CAT Examination 2020: A Complete Guide

CAT 2020 exam notification will be released in July and it will be held in different cities all over India. Read everything you need to know about CAT 2020 to start your preparations for admissions into the top MBA colleges in the country.

CAT Examination 2020

The common admission test or CAT 2020 notification will be out in July and will be held in the last Sunday of November or the first Sunday of December 2020. This exam will help gain entry to the IIMs as well as to over 1200 B-schools spread across India. Each year, a particular IIM selected on a rotational basis conducts the exam and the institute name is announced in May. CAT 2020 was conducted by IIM Kozhikode on November 25, 2020, and the CAT result was announced on January 5, 2021.

CAT 2020 exam registration

Registration for CAT 2020 will begin from August and will continue till the end of September. About 2.4 lakh candidates register for CAT exam every year. 

CAT 2020 result will be announced in the first week of January 2021. Following this, IIMs will start shortlisting candidates for admission. Go through this article to know all about CAT 2020 exam including eligibility criteria, dates, registration process, fees, exam pattern, syllabus, result, cut off and CAT 2020 preparation.

CAT 2020 Eligibility Criteria

  • Any graduate degree holder having a total aggregate of 50 percent marks or an equivalent CGPA (45 percent for reserved category) can apply for CAT 2020.
  • Candidates holding a professional degree (CA/CS/ICWA) with 50 percent marks or equivalent (45 percent for reserved category).
  • Candidates in their final year of graduation degree can also apply for CAT 2020

Also check CAT Eligibility Criteria

Note: The percentage of marks obtained is calculated on the basis of the formula set by the institution/university of study. In case the particular institute does not have a system for arriving at the equivalent marks from the CGPA, the same can be arrived at by dividing the candidate’s CGPA by the maximum attainable CGPA, and multiplying this result with 100.

CAT 2020 Dates

Given below is a tentative list of CAT 2020 dates. Once the notification is released these dates will be updated.

CAT 2020 EventsCAT 2020 Dates
CAT 2020 notification releaseLast week of July
CAT Registrations startThe first week of August
Registrations endLast week of September
CAT form correctionLast week of September
CAT mock test and official tutorial releaseThe second week of October
Admit card releaseThe third week of October
CAT 2020 examLast Sunday of November or first Sunday of December
Answer key releaseThe second week of December
Result declarationThe first week of January

CAT 2020 Registration cum Application Process

CAT 2020 registrations will start from the first week of August. The candidates can register for the exam by filling an online application that will be available on IIMCAT (CAT 2020) website. Given below is the detailed process of CAT 2020 registration:

  • Select the website for CAT 2020
  • Click on new registrations
  • Key in your personal details like name, DOB, phone number and email ID
  • You will receive an OTP on your email ID, for the authentication of phone number and email ID
  • Next, upload your scanned signature and photo in the prescribed format
  • Fee payment to finish the registration process

CAT 2020 Registration Fees

CAT 2020 registration fee is based on the candidate’s category. Mentioned below is the exam fee for each category:

CategoryCAT fees
General/NC-OBCRs 1900
SC/ST/PWD/EWSRs 950

CAT 2020: Test Cities

The following table has the list of cities across India where CAT 2020 is expected to be conducted by IIMCAT.

Port BlairHamirpurMumbai
GunturJammuNashik
NelloreBokaroSatara
VijayawadaDhanbadPalghar
KakinadaHazaribaghUlhasnagar
RajahmundryJamshedpurShillong
VisakhapatnamRanchiAizawl
KurnoolBelagavi(Belgaum)Kohima
TirupathiBengaluruBalasore
VizianagaramHubballi(Hubli)Cuttack
ItanagarMysuru(Mysore)Sambalpur
DibrugarhKalaburagi(Gulbarga)Berhampur
SilcharShivamogga(Shimoga)Dhenkanal
GuwahatiDharwadBhubaneswar
TezpurMangaluru(Mangalore)Rourkela
JorhatUdupiPuducherry
Aurangabad-BiharKannurPathankot
DarbhangaErnakulamLudhiana
ArrahKollamAmritsar
MuzaffarpurKottayamBhatinda
BhagalpurKozhikodePatiala
PatnaThrissurJalandhar
MohaliTrivandrumSangrur
ChandigarhBhopalAjmer
Bhilai NagarJabalpurJaipur
BilaspurUjjainSikar
RaipurGwaliorAlwar
DelhiSagarJodhpur
FaridabadIndoreUdaipur
GurugramSatnaBikaner
GhaziabadBhopalKota
New DelhiJabalpurMadurai
Greater NoidaUjjainChennai
NoidaGwaliorSalem
MeerutSagarTrichy
PanajiIndoreCoimbatore
AhmedabadSatnaVellore
MehsanaAmravatiTirunelveli
VadodaraJalgaonHyderabad
AnandNagpurKarimnagar
RajkotPuneWarangal
GandhinagarSolapurAllahabad
SuratNavi MumbaiBareilly
AmbalaAhmednagarKanpur
HisarKolhapurMuzaffarnagar
KarnalNandedAgra
KurushetraRaigadGorakhpur
PanipatThaneLucknow
RohtakVasaiVaranasi
ShimlaAurangabadAligarh
JhansiMoradabadDehradun
HaldwaniRoorkeeAsansol
DurgapurBankuraBurdwan
KolkataHooghlyKalyani
Siliguri

