× logo

The Free 30-Day CAT RC Course

"It is designed to help you excel in the upcoming CAT 2024 exam"

-By Lavleen Kaur Kapoor. Over 2,00,000+ Subscribers

read more

No thanks >

PGDM

CAT, XAT, GMAT

OPEN

PGDM

XAT, CAT, GMAT, CMAT

OPEN

MBA/PGPM

IBSAT, CAT, XAT, NMAT, GMAT

OPEN
Lavleen kaur kapoor

Get Personalized MBA Mentorship

Hope you enjoy reading this article.
Connect with my team on WhatsApp for unbiased MBA College Selection advice.


- Lavleen Kaur Kapoor
-->

More Aspirants for CAT Means Tougher Competition

Calender Icon CAT Registration Ends: 13th September 2023

More Aspirants for CAT Means Tougher Competition

What makes a competition-based exam like CAT tough? Apart from the difficulty level of questions and strict marking scheme, it is the ‘competition’ among the students who sit for it. With a large volume of test takers competing for a limited number of seats, the race is hard.

CAT V/S Other Exams

  1. CAT is undoubtedly one of the most sought-after exams that every management aspirant wants to write.
  2. It is the gateway to the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and at least 100 other b-schools across India.
  3. When compared to its counterparts like XAT, NMAT, SNAP or CMAT, the CAT exam sees very high number registrations every year.
  4. The table below shows the number of registrations in various management entrance exams:

MBA Exams in India

Aspirants Registering (approx.)

Common Aptitude Test

CAT

2,44,169 *

Xavier Aptitude Test

XAT

75000

Common Management Admission Test

CMAT

70000

Symbiosis National Aptitude Test

SNAP

50000

NMIMS Management Aptitude Test

NMAT by GMAC

90000

*CAT 2019 Media Release

CAT Exam & Registration Trend

CAT is a computer-based test which tests your aptitude, attitude and accuracy . It is conducted on a single day in two slots – forenoon and afternoon. Every year the CAT registration window is open for eight weeks and lakhs of students – freshers, experienced – apply for it.

Below is the CAT registration trend in the last five years:

CAT Exam Year

Total CAT Registered Candidates

Actual CAT Test Takers

CAT 2019

2,44,169

-

CAT 2018

2,41,000

2,09,405

CAT 2017

2,31,067

1,99,632

CAT 2016

2,32,436

1,95,679

CAT 2015

2,18,664

179,602

CAT Cutoff

Cutoff for a competition exam is a statistical measure of distribution which helps colleges shortlist probable candidates. Every year the cutoff for CAT varies. The factors that determine the CAT cutoff are:

  1. Based on Aspirants
    1. Total number of candidates appearing for the CAT exam.
    2. Calibre of the test takers who are competing for the seats.




    3.  
    4.  
    5.  
  2. Based on Available Seats
    1. Total number of seats available in IIMs and other CAT participating institutes.




    2.  
    3.  
    4.  
  3. Based on Exam Pattern & Scores
    1. Overall difficulty level of the CAT exam and individual sections – VARC, DILR & QA.
    2. Normalized scores in order to ensure uniformity in the overall performance of all candidates.
 

Speaking of the IIMs alone, they are known to screen applicants who have at least 95 to 96 percentile score. Thus, out of two lakh (approx.) students who sit for CAT exam, only 8 to 10 thousand candidates are shortlisted for nearly 3200 seats.

With large number of well qualified aspirants, hard & tricky questions, and limited number of seats, the CAT fight is surely fierce.

Stay informed, Stay ahead and stay inspired with MBA Rendezvous