Home » Blog » CAT – Common Admission Test

0

CAT – Common Admission Test

Henesh Rawat February 11, 2021 81 1

IIM Kozhikode has released a set of last-minute Quick Information for CAT 2019 candidates with CAT exam day guidelines and CAT exam day instructions. This important set of last-minute CAT information and instructions is very useful for candidates appearing for CAT 2019 examination on November 24, 2019, either in slot-1 or slot-2. 

Last Minute CAT Instructions by IIM Kozhikode for Test Takers

• 2.44 Lakh candidates are to appear in CAT 2019 on November 24, 2019
• CAT Exam 2019 will be conducted in two shifts on November 24, 2019: a)Morning – 9:00 AM–12:00 noon and Afternoon – 2:30 PM – 5:30 PM.   
• Candidates should locate their CAT 2019 test centers in advance and start early in order to reach their test centers on time
• Go through the test day video uploaded in the CAT website to familiarize with the security and other exam day procedures   
• Report at CAT exam center at 7:30 AM for the Morning shift and at 1:00 PM for the Afternoon shift   
• Download your CAT admit card from CAT website, take printouts, affix photograph (same as the one uploaded in CAT application forms) 
• Read carefully all the instructions printed on the CAT Admit Card and adhere to them   
• Bring a hard copy of CAT Admit Card to CAT test center along with identity proof in original   
• CAT remains a 3-hour examination comprising three sections:  VARC, DILR, and Quant 
• One hour for each section will be given to solve the questions   
• 92 percent of CAT 2019 applicants were allocated a test center in their first preference city 
• CAT 2019 exam is scheduled to be conducted at 376 test centers spread across 156 cities in India. 
• PWD candidates with scribe should complete all formalities as explained on the CAT website.   

CAT Exam Day Work Flow & Guide by IIM Kozhikode
Earlier, IIM Kozhikode had released CAT 2019 exam day guide with important instructions on November 12 along with CAT Test Day Workflow for Candidates for slot-1 and slot-2 CAT exam. The CAT exam day workflow for CAT 2019 shares the important Do’s and Don’ts for the candidates, how to get ready for CAT exam day, and how to go through the key activities from the time of entering the CAT exam center to leaving the testing hall. According to IIM Kozhikode, candidates must report to the CAT center at least 30 minutes before the CAT exam commencement time. No candidate is allowed to wear jackets, jewelry, shoes, watch or carry the mobile phone, bag, wallets, electronic gadgets, stationery items inside the testing hall. 

The CAT 2019 exam for admission to 20 IIMs and other top MBA colleges in India will be held on Sunday, November 24, 2019, in morning and afternoon sessions. In the next one and half weeks you need to complete your CAT 2019 preparation, have the feel of CAT exam pattern, adhere to the CAT exam time schedule, and be conversant with the test-taking strategy. One of the most important CAT preparation tools – the CAT exam 2019 practice test has already been released by IIM Kozhikode to understand the type of expected questions and their difficulty level in the actual CAT exam. IIM Kozhikode has also brought a number of changes in the CAT exam this year. 

CAT 2019: Important Changes
CAT 2019 exam has brought number changes in this year exam pattern, Mock Test among others: 

• IIM Kozhikode has changed the ratio of Non-MCQs in CAT exam
• You can expect a number of Non-MCQs in QA section and fewer Non-MCQs in VARC section
• Total Non-MCQs without negative marking are expected to remain between 26-28
• The number of Test Cities for CAT 2019 has increased to 156 from 147 last year
• An option to choose 4 out of 156 test cities remained available while applying for CAT 2019
• Choice of 4 separate cities for Delhi NCR Candidates was available to select the test cities as against last year when all the ten cities if Delhi NCR were clubbed into one 
• CAT 2019 Exam duration remains of 3 hours
• CAT exam 2019 will be conducted in two separate sessions-Morning and Afternoon
• CAT 2019 Exam will be divided into 72+ MCQs and 28 or less Non-MCQ type questions
• Tutorials to understand the format of CAT 2019 Test and question pattern is available on the CAT website from October 16, 2019 
• This year CAT Exam is conducted by IIM Kozhikode
• CAT Exam 2019 Date is November 24, 2019  

IIM Kozhikode had confirmed to provide two most important documents in October for CAT 2019 to help you prepare for the CAT exam 2019 and to confirm your candidature for the CAT 2019 exam day. While the most important document – CAT 2019 Admit Card which entitles you to enter the CAT test center was released on October 23, the first document – CAT Mock Test 2019 with 100 questions was released on October 16.

CAT 2019 Admit Card: Your Passport to Take CAT Exam
IIM Kozhikode had confirmed to release the CAT 2019 Admit card at 5 PM. The Common Admission Test (CAT) 2019 Admit card download is available now from the CAT exam official website by login with your CAT Registered ID and Password. As the Admit card is made available one month before the CAT 2019 Exam date, you should check all the details and also take at least two prints of the CAT Hall ticket on A4 Size paper.    

How to Download the CAT Admit card?
You can download CAT Admit Card in six simple steps from CAT 2019 website:

When to Download the CAT Admit card?
After its release by IIMs on October 23, thousands of the candidates will log in to the CAT website to download their CAT Admit card which can make the server go very slow or it may not respond. So, either download your CAT Admit Card immediately when it is released at 5 PM or after a few hours. Those who download CAT Admit card early have the opportunity to get the Admit Card errors rectified timely from the CAT exam center by contacting the CAT help desk. Please note CAT Admit Card download process will remain available till November 24, 2019.

8 Important Details to Check-in CAT 2019 Admit Card
CAT Admit Card is the most important document on Exam Day. After completing the download process of Admit Card from CAT Website, you should check the following details:

1. Name
2. Registration Number
3. Exam Date
4. Time / Session
5. PwD status
6. Test city
7. Test Center address
8. Reference Number (To be used on CAT exam date only to locate your CAT exam seat & system)

3 Useful Changes in CAT Admit Card
CAT Hall Ticket has three important and aspirant friendly changes to help candidates.

1. Google Map Link
A Google Map Link to locate the CAT 2019 test center and its accessibility is made available individually on the electronic version of all the CAT Admit cards 

2. Emergency Contact
CAT 2019 Admit card has the emergency contact number. This is the candidate’s second contact number which is asked by IIMs while completing their application form. This was also asked in the past also but was not used in the CAT Admit card earlier.

3. CAT Reference Number to Find Testing Room

The CAT Reference Number is mentioned to save your time and help you to identify the floor/wing/testing room at the CAT test Centre on November 24, 2019. 

Do not forget to paste your identical passport size photo on the printed copy of the CAT hall ticket. 

CAT Mock Test 2019 Released: Your Best CAT Preparation Tool
CAT 2019 official Mock test has been released by IIMs on October 16, 2019, with many changes expected in the CAT exam 2019. Official CAT Mock is the best source to prepare for the CAT exam. You should take the full-length CAT Official Mock Test by IIMs on the CAT website to understand the actual CAT Exam pattern, important changes in the CAT exam, scoring pattern and instructions on how to answer questions in CAT exam 2019. You cannot download CAT 2019 Mock Test as it is not a Pdf and have to attempt the questions on the CAT website.

Important Changes in CAT Mock Test
This year CAT official Mock test 2019 released by IIMs has come out with many changes and surprises including the sectional composition of questions, navigation process from one section to another. Five important changes in CAT Mock Test by IIMs are:

• No Penalty Questions Reduced: Non-MCQ Questions have been reduced to 27
• DILR with Fewer Questions: DILR Section has 28 Questions in total as against 32 last year
• QA with More Questions: Quantitative Ability (QA) Section has 38 questions as against 34 last year
• Individual Sectional Submission: You need to click on ‘Submit’ after completing each CAT section and confirm your action. Otherwise, you will not be allowed to move to the next section.
• Not Allowed to Revisit the Section, Despite Time Availability: Once you submit the individual section, you will not be allowed to revisit the section even if sufficient time out of 60 minutes remains for the particular section  

How to Take Official CAT Mock Test?

• Link is available on the official CAT 2019 website.
• No Need to use CAT Login ID and Password
• CAT official Mock Test is as per the exact CAT exam format  
• Attempt the CAT official Mock Test 2019 with 100 questions divided into three sections
• The Mock Test is divided into MCQs with 1/3^rd negative marking and Non-MCQs with No negative marking
• Solve the Non-MCQs before MCQs in each section in CAT Mock test
• Answers & Solutions are not given by the IIMs for the questions, solve and answer the questions.
• IIM CAT Official Mock Test has the same time duration of three hours as you find in CAT exam

CAT registration 2019 was closed on September 25, 2019. After the close of the CAT registration window, now the two most important things are to take the CAT Mock to prepare for the IIM CAT exam 2019 and download the CAT Admit Card from the CAT website before the CAT exam date. 

CAT 2019: Chronological Events & Key Dates
Below are the updated activities and events with salient features for CAT 2019 exam since the release of CAT notification in July:

CAT 2019 Registration Trends
More than 2.44 lakh candidates have registered for CAT 2019 exam. The registration number is up by 3000 more candidates registered for CAT over last year. It signifies that this year you will have to compete with more candidates in the CAT exam and will need to score high to get shortlisted by the top three IIMs and other top MBA colleges.

The trends in CAT registrations since 2010 show a downward journey initially but since 2013 it has been showing a rising registration count reflecting the regaining trust of CAT aspirants and anticipation of better career opportunities after completing MBA/PGP from an IIM or other top B-school.

CAT 2019 Exam Pattern: Highlights
Following are the salient features of CAT 2019 exam:

CAT 2019 Exam Pattern

• 180 Minutes Exam: CAT exam is a computer-delivered test of 3 hours duration but it is not an Online Exam
• 100 Questions: CAT exam will have 100 questions divided into 3 sections of VARC, DILR, and Quantitative Ability.
• 25% No Penalty Questions: Out of 100 questions in CAT 2019, more than 25 questions will not have negative marking. CAT 2019 is divided into MCQ and Non-MCQ type of questions and the Non-MCQs do not carry negative marking. In case any non-MCQ has negative marking, a few MCQs are changed to no negative marking questions.
• 70-75% CAT Questions with Negative Marking: More than 70% questions in CAT 2019 are of MCQ type and will carry the penalty of 1/3 negative marking
• Minimum CAT Score Requirement by IIMs: A Minimum qualifying score between 70 and 90 percentile in CAT 2019 is required by IIMs in each of the 3 sections to shortlist candidates for final admission round
• Other Criteria with CAT score: Apart from High score in each of the 3 sections in the CAT exam, you need to have a good academic profile, diversity, to get into IIMs.

CAT 2019 Exam Syllabus
During the last 3 years, the CAT exam syllabus has substantially changed. Major changes in CAT Syllabus 2019 are:

• CAT Syllabus is changed and contains different types of questions now.
• 25-30% Questions in CAT syllabus are no penalty questions now
• Most of the changes in the CAT syllabus have taken place in the Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension Section as the topics and number of questions in the VARC section have changed.
• A few changes in CAT syllabus have been introduced in the Quantitative Ability section with more focus on Arithmetic questions

Although CAT exam Syllabus is not pre-defined by IIMs, it overall tests the candidate on Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension; Quantitative Aptitude; Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning.

CAT Exam 2019: Preparation
The best way to prepare for the CAT exam is to devise your own preparation strategy through self-preparation and then find out whether you need to join the CAT coaching institute.  CAT preparation tips as shared by experts and CAT toppers consist of following key components: 

1. Choose Best CAT Preparation Material
   Making the right choice of subject-wise CAT preparation material to crack CAT 2019 is the first step in your CAT preparation journey. Not only the best CAT preparation books but also the CAT preparation material provided by CAT coaching institutes is of great help. So apart from the best books, also prepare with the best preparation material provided by CAT coaching institutes like TIME, CL, IMS among others. CAT test series of these coaching institutes have given guidance to candidates who preferred self-preparation to coach for each of the three sections in the CAT exam namely Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension; Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning, and Quantitative Ability. If you make a wise choice of CAT preparation material, your CAT preparation journey is well begun. 

CAT Exam 2019: Preparation
The best way to prepare for the CAT exam is to devise your own preparation strategy through self-preparation and then find out whether you need to join the CAT coaching institute.  CAT preparation tips as shared by experts and CAT toppers consist of following key components: 

1. Choose Best CAT Preparation Material
   Making the right choice of subject-wise CAT preparation material to crack CAT 2019 is the first step in your CAT preparation journey. Not only the best CAT preparation books but also the CAT preparation material provided by CAT coaching institutes is of great help. So apart from the best books, also prepare with the best preparation material provided by CAT coaching institutes like TIME, CL, IMS among others. CAT test series of these coaching institutes have given guidance to candidates who preferred self-preparation to coach for each of the three sections in the CAT exam namely Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension; Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning, and Quantitative Ability. If you make a wise choice of CAT preparation material, your CAT preparation journey is well begun. 

CAT Preparation Books: Best Books, Section-Wise CAT Books
Updated on September 27, 2019

With so many CAT preparation books flooding the market, it is not only difficult but also confusing to choose the best and most relevant preparation books for the CAT exam. Making the right choice of subject-wise CAT preparation books to crack CAT 2019 is the first step in your CAT preparation journey. Pursuing MBA from one of the top 20 IIMs is the aim of an MBA aspirant. How to get into IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, Lucknow, and other IIMs by scoring high in the CAT exam needs a good preparation strategy through best CAT preparation books. 

If you wish to find out the best books for CAT preparation, you will have to pick out the most relevant and updated books for CAT preparation out of more than 50 books available in the market. You need the CAT preparation books that are as per the current CAT pattern, syllabus and are comprehensive and contain all the key topics section wise with the anticipated solved question types. MBAUniverse.com comes to help you with the guidelines on how to choose the best CAT preparation books. 

However, choosing the best books for CAT carefully during your preparation journey is very important. We have reviewed these CAT books by popular authors and publishers, for example, Arun Sharma CAT books, Arihant Reasoning books and other best books for CAT recommended by toppers. In this article, we will share the detailed review of the best CAT books for CAT preparation 2019 section wise.    

Why Important to select the Best Books for CAT?
IIMs’CAT has changed its pattern and every year different types of questions appear in the exam. Since 2015, the Common Admission Test (CAT) has been modified completely.  Most of the CAT preparation books in the market are based on the CAT exam pattern of last year but the best CAT books reviewed here have updated changes with the anticipated question type in the CAT exam.

Accordingly, while choosing the best books for CAT, it should be kept in mind that books that are conversant with the changed exam pattern and difficulty level are the best books for CAT preparation.

CAT Preparation Books by Arun Sharma
Some of the best books to prepare for CAT, include the CAT preparation books by Arun Sharma. These books by Arun Sharma for CAT exam preparation are available for all the test sections and the topics that appear in the CAT exam. Some of the key features of these CAT preparation books authored by Arun Sharma are:

• Each book on CAT preparation by Arun Sharma consists of past and present pattern of CAT exam with the key changes in CAT pattern
• The book is updated with new chapters, exercises, replica CAT questions, and the approach on how to answer
• Conceptual clarity and fundamentals with formula in each part of the CAT Preparation book by Arun Sharma on each topic are well explained followed by sectional quizzes and practice questions as well as past CAT questions on the topic.
• The books to prepare on VARC, DILR, Quant for CAT written by Arun Sharma are separately available so as to focus on the topic in which the CAT aspirant is a week.
• Each book on each CAT sectional preparation by Arun Sharma carries solved past CAT questions

VARC Sectional Preparation Book by Arun Sharma 
Book by Arun Sharma on VARC preparation are:

• How to Prepare for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for CAT’– by Arun Sharma & Meenakshi Upadhyay
• Along with it, other CAT preparation material on VARC by Arun Sharma like practice questions, solved test papers, Mock tests can also be obtained

DILR Sectional CAT Preparation Books by Arun Sharma
More than one CAT preparation books by Arun Sharma is available to prepare for DILR:

• ‘How to Prepare for Data Interpretation for CAT’ – by Arun Sharma (Published by McGraw Hill)
• ‘How to Prepare for Logical Reasoning for the CAT’ – by Arun Sharma (Published by McGraw Hill)
• Other Materials for CAT preparation on DILR by Arun Sharma like practice questions, solved test papers, Mock tests are also available

Quantitative Ability (QA) Sectional Preparation Book by Arun Sharma
Following books and study material by Arun Sharma have remained a good CAT preparation tool for Quant for the past many years:

• ‘How to prepare for Quantitative for the CAT’ – by Arun Sharma, published by MGH Education
• Quant study modules by Arun Sharma
• Quant Test papers, Mock Tests, Practice questions, Replica test questions on Quant are also available to prepare for QA in CAT. 

Best Books for CAT Recommended by Toppers
Past CAT toppers have recommended the best books for CAT preparation. However, before suggesting the best books for CAT preparation, the CAT toppers advise the following for CAT preparation with books:

• Have only one or two very good CAT preparation Books
• Read to get conceptual clarity on the topic for CAT
• Attempt well the exercises, practice questions and Mocks given after each topic of the CAT preparation book
• Focus more on the weak areas and attempt a variety of practice questions on them  

CAT toppers at IIM Ahmedabad like Akshay Mehndiratta, Pranjal Agarwal with 100 percentile and at IIM Calcutta with 99+ percentile like Anjali Sam, Nikita Choudhary, Shivam Shrivastavam recommend not only the CAT preparation books but also the other CAT preparation strategy to prepare well for CAT exam. Some of the best books for CAT Recommended by Toppers are:

• Regularly read the articles, editorials in the English newspaper to improve your RC skills
• Focus more on your weak areas and solve more practice questions and Mocks
• Make your fundamentals clear conceptually
• Recommended books to prepare for CAT are the latest CAT preparation books by Arun Sharma and Nishit K Sinha
• Go for the only latest edition of CAT preparation Books
• DILR needs more practice, so attempt as many DILR practice questions for CAT preparation
• If you are preparing with coaching, best utilize the CAT preparation material provided by them
• Don’t waste time if you are stuck on a particular topic in the book, move on

Best Books for CAT Preparation
Here is a list of 10 best books for CAT preparation section wise:  

Best Books for CAT Recommended by Toppers
Past CAT toppers have recommended the best books for CAT preparation. However, before suggesting the best books for CAT preparation, the CAT toppers advise the following for CAT preparation with books:

• Have only one or two very good CAT preparation Books
• Read to get conceptual clarity on the topic for CAT
• Attempt well the exercises, practice questions and Mocks given after each topic of the CAT preparation book
• Focus more on the weak areas and attempt a variety of practice questions on them  

CAT toppers at IIM Ahmedabad like Akshay Mehndiratta, Pranjal Agarwal with 100 percentile and at IIM Calcutta with 99+ percentile like Anjali Sam, Nikita Choudhary, Shivam Shrivastava recommend not only the CAT preparation books but also the other CAT preparation strategy to prepare well for CAT exam. Some of the best books for CAT Recommended by Toppers are:

• Regularly read the articles, editorials in the English newspaper to improve your RC skills
• Focus more on your weak areas and solve more practice questions and Mocks
• Make your fundamentals clear conceptually
• Recommended books to prepare for CAT are the latest CAT preparation books by Arun Sharma and Nishit K Sinha
• Go for the only latest edition of CAT preparation Books
• DILR needs more practice, so attempt as many DILR practice questions for CAT preparation
• If you are preparing with coaching, best utilize the CAT preparation material provided by them
• Don’t waste time if you are stuck on a particular topic in the book, move on

Best Books for CAT Preparation
Here is a list of best books for CAT preparation section wise:  

CAT Section-1: Best Books for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension

1. How to Prepare for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for CAT by Arun Sharma & Meenakshi Upadhyay
2. Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for the CAT by Nishit K Sinha
3. Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension by Ajay Singh
4. Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis

CAT Section-2: Best Books for Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation

1. How to Prepare for Logical Reasoning for CAT by Arun Sharma
2. How to prepare for Data Interpretation for CAT by Arun Sharma
3. Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation for the CAT by Nishit K. Sinha

CAT Section-3: Best Books for Quantitative Aptitude

1. How to Prepare for Quantitative Aptitude for CAT by Arun Sharma
2. Quantitative Aptitude Quantum CAT by  Sarvesh K Verma
3. Quantitative Aptitude by R.S. Aggarwal

Review of CAT Preparation Books
All the above books are reviewed in detail below. Book author, publisher, latest edition and book MRP is mentioned. Generally, they are available at a 15-20 % discount on Amazon and Flipkart.  

Below are shared the CAT Prep best books section-wise:

Best Books for CAT on Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC)

The importance of Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) in CAT can be understood by the fact that it constitutes 34 questions out of a total of 100 questions in the exam. RC in CAT comprises 24 questions while 10 questions are based on Verbal Ability. 

One of the best books for CAT 2018 on VARC recommended by toppers to steer you through the Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) section in the CAT exam is the Arun Sharma Verbal Ability book which is both a textbook as well as a practice book.

Some of the best CAT Preparation Books for VARC section are:

1. Book Title: ‘How to Prepare for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for CAT’

Authored by: Arun Sharma & Meenakshi Upadhyay

Publisher: Mc Graw Hill Education

MRP: Rs. 860 (7^th Edition)

Buy this book on Amazon at the lowest price

Book Highlights

• Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension by Arun Sharma is considered as one of the best CAT preparation books for VARC preparation
• Book is divided into four parts – Reading Comprehension, Verbal Ability, Verbal Reasoning and CAT Papers (Real and Sample)
• Part-1 on Reading Comprehension deals with the approach to improve reading skills, strategy how to tackle a different type of RC questions, solved RC passages from past CAT exams and number of sample tests on RC passages of different difficulty level  
• Part-2 on Verbal Ability consists of chapters, exercises, and tips on Vocabulary usage, word formation, phrases, sample questions; Fill in the Blanks; Sentence Completion; Jumbled Paragraphs; Sentence Correction-Grammar usage; Fact-Inference-Judgement; questions from past CAT papers and sample questions with the different difficulty level.
• Part-3 of the book clarifies the concept of Verbal and Critical reasoning followed by different question types and previous years’ questions from the CAT exam. Other chapters with questions in this part are on Syllogisms, Binary Logic, and Logical Deductions.
• Part-4 of the Book comprises past CAT papers and Model Test Papers on CAT.

Where this Book Scores High:

• This book is the one-stop solution to VARC Preparation for not just CAT but other exams like XAT, IIFT, CMAT, MAT, IRMA
• The book is updated regularly and written with the latest CAT pattern in mind.
• The book is full of exercises and practice tests with answers and detailed solutions

What you will miss in the Book

• Previous Test Papers are limited to CAT 2008. No actual test paper is present from CAT 2009 onwards.
• The text in the book covers major portion but the most recent types of questions that appear in the Verbal Ability section like Para Summary, Picking the Odd Sentence Out from a Jumbled Para, etc are not placed with suitable sub-title. As such reader has to look for it in the Verbal Reasoning section.
• With the revamped CAT exam pattern, the book can be re-organized with the reader’s perspective who is preparing for the exam. The question types which have stopped appearing in CAT since 2015, can be rearranged and the relevant topics can be placed at the beginning of the Verbal Ability section.
• RC based questions in CAT have also changed. The book requires a few more such questions following each RC passage.
• CAT exam now has 25 to 28% of Non-MCQ type questions. More exercises on Non-MCQ, no penalty questions in the book are required.  

