There are several different MBA colleges in India but those who are preparing to study in any of the reputed MBA institutes in India would be well aware of the Common Admission Test, the test is better known as CAT (Common Aptitude Test). This is a test held annually for the admission to the Post-graduate and Fellow Programs in management courses of several management institutes in India. This is a written examination organized by the Indian Institutes of Management (IIM) and it is on the basis of CAT result that the eligible candidates are short listed and called for a Group Discussion and Personal Interview.

CAT is considered to be a major requirement for a candidate seeking admission to the prestigious management institutes of India. The percentile secured in CAT is assessed by the B-Schools in India for short-listing candidates for admissions to their various MBA Programs.

CAT has become one of the most competitive exams to judge the potential of the candidates willing to pursue their career in business administration.


Eligibility Criteria for CAT:
For applying to the CAT 2009, a candidate must hold a Bachelor's Degree, with at least 50% marks or equivalent CGPA [45% in case of candidates belonging to SC/ ST or Persons with Disability], of any of the Universities or Institutes recognized by the UGC or the Ministry of HRD, Government of India. The Bachelor's Degree or equivalent qualification obtained by the candidate must be of minimum three years duration after completing Higher Secondary schooling (10+2) or equivalent. Candidates in their final year of graduation/ equivalent qualification and those who have completed the exams and are awaiting results are also eligible for the CAT 2009. They must produce a certificate from the Principal / Head of the Department/ Registrar/ Director of the University / Institution certifying that he / she is currently in the final year awaiting final results.

MBA Study Centres
The MBA learning centres brush the students by providing them with the necessary study materials and making them aware of the mistakes to be avoided during the entrance exam. They also take Mock Tests to evaluate the potential of the students and give them the feedback.

Entrance exams Paper Patterns
The question paper for the entrance exam would mostly have four different segments, namely, Verbal Ability, Reading Comprehension, Problem Solving and Data Interpretation. Every year for the past few years the IIMs change the question pattern to prevent expectedness. The students, must should therefore have a deeper perceptive of concepts and their application to succeed in the CAT. It is to be noted that you have to perform well in all the three sections of the CAT as the test evaluates the overall aptitude of the student.