CAT 2020 Exam Pattern and Syllabus

CAT 2020 exam pattern is mostly expected to be along the same lines as CAT 2019 except for minor changes in the number of questions from each topic. The key points of the exam pattern are featured below.

CAT exam pattern: Highlights
Exam timingsSlot 1: 9 am to 12 pm; Slot 2: 2 pm to 5 pm
Number of sectionsThree
Names of the sections·Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC)

·Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR)

·Quantitative Aptitude (QA)

Duration of exam60 minutes per section (Total 180 minutes)
Language of question paperEnglish
Total number of questions100
Section-wise number of questions·VARC -34

·DILR- 32

·QA – 34

Number of answer choicesFour
Type of questionsMCQs and Non-MCQs
Section-wise difficulty level·VARC – Easy to moderate

·DILR- Moderate to difficult

·QA – Difficult

Total marks300
Marking Scheme·3 marks for each right question

·Negative marking of 1/3 for each wrong MCQ

·No negative marking in non-MCQs

CAT Syllabus 2020

CAT syllabus 2020 will contain important topics from the following three sections:

  • Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC)
  • Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR)
  • Quantitative Ability (QA)

CAT 2020 Admit Card

CAT 2020 admit card issued only to the registered candidates has to be downloaded from the official website. The admit card will be available for download till the date of the exam.

Here’s how the admit card for CAT 2020 can be downloaded

  • Go to CAT 2020 website
  • Click on login
  • Go to admit card tab
  • Click on download option to get a copy of your CAT admit card

CAT admit card is a must for entry into the examination hall. The candidates should remember to carry two copies of CAT 2020 admit card along with a photo ID card issued by the Government of India to the exam hall.

It is also important to note that a digital copy or a photocopy of the admit card is not valid. The candidates must download their admit cards on an A4 size paper and affix their photo on it.

CAT Answer Key 2020

Before the CAT results are announced, the answer key, individual response sheet and the question paper are released by IIMCAT on their official website. This answer key has two stages to it – Preliminary and Final. Once the preliminary key is released, objections can be raised if a candidate feels that a certain answer is incorrect. Once each of the objections if any, are verified, the final answer key is released. 

Also Check CAT 2020 Answer Key

CAT 2020 Result

The CAT result of 2020 will be declared in the first week of January 2021. The result that also

CAT 2020 Results

contains the scorecard will be available for download on the official website of the IIMCAT. The scorecard contains each candidate’s scaled scores (sectional and overall) and percentile (sectional and overall). This result will be valid for admission to the MBA batch of 2021-2023.

Steps for downloading CAT 2020 result

  • Go to CAT 2020 login page and login with your registered ID
  • Go to scorecard tab
  • Click on download tab for saving a copy of your result cum scorecard

Also Check CAT 2020 Analysis

Also Check CAT Score Vs Percentile, What is the difference

CAT Cut Off and IIM Admission

For admission into the IIMs candidates are screened on the basis of CAT 2020 score, WAT-GD/PI round and Final selection. Candidates who meet the defined CAT 2020 cut off will be called for the WAT-GD/PI round.

After the completion of WAT-GD/PI round, each candidate will be scored on the basis of their performance in CAT 2020, WAT-GD/PI and other parameters:

Listed below are the parameters taken into account by the IIMs for admission through CAT exam:

*Parameters*Weight
CAT 202025
WAT10
PI30
10th board10
12th board5
Graduation10
Weighted Work Experience10
Total100

*These parameters and weights are of IIM Bangalore admission criteria and for reference purpose only. Each IIM allots different weight to these parameters.

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