Introduction to CAT 2018 Eligibility Criteria:

To be permitted  for exam candidate must fulfil the following CAT 2018 Eligibility Criteria:

• Eligibility Criteria: Candidