CAT or Common Admission Test is an entrance test conducted for entry into the post graduate management or business programs of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM’s). This exam is conducted all over India every year by the IIM’s and the CAT scores are also accepted by various other institutions for providing admissions into various management programs.

On completion of any graduation, a student may decide to do an MBA degree. To gain entry into the prestigious IIM’s, one needs to have completed a three year graduation program with a minimum percentage of 50% or equivalent CGPA(45% for SC/ST candidates) or should be in the final year of such a graduation program, as well as clear the CAT exam successfully. On getting selected in the exam, a candidate has to clear a group discussion and a personal interview round. Students may also opt for various fellow-ship programs i.e Ph.d programs in various specialized fields of management under different business institutions with the CAT scores.

The CAT exam tests a candidate primarily on the following three sections namely verbal, quantitative and analytical reasoning section which range from question from geometry, arithmetical problem solving, statistics, logical reasoning, statistics, reading comprehension, antonyms, etc. There is negative marking in the CAT exam and a candidate is penalized for all wrong answers he/she selects. The exam ranges for about two and a half hours and the number of questions vary between 120-150. Registration for the CAT exam may be done on-line or by purchase of the CAT bulletin from the respective bank assigned to issue such bulletin. The CAT exam is also set to go on-line from this year. Select centers have been identified for conducting the on-line test and several safety measures have been taken to ensure papers do not leak out and there is no cheating by any candidate as well as check identity of a candidate with finger-print scan and pupil checks.  CAT 2009 is scheduled to be conducted between 28th Nov, 2009 and 7th Dec, 2009.

There are many prestigious institutions like FMS Delhi, IIFT, MDI Gurgaon, Bharathidasan Institute of Management, Birla Institute of Management Technology, etc which accept the CAT score to evaluate an applicant for admission into their respective MBA programs. Thus the CAT exam has gained immense popularity over the years and all aspiring students who want to pursue a post-graduate career in management, will definitely take the CAT exam to ultimately achieve their career goals. The CAT exam is said to be the most competitive exam which judges the potential of candidates.