Exam

1. No. Of test takers
2. Pedigree of test takers
3. Student to intake ratio of the top 20 b-schools
4. Level of difficulty of an exam
CAT is objective in nature and therefore there is randomness or an entropic feel to it. You cannot predict the number of answers/score in order to get a call from your dream b-school. It is taken by roughly 2L candidates every year and the seats at top Iims is are 5000. So, the odds are stacked against you because to get that elusive 99. XX, you need to do better than 99% takers which make it difficult. Also, this is just the first part of the story. The next part is the GDPI. Once you get the b-school call you were hoping for, to make the final cut, you need to fare better than roughly 50% people who are called. For e. g. , IIM-A calls 800 candidates to select its class of 400. All of those 800 have stellar %iles and academics and you need to beat higher pedigree candidates who are as good as you.

1. The candidate must hold a Bachelors Degree, with at least 50% marks or equivalent CGPA [45% in case of the candidates belonging to Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Persons With Disability (PWD) categories], awarded by any University or educational institution as incorporated by an Act of the Parliament or State legislature in India or declared to be deemed as a University under Section 3 of the UGC Act, 1956, or possess an equivalent qualification recognised by the Ministry of HRD, Government of India.
2. Candidates appearing for the final year of Bachelors degree/equivalent qualification examination and those who have completed degree requirements and are awaiting results can also apply. However, it may be noted that such candidates, if selected, will be allowed to join the programme provisionally, only if they submit a certificate from the Principal / Registrar of their University/institution (issued on or before the date as stipulated by the respective IIM) stating that they have completed all the requirements for obtaining the Bachelors degree/equivalent qualification on the date of the issue of the certificate.
3. Candidates applying for CAT 2017 should fulfill any one of the following conditions:
Completed Bachelors degree with the required percentage of marks. Completed professional degree (CA/CS/ICWA) with required percentage.

CAT test does not have a predefined syllabus. CAT tests candidates in general aptitude including Verbal Ability (English), Quantitative Ability (Mathematics), Logical Reasoning (LR) and Data Interpretation (DI) skills. Following are main three sections of examination: (a)Quantitative Ability (QA): Geometry, Trigonometry, Probability, Number System, Permutation & Combination, Speed, Time and Distance, Profit and Loss, Logarithmic Equations, HCF and LCM, Ratio, Quadratic and Linear Equations, Algebra, Mensuration, Percentages, progressions, Complex Numbers, Simple and Compound Interest etc. (b) Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning: Tables, Graphical Representations, Charts and any diagrammatical Representation, Logical Games, Calendars, Cubes, Clocks, Blood Relations, Seating Arrangements etc. (c) Verbal and Reading Comprehension (VARC): Critical Reasoning, Paragraph Forming, Grammar, Vocabulary, Reading Comprehension. CAT is multiple-choice based test with penalties for wrong answers. There is no penalty for questions that are left unanswered. Since 2009 CAT is conducted as a Computer Based Test. Duration of the examination is 180 minutes.