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CAT Exam Pattern 2024

This year CAT 2024 exam was conducted in three sessions. The exam pattern has been changed a few times in the past years. IIM Lucknow conducted CAT 2024 with some new changes in test content and structure. There three sections as in previous years- Quantitative Aptitude, Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension, Logical Reasoning & Data Interpretation. There three session or slots in the same day- morning, afternoon and evening.

Due to the pandemic lot of changes were introduced to the CAT exam. The sectional time limit has been reduced to 40 from 60 minutes.

Year of the exam Number of Question
2020 76
2021 66
2022 66

CAT Exam 2024 Important Dates:

CAT 2024 Events Date
Notification release date 30-July-2024
Registration Starts August 01, 2024 (10:00 am)
Registration Ends September 13, 2024 (5:00 pm)
CAT 2024 admit card download begins November 05- November 24, 2024
CAT 2024 Exam Date November 24, 2024
CAT 2024 Result Date Second week of January, 2025 (Tentative)

Note: The registration for CAT 2024 will start in the first week of August 2024, and the exams are expected to be conducted on November 24, 2024

Points to Remember for CAT 2024 Exam

  • IIM Lucknow conducted CAT 2024 with some new changes in test content and structure.
  • MCQS questions have negative marking and Non -MCQs do not have any negative marking for any wrong answer.
  • Candidates were able to use an on-screen calculator during the exam
  • For applicants who are granted CGPA, the conversion of grades will be according to the method approved by the university or institute.

Session Timings

Morning Session 8:30 am - 10:30 pm
Afternoon Session 12:30 pm - 2:30 pm
Evening Session 4:30 pm - 6:30 pm

Section-wise exam pattern

Section Total Questions Allotted time
Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC) 24 40 Minutes
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) 20 40 Minutes
Quantitative Aptitude (QA) 22 40 Minutes
Total 66 120mins

CAT Exam Eligibility:

The candidate who wants to appear in the CAT exam must reach the eligibility criteria mentioned below.

  • The CAT exam eligibility criteria ensure that the candidates have completed their graduation/ required qualification with an aggregate of 50% of marks to attend an examination.
  • The candidates having a place with any of the saved classifications like Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), and Persons with Disability (PWD)/(DA) classification must-have in any event 45% marks with a relaxation of 5%.
  • Candidates performing for the final year of Bachelors’s degree or comparable qualification examination and those who have achieved degree qualifications and are expecting results can also apply.
  • For applicants who are granted CGPA, the conversion of grades will be according to the method approved by the university or institute.

There is no age restriction and the number of attempts for the CAT Exam. The degree certificates which are awarded to the students must have recognized by the Indian Ministry of Human Resource Development or under section 3 of the UGC Act, 1965.

CAT 2024 Exam Highlights

Number of sessions 3
Mode Computer-Based test
Negative Marking -1 for each wrong answer
Each Correct answer carries 3 marks
Total number of questions 66
Total Marks 198
Exam duration 2 Hours
Question Types MCQs and TITA
Total Sections 3

It is necessary to understand the CAT marking system before appearing for the exam.

  • Each question carries 3 marks.
  • Questions will be in MCQs and Non-MCQs format
  • The correct answer carries +3 marks whereas the wrong answer -3 in MCQs.
  • In Non-MCQ, the correct answer carries +3 whereas 0 for the incorrect
  • An onscreen clock and a calculator will be granted.

CAT Exam Centers:

CAT 2024 was held in 167 cities in 367 test centers across the country.and Imphal has been added to the list of test cities for CAT 2024. On the application form, Candidates had to select up to six exam centers based on their accessibility

CAT 2024 will be conducted by one of the 6 top IIMs. Based on trends, it is very likely that either IIM Lucknow or IIM Calcutta will conduct CAT 2024 is expected to be held November 24, 2024.
No, there is no age limit to take the CAT exam.
Yes, there is a 33% negative marking for MCQs, which means that 1 mark is deducted for each incorrect attempt. There is no negative marking for TITA questions.
The CAT 2024 exam will only be offered in online CBT mode at 400+ test centers spread across 150+ major cities in India. The CAT exam is not administered on paper or via the internet.

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