IIM CAT 2016 Notification | Common Admission Test (CAT) 2016 Eligibility, dates, application

Common Admission Test (CAT) 2016 registration and exam dates released

CAT 2016 notification has been released by IIM Bangalore CAT Exam 2016 on 04th December 2016 (Sunday)

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The Indian Institutes of Management will conduct Common Entrance Admission Test 2016 (CAT 2016) on Sunday 04th December 2016 in two sessions. CAT 2016 will be conducted by IIMs as a pre-requisite for admission to various management programmes of IIMs.

A. Post Graduate Programmes in Management

Follow some of the programmes offered via Common Admission Test (CAT) 2016 scores in IIMs and various top B-schools are:

IIM Ahmedabad [Programmes - PGP, PGP-FABM]

IIM Amritsar [Programme - PGP]

IIM Bangalore [Programmes - PGP, PGPEM, PGPPM]

IIM Bodh Gaya [Programme - PGP]

IIM Calcutta [Programmes - PGP-PGDM]

IIM Indore [Programmes - PGP (Indore, Mumbai), EPGP]

IIM Jammu [Programmes - PGP]

IIM Kashipur [Programmes - PGP, EPGPM]

IIM Kozhikode [Programmes - PGP]

IIM Lucknow [Programmes - PGP, PGP-ABM, PGPSM]

IIM Nagpur [Programme - PGP]

IIM Raipur [Programmes - PGP, PGPWE]

IIM Ranchi [Programmes - PGDM, PGDHRM]

IIM Rohtak [Programmes - PGP, EPGP]

IIM Sambalpur [Programme - PGP]

RGIIM Shillong [Programmes - PGP, PGPEX]

IIM Sirmaur [Programme - PGP]

IIM Tiruchirappalli [Programmes - PGP, PGPBM]

IIM Udaipur [Programme - PGP]

IIM Vishapatnam [Programme - PGP]

B. Fellow Programmes in Management (FPM) (equivalent to PhD) of IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, IIM Calcutta, IIM Indore, IIM Kashipur, IIM Kozhikode, IIM Lucknow, IIM Raipur, IIM Ranchi, IIM Rohtak, RGIIM Shillong, IIM Tiruchirappalli, IIM Udaipur and EFPM Programmes of IIM Kashipur and IIM Raipur.

List of Non - IIM Member Institutions

Andhra Pradesh; Assam; Bihar; Chandigarh; Delhi; Goa; Gujarat; Haryana; Jammu & Kashmir; Jharkhand; Karnataka; Kerala; Madhya Pradesh; Maharashtra; Odisha; Punjab; Rajasthan; Tamil Nadu (give link)

List of non - IIM member institutions that have registered to avail the CAT 2016 scores is provided at www.iimcat.ac.in. The CAT 2016 Scores are allowed to be used by the listed non-IIM member institutions

Please note that IIMs have no role in the selection process of non-IIM Institutions

Eligibility Criteria for CAT 2016

The candidate must hold a Bachelor’s Degree, with at least 50% marks or equivalent CGPA [45% in case of the candidates belonging to SC/ST and Persons With Disability (PWD) Categories], awarded by any University or educational institution as incorporated by an Act of the Parliament or State legislature in India or declared to be deemed as a University under Section 3 of the UGC Act, 1956, or possess an equivalent qualification recognised by the Ministry of HRD, Govt. of India, India

The percentage of marks obtained by the candidate would be calculated based on the practice as followed by the respective University/Institution. In case of grades/CGPA, the conversion to percentage of marks would be based on the procedure as certified by the respective University/ institution

If any University/institution confirms that there is no scheme for converting CGPA into equivalent marks, the equivalence would be established by dividing the candidate’s CGPA by the maximum possible CGPA, and multiplying the result with 100

Candidates appearing for the final year of Bachelor’s degree/ equivalent qualification exam and those who have completed degree requirements and are awaiting results can also apply. However, it may be noted that such candidates, if selected, will be allowed to join the programme provisionally, only if they submit a certificate from the Principal/Registrar of their University/institution (issued on or before the date as stipulated by the respective IIM) stating that they have completed all the requirements for obtaining the Bachelor’s degree/ equivalent qualification on the date of the issue of the certificate

IIMs may verify eligibility at various stages of the selection process, the details of which are provided at the website www.iimcat.ac.in

Applicants should note that the mere fulfillment of minimum eligibility criteria will not ensure consideration for short listing by IIMs. Candidates must declare and maintain a valid and unique email account and a phone number throughout the selection process

Reservations

As per the legal requirements, 15% of the seats are reserved for SC and 7.5% for candidates. 27% of seats are reserved for Other Backward Classes candidates belonging to the "non-creamy" layer (NC-OBC)

For the purpose of being considered for reservations, the applicable Central Govt. List as on the last date of CAT registration shall be binding. No subsequent changes will be effective for CAT 2016 and any subsequent selection process of the IIMs

For an updated central list of state - wise OBCs eligible for availing the benefit of reservation and information in respect of the creamy layer, visit the website www.ncbc.nic.in

As per the provision under section 39 of the PWD Act, 1995, 3% seats are reserved for PWD candidates. The three categories of disability are:

a) low vision blindness,

b) hearing impairment and

c) loco motor disability/cerebral palsy

This provision is applicable if the candidate suffers from any of the listed disabilities to the extent of not less than 40%, as certified by a medical authority as prescribed and explained in the said Act.