2. Book Title: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for the CAT’ 

Authored by: Nishit K Sinha

Publisher: Pearson

MRP: Rs.595 (3^rd Edition)

Buy this book on Amazon at the lowest price

Book Highlights:

• Authored by CAT Topper Nishit K. Sinha, an IIM Lucknow alumnus.
•  The book is divided into 6 parts on Verbal Ability, Verbal Reasoning, Reading Comprehension, CAT papers, Sectional Tests
• The book contains a section-wise presentation on Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension topics with practice exercises, model test questions.
• There are 5 simulated CAT online tests in CD attached to the book
• There are 2000 solved questions in Book
• The Book contains new topics and exercises as per the recent pattern of CAT including Non- MCQ based questions
• There are 7 years’ solved CAT papers in the Book

Where this Book Scores High

•  It is one of the recommended books for CAT exam Preparation by experts.
• Practice exercises are provided in a hierarchical order of difficulty to enable the candidate to test himself of his preparation and recognize sectors of comfort and those that need particular attention
• Counted among the CAT Prep Best Books, the book is a comprehensive one for the aspirants preparing for CAT and other similar examinations like XAT, SNAP, IIFT
• The book is compact and is presented in a crisp, clear and comprehensive manner

What you will Miss in this Book

• Part 1 and 2 in the book have fewer questions relevant to the revamped VARC section of CAT exam
• Although the Questions on paragraphs and para summary are included in sectional tests, they need to be included in the Verbal Ability section also. 
• RC based questions as asked during the last 2-3 years of the CAT exam have changed. More such questions need to be included in the RC Section.
• Past CAT papers are limited to the year 2008. 

3. Book Title: ‘Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension’

Authored by: Ajay Singh

Publisher: Arihant

MRP: Rs.475

Buy this book on Amazon at the lowest price

Book Highlights

• Arihant book on Verbal Ability is considered as one the CAT prep best books and is one of the recommended books on RC preparation for CAT Exam
• The book contains more than 450 pages divided in Verbal Ability, Verbal Reasoning, Reading comprehension parts
• While many other CAT preparation books 2019 on RC passages have fewer and not so many updated exercises, this book has more than 200 reading passages of different difficulty levels.
• The questions in the book are graded in the order of rising complexity to guide the students from the basic level to higher difficulty level and it could be the reason that it is one of the CAT preparation books suggested by toppers.
• Latest solved test papers for different MBA entrance exams are included in the book

Where this Book Scores High:

• The author has taken care to include all types of questions with detailed solutions in the book as per the latest exam pattern of different MBA entrance tests
• Management Entrances Solved Papers from years 2016, 2017, 2018 MAT, CAT, XAT, IIFT, SNAP, and other examinations are included
• It is a comprehensive book to improve your performance in the English Language section in all MBA entrance exams.

What you will miss in this Book

• Despite being one of the best books for CAT 2019, the book needs to include greater conceptual clarity on how to approach the questions like para Summary, picking odd sentences out of the jumbled paragraph.
• More practice questions on revamped CAT patterns in the Verbal Ability part need to be included.
• RC Passages need to include the latest type of CAT questions which are more of a Critical Reasoning type.

4. Book Title: ‘Word Power Made Easy’ 

Authored by: Norman Lewis

Publisher: Penguin (2018 Edition)

MRP: Rs.175

Buy this book on Amazon at the lowest price

Book Highlights

• Among the CAT preparation books for Vocabulary usage, this is the best book for CAT recommended by toppers
• Word Power Made Easy teaches a simple, step-by-step method to Improve Vocabulary
• The book is divided into hundreds of contextual usage of vocabulary words 
• The book helps you to learn how each word is pronounced, how it should be correctly used without making a grammatical mistake
• It is a small book which can be easily carried while you are traveling
• This book is a favorite among the CAT aspirants and is considered among the best books for CAT to improve vocabulary and reading speed

Where this Book Scores High:

• An interesting book that inspires you to read more. The more you read the more you learn. It will increase your knowledge and mastery of written and spoken English. 
• Word Power Made Easy teaches ideas and a method of broadening your knowledge as an integral part of the vocabulary building process. 
• The book avoids illiterate expressions and helps you to use the vocabulary word correctly, without making embarrassing mistakes.
• Word Power Made Easy is written in a lively, accessible, and timeless style.
• The book has progress checks and quizzes to reinforce the material.
• Unlike the large volume CAT preparation books by Arun Sharma, the size of this book is smaller and can be carried easily

What you will Miss in the Book

• One part is learned and the other is forgotten. Candidates preparing their vocabulary with this book give up even before crossing half of the book.
• Despite the thousands of contextual vocabulary usage available in the book, it is very difficult to complete it even in many months due to its wide coverage

Another good book that can help you to build your basics, strengthen your fundamentals and bring conceptual clarity, is High School English Grammar & Composition authored by P C Wren & H Martin, published in India by S.Chand. The book with MRP of Rs.400 is available at 15 to 30% discount online on Amazon, Flipkart.

Best Books for CAT on Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR)

Out of 100 questions in the CAT exam, Data Interpretation (DI) and Logical Reasoning (LR) section have a share of 32 questions. Both DI and LR have 16 questions each in this section as per the revised CAT exam pattern. Best books for CAT preparation 2019 for Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning include the Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning by Arun Sharma; Arihant Reasoning Book among others. The preparation strategy needs conceptual clarity and consistent practice on a variety of questions.

The best books for Reasoning and Data Interpretation for CAT 2018 exam preparation as shared by experts and suggested by toppers are: 

5. Book Title: How to prepare for Data Interpretation for CAT

Authored by: Arun Sharma

Publisher: McGraw Hill Education

MRP:  Rs.775 (4^th Edition)

Buy this book on Amazon at the lowest price

Book Highlights

• Data Interpretation by Arun Sharma is one of the best books for Data Interpretation preparation for CAT 2019. The book covers key aspects of the fundamentals of Data Interpretation.
• One of the recommended books for CAT exam preparation, the book contains conceptual clarity with the break-up of concepts in DI preparation
• The book has different difficulty level questions on each type of Data Interpretation Topic
• It is one of the CAT preparation books suggested by toppers and covers all the past and probable DI topics and offers the right approach to solve these questions
• New Edition of this Best CAT book by Arun Sharma, contains ‘Challenges in DI’ to help the aspirants how to solve tough questions
• Questions on Data Sufficiency are also included in this CAT preparation book by Arun Sharma
• The mathematical formation pattern of questions is also discussed in the book to help the test takers to crack the problem easily
• Tips, shortcut tricks to crack DI questions quickly are included for each type of questions
• The book contains 45 test papers with fully solved Mock tests on the latest CAT pattern. The book also contains past papers of XAT, SNAP, and IIFT.

6. Book Title: How to Prepare for Logical Reasoning for CAT

Authored by: Arun Sharma

Publisher: McGraw Hill Education

Book Price: Rs.565 (3^rd Edition)

Buy this book on Amazon at the lowest price

Book Highlights

• Arun Sharma Logical Reasoning book is one of the best books for Reasoning preparation. It offers a simple and well-defined approach to understand the LR topics
• It is one of the best CAT prep books consisting of more exercises and types of questions included on each topic.
• This CAT preparation Book by Arun Sharma comprises the concept of Reaction tracker which guides how to solve the LR question
• Practice questions on varying difficulty level have been included with more number of difficult questions as per revised CAT exam pattern
• Reasoning questions from XAT and from IIFT are included with detailed solutions

7. Book Title: Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation for the CAT

Authored by: Nishit K. Sinha

Publisher: Pearson

MRP: Rs. NA (5^th Edition)

Buy this book on Amazon at the lowest price

Book Highlights

• It is a combined book covering both the DI and LR parts of CAT preparation and is one of the books suggested by toppers
• The book covers all the major fundamental and advanced DI topics, with worked-out examples and case lets
• Each chapter is followed by exercises to provide clarity and knowledge of the concepts and questions
• The book contains useful topics and questions for various MBA entrance examinations like CAT, XAT, SNAP, IIFT, IRMA, MAT, NMAT among others
• The book has 5 section tests in a CD
• There are 2500+ solved DILR questions in the book
• There are new practice tests for self-assessment and more practice tests of varying difficulty levels. Model test papers for SNAP, XAT and IIFT are also included

8. Book Title: CAT Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning

Authored by: Gautam Puri

Publisher: Career Launcher

MRP: Rs.545 (2017 Edition)

Buy this book on Amazon at the lowest price

Book Highlights

• If you are thinking of how to prepare CAT exam at home, this could be one of the CAT prep best books on DILR
• Himself a CAT expert Gautam Puri has authored this CAT prep book which is full of exercises and sample questions for CAT. However, CAT preparation books free download is not available for this book.
•  It is an advanced level book to handle the difficulty level of LR/DI section in the current CAT pattern
• The DI part of the book contains solved problems on Tables, Bar Charts, Pie Chart, Graphs, Caselet, Combination
• There are 5 Mock Tests and topic wise solved papers from 1990 to 2015

What you will Miss in the Book

• The book is not recommended for beginners. Once your concepts are a little clear, it could prove to be a very good book   

Apart from these books, the Arihant Reasoning books and the Verbal and Nonverbal Reasoning by R S Aggarwal are also some of the best books for Reasoning for CAT 2019 preparation and are suggested by toppers. These books on Reasoning for CAT 2019 preparation are available in a price range of Rs.150 to 450 on Amazon and Flipkart.  

Best Books for CAT on Quantitative Ability

Out of 100 questions in the CAT exam, Quantitative Ability Section consists of 34 questions divided into 25 MCQs with negative marking and 9 Non-MCQs without negative marking in the revised CAT Exam Pattern.

Quantitative Aptitude in CAT is a high scoring section but some of the questions are of higher difficulty level. Accordingly, to crack this section, you need the best book for Quantitative Aptitude for CAT, for example, Arun Sharma Quantitative Aptitude book is one of the best books for quantitative aptitude preparation.

9. Book Title: How to Prepare for Quantitative Aptitude for CAT

Authored by: Arun Sharma

Publisher: McGraw Hill Education

MRP: Rs.865 (7^th Edition)

Buy this book on Amazon at the lowest price

Book Highlights

• Arun Sharma Quantitative Aptitude book is rated as the best book for quantitative aptitude. The book covers all topics, including Numbers, Average and Mixtures, Arithmetic and Word-based Problems, Geometry, Algebra, Counting among others
• Arun Sharma Quantitative Aptitude latest edition book is divided into 19 chapters and 5 test papers and each chapter is further divided into three broad parts namely – Theory with concepts and fundamentals; Solved examples and exercises of different difficulty level
• The book according to the author has been written keeping in mind 3 types of candidates preparing for the exam- name the candidates who are weak in Mathematics, who are average and who are strong.
• The book has Non-MCQ type of questions which have recently been introduced in CAT exam
• In the end, there are Model Test papers and solved papers. The solved papers include the past test papers of IIFT, SNAP, XAT apart from the model papers which are useful for CAT and other entrance exams. 

