The number of questions on the CAT and the amount of time you have to finish it has varied over the years. At time of publication the CAT takes 2.5 hours and has 60 questions: 20 in the Verbal Ability (English skills) section, 20 in the Quantitative Aptitude (arithmetic, geometry, statistics) section and 20 in the Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation (logical reasoning, puzzles, graph and chart interpretation) section. The CAT is a computer-based, multiple-choice exam. The first 15 minutes are devoted to a tutorial that teaches you how to maneuver through the computerized test program. You will receive scratch paper, pens and any other accessories you might need; you may not bring your own to the exam. The CAT website has a practice test you can take online.
The CAT is administered in November; the registration period is during the month of September and the beginning of October. Before you register, you must buy a CAT voucher at any branch of Axis Bank. Then, go to Catiim.in and click on "Register for CAT." You will be asked to create a profile about your educational history and goals -- including the programs to which you are applying -- and to choose a test date and center. The CAT is administered at 33 test centers around India. After you register, you will receive an admission voucher to print out. On the day of the exam, bring the admission voucher with you as well as the CAT voucher from the bank and a Photo ID.
Your exam is scored by computer. First it will compute a raw score by giving you three points for every correct answer and subtracting one point for every incorrect answer -- there is neither a reward nor a penalty for skipped questions. It will then adjust your raw score in an "equating" process to ensure that scores from different test versions have equivalent meanings. Finally, your equated score will be "scaled" to reflect your performance compared to others who took the same test. You will receive four scores -- your total scaled score plus a scaled score for each separate section.
By the second week of January, IIM will post your scores on the CAT website, using individualized codes to maintain your anonymity. It will also list the codes for applicants who, because of their high scores on the CAT, are invited to progress to the next step of the application process, a personal interview. At that point, you'll have to prove that you had been eligible to take the CAT, by producing a college transcript showing that you have a bachelor's degree or that you are in your final year of undergraduate studies. You must have at least 50 percent marks -- the equivalent of an American GPA of 2.0 out of 4 -- to be eligible.