kolkata	www.globsynbschool.com
Graduate School of Business & Administration, Greater Noida	www.gsbaindia.org
Haryana School of Business, Guru Jambheshwar University of Science & Technology, Hisar	www.gju.ernet.in
IEC Business School, Greater Noida	www.ieccollege.com
IFIM Business School, Bangalore	www.ifimbschool.com
IILM Graduate School of Management, Greater Noida	www.igsm.in
IILM Institute for Higher Education, Gurgaon	www.iilm.edu
IMRT Business School, Lucknow	www.imrt.edu.in
Indian Business Academy, Bangalore	www.ibainternational .org
Indian Institute of Finance, Delhi	www.iif.edu
Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal	www.iifm.ac.in
Indian Institute of Information Technology, Allahabad	www.iiita.ac.in
Indian Institute of Social Welfare and Business Management, Kolkata	www.iiswbm.edu
Institute of Agri Business Management, Rajasthan Agricultural University, Bikaner	www.iabmbikaner.org
Institute of Engineering & Management, Calcutta	www.iemcal.com
Institute of Management, Nirma University of Science & Technology, Ahmedabad	www.imnu.ac.in
Institute of Management Development & Research, Pune	www.imdr.edu
Institute of Management Education, Ghaziabad	www.imesahibabad.ac.in
Institute of Management Sciences, University of Lucknow, Lucknow	www.lkouniv.ac.in
Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad	www.imt.edu
Institute of Management Technology, Nagpur	www.imtnagpur.ac.in
Institute of Petroleum Management, Gandhinagar	www.ipmg.ac.in
Institute of Public Enterprise, Osmania University Campus, Hyderabad	www.ipeindia.org
INTECH Institute of Business Management, Bangalore	www.intechibm.org
Integrated Academy of Management and Technology, Ghaziabad	www.inmantec.edu
International Institute for Special Education, Lucknow	www.iiseindia.com
International Management Institute, New Delhi	www.imi.edu
International School of Business & Research, Bangalore	www.isbr.in
International School of Management Excellence, Bangalore	www.isme.in
Invertis Institute of Management Studies, Bareilly	www.invertis.org
ITM Business School, Navi Mumbai	www.itm.edu
Jagan Institute of Management Studies, Delhi	www.jimsindia.org
Jaipuria Institute of Management, Lucknow	www.jiml.ac.in
Jaipuria Institute of Management, Noida	www.jimnoida.ac.in
Jaipuria Institute of Management, Jaipur	www.jimj.ac.in
JK Padampat Singhania Institute of Management & Technology, Gurgaon	www.jkps.edu.in
K J Somaiya Institute of Management Studies & Research, Mumbai	www.simsr.somaiya.edu
K R Mangalam Global Institute of Management, New Delhi	www.kgim.org
Kirloskar Institute of Advanced Management Studies, Harihar	www.kiams-hrr.org
Kohinoor Business School & Centre for Management Research, Pune	www.kohinoor.ac.in
Lal Bahadur Shastri Institute of Management, New Delhi	www.lbsim.ac.in
Lal Bahadur Shastri Institute of Management & Technology, Bareilly	www.lbsimt.org
Lotus Institute of Management, Bareilly	www.lim.co.in
Lovely Professional University, Phagwara	www.lpu.in
Management Development Institute, Gurgaon	www.mdi.ac.in
Nanyang Business School, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore	www.nbs.ntu.edu.sg
National Institute of Bank Management, Pune	www.nibmindia.org
National Institute of Technology, Thiruchirappalli	www.nitt.edu
National Institute of Technology Calicut	www.nitc.ac.in
National Insurance Academy, Pune	www.niapune.com
National Power Training Institute, Faridabad	www.npti.nic.in
New Delhi Institute of Management, New Delhi	www.ndimdelhi.org
Pearl School of Business, Gurgaon	www.psbg.in
Proton Business School, Indore	www.protonbschool.com
S D M Institute for Management Development, Mysore	www.sdmimd.ac.in
S. P. Jain Institute of Management & Research, Mumbai	www.spjimr.org
School of Management Sciences, Varanasi	www.smsvaranasi.com
School of Management Studies, University of Hyderabad	www.uohyd.ernet.in
Shobhit University, Meerut	www.shobhituniversity.ac.in
Shri Ramswaroop Memorial College of Engineering and Management, Lucknow	www.srmcem.ac.in
Sri Mata Vaishno Devi University, Katra (J&K)	www.smvdu.ac.in
Suryadatta Group of Institutes, Pune	www.suryadatta.org
T. A. Pai Management Institute, Manipal	www.tapmi.org
The Business School, University of Jammu	www.jammubusinessschool.in
Thiagarajar School of Management, Madurai	www.tsm.ac.in
University Business School, Panjab University, Chandigarh	www.ubschandigarh.org/a>
University of Petroleum & Energy Studies, Gurgaon	www.upes.ac.in
University School of Management, Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra	kuk.edu.tripod.com
Vignana Jyothi Instititute of Management, Hyderabad	www.vjim.edu.in
VIT Business School, Vellore	www.vit.ac.in