Where this Book Scores High:

• Among the CAT Preparation Books 2019 by Arun Sharma, this is the best book for Quantitative Aptitude and is recommended by toppers  
• This CAT preparation book on Quant clarifies on fundamentals first and then guides you on how to approach questions of different difficulty level
• The book follows the latest trends and question patterns for CAT and is also useful for other management entrance exams like XAT, SNAP, IIFT, NMAT, CMAT among others.
• Detailed explanations are easy to understand. The Arun Sharma Quantitative Aptitude book 7th edition also instructs the reader what strategy to adopt, how to manage time.
• The author also guides how to make the most of the time and use the elimination process for a quick answer.
• Mock test papers are good for CAT exam day rehearsal with the availability of varying difficulty levels.

What you will miss in the Book

• The book does not have past CAT test papers. The test papers for other exams are also not the latest ones.

10. Book Title: Quantitative Aptitude Quantum CAT

Authored by: Sarvesh K Verma

Publisher: Arihant

MRP:  Rs.815

Buy this book on Amazon at the lowest price

Book Highlights

• Among the Arihant CAT books, Quantum CAT is one of the best Quant books for CAT and is among the CAT preparation books suggested by toppers. This book contains more than 300 concepts on Quant duly discussed in detail.
• Rated as one of the best books for Quantitative Aptitude, the latest edition has 4000+  solved questions on various quant topics
• With an easy to understand approach adopted, it is one of the best books for CAT recommended by toppers  
• The book has the tips with shortcut techniques and analytical methods to approach CAT exam are included for the topics

What you will miss in the Book

• The production quality of this Arihant CAT book needs improvement. Paper quality is not good, and pages come off. So, you need to handle it with care.

11. Book Title: Quantitative Aptitude

Authored by: R.S. Aggarwal

Publisher: S. Chand

MRP: Rs.725 (2017 Edition)

Buy this book on Amazon at the lowest price

Book Highlights

• One of the oldest and the best books for Quantitative Aptitude available in the market since 1989, this CAT Quant Book has remained consistent with the changing exam pattern of entrance tests
• Quantitative Aptitude is one of the CAT preparation books suggested by toppers. The book chapters and explanations are easy to understand
• The book covers all the major topics on the Quantitative section.
• There are more than 5500 questions followed by answers and detailed solutions making it one of the best Quant books for CAT 2019
• Memory-based questions up to 2016 from different examinations are included in the revised edition. It helps the candidates to understand the latest exam pattern of CAT, IIFT, XAT, MAT and other exams.

12. Book Title: Quantitative Aptitude for the CAT

Authored by: Nishit Sinha

Publisher: Pearson

MRP: Rs.775 (4^th Edition)

Buy this book on Amazon at the lowest price

Book Highlights

• The book contains all the major topics discussed in detail as per the CAT syllabus with tips and strategies along with analysis. The Book is one of the best books for CAT recommended by toppers
• While other CAT Preparation Books 2019 have fewer exercises, this book has 4000+  solved questions
• Practice tests of varying difficulty level and benchmarking tests are included in the new edition making it one of the best books for CAT
• The book contains a CD with 5 Online tests on CAT exam
• More Model papers are designed specifically for IIFT, SNAP, XAT exams

How to Prepare for VARC for CAT 2019?  
Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension is the first section in CAT Exam. The composition of the VARC Section in CAT is:

Best Books for VARC Preparation for CAT 2019:

• How to Prepare for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for CAT’- by Arun Sharma & Meenakshi Upadhyay
• ‘Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for the CAT’ – by Nishit K Sinha
• Arihant Book on Verbal Ability: Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension by Ajay Singh

CAT Preparation Books: Best Books, Section-Wise CAT Books
Updated on September 27, 2019

With so many CAT preparation books flooding the market, it is not only difficult but also confusing to choose the best and most relevant preparation books for the CAT exam. Making the right choice of subject-wise CAT preparation books to crack CAT 2019 is the first step in your CAT preparation journey. Pursuing MBA from one of the top 20 IIMs is the aim of an MBA aspirant. How to get into IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, Lucknow, and other IIMs by scoring high in the CAT exam needs a good preparation strategy through best CAT preparation books. 

If you wish to find out the best books for CAT preparation, you will have to pick out the most relevant and updated books for CAT preparation out of more than 50 books available in the market. You need the CAT preparation books that are as per the current CAT pattern, syllabus and are comprehensive and contain all the key topics section wise with the anticipated solved question types. MBAUniverse.com comes to help you with the guidelines on how to choose the best CAT preparation book.

1. How to Prepare for DILR for CAT 2019?
   Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR) is the 2^nd Section in CAT 2019. The section is divided into two parts – DI with 16 questions and LR with 16 questions:

Best DILR Preparation Books
More than one best CAT preparation books are available to prepare for DILR:

• ‘How to Prepare for Data Interpretation for CAT’ – by Arun Sharma (Published by McGraw Hill)
• ‘How to Prepare for Logical Reasoning for the CAT’ – by Arun Sharma (Published by McGraw Hill)
• Other Materials for CAT preparation on DILR by Arun Sharma like practice questions, solved test papers, Mock tests are also available
• Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation for the CAT by Nishit K. Sinha
• CAT Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning by Gautam Puri. 

1. How to Prepare for Quant for CAT 2019
   Quantitative Ability (QA) in the CAT exam is the last but most important section which can improve or reduce your CAT score substantially. Arithmetic is the key to crack the Quant in CAT exam. The composition of Quantitative Ability for CAT 2019 is on the following pattern:

Best Books for Quant preparation for CAT 2019
Different preparation strategy focused only on Quantitative Aptitude questions on different topics is required to get through the QA section in CAT. Following are the most recommended books for Quant preparation:

• How to Prepare for Quantitative Aptitude for CAT by Arun Sharma
• Quantitative Aptitude Quantum CAT by  Sarvesh K Verma
• Quantitative Aptitude by R.S. Aggarwal.

5. Prepare with CAT Mocks
IIMs will release the CAT exam full-length Mock Test in the third week of October 2019. However, the past CAT Mock tests are available to prepare for the CAT 2019 exam. IIM-CAT official mock test with 100 questions helps and guides to understand the exact CAT exam pattern since the CAT pattern goes on changing every year. CAT Mock is a good preparation tool. The official CAT Mock Test is the most authentic source to familiarise yourself with the actual CAT exam pattern, changes in topics in the CAT 2019 syllabus, sectional composition, type and pattern of questions expected in the CAT exam and the scoring pattern.

CAT 2019 Mock: Key Points
IIMs have incorporated three important changes in the release of CAT Mock Test:

1. Separate CAT Mock Test Navigation Guide PDF is Released
2. The separate login link is provided for candidates with normal vision

Login Link is separately provided for the candidates who have low vision with two magnifying glass icons at the top of the screen. You can click on an icon to zoom-in and click on an icon to zoom out the question.

6. Prepare with Previous CAT Exam papers
CAT Previous Year Papers are the best guide to prepare for the CAT question paper 2019. IIMs have now started to officially release the CAT Question Paper. So far, IIMs have released the actual CAT previous year question papers for the year 2017 and 2018.

7. Read CAT Toppers Preparation Strategy
CAT toppers who secured 99 and 100 percentile and got admission in IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, Lucknow, FMS Delhi or other top MBA colleges are the best guide to prepare for the CAT exam. Read the CAT toppers preparation strategy overall and section-wise how they prepared and overcame their weaknesses and further strengthened their strong areas:

CAT Exam Day Tips

• Carry hard copy of CAT Admit card with you
• The hard copy of CAT Hall ticket should be printed on the A4 size paper
• The same photograph as appears on Admit card must be affixed on the hard copy of CAT Admit Card
• Carry One original photo Id proof like Aadhar card, Voter Id, PAN Card, Passport or other valid ID to the exam center
• Report 90 minutes before at the CAT testing venue
• Your seating arrangement is as per the Test system number. It is applicable only to identify the floor/wing and the seating place on the CAT exam day 
• No Jewellery allowed inside the CAT testing room
• No shoes allowed inside the testing room
• Pen, Pencil, sharpener, watch, Mobile phones, etc. not allowed inside CAT test center
• No break allowed during the test duration of 3 hours
• No documents except Admit card and photo ID allowed 

CAT 2019 Percentile Calculation Method 
CAT 2019 percentile score calculation method has been released by IIMs. Now you can calculate your CAT 2019 percentile immediately after the exam in four steps. A key example of the CAT percentile score calculation method shared by IIMs reflect ‘all percentile scores greater than or equal to 99.995 are rounded off to 100, all percentile scores greater than or equal to 99.985 but strictly less than 99.995 are rounded off to 99.99 and so on.

CAT 2019 Result & IIMs’ Admission Process
CAT exam result will be declared on January 7, 2020, in the morning hours. Immediately after the CAT result declaration, IIMs will start announcing they are shortlisted on the basis of CAT scores and other parameters in their shortlisting criteria for final selection round. The final admission offer will be made to the candidates in the months of April/May 2020 by IIMs.

IIM Admission Criteria for Admission 2020
Indian Institutes of Management accept only CAT exam scores for admission to their flagship MBA/PGP programs which are the 2 years Post Graduate Programmes in Management. Each of the 20 IIMs announces its admission policy and CAT percentile score cut-offs for the PGP Programmes before the CAT exam is held. PGP is the short form of IIMs’ Post Graduate Programme in Management which is the MBA program. Most of the IIMs have announced their Admission policy 2020 and CAT 2019 percentile cut-offs required for admission. The IIM Admission Criteria with CAT 2019 percentile cut-offs as announced by IIMs with salient features are shared below:

(As on Oct 2, 2019)

Above is the threshold percentile score, which the candidates have to obtain in the CAT exam 2019 to become eligible for shortlisting for admission to 2 years PGP -Post Graduate Programme 2020-22. 

IIMs’ MBA Programmes and Fee
While IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Lucknow has included Agriculture, Rural Management MBA programs as full-time 2-year management programs, IIM Bangalore and IIM Calcutta also offer a very important MBA program in Business Analytics. On the other hand IIM Indore, IIM Ranchi, IIM Tiruchirappalli offer MBA/PGP in Human Resource Management apart from their regular flagship programs. Refer the list below to check the programs offered by 20 IIMs and the corresponding fee structure for the program:

*May increase for 2020-22 batch

IIM Program Intake
Each IIM offers admission to the different numbers of students as per its sanctioned strength of seats for each program. The first stage of the admission process is the shortlisting on the basis of the CAT exam score. The minimum required CAT cut off as announced by each IIM along with the number of seats available for admission are shared below:  

Common Admission Test (CAT) 2019 is the mandatory entrance exam for admission to MBA 2020 in 20 IIMs and other top MBA colleges in India. The exam is therefore referred to as IIM CAT and is conducted by IIMs on an annual basis.

CAT 2019 Exam will be conducted by IIM Kozhikode in two sessions on Sunday, Nov 24, 2019, as computer-based test at more than 400 testing venues in 156 test cities across the country. More than 2 lakh candidates are expected to appear in Common Admission Test (CAT) 2019. CAT is conducted by one of the older IIMs every year. Last year 2.41 lakhs candidates had registered and applied for the CAT exam. 

CAT exam is the largest MBA entrance test leading to admission in top MBA colleges of India. CAT Exam will offer admission opportunity for MBA admission in 2020 to 20 IIMs and more than 500 other top MBA/PGDM colleges including FMS, SPJIMR, MDI, among others. CAT exam will have a combination of MCQs and Non-MCQs to provide level playing field to the students of all streams. No change in the CAT 2019 exam pattern has been announced. The CAT exam duration remains of three hours with 100 questions divided into three sections, as was the last year.

