CAT 2022: What to Expect – Conducting IIM, Pattern, Syllabus

Common Admission Test 2026 ( CAT )

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Vipra Shrivastava
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Updated on Jul 6, 2022 12:44 IST
CAT 2022 exam notification will be released by July 31. This year, IIM Bangalore will most likely conduct the exam. Read More.

CAT 2022 exam notification will be released by July 31. This year, IIM Bangalore will most likely conduct the exam. Read More.

CAT 2022 - What to Expect?

CAT exam notification 2022 will be released on July 31 and the exam website will go live the same day. CAT 2022 will be most likely conducted by IIM Bangalore and Professor Ashish Mishra is expected to be the exam convener. It is unlikely that the CAT exam pattern will be modified this year, however the difficulty level of the exam could be higher.

CAT 2022 exam dates will be announced on July 31 and the registration process will begin most likely from August 3. Like every year, the CAT registrations will go on till the third week of September. Going by the trend of last 10 years, the CAT exam date can be November 27. Since, the COVID-19 guidelines are still in effect, the CAT 2022 will be conducted in three shifts. Read below, some of the key aspects of CAT 2022 exam below.

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CAT 2022: What to Expect? Conducting IIM, Pattern, Syllabus

  • IIM Bangalore is expected to conduct CAT 2022. Professor Ashish Mishra could be the exam convener
  • The CAT exam pattern is expected to remain the same as it has been modified twice already in the last two years.
  • If there will be any change in the total number of questions or exam duration, it will be known with the release of online CAT mock test in October.
  • The CAT syllabus for 2022 will be the same, i.e. VARCDILR and Quantitative Ability.
  • CAT exam will be held in three shifts on a single day. The duration will be two hours.
  • Sectional time limit of CAT 2022 will be 40 minutes.
  • CAT eligibility criteria will be graduation with 50 per cent marks in aggregate (45 per cent for Reserved category students)
  • CAT VARC section is expected to have 24 questions, DILR is expected to have 20 questions and QA is expected to have 22 questions.
  • Going by the previous question papers set by IIM Bangalore, the CAT question paper 2022 is expected to be of high difficulty level.
  • CAT registration form 2022 will be released at IIMCAT.ac.in website
  • CAT application fee may not increase this year and remain INR 2,200 for General category students and INR 1,100 for Reserved category students.

CAT exam score is accepted by over 1,300 B-schools in India for MBA/PGDM courses. In IIMs, it is accepted for MBA, PGP, EPGP and FPM courses.

CAT 2022 Important Dates

Check the table below for tentative CAT 2022 exam dates and events:

Q&A Icon
Commonly asked questions
Q:   What's new in CAT exam?
A: 

In CAT 2025, the following changes were seen:

  • The fee amount increased from INR 2,500 to INR 2,600 for General category candidates and from INR 1,250 to INR 1300 for Reserved category candidates. 
  • In DILR section, number of questions increased from 20 to 22. 
  • Total marks of CAT DILR section increased from 60 to 66. 
  • Total marks of CAT exam increased from 198 to 204. 
  • Candidates can select five cities instead of six.
Q:   What is the sectional time limit in CAT?
A: 

In CAT exam, each candidate gets 120 minutes to solve the paper. There are three sections in CAT Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension, Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning and Quantitative Aptitude. For each section 40 minutes are allotted as sectional time limit. For PwD candidates, the sectional time limit is 53.20 minutes per section. Candidates have to complete each section within the given time limit. Since the CAT is an online mode exam, the test screen will move from first section to the next section automatically as soon as the time limit gets over. Thus candidates have to be mindful of the on-screen timer and pre-decide the number of questions to solve in each section. The Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension section of CAT has 24 questions, Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning section has 22 questions and Quantitative Aptitude section has 22 questions. It is not mandatory to solve all the questions in CAT so candidates can devise a strategy to use 40 minutes per section as per their strength and weakness.

Q:   What is the marking scheme of CAT?
A: 

CAT has 68 questions. Each question carries three marks. There is negative marking of minus one for incorrect attempts. There is no deduction of marks for unanswered questions. Total marks in 204.

Q:   What is the weightage of the DILR section in CAT?
A: 

In CAT exam, there are 20 questions in the Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning section and the total sectional marks is 60 out of 198. In CAT 2020, there were 24 question on DILR and the sectional marks were 72. In CAT 2021 and CAT 2022, there were 20 questions and the sectional marks were 60.  The 20 questions are equally divided into both Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning. That means, Both Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning have 10 questions each. The questions are mostly in sets. There’s rarely any standalone question in DILR.

Some of the top MBA entrance exams carrying a high weightage of Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning questions are MAH CET, ATMA, CAT, CMAT, XAT IIFT, to name a few.

Q&A Icon
Commonly asked questions
Q:   Does CAT have negative marking?
A: 
Yes, the CAT exam has negative marking for wrong answers. However, the marks are deducted only for the wrong MCQ-based answer and not for non-MCQ-based answers. The latest marking scheme for the CAT exam is as follows: 1. The total number of questions is 76, and the time allotted is 120 minutes. 2. Total Scores: 228 3. The number of questions per section: VARC-26, DILR-24 and QA-26 4. Three marks are given for every correct answer. 5. Around 1/3, I. e. , 1 mark is deducted for every wrong MCQ answer. No mark is deducted for wrong non-MCQ-based answers.
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About the Author
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Vipra Shrivastava
Senior Manager - Content

Vipra Shrivastava is MA in English Literature from Delhi University with extensive experience in content writing of over 14 years. She has been handling content for Management, Accounting and Commerce streams for 8

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