Common Admission Test

The Common Admission Test (CAT)[2] is a computer based test held in India. The test scores a
candidate on the bases of Quantitative Ability (QA), Verbal Ability (VA) and Reading
Comprehension (RC), Data Interpretation (DI) and Logical Reasoning (LR). The Indian Institutes
of Management (IIMs) started this exam and use the test for selecting students for their business
administration programs. The test is conducted every year by one of the IIMs based on a policy of
rotation. In August 2011, it was announced that Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and Indian
Institute of Science (IISc) would also use the CAT scores, instead of the Joint Management
Entrance Test (JMET), to select students for their management programmes starting with the 201214 batch.[3] Common Admission Test (CAT) 2015 was conducted by the Indian Institute of
Management Ahmedabad (IIM Ahmedabad)[4] on November 29, 2015. IIM Indore[5] held
Common Admission Test for the years 2013-14.

History
Before 2009, CAT was a paper based test conducted on a single day for all candidates. The pattern,
number of questions and duration have seen considerable variations over the years.
On 1 May 2009, it was announced that CAT would be a Computer Based Test starting from 2009.
The American firm Prometric was entrusted with the responsibility of conducting the test.[6] The
first computer based CAT was marred with technical snags.[7] The issue was so serious that it
prompted the Government of India to seek a report from the convenor.[8] The trouble was
diagnosed as 'Conficker' and 'W32 Nimda', the two viruses that attacked the system display of the
test, causing severe slow down.[9] CAT 2015 was conducted by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS).
CAT 2015 was a 180-minute test consisting of 100 questions (34 from Quantitative Ability (QA), 34
from Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), and 32 from Data Interpretation and
Logical Reasoning (DILR).[10] As per the official notification, this year CAT 2016 will be
conducted by Indian Institutes of Management (IIM) Bangalore.

Exam format
The Common Admission Test (CAT), like virtually all large-scale exams, utilises multiple forms, or
versions, of the test. Hence there are two types of scores involved: a raw score and a scaled score.
The raw score is calculated for each section based on the number of questions one answered
correctly, incorrectly, or left unattempted. Candidates are given +3 points for each correct answer
and -1 point for each incorrect answer. No points are given for questions that are not answered. The
raw scores are then adjusted through a process called equating. Equated raw scores are then placed
on a common scale or metric to ensure appropriate interpretation of the scores. This process is
called scaling.

Test pattern and duration

Since last two years, the structure of the test has undergone a few changes. CAT is a computer based
test which consists of 100 objective type questions.
There are 3 sections in the test they are,
Quantitative Ability (QA)
Verbal and Reading Comprehension (VRC), and
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DI & LR).
The Quantitative Ability and Verbal& Reading Comprehension sections consist of 34 questions,
whereas the Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning section caries 32 questions. Along with the
objective type questions, there are some non-MCQ questions in each section. Candidates have to
answer in the space provided to them.
The total duration of the test is 180 minutes or 3 hours. However, each section of the test has a time
limit of 1 hour each. The test takers cannot switch between the sections and have to attend the test
in a particular order. The order of the sections is VRC
DI & LR, and
QA
As per the marking scheme, each question carries 4 marks and there is negative marking of 1 mark
for each wrong answer. There is no negative marking for the non-MCQ questions.
Four scaled scores will be presented for each candidate: an overall scaled score and three separate
scaled scores for each section. As the three sections evaluate distinct sets of knowledge and skills,
scores do not correlate across sections. A high score in one section does not guarantee a high score
in another section. Percentile rankings are provided for each individual section as well as for the
overall exam score.[11]