Changes in CAT Exam: Last 10 Years
CAT Exam pattern over the past 10 years since it was computerized in 2009 has gone for perceptible changes. CAT paper pattern prior to 2009 was paper-pen based. CAT exam format was changed from a paper-based exam to CAT online computer-based test in 2009. Even after that CAT paper pattern continued changing from 3 sections to 2 and then the CAT pattern was changed to 3 sections in 2015. Since then CAT is following a similar pattern. CAT 2019 pattern also remains the same as that of the CAT exam 2018 pattern with 3 sections and 3 hours time although the number of MCQs and Non-MCQs may change.

CAT 2019 Eligibility
If you have completed Bachelor’s degree with 50% marks or completed professional degree (CA/CS/ICWA), or are in the final year of Bachelor’s degree you can appear in the CAT exam. There is no age bar to apply and appear for the CAT exam.

CAT 2019 will, therefore, offer stiff competition for admission to top MBA colleges accepting CAT. Over the years the candidates applying for the CAT aptitude test leading to IIM admission have been increasing year after year.

Documents Required for CAT
There are some key documents required for CAT 2019 to complete the registration and application process correctly and without error. So, before you proceed to fill in your CAT application form, you should have gathered gather and keep ready these documents required for CAT 2019.

The ten mandatory items of information and important documents required for CAT 2019 online completion of registration and application form are:

• Documents related to your Educational history from class 10 onwards
• Mark sheets – Class-10
• Mark Sheet – Class 12^th
• Mark sheet – Bachelor’s Degree/Diploma
• Final Year Certificate from the HoD/Principal (If in the final year of bachelor’s degree) also previous year mark sheet
• Work experience Document, if any
• Applicable Certificates to upload (Category/Affidavits)
• Scanned images of your passport size photo and signature.
• Keep Ready the list of the IIM programs to which you wish to apply before you fill in the application form
• CAT exam fee payment instruments to pay CAT 2019 exam fee – like Debit/Credit cards, Net banking

CAT Full Form
CAT is the abbreviated form of the Common Admission Test. For the last 5 decades since IIMs have been conducting the Common Admission Test for admission to their various PGDM programs, the full form of CAT is seldom used except in the release of CAT notification, advertisement, and other official CAT documents. So despite carrying the official full form Common Admission Test, the exam is more known by CAT – the abbreviated form of Common Admission Test.  

CAT 2019: Important Points

• Low-Cost Exam: CAT Registration and CAT exam application fee is taken together comes to Rs.100 per IIM for the General category and Rs.50/- per IIM for the Reserved category. No fee to be paid to apply for any individual IIM
• One Day Exam: CAT exam will be held in a single day on Sunday, November 24, 2019, in Morning and Afternoon sessions. CAT is a Computer Based Test. Earlier it was held in 15 to 20 days testing window till 2013 by IIMs. Since 2014, the CAT exam testing window has been shortened to one day only.
• 45 Days CAT 2019 Registration Window: The CAT Application process opens on August 5 and will close on September 25, 2019
• Dual Degree Accepted: A candidate with a dual bachelor’s degree should mention the academic scores of both the bachelor’s degree program in CAT application form
• Single Fee for MBA Admission: CAT 2019 provides admission opportunity in 20 IIMs with the single point payment of CAT registration fee of Rs.1900/- for General candidates and Rs.950/- for reserved category. 
• Choice of 50 MBA Programmes in IIMs: CAT 2019 offers a choice of more than 50 management programs in 20 IIMs without any additional application fee for admission.

CAT 2019 – Common Admission Test

CAT Percentile Predictor

You will be anxious to know your CAT percentile and your chances to get into one of the top 3-4 IIMs – IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, Lucknow or other top MBA colleges like FMS, SPJIMR, MDI. The help is at hand with the accurate CAT percentile predictor 2019 available at MBAUniverse.com. 

For the benefit of IIM aspirants, MBAUniverse.com has launched ‘CAT Percentile Predictor’ prepared by experts to help you judge your performance and your chances to get shortlisted by IIMs as per their expected cut-offs. In the past, more than 50,000 CAT takers have used this CAT percentile predictor to get an accurate assessment of their performance in the CAT exam.  

IIM Call Predictor

IIM Call predictor lets you know about your shortlisting chances by IIMs for final selection round. CAT 2019 scores will be used not only by 20 IIMs but more than 500 top MBA colleges in India will also use CAT 2019 exam scores for MBA admission 2020.

Call from IIMs: 2 Steps to Know Your Chances
You will be able to know your chances to get shortlisted by IIMs immediately after coming out of the CAT exam center after taking your CAT exam. Here are the 2 simple steps that you need to take to check your shortlisting chances by IIMs:

CAT Admit Card 2019

CAT Admit Card 2019: Download – CAT Hall Ticket @ iimcat.ac.in
Updated on October 24, 2019

CAT Preparation

CAT Preparation 2019: How to Prepare for CAT Exam, Tips, and Material
Updated on November 11, 2019

CAT preparation time is now reduced to less than 15 days. The 10-12 days countdown to CAT 2019 requires a different preparation strategy for the CAT exam. Your focused attention on CAT Preparation will switch to revisiting and strengthening what you have learned, more practice sessions, taking Mocks, identifying and improving upon your errors, removing your weaknesses and further strengthening your strong areas instead of conceptual clarity, strengthening of fundamentals.

The CAT 2019 exam, with a few changes in its pattern, will be held on November 24, 2019, in 156 test cities in morning and afternoon slots as a computer-based test.

CAT Preparation Books

CAT Preparation Books: Best Books, Section-Wise CAT Books
Updated on September 27, 2019

With so many CAT preparation books flooding the market, it is not only difficult but also confusing to choose the best and most relevant preparation books for the CAT exam. Making the right choice of subject-wise CAT preparation books to crack CAT 2019 is the first step in your CAT preparation journey. Pursuing MBA from one of the top 20 IIMs is the aim of an MBA aspirant. How to get into IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, Lucknow, and other IIMs by scoring high in the CAT exam needs a good preparation strategy through best CAT preparation books. 

CAT Exam Analysis

CAT Exam Analysis 2019: Slot 1 Analysis and Slot 2 Analysis 
Updated on November 5, 2019

CAT Analysis 2019
CAT 2019 Exam Analysis will be released by MBAUniverse.com separately for slot-1 and slot-2 exam sessions on November 24, 2019, immediately after the exam is over.

We will release the Slot-1 CAT Exam analysis 2019 by 1.00 PM on November 24, the CAT exam date. The slot-2 Analysis for CAT Exam 2029 will be released after 5.30 PM. Apart from CAT Analysis 2019 by MBAUniverse.com, the analysis from top CAT preparation & Coaching institutes will also be published on this page. 

CAT Online Preparation

CAT Online Preparation: CAT Exam 2019 Online Preparation, MBA Preparation 
Updated on September 27, 2019

Verbal Ability for CAT

Verbal Ability for CAT 2019: Questions And Preparation, Tips
Updated on May 01, 2019

The largest MBA entrance exam leading to admission 2020 in IIMs, FMS, SPJIMR, MDI, IITs, IMI, IMT, NITIE among other top MBA colleges, CAT 2019 is scheduled on November 24, 2019, as a computer-based test. This year IIM Kozhikode is conducting CAT 2019 exam in morning and afternoon sessions on the same day.

Verbal Ability (VA) is an important part of CAT preparation for the VARC section. CAT Verbal Ability questions will constitute a 33% share in the Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) Section in the CAT 2019 exam to be held on November 24, 2019. 

CAT Mock Test By IIM

Official CAT Mock Test 2019 by IIMs with 100 questions has been released on October 16 with many changes in a number of questions – sectional composition of MCQs and Non-MCQs, navigation process among others. You can take the full-length official CAT Mock test on the CAT exam pattern now on the CAT website in three hours. It is a single Mock without answers and not any official CAT Mock Test Series

CAT 2019 exam date is November 24, 2019. IIM Kozhikode which is conducting CAT 2019 exam has released the IIM CAT official Mock Test more than a month before the exam date to help you prepare and understand the CAT exam pattern and syllabus.

Reading Comprehension (RC) For CAT

Reading Comprehension (RC) For CAT 2019: RC Tips For CAT, RC Questions
Updated on August 17, 2019

Reading Comprehension is one of the most important sections and high scoring areas in the CAT exam. The weight of Reading Comprehension for CAT is higher than in any other MBA entrance exam. The Reading comprehension in the CAT exam commands not only high sectional weight but also high weight in the overall CAT exam. 

Updated on: Tuesday, November 19, 2019

IIM Kozhikode has released a set of last-minute Quick Information for CAT 2019 candidates with CAT exam day guidelines and CAT exam day instructions. This important set of last-minute CAT information and instructions is very useful for candidates appearing for CAT 2019 examination on November 24, 2019, either in slot-1 or slot-2. 

Last Minute CAT Instructions by IIM Kozhikode for Test Takers

• 2.44 Lakh candidates are to appear in CAT 2019 on November 24, 2019
• CAT Exam 2019 will be conducted in two shifts on November 24, 2019: a)Morning – 9:00 AM–12:00 noon and Afternoon – 2:30 PM – 5:30 PM.   
• Candidates should locate their CAT 2019 test centers in advance and start early in order to reach their test centers on time
• Go through the test day video uploaded in the CAT website to familiarize with the security and other exam day procedures   
• Report at CAT exam center at 7:30 AM for the Morning shift and at 1:00 PM for the Afternoon shift   
• Download your CAT admit card from CAT website, take printouts, affix photograph (same as the one uploaded in CAT application forms) 
• Read carefully all the instructions printed on the CAT Admit Card and adhere to them   
• Bring a hard copy of CAT Admit Card to CAT test center along with identity proof in original   
• CAT remains a 3-hour examination comprising three sections:  VARC, DILR, and Quant 
• One hour for each section will be given to solve the questions   
• 92 percent of CAT 2019 applicants were allocated a test center in their first preference city 
• CAT 2019 exam is scheduled to be conducted at 376 test centers spread across 156 cities in India. 
• PWD candidates with scribe should complete all formalities as explained on the CAT website.   

CAT Exam Day Work Flow & Guide by IIM Kozhikode
Earlier, IIM Kozhikode had released CAT 2019 exam day guide with important instructions on November 12 along with CAT Test Day Workflow for Candidates for slot-1 and slot-2 CAT exam. The CAT exam day workflow for CAT 2019 shares the important Do’s and Don’ts for the candidates, how to get ready for CAT exam day, and how to go through the key activities from the time of entering the CAT exam center to leaving the testing hall. According to IIM Kozhikode, candidates must report to the CAT center at least 30 minutes before the CAT exam commencement time. No candidate is allowed to wear jackets, jewelry, shoes, watch or carry the mobile phone, bag, wallets, electronic gadgets, stationery items inside the testing hall. 

The CAT 2019 exam for admission to 20 IIMs and other top MBA colleges in India will be held on Sunday, November 24, 2019, in morning and afternoon sessions. In the next one and half weeks you need to complete your CAT 2019 preparation, have a feel of CAT exam pattern, adhere to the CAT exam time schedule, and be conversant with the test-taking strategy. One of the most important CAT preparation tools – the CAT exam 2019 practice test has already been released by IIM Kozhikode to understand the type of expected questions and their difficulty level in the actual CAT exam. IIM Kozhikode has also brought a number of changes in the CAT exam this year. 