Candidates belonging to the reserved categories need to note the eligibility requirements carefully before applying. It should be noted that while it is the endeavor of IIMs that the candidates belonging to SC/ST/PWD/NC-OBC categories join the Programme in proportions mandated by the law, they have to meet the minimum eligibility criteria and a certain minimum level of performance to be considered for the admission process

Candidates should read the updated description of selection process followed by each IIM on their respective websites. No change in the category will be entertained after CAT registration; hence, applicants are advised to give attention while registering

Note for SC, ST, NC-OBC, and PWD Candidates

If you belong to SC or ST categories, your caste/tribe must be listed in the Govt. of India schedule. The caste certificate that you submit to IIM should be in the Govt. approved format and should clearly state: (a) Name of your caste/tribe; (b) Whether you belong to Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe; (c) District and the State or Union Territory of your ordinary residence; and (d) the appropriate Govt. of India schedule under which your caste/tribe is approved by it as SC/ST

A copy of the SC/ST/NC-OBC/PWD certificate(s) must be uploaded at the time of CAT Application registration. Failure to upload a copy of the caste/class certificate will result in the rejection of your CAT registration

Selection Process through CAT 2016

Please note that each IIM shortlists candidates for second stage of selection which may be independent of each other

The process may include Written Ability Test (WAT), Group Discussion (GD) and Personal Interviews (PI). Performance in CAT 2016 exam is an important component in the admission process

IIMs may additionally use other factors like previous academic performance of the candidates, relevant work experience and other similar inputs in short listing and ranking of candidates at various stages of the admission process

The processes, academic cut-offs and the weights allocated to the evaluation parameters may vary across IIMs

For more information, refer the admissions policies of IIMs from their respective websites

Exam Pattern for CAT 2016 same as 2015

CAT 2016 will be conducted in two sessions on one day. The exam will be held on 04th December 2016 (Sunday)

The exam will be conducted in 138 cities

Candidates will be given the option to select 4 Test Cities in order of preference. Test Cities and Centers will be assigned to the candidates only after the last date for CAT 2016 registration and hence candidates need not rush to block slots and sites in the initial days of registration

The duration of the exam will be 180 minutes. There will be three sections:

Section I: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension

Section II: Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning

Section III: Quantitative Ability

Some questions in each section may not be of multiple choice type. Instead, direct answers are to be typed on the screen. The tutorials will clearly explain this. Also, we will allow use of basic on-screen calculator for computation

Candidates will be allotted exactly 60 minutes for answering questions in each section and they cannot switch from one section to another while answering questions in a section

Test Centres

There will be around 135 test cities; details about the test sites in these test cities will be available on www.iimcat.ac.in from 18th October 2016 and the name of the Test Site will be indicated in the Admit Card

IIMs reserve the right to change or cancel any test venue/centre and /or change IIMs reserve the test time and date at their own discretion

CAT 2016 Scores

Candidates CAT 2016 score card will be made accessible at www.iimcat.ac.in. Candidates may also be intimated individually by SMS. The CAT results are likely be declared by 02nd week of January 2017. CAT 2016 score is valid only till 31st December 2017 and will accordingly be accessible on the website

Thereafter, no queries related to issuance of CAT 2016 score cards will be entertained

CAT 2016 Results & Shortlisting

Information related to CAT 2016 results will be tentatively available starting 02nd week of January 2017 on this website

The list of candidates shortlisted for the next level of selection will be made available on the website of the respective IIMs. Each IIM will send interview letters to the shortlisted candidates directly. The criteria for shortlisting vary from IIM to IIM.

Registration for CAT 2016

The registration window opens on 08th August 2016 and will close at 05.00 pm on 22nd September 2016

The details about the registration process will be available on the CAT website www.iimcat.ac.in

At the time of registration, the candidates have to select any four Test Cities as per their preference from the drop down menu; after the last date of registration candidates will be allotted one among the 4 preferred cities and either of the two sessions.

In the rare case that a candidate is not allotted any of the preferred cities, he/she will be allotted a nearby city

The candidates can downloaded the admit cards from 18th October 2016 till 04th December 2016

Important Dates of CAT 2016 (Common Admission Test)

Released of Advertisement Date: 31st July 2016

Starting date of Online Registration: 08th August 2016

Last Date of Application Form: 22nd September 2016 (till 05.00 pm)

Issue of Admit Card: 18th October 2016 (from 01.00 pm)

Release of CAT 2016 Exam Pattern Tutorial: 18th October 2016

Entrance Exam Date: 04th December 2016 (Sunday)

Releasing Date of Result: 2nd week of January 2017

IIM Bangalore

Help Desk email ID: cathelpdesk@iimcat.ac.in, Help Desk Number: 1-800-266-3549 (Monday to Saturday 09:00 a.m. to 05:30 p.m.; not available on National / Public Holidays), Website www.iimcat.ac.in

IIMs - Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bangalore, Bodh, Gaya, Calcutta, Indore, Jammu, Kashipur, Kozhikode, Lucknow, Nagpur, Raipur, Ranchi, Sambalpur, Shilong, Sirmaur, Tiruchirappalli, Udaipur, Visakhapatnam