CAT Notification 2024 (Out): Important Dates, Exam Pattern, Fees

The highly anticipated CAT notification 2024 was released on July 28th 2024. The CAT notification 2024 contains all the most critical information about the exam – the most vital dates, the exam pattern, the marking scheme, and other crucial details. The CAT exam, taken by over 3 lakh students annually, is the country’s most popular management entrance exam.

Lakhs of students vie for admission to the best MBA programs in the top colleges of India via the CAT exam. According to the CAT notification, CAT registration will begin on August 1st, 2024, and end on September 13th, 2024. Students can visit the official site to register for the exam, slated to be held on November 24th, 2024. Additionally, the exam pattern is expected to remain the same as last year, sans any major surprises.

This notification marks the beginning of this year’s CAT exam cycle, which starts with registrations in August and ends with the final results in January 2025. Read on to find out what this year’s CAT notification 2024 has in store for you.

CAT notification highlights 2024

In this section, we’ll cover the overview of all the information the CAT notification contains.

1. 1. This year, IIM Calcutta is conducting the CAT exam. Last year, IIM Lucknow was the official conducting body.
   2. The CAT exam date is usually set for the last Sunday of November. Continuing with this trend, the exam date for CAT 2024 is 24 November 2024.
   3. The registrations began on August 1 and will end on 13 September. Although last year, an extension was given for those who weren’t able to register in time for CAT, we cannot expect the same this year. Its best to register for CAT well before the CAT registration last date.
   4. The CAT exam format will largely remain the same. While a sectional breakdown of the number of questions isn’t usually given, we can safely assume that there’ll be 66 questions spread across 3 sections—LRDI, QA, and VARC—to be attempted in 2 hours. 
   5. There will be a sectional time limit of 40 minutes per section. It is important to be mindful of the sectional time limits because students will not be allowed to switch between sections.
   6. The CAT admit card will be available from November 5th and can be downloaded from the official website.
   7. As has always been the case, the CAT result 2024 will be declared in early January. Apart from CAT scores and percentiles, students will also learn if they’ve made the shortlists for the IIMs they signed up for.
   8. Apart from the MCQs, which have a negative marking of 1 mark for every wrong answer, there will also be TITA or Type-in-the-Answer questions with no negative marking.
   9. The use of the on-screen calculator will be allowed for LRDI and QA sections.

   For a more detailed explanation of the points included in the CAT notification 2024, continue reading below.

   Read More – CAT Syllabus

   CAT important dates 2024

   For most aspirants appearing for CAT 2024, the exam spells one of the most intense periods of their careers. And in the midst of their preparation, they can often forget to keep track of the most critical dates, which can prove to be counterproductive. 

   Here are the most important CAT dates, as mentioned in the CAT 2024 notification, that you should track:

   CAT Notification Events	Important Dates
   CAT registration start date	1st August 2024
   CAT registration last date	13th September 2024
   CAT form correction window	September 2024
   CAT admit card download date	5th November 2024
   CAT exam date	24th November 2024
   CAT result date	Second week of January 2025

    

   
   Read More – CAT Exam 2024 – Dates, registration, syllabus, exam pattern

   CAT registration 2024

   Now, we come to the second most important part of the CAT notification – the registration process. While we will write another blog on how to register for CAT and the most common mistakes to avoid while filling out the CAT form, we’ve prudently included some of the most important parts here for you to remember.

   1. Always preview the whole CAT application form before submitting it. Although there is a form correction window of 3 days, you’ll only be allowed to edit the form once.
   2. Only 3 kinds of errors are permitted to be changed during the form correction window – photograph, signature, and your test city preferences.
   3. Make sure you list out the test city preferences accurately. Once the test city, centre, and slot are allotted, no change requests will be entertained.
   4. Always try and complete the CAT registration process as early as you can. Often, there are some documentation errors that need to be rectified early. Filling out the form early and not waiting for the CAT registration last date will give you enough time to deal with any roadblocks that might occur.
   5. According to the CAT 2024 notification, the CAT exam registration fees for general candidates are Rs. 2500, while the same is Rs. 1250 for PwD and reserved category students.
   6. While filling out the registration form, keep soft copies of your documents, such as mark sheets and photographs, ready. Ensure the documents match the specifications as mentioned on the official website.
   7. Your form will only be considered submitted once you complete the payment and receive an authorised notification endorsing it.Read More – CAT Cutoff

   CAT exam pattern 2024

   Assuming there are no major changes to the CAT exam pattern, the paper will consist of three sections: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension, Quantitative Ability, and Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation. 

   Read More – CAT Exam Pattern

   Components	Details
   Total questions in the CAT exam	66
   Total marks	198
   Total CAT exam sections	3
   CAT exam duration	2 hours
   Sectional time limit	40 minutes
   Mode of Paper	Online only
   Question Types	MCQs and Non- MCQs (TITA)
   CAT Exam-Making Scheme	+3 For correct answers   -1 For Incorrect Answers   0 For Unattempted questions  No negative marking for TITA questions
   CAT Exam Section names	1. Quantitative Aptitude  2. Reading Comprehension & Verbal Ability  3. Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning

   While the weightage and marking scheme can only be confirmed after the CAT notification is out, here are some pointers based on our analysis of past CAT papers.

   1. You can safely expect 10-14 arithmetic questions in the CAT 2024 exam.
   2. The QA section will most likely have 6-8 TITA questions.
   3. The VARC section will include 5-8 TITA questions. Many students choose not to focus on reading comprehension and underestimate the difficulty level of the passages. RC will form a significant portion of the VARC weightage. Do not take it lightly.
   4. The LRDI section will have 22-24 questions, 18-20 of which will be Logical Reasoning questions. The remaining will come from Data Interpretation.

   Read More – Top MBA Colleges in India

   While the pattern might change, for greater insight into CAT 2023, refer to the CAT 2023 Analysis Page.

   Read More – CAT Analysis 2023

Conclusion

With the CAT notification now out, it is time for you to switch gears and accelerate your preparation. Only a few months remain before D-Day. The IMS CATapult Live Online is the perfect program to help you complete your preparation well in time for CAT 2024. You’ll get access to 100+ mentor-led interactive classes, 50+ masterclasses, multiple one-on-one strategy sessions, and 90+ full-length mock tests. Moreover, the program is designed to help you ace 111 management entrance tests other than CAT, including XAT, SNAP, NMAT, MICAT, CET, CMAT, MAT, ATMA, CUET-PG, and IBSAT.

Just click on the link above and fill out the form to talk to one of our experienced CAT mentors.