CAT 2019: Important Changes
CAT 2019 exam has brought number changes in this year exam pattern, Mock Test among others: 

• IIM Kozhikode has changed the ratio of Non-MCQs in CAT exam
• You can expect number of Non-MCQs in QA section and fewer Non-MCQs in VARC section
• Total Non-MCQs without negative marking are expected to remain between 26-28
• The number of Test Cities for CAT 2019 has increased to 156 from 147 last year
• An option to choose 4 out of 156 test cities remained available while applying for CAT 2019
• Choice of 4 separate cities for Delhi NCR Candidates was available to select the test cities as against last year when all the ten cities if Delhi NCR were clubbed into one 
• CAT 2019 Exam duration remains of 3 hours
• CAT exam 2019 will be conducted in two separate sessions-Morning and Afternoon
• CAT 2019 Exam will be divided into 72+ MCQs and 28 or less Non-MCQ type questions
• Tutorials to understand the format of CAT 2019 Test and question pattern is available on the CAT website from October 16, 2019 
• This year CAT Exam is conducted by IIM Kozhikode
• CAT Exam 2019 Date is November 24, 2019  

IIM Kozhikode had confirmed to provide two most important documents in October for CAT 2019 to help you prepare for the CAT exam 2019 and to confirm your candidature for the CAT 2019 exam day. While the most important document – CAT 2019 Admit Card which entitles you to enter the CAT test center was released on October 23, the first document – CAT Mock Test 2019 with 100 questions was released on October 16.

CAT 2019 Admit Card: Your Passport to Take CAT Exam
IIM Kozhikode had confirmed to release the CAT 2019 Admit card at 5 PM. The Common Admission Test (CAT) 2019 Admit card download is available now from the CAT exam official website by login with your CAT Registered ID and Password. As the Admit card is made available one month before the CAT 2019 Exam date, you should check all the details and also take at least two prints of the CAT Hall ticket on A4 Size paper.    

How to Download the CAT Admit card?
You can download CAT Admit Card in six simple steps from CAT 2019 website:

When to Download the CAT Admit card?
After its release by IIMs on October 23, thousands of the candidates will log in to the CAT website to download their CAT Admit card which can make the server go very slow or it may not respond. So, either download your CAT Admit Card immediately when it is released at 5 PM or after a few hours. Those who download CAT Admit card early have the opportunity to get the Admit Card errors rectified timely from the CAT exam center by contacting the CAT help desk. Please note CAT Admit Card download process will remain available till November 24, 2019.

8 Important Details to Check-in CAT 2019 Admit Card
CAT Admit Card is the most important document on Exam Day. After completing the download process of Admit Card from CAT Website, you should check the following details:

1. Name
2. Registration Number
3. Exam Date
4. Time / Session
5. PwD status
6. Test city
7. Test Center address
8. Reference Number (To be used on CAT exam date only to locate your CAT exam seat & system)

3 Useful Changes in CAT Admit Card
CAT Hall Ticket has three important and aspirant friendly changes to help candidates.

1. Google Map Link
A Google Map Link to locate the CAT 2019 test center and its accessibility is made available individually on the electronic version of all the CAT Admit cards 

2. Emergency Contact
CAT 2019 Admit card has the emergency contact number. This is the candidate’s second contact number which is asked by IIMs while completing their application form. This was also asked in past also but was not used in the CAT Admit card earlier.

3. CAT Reference Number to Find Testing Room

The CAT Reference Number is mentioned to save your time and help you to identify the floor/wing/testing room at the CAT test Centre on November 24, 2019. 

Do not forget to paste your identical passport size photo on the printed copy of the CAT hall ticket. 

CAT Mock Test 2019 Released: Your Best CAT Preparation Tool
CAT 2019 official Mock test has been released by IIMs on October 16, 2019, with many changes expected in the CAT exam 2019. Official CAT Mock is the best source to prepare for the CAT exam. You should take the full-length CAT Official Mock Test by IIMs on the CAT website to understand the actual CAT Exam pattern, important changes in the CAT exam, scoring pattern and instructions on how to answer questions in CAT exam 2019. You cannot download CAT 2019 Mock Test as it is not a Pdf and have to attempt the questions on the CAT website. 

Important Changes in CAT Mock Test
This year CAT official Mock test 2019 released by IIMs has come out with many changes and surprises including the sectional composition of questions, navigation process from one section to other. Five important changes in CAT Mock Test by IIMs are:

• No Penalty Questions Reduced: Non-MCQ Questions have been reduced to 27
• DILR with Fewer Questions: DILR Section has 28 Questions in total as against 32 last year
• QA with More Questions: Quantitative Ability (QA) Section has 38 questions as against 34 last year
• Individual Sectional Submission: You need to click on ‘Submit’ after completing each CAT section and confirm your action. Otherwise, you will not be allowed to move to the next section.
• Not Allowed to Revisit the Section, Despite Time Availability: Once you submit the individual section, you will not be allowed to revisit the section even if sufficient time out of 60 minutes remains for the particular section  

How to Take Official CAT Mock Test?

• Link is available on the official CAT 2019 website.
• No Need to use CAT Login ID and Password
• CAT official Mock Test is as per the exact CAT exam format  
• Attempt the CAT official Mock Test 2019 with 100 questions divided into three sections
• The Mock Test is divided into MCQs with 1/3^rd negative marking and Non-MCQs with No negative marking
• Solve the Non-MCQs before MCQs in each section in CAT Mock test
• Answers & Solutions are not given by the IIMs for the questions, solve and answer the questions.
• IIM CAT Official Mock Test has the same time duration of three hours as you find in CAT exam

CAT registration 2019 was closed on September 25, 2019. After the close of the the CAT registration window, now the two most important things are to take the CAT Mock to prepare for the IIM CAT exam 2019 and download the CAT Admit card from the CAT website before the CAT exam date. 

CAT 2019: Chronological Events & Key Dates
Below are the updated activities and events with salient features for CAT 2019 exam since the release of CAT notification in July:

CAT 2019 Registration Trends
More than 2.44 lakh candidates have registered for CAT 2019 exam. The registration number is up by 3000 more candidates registered for CAT over last year. It signifies that this year you will have to compete with more candidates in the CAT exam and will need to score high to get shortlisted by the top three IIMs and other top MBA colleges.

The trends in CAT registrations since 2010 show a downward journey initially but since 2013 it has been showing a rising registration count reflecting the regaining trust of CAT aspirants and anticipation of better career opportunities after completing MBA/PGP from an IIM or other top B-school

CAT 2019 Exam Pattern: Highlights
Following are the salient features of CAT 2019 exam:

CAT 2019 Exam Pattern

• 180 Minutes Exam: CAT exam is a computer-delivered test of 3 hours duration but it is not an Online Exam
• 100 Questions: CAT exam will have 100 questions divided into 3 sections of VARC, DILR, and Quantitative Ability.
• 25% No Penalty Questions: Out of 100 questions in CAT 2019, more than 25 questions will not have negative marking. CAT 2019 is divided into MCQ and Non-MCQ type of questions and the Non-MCQs do not carry negative marking. In case any non-MCQ has negative marking, a few MCQs are changed to no negative marking questions.
• 70-75% CAT Questions with Negative Marking: More than 70% questions in CAT 2019 are of MCQ type and will carry the penalty of 1/3 negative marking
• Minimum CAT Score Requirement by IIMs: A Minimum qualifying score between 70 and 90 percentile in CAT 2019 is required by IIMs in each of the 3 sections to shortlist candidates for final admission round
• Other Criteria with CAT score: Apart from High score in each of the 3 sections in the CAT exam, you need to have a good academic profile, diversity, to get into IIMs.

CAT 2019 Exam Syllabus
During the last 3 years, the CAT exam syllabus has substantially changed. Major changes in CAT Syllabus 2019 are:

• CAT Syllabus is changed and contains a different types of questions now.
• 25-30% Questions in CAT syllabus are no penalty questions now
• Most of the changes in the CAT syllabus have taken place in the Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension Section as the topics and number of questions in the VARC section have changed.
• A few changes in CAT syllabus have been introduced in Quantitative Ability section with more focus on Arithmetic questions

Although CAT exam Syllabus is not pre-defined by IIMs, it overall tests the candidate on Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension; Quantitative Aptitude; Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning..Read More about CAT Syllabus

CAT Exam 2019: Preparation
The best way to prepare for CAT exam is to devise your own preparation strategy through self preparation and then find out whether you need to join CAT coaching institute.  CAT preparation tips as shared by experts and CAT toppers consist of following key components: 

1. Choose Best CAT Preparation Material
   Making the right choice of subject wise CAT preparation material to crack CAT 2019 is the first step in your CAT preparation journey. Not only the best CAT preparation books but also the CAT preparation material provided by CAT coaching institutes is of great help. So apart from the best books, also prepare with the best preparation material provided by CAT coaching institutes like TIME, CL, IMS among others. CAT test series of these coaching institutes have given guidance to candidates who preferred self preparation to coaching for each of the three sections in CAT exam namely Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension; Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning, and Quantitative Ability. If you make a wise choice of CAT preparation material, your CAT preparation journey is well begun. Read More
2. How to Prepare for VARC for CAT 2019?  
   Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension is the first section in CAT Exam. The composition of VARC Section in CAT is:

Best Books for VARC Preparation for CAT 2019:

• How to Prepare for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for CAT’- by Arun Sharma & Meenakshi Upadhyay
• ‘Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for the CAT’ – by Nishit K Sinha
• Arihant Book on Verbal Ability: Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension by Ajay Singh.. Read More

1. How to Prepare for DILR for CAT 2019?
   Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR) is the 2^nd Section in CAT 2019. The section is divided in two parts – DI with 16 questions and LR with 16 questions:

Best DILR Preparation Books
More than one best CAT preparation books are available to prepare for DILR:

• ‘How to Prepare for Data Interpretation for CAT’ – by Arun Sharma (Published by McGraw Hill)
• ‘How to Prepare for Logical Reasoning for the CAT’ – by Arun Sharma (Published by McGraw Hill)
• Other Materials for CAT preparation on DILR by Arun Sharma like practice questions, solved test papers, Mock tests are also available
• Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation for the CAT by Nishit K. Sinha
• CAT Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning by Gautam Puri. 

1. How to Prepare for Quant for CAT 2019
   Quantitative Ability (QA) in the CAT exam is the last but most important section which can improve or reduce your CAT score substantially. Arithmetic is the key to crack the Quant in CAT exam. The composition of Quantitative Ability for CAT 2019 is on the following pattern:

Best Books for Quant preparation for CAT 2019
Different preparation strategy focused only on Quantitative Aptitude questions on different topics is required to get through the QA section in CAT. Following are the most recommended books for Quant preparation:

• How to Prepare for Quantitative Aptitude for CAT by Arun Sharma
• Quantitative Aptitude Quantum CAT by  Sarvesh K Verma
• Quantitative Aptitude by R.S. Aggarwal.

5. Prepare with CAT Mocks
IIMs will release the CAT exam full-Mock Test in the third week of October 2019. However, the past CAT Mock tests are available to prepare for the CAT 2019 exam. IIM-CAT official mock test with 100 questions helps and guides to understand the exact CAT exam pattern since the CAT pattern goes on changing every year. CAT Mock is a good preparation tool. The official CAT Mock Test is the most authentic source to familiarise yourself with the actual CAT exam pattern, changes in topics in CAT 2019 syllabus, sectional composition, type and pattern of questions expected in the CAT exam and the scoring pattern.

CAT 2019 Mock: Key Points
IIMs have incorporated three important changes in the release of CAT Mock Test:

1. Separate CAT Mock Test Navigation Guide PDF is Released
2. The separate login link is provided for candidates with normal vision

Login Link is separately provided for the candidates who have low vision with two magnifying glass icons at the top of the screen. You can click on the icon to zoom-in and click on an icon to zoom out the

6. Prepare with Previous CAT Exam papers
CAT Previous Year Papers are the best guide to prepare for the CAT question paper 2019. IIMs have now started to officially release the CAT Question Paper. So far, IIMs have released the actual CAT previous year question papers for the year 2017 and 2018.

