What is the Purpose of CAT Exam: Check Benefits and Details

Entrance Exams

by Pranjal Saini ago 3 views0

What is the Purpose of CAT Exam Check Benefits and Details

The Common Admission Test (CAT) is a computer based entrance test that is designed to check the candidates’ aptitude. It is considered to be one of the most difficult exams in India. A lot of students wonder that CAT exam is for what purpose; it is used to shortlist students for admissions in Management programs in India’s prestigious Business Schools including IIMs and others.

This blog discusses the purpose of CAT exam and how a student can benefit by appearing in it along with all the necessary details.

What is the Use of the CAT Exam?

CAT or Common Admission Test is an entrance test conducted by the Indian Institutes of Managements (IIMs) every year. The purpose of the CAT exam is to allow students to pursue MBA programs from reputed Institutions.

Hence, the main purpose of CAT exam is to select the best performing students for top Business Institutions of the country that offer courses like MBA, PGDM, PGPM, and more. These programs prepare students to build a successful career in the field of Management. CAT score is accepted by Government, Private, and few International Institutes as well.

Benefits of CAT Exam

Students should know the purpose of CAT exam and what other benefits they can get by appearing in it before applying. Some advantages of preparing for CAT exam are listed-below:

1. Remarkable Career Growth

Students wondering what is the use of CAT exam should understand that preparing for this test not only ensures an admission in IIMs but also opens opportunities for top B-Schools of both India and Abroad. A good CAT score and a degree from prestigious Business School acts as an impressive addition to a student’s resume. Through this, students can secure excellent placement opportunities with good salary packages.

2. Applicable to Freshers as well as Working Professionals

CAT exam allows both students who want to pursue their post graduation right after their bachelors and working professionals who are looking for an upgrade in their career. The advantage of CAT’s flexibility gives chance to already employed individuals to pursue their post graduation from esteemed Business Schools.

3. Scholarship Opportunities

An advantage of appearing for the CAT exam is to get a scholarship or fee waiver in the Business Schools. Several Universities offer many scholarship opportunities to students with good CAT scores, reducing their financial burden.

4. Specialisations in MBA

Another purpose of CAT exam is to enable students to opt for a specialisation of their choice in MBA. A high CAT score allows candidates appearing in the exam to get an admission in an Institute that specialises in their specific area of interest.

5. Applicable to Students from Non- Business Background

One major feature of the CAT exam is that it is inclusive and gives opportunity to candidates with Non-Business background too. Through this opportunity, any student can pursue an MBA course and build a successful career.

6. Enhances Decision Making and Problem Solving

Preparing for CAT requires students to think critically and reason skillfully as it tests them on questions related to Data Interpretation, Quantitative Analysis, Reading Comprehension & Logical Reasoning. Thus, one feature of the CAT exam is that it instills critical thinking, decision making and problem solving skills into the students.

7. Prepares for Other Exams

The syllabus for CAT is very versatile. Preparing for the CAT exam also makes students ready to appear in other Management exams like XAT, SNAP etc. As most of them align their syllabus with CAT’s syllabus.

Details

To secure good marks in the CAT Exam 2025, students should have adequate knowledge about the test. Refer to the following details for the same:

  • Organising Body: Conducted annually on rotation by Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs)
  • Exam Mode: Computer Based Test (CBT)
  • Number of Sections: 3
  • Exam Duration: 120 minutes (40 minutes for each section)
  • Exam Medium: English
  • Total Questions: 68 (MCQs)
  • Marking Scheme: +3 for every correct answer and -1 for every wrong answer
  • Syllabus:

Once students have understood the purpose of CAT exam, they should understand the syllabus and how it is distributed. The CAT Syllabus consists of three sections which are mentioned-below:

  1. Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC)
  2. Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR)
  3. Quantitative Aptitude (QA)

Private Institutions Accepting CAT Scores:

Aside from IIMs, many other Institutions accept admissions on the basis of CAT scores. List of some such Institutions is given-below:

Wrap Up!

In conclusion, students should know what CAT exam is used for and understand the benefits it offers. The main purpose of CAT exam is to shortlist students and allow them to pursue Management programs from top Institutions of India and even Abroad. CAT analyses students on the basis of their verbal, quantitative aptitude, and data analysis skills along with logical reasoning.

Moreover, before applying for the exam, students should go through all the details of the exam along with its syllabus. While preparing for the exam, students should solve the CAT Previous Year Question Paper to understand the test format including marking scheme, number of questions, etc.

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