Overview: CAT exam is one of the most sought-after MBA entrances of our country. Aspiring candidates like you often ponder to this question "Is CAT exam tough". The standard of this exam is so that it stands among the toughest exams for MBA admissions in top B-schools.

The CAT exam is designed to assess your aptitude based on Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR), Quantitative Ability (QA). Having a grasp on these sections is crucial for you to succeed int the CAT exam.

In this blog besides answering the question "is CAT exam tough", we will cover many other aspects like why it's considered challenging, its difficulty level, and most importantly how can you overcome this challenge and ace in the exam.

Download FREE Study Material for CAT Exam 2024 by SuperGrads

Learn More: How to Prepare for CAT in 6-Months

Nature of CAT Exam: How is CAT Exam Tough

Given its comprehensive nature, it's natural to ask, "Is the CAT exam tough?" When we talk about the toughest exams in our country, the CAT entrance exam is always part of the discussion.

Nowadays, management has become a prominent and feasible career choice for many aspirants who wish to move ahead in the business and corporate world. Many candidates want to get into the top B-schools in the country. As almost all B-schools accept the scores of one single common entrance tests, the competition rises.

Because of this reason, the CAT exam is conducted every year by the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs). IIMs are the top choices for candidates who want to pursue postgraduate management programs like an MBA.

Check: CAT Exam Marking Scheme 2024

Is CAT Exam Tough? Let's Find Out

CAT exam is definitely one of the toughest exams of our country as the selection into the top b-schools of our country like IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, IIM Calcutta, XLRI, etc. becomes a little challenging because of the high cut offs of these institutes.

As per the data, you must know that around 3.3 lakhs candidates applied for CAT exam 2023. Around 60 students fight for a single seat of an IIM. The competition rises every year (see the table below)

Read More: What is CAT Exam Full Form

What is CAT Exam?

Here’s a brief overview of the CAT Entrance Exam 2024: 

CAT Exam Particulars	CAT Exam 2024 Details
CAT Full Form	Common Admission Test (CAT)
Conducting Institute	IIMs
Exam Frequency	Once a year
CAT Exam Date 2024	Sunday, November 24, 2024 (tentatively)
Eligibility Criteria	Graduation with 50% aggregate (45% for SC/ST students)
Number of Applications in CAT exam	3.28 lakh (in 2023)
Exam Purpose	Study at IIMs, SPJIMR, FMS, MDI, IMT and over 1,200 B-Schools in India
Courses Offered Through CAT Exam	MBA/ PGDM
No. of test cities for CAT Exam	150

Check: CAT Exam Eligibility Criteria 2024

Is CAT Exam Tough?

What Makes CAT the Toughest Exam of the Country?

To answer the most pondered over question "is CAT exam tough", let's see the reasons of why it is considered the toughest exam of India.

1. Standard Questions: The questions in the CAT exams do not just contain application of formulas. Rather it requires a high level of critical and most importantly analytical thinking to comprehend the conceptual questions from the fundamental concepts. The complexity hence becomes high.
2. Competitive Nature: As you saw the above statistical chart, it must be understood that aspirants like you are pulling themselves for the limited seats.
3. Time Bound Online Test: The entrance test is completely time bound. As per the CAT 2023 paper pattern, there were 66 conceptual questions which are to be solved in 120 minutes with a sectional timing of 40 minutes. This requires aspirants to maintain the speed as well as accuracy.
4. Complicated Syllabus: The syllabus of the CAT exam is never released by any official authority beforehand. It becomes tricky for candidates to prepare for an entrance from a syllabus based on CAT previous year's question papers which are asked from a wide range of topics.

Strategies to Overcome the CAT Exam Difficulty Level

Now that you got the answer to the question "is CAT exam tough", it's important that you prepare for this tough competition and high difficulty level. Following are the tips for you to escalate your CAT exam preparation:

• Simplify and streamline the approach for your CAT exam preparation by taking a mock test. This initial step helps you identify your starting point and set your goals. A pre-preparation mock test highlights the areas you need to improve.
• After understanding your current standing and target, clarify all fundamental concepts and their applications.
• Take mock tests regularly to familiarize yourself with the CAT's question types, key concepts, and strategies for the Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Logical Reasoning (LR), and Quantitative Ability (QA) sections.
• Based on your strengths, develop a strategy for efficiently covering the entire syllabus and begin taking sectional tests to deepen your understanding of each subject.
• Finally, revision is critical. Once you've covered the CAT 2024 syllabus, dedicate time to revise thoroughly to reinforce your knowledge and improve your confidence before the exam.

Also Check: CAT Exam Preparation Books 2024 

Minimum Score Required to Get into IIMs Through CAT

CAT Cut off for IIM is announced to release the qualifying percentile in their official admission brochure. The table below provides the category-wise CAT Cut off for IIM for 2024:

IIM	General	OBC	EWS	SC	ST
IIM Ahmedabad	80	75	80	70	60
IIM Bangalore	85	75	75	70	65
IIM Kozhikode	85	75	75	65	55
IIM Calcutta	85	75	75	70	65
IIM Lucknow	90	82	82	65	60
IIM Mumbai	85	75	75	70	65
IIM Indore	90	80	90	60	50
IIM Raipur	92	74	70	54	40
IIM Rohtak	95	78	90	55	30
IIM Udaipur	92	74	70	54	40
IIM Kashipur	92	74	70	54	40
IIM Trichy	92	74	70	54	40
IIM Ranchi	92	74	70	54	40
IIM Shillong	75	75	75	60	50
IIM Visakhapatnam	80	70	72	45	35
IIM Jammu	Male- 90 Female- 87	Male- 72 Female- 70	Male- 68 Female- 65	Male- 52 Female- 50	Male- 37 Female- 34
IIM Nagpur	90	76.5	80	60	40
IIM Amritsar	85	75	85	55	40
IIM Bodh Gaya	92	74	70	54	40
IIM Sambalpur	74	74	70	54	40
IIM Sirmaur	92	74	70	54	40

The CAT cut off for different b-schools varies from college to college and is based on various factors such as the number of applicants, difficulty level of the exam, etc.

The CAT Cut off for IIMs varies from year to year. Generally, a student must get a percentile of 90+ to be shortlisted for the IIMs. 

Check: How to Prepare for the CAT Exam at Home?