7. Read CAT Toppers Preparation Strategy
CAT toppers who secured 99 and 100 percentile and got admission in IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, Lucknow, FMS Delhi or other top MBA colleges are the best guide to prepare for the CAT exam. Read the CAT toppers preparation strategy overall and section-wise how they prepared and overcame their weaknesses and further strengthened their strong areas:

CAT Exam Day Tips

• Carry hard copy of CAT Admit card with you
• The hard copy of CAT Hall ticket should be printed on A4 size paper
• Same photograph as appears on Admit card must be affixed on hard copy of CAT Admit Card
• Carry One original photo Id proof like Aadhar card, Voter Id, PAN Card, Passport or other valid ID to exam centre
• Report 90 minutes before at the CAT testing venue
• Your seating arrangement is as per the Test system number. It is applicable only to identify the floor/wing and the seating place on the CAT exam day 
• No Jewellery allowed inside the CAT testing room
• No shoes allowed inside the testing room
• Pen, Pencil, sharpener, watch, Mobile phones etc. not allowed inside CAT test centre
• No break allowed during the test duration of 3 hours
• No documents except Admit card and photo ID allowed 

CAT 2019 Percentile Calculation Method 
CAT 2019 percentile score calculation method has been released by IIMs. Now you can calculate your CAT 2019 percentile immediately after the exam in four steps. A key example of CAT percentile score calculation method shared by IIMs reflect ‘all percentile scores greater than or equal to 99.995 are rounded off to 100, all percentile scores greater than or equal to 99.985 but strictly less than 99.995 are rounded off to 99.99 and so on.’ 

CAT 2019 Result & IIMs’ Admission Process
CAT exam result will be declared on January 7, 2020 in morning hours. Immediately after the CAT result declaration, IIMs will start announcing their shortlist on the basis of CAT scores and other parameters in their shortlisting criteria for final selection round. The final admission offer will be made to the candidates in the months of April/May 2020 by IIMs

IIM Admission Criteria for Admission 2020
Indian Institutes of Management accept only CAT exam scores for admission to their flagship MBA/PGP programmes which are the 2 years Post Graduate Programmes in Management. Each of the 20 IIMs announces its admission policy and CAT percentile score cut offs for the PGP Programmes before the CAT exam is held. PGP is the short from of IIMs’ Post Graduate Programme in Management which is the MBA programme. Most of the IIMs have announced their Admission policy 2020 and CAT 2019 percentile cut offs required for admission. The IIM Admission Criteria with CAT 2019 percentile cut offs as announced by IIMs with salient features are shared below:

(As on Oct 2, 2019)

Above is the threshold percentile score, which the candidates have to obtain in CAT exam 2019 to become eligible for shortlisting for admission to 2 years PGP -Post Graduate Programme 2020-22. 

IIMs’ MBA Programmes and Fee
While IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Lucknow had included Agriculture, Rural Management MBA programS as full time 2-year management program, IIM Bangalore and IIM Calcutta also offer very important MBA programS in Business Analytics. On the other hand IIM Indore, IIM Ranchi, IIM Tiruchirappalli offer MBA/PGP in Human Resource Management apart from their regular flagship programmes. Refer the list below to check the programs offered by 20 IIMs and the corresponding fee structure for the programme:

*May increase for 2020-22 batch

IIM Program Intake
Each IIM offers admission to a different number of students as per its sanctioned strength of seats for each program. The first stage of the admission process is the shortlisting on the basis of the CAT exam score. The minimum required CAT cut off as announced by each IIM along with the number of seats available for admission are shared below:  

Common Admission Test (CAT) 2019 is the mandatory entrance exam for admission to MBA 2020 in 20 IIMs and other top MBA colleges in India. The exam is therefore referred to as IIM CAT and is conducted by IIMs on annual basis.

CAT 2019 Exam will be conducted by IIM Kozhikode in two sessions on Sunday Nov 24, 2019 as computer based test at more than 400 testing venues in 156 test cities across the country. More than 2 lakh candidates are expected to appear in Common Admission Test (CAT) 2019. CAT is conducted by one of the older IIMs every year. Last year 2.41 lakhs candidates had registered and applied for CAT exam. 

CAT exam is the largest MBA entrance test leading to admission in top MBA colleges of India. CAT Exam will offer admission opportunity for MBA admission in 2020 to 20 IIMs and more than 500 other top MBA/PGDM colleges including FMS, SPJIMR, MDI, among others . CAT exam will have a combination of MCQs and Non-MCQs to provide level playing field to the students of all streams. No change in the CAT 2019 exam pattern has been announced. The CAT exam duration remains of three hours with 100 questions divided in three sections, as was the last year.

Changes in CAT Exam: Last 10 Years
CAT Exam pattern over the past 10 years since it was computerised in 2009 has gone for perceptible changes. CAT paper pattern prior to 2009 was paper-pen based. CAT exam format was changed from paper based exam to CAT online computer based test in 2009. Even after that CAT paper pattern continued changing from 3 sections to 2 and then CAT pattern was changed to 3 sections in 2015. Since then CAT is following similar pattern. CAT 2019 pattern also remains the same as that of CAT exam 2018 pattern with 3 sections and 3 hours time although the number of MCQs and Non-MCQs may change.

CAT 2019 Eligibility
If you have completed Bachelor’s degree with 50% marks or completed professional degree (CA/CS/ICWA), or are in the final year of Bachelor’s degree you can appear in the CAT exam. There is no age bar to apply and appear for the CAT exam.

CAT 2019 will therefore offer a stiff competition for admission to top MBA colleges accepting CAT. Over the years the candidates applying for CAT aptitude test leading to IIM admission have been increasing year after year.

Documents Required for CAT
There are some key documents required for CAT 2019 to complete the registration and application process correctly and without error. So, before you proceed to fill in your CAT application form, you should have gathered gather and keep ready these documents required for CAT 2019.

The ten mandatory items of information and important documents required for CAT 2019 online completion of registration and application form are:

• Documents related to your Educational history from class 10 onwards
• Mark sheets – Class-10
• Mark Sheet – Class 12^th
• Mark sheet – Bachelor’s Degree/Diploma
• Final Year Certificate from the HoD/Principal (If in final year of bachelor’s degree) also previous year mark sheet
• Work experience Document, if any
• Applicable Certificates to upload (Category/Affidavits)
• Scanned images of your passport size photo and signature.
• Keep Ready the list of the IIM programmes to which you wish to apply, before you fill in the application form
• CAT exam fee payment instruments to pay CAT 2019 exam fee – like Debit/Credit cards, Net banking

CAT Full Form
CAT is the abbreviated form of the Common Admission Test. For the last 5 decades since IIMs have been conducting the Common Admission Test for admission to their various PGDM programmes, the full form of CAT is seldom used except in the release of CAT notification, advertisement and other official CAT documents. So despite carrying the official full form Common Admission Test, the exam is more known by CAT – the abbreviated form of Common Admission test.  

CAT 2019: Important Points

• Low Cost Exam: CAT Registration and CAT exam application fee taken together comes to Rs.100 per IIM for General category and Rs.50/- per IIM for Reserved category. No fee to be paid to apply for any individual IIM
• One Day Exam: CAT exam will be held in single day on Sunday November 24, 2019 in Morning and Afternoon sessions. CAT is a Computer Based Test. Earlier it was held in 15 to 20 days testing window till 2013 by IIMs. Since 2014, CAT exam testing window has been shortened to one day only.
• 45 Days CAT 2019 Registration Window: The CAT Application process opens on August 5 and will close on September 25, 2019
• Dual Degree Accepted: A candidate with a dual bachelor’s degree should mention the academic scores of both the bachelor’s degree program in CAT application form
• Single Fee for MBA Admission: CAT 2019 provides admission opportunity in 20 IIMs with the single point payment of CAT registration fee of Rs.1900/- for General candidates and Rs.950/- for reserved category. 
• Choice of 50 MBA Programmes in IIMs: CAT 2019 offers a choice of more than 50 management programs in 20 IIMs without any additional application fee for admission.

CAT 2019 – Common Admission Test

CAT Percentile Predictor

You will be anxious to know your CAT percentile and your chances to get into one of the top 3-4 IIMs – IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, Lucknow or other top MBA colleges like FMS, SPJIMR, MDI. The help is at hand with the accurate CAT percentile predictor 2019 available at MBAUniverse.com. 

For the benefit of IIM aspirants, MBAUniverse.com has launched ‘CAT Percentile Predictor’ prepared by experts to help you judge your performance and your chances to get shortlisted by IIMs as per their expected cut-offs. In the past, more than 50,000 CAT takers have used this CAT percentile predictor to get an accurate assessment of their performance in the CAT exam.  

IIM Call Predictor

IIM Call predictor lets you know about your shortlisting chances by IIMs for final selection round. CAT 2019 scores will be used not only by 20 IIMs but more than 500 top MBA colleges in India will also use CAT 2019 exam scores for MBA admission 2020.

Call from IIMs: 2 Steps to Know Your Chances
You will be able to know your chances to get shortlisted by IIMs immediately after coming out of the CAT exam center after taking your CAT exam. Here are the 2 simple steps that you need to take to check your shortlisting chances by IIMs:

CAT Admit Card 2019

CAT Admit Card 2019: Download – CAT Hall Ticket @ iimcat.ac.in
Updated on October 24, 2019

CAT Preparation

CAT Preparation 2019: How to Prepare for CAT Exam, Tips, and Material
Updated on November 11, 2019

CAT preparation time is now reduced to less than 15 days. The 10-12 days countdown to CAT 2019 requires a different preparation strategy for the CAT exam. Your focused attention on CAT Preparation will switch to revisiting and strengthening what you have learned, more practice sessions, taking Mocks, identifying and improving upon your errors, removing your weaknesses and further st, lengthening your strong areas instead of conceptual clarity, strengthening of fundamentals.

The CAT 2019 exam, with a few changes in its pattern, will be held on November 24, 2019, in 156 test cities in the morning and afternoon slots as a computer-based test. 

CAT Preparation Books

CAT Preparation Books: Best Books, Section-Wise CAT Books
Updated on September 27, 2019

With so many CAT preparation books flooding the market, it is not only difficult but also confusing to choose the best and most relevant preparation books for the CAT exam. Making the right choice of subject-wise CAT preparation books to crack CAT 2019 is the first step in your CAT preparation journey. Pursuing MBA from one of the top 20 IIMs is the aim of an MBA aspirant. How to get into IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, Lucknow, and other IIMs by scoring high in the CAT exam needs a good preparation strategy through best CAT preparation books. 

CAT Exam Analysis

CAT Exam Analysis 2019: Slot 1 Analysis and Slot 2 Analysis 
Updated on November 5, 2019

CAT Analysis 2019
CAT 2019 Exam Analysis will be released by MBAUniverse.com separately for slot-1 and slot-2 exam sessions on November 24, 2019, immediately after the exam is over.

We will release the Slot-1 CAT Exam analysis 2019 by 1.00 PM on November 24, the CAT exam date. The slot-2 Analysis for CAT Exam 2029 will be released after 5.30 PM. Apart from CAT Analysis 2019 by MBAUniverse.com, the analysis from top CAT preparation & Coaching institutes will also be published on this page.  

CAT Online Preparation

CAT Online Preparation: CAT Exam 2019 Online Preparation, MBA Preparation 
Updated on September 27, 2019

Verbal Ability for CAT

Verbal Ability for CAT 2019: Questions And Preparation, Tips
Updated on May 01, 2019

The largest MBA entrance exam leading to admission 2020 in IIMs, FMS, SPJIMR, MDI, IITs, IMI, IMT, NITIE among other top MBA colleges, CAT 2019 is scheduled on November 24, 2019, as a computer-based test. This year IIM Kozhikode is conducting CAT 2019 exam in morning and afternoon sessions on the same day.

Verbal Ability (VA) is an important part of CAT preparation for the VARC section. CAT Verbal Ability questions will constitute a 33% share in the Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) Section in the CAT 2019 exam to be held on November 24, 2019.

CAT Mock Test By IIM

Official CAT Mock Test 2019 by IIMs with 100 questions has been released on October 16 with many changes in a number of questions – sectional composition of MCQs and Non-MCQs, navigation process among others. You can take the full-length official CAT Mock test on the CAT exam pattern now on CAT website in three hours. It is a single Mock without answers and not any official CAT Mock Test Series

CAT 2019 exam date is November 24, 2019. IIM Kozhikode which is conducting CAT 2019 exam has released the IIM CAT official Mock Test more than a month before the exam date to help you prepare and understand the CAT exam pattern and syllabus.

Reading Comprehension (RC) For CAT

Reading Comprehension (RC) For CAT 2019: RC Tips For CAT, RC Questions
Updated on August 17, 2019

Reading Comprehension is one of the most important sections and high scoring area in CAT exam. The weightage of Reading Comprehension for CAT is higher than in any other MBA entrance exam. The Reading comprehension in CAT exam commands not only high sectional weightage but also high weightage in overall CAT exam. 

Data Interpretation For CAT

Data Interpretation For CAT 2019: DI Questions and Answers, Tips
Updated on April 01, 2019

Preparing for Data Interpretation in CAT 2019 is an important part of overall CAT preparation. It commands 16% weightage in overall CAT exam and 50% weightage in DILR section. Scoring high in Data Interpretation can take you through the IIMs admission process.

Many candidates who scored 99 percentile in CAT could not get a call from any IIM only because of the reason that their score in DILR was below the IIMs cut off. The CAT Data Interpretation proved to be the most difficult and time consuming section resulting in a low score for them.

Logical Reasoning for CAT

Logical Reasoning for CAT 2019: LR Questions and Answers, Tips
Updated on July 18, 2019

How to prepare Logical Reasoning for CAT, depends upon your understanding of topics and type of questions that appear in CAT LR section. If you can develop good logic in your approach to understand and solve a Reasoning problem, you can learn faster than those who find it difficult to logically approach a problem. LR preparation for CAT therefore, depends upon how much efforts and practice on variety of LR questions you have done.

Quantitative Aptitude for CAT

Quantitative Aptitude for CAT 2019: CAT 2019 Quant, Quantitative Ability
Updated on July 18, 2019

Three dimensional approach to prepare Quantitative Ability for CAT goes from strengthening your basics and formulae in Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, Modern Math and allied topics, practicing on variety of questions and finally solving previous CAT papers and Mocks for each topic. The more you do it, the more expertise in Quant section for CAT, you will get.

CAT Previous Year Question Papers

CAT previous year test papers for last few years released by IIMs are brought to you with detailed solution by MBAUniverse.com. The CAT 2018 Question Paper and CAT 2017 Question Paper is given here with easy accessibility and readable format. The previous CAT exam test papers are followed by answers and detailed solutions. This will help you to very well understand the exact CAT exam pattern, recent changes over the years. You can test your preparation level with the help of these previous year actual CAT question papers which are made available free for CAT aspirants.

CAT Sample Paper

CAT 2019 Sample Papers are the right source to boost your CAT preparation level. With the help of CAT sample papers, you can assess your CAT 2019 preparation as these CAT sample papers, prepared by experts are based and updated as per the revised CAT exam pattern. The CAT sample papers 2019 will guide you about the probable CAT question paper 2019.  

The CAT sample paper pdf consists of probable CAT questions with answers of varying difficulty level. These Sample Question Papers for CAT 2019 are prepared by CAT experts. These CAT sample papers online are based on actual CAT papers.

CAT Mock Test

CAT Mock Test 2019: Free CAT Mock Tests
Updated on October 16, 2019

CAT Mock Test 2019 by IIMs with 100 questions has been released on October 16. You can take the full-length official CAT Mock test on the CAT exam pattern now on the CAT website in three hours. It is a single Mock without answers and not any official CAT Mock Test Series.

CAT Mock Test 2019 is available to prepare for the CAT exam as per the revised CAT exam pattern. There are three types of CAT Mock tests with different difficulty levels available for free practice online.

CAT Eligibility 2019

CAT Eligibility Criteria 2019: check here cat exam eligibility criteria
Updated on July 27, 2019

CAT 2019 Application Form

After Close of CAT Registration 2019 on September 25 at 5 PM, the CAT 2019 Error Correction Window is opened from September 28 by IIM Kozhikode to help the CAT 2019 aspirants edit the specific errors in CAT Registration form, particularly in photograph and signature upload.  

CAT Error Edit Option Opens on September 28
The CAT 2019 error correction window to edit CAT application form details is open from 10 AM on September 28, 2019 for three days.

Last Date for CAT Error Correction in Application Form: September 30
The last date to Edit the CAT Registration Form errors, is September 30, 2019 till 5 PM.

CAT 2019 Syllabus

CAT Syllabus 2019: Download Section Wise Latest CAT Exam Syllabus
Updated on October 24, 2019

CAT Syllabus 2019 is changed and you should make your preparation strategy as per the revised CAT Syllabus. While the number of questions in Quantitative Ability (QA) section of CAT exam have been increased to 38, the questions in DILR section of CAT 2019 exam have been reduced to 28 from earlier 32. The number of TITA questions (Non-MCQs or No penalty questions) in different CAT sections have also been changed alongwith the topics in CAT syllabus. 

CAT Notification 2019

CAT Notification 2019 has been released on Sunday, July 28, 2019, by IIM Kozhikode in all leading newspapers with all the details. Two days before the CAT notification release, IIM Kozhikode has released CAT 2019 Notification via Media Release. 

CAT Exam Pattern

Just a few days before CAT 2019 exam which is on November 24, 2019, IIM Kozhikode has released the CAT 2019 exam day guide, key features of CAT exam pattern, CAT exam navigation guide to answer MCQ and Non-MCQ questions with important instructions. The CAT exam day guide is released along with CAT Test Day Workflow for Candidates for slot-1 and slot-2 CAT exam. The CAT exam day workflow for CAT 2019 share the important Do’s and Don’ts before, during and after the CAT exam, how to get ready for CAT exam day, and how to go through the key activities from the time of entering the CAT exam center to leaving the testing hall. According to IIM Kozhikode, candidates must report to the CAT center at least 30 minutes before the CAT exam commencement time.

CAT Exam Centers

CAT Exam Centers 2019: Check State Wise Test Centers List
Updated on September 13, 2019

CAT 2019 Registration

After the close of the CAT 2019 registration process, IIM Kozhikode is ready to release the CAT 2019 Admit Card for the 2.44 lakh candidates who have registered for CAT this year. The CAT Admit Card Download process is the most important activity for the CAT aspirants as you have to carry the hard copy of CAT Admit card with your passport size photo affixed on it to the CAT exam center on November 24, 2019.

CAT Coaching

CAT Coaching: CAT Coaching Centres, Best CAT Coaching Institute 
Updated on June 01, 2019

CAT coaching centers help you not only in scoring high in the exam but they also help you to take the CAT exam with ease and without stress. It requires intensive preparation to crack the CAT exam with a high score and while preparing for CAT 2019, you will be looking for the best CAT Coaching institute that can help you score high in the CAT exam. This year CAT exam date is November 24, 2019, and as such very short time is left to select the best Coaching Classes for CAT and start your CAT preparation without further loss of time.

CAT Answer Key

CAT 2019 Answer Keys will be released in the 1^st Week of December 2019. The CAT Answer keys were first released by IIMs for the CAT exam held in 2019.  CAT 2019 Slot 1 Answer Key and CAT 2019 Slot Answer Key is released simultaneously to enable the candidates who appear in either slot of the CAT exam on November 24, 2019, to check the CAT questions and CAT Answer Key for his/her respective test paper.

CAT Result 2019

CAT Result: Download CAT Result, Percentile, Scorecard @ iimcat.ac.in
Updated on October 1, 2019

CAT Result 2019 is expected on January 7, 2020. Although IIM Kozhikode has announced to declare CAT 2019 exam result in the 2^nd week of January 2020, going by the past trends the CAT result is declared towards the close of the first week in January. Last year CAT result was declared on January 5, 2019.

CAT Score Vs Percentile

CAT 2019 Score Vs Percentile is out with the release of the CAT 2019 Percentile Score calculation Method by IIM Kozhikode. This is the first time that IIMs have officially released the CAT percentile score calculation method based on CAT scaled score. There are four steps to calculate your CAT Score Vs Percentile as shared by IIMs in the release.

You can very well assess now your admission chances in IIMs with the help of the CAT scaled score with percentile. Even before the release of the CAT score with percentile, you could understand what percentile you could get with the respective CAT 2019 raw score and the CAT scaled score. The process to calculate CAT raw score vs percentile is announced by IIMs now well in advance even before the CAT 2019 exam date and declaration of CAT Result.

MBA Colleges Accepting CAT

Top MBA Colleges in India accepting CAT Score
Updated on October 12, 2019

CAT 2019 Results will be declared on January 7, 2020. 100 + top MBA colleges in India accepting CAT score including 20 IIMs will start releasing the shortlists of the successful candidates who score well in CAT 2019 exam immediately after declaration of CAT exam result for MBA admission 2020.

To help MBA aspirants searching for top MBA colleges accepting CAT scores, MBAUniverse.com has prepared separate lists of MBA Colleges in India Accepting CAT Score with the Course Fee and Average Salary in placement. Click on the College Name to get more information. Please note that this list of top MBA colleges includes IIMs and other top MBA colleges accepting CAT score. 

Top MBA Colleges Accepting CAT Score: 20 IIMs 
IIMs are the foremost among the MBA colleges accepting CAT score since they conduct CAT as their only entrance exam for MBA admission. There are 20 IIMs at present and all the IIMs accept only CAT score for admission. The Fee and Placement details for these IIMs are shared below:

Top MBA Colleges Accepting CAT Score: 20 PGDM Institutes
Not only the IIMs, there are highly ranked and internationally accredited PGDM colleges among the MBA colleges accepting CAT score. These institutes will consider CAT performance as the basic criteria followed by academic excellence and work experience as the key parameters in PGDM admission 2020. Some of the prominent PGDM colleges accepting CAT score with their fee and placement are:  

Top University MBA Colleges Accepting CAT Score
Not only Private University but also IITs and Central Government Universities like Delhi and Mumbai Universities, are included among the top MBA colleges accepting CAT score in their MBA admission 2020. Following are some of the top university MBA colleges accepting CAT score:

MBA Colleges Accepting CAT Score
Apart from the above colleges, many other good MBA colleges will also accept CAT score in their MBA admission 2020. Some of them are:

All these MBA colleges in India will accept the CAT scores for MBA admission 2020. Although a few highly ranked MBA colleges also accept other exam scores like XAT, the scores of the largest MBA entrance exam CAT 2019 is the gateway to top MBA colleges in India. It must be noted that the MBA colleges accepting CAT exam scores are not only 20 IIMs but also include top MBA colleges in India as shared above and hundreds of others. 

A few of the top MBA colleges like IMI New Delhi, IMT Ghaziabad might reopen their admission process for a limited period to help the CAT 2019 test-takers to apply for MBA admission 2020. To check the CAT cut-offs, fee, placement and admission status of the top MBA colleges accepting CAT 2019 scores, 

Read More: CAT 2019 – Exam Date, Registration, Syllabus, Preparation, Books