The CAT exam is a national-level test and a prerequisite for admission to the prestigious Indian Institute of Management (IIMs) and other reputed business schools in India. CAT which is the mother of all management entrances, is normally held on the last Sunday of November in Computer Based Test (CBT) mode. Other than IIMs, CAT also opens the door to some of the top management institutes such as SPJIMR Mumbai, MDI Gurgaon, FMS New Delhi, IMI New Delhi, IMT Ghaziabad, MICA Ahmedabad, Great Lakes Chennai, TAPMI Manipal, Goa Institute of Management, IRMA Anand, etc. The exam comprises sections like Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension, Logical Reasoning & Data Interpretation, and Quantitative Aptitude and one needs to clear sectional cutoffs to receive an interview call from the IIMs.

CAT is a 2-hour exam with timed sections and follows a negative marking system. For each correct answer, candidates will receive 3 marks and 1 mark will be deducted for every incorrect answer for the MCQ-type questions. For non-MCQ-type questions, no marks are deducted. In the second round of selection, the shortlisted students need to appear for Written Aptitude Test (WAT) and Personal Interview (PI). Factors such as academic performance, extra-curricular activities, work experience, etc. are also taken into consideration during the selection process.

To be eligible to apply for CAT, the candidates must have received a degree in any field from any university with a minimum of 50% for the open category and 45% for the reserved category. Normally, CAT aspirants also take up other important management entrances such as XAT, TISS NET, SNAP, NMAT, MICAT, IBSAT, CMAT, MAT, ATMA, etc. These are held after CAT and require no separate preparation. They are normally scheduled after CAT and are not as difficult as CAT. A lot of management colleges worldwide accept global exams such as GMAT & GRE but they are expensive compared to exams in India. The GMAT fee is $275, while for GRE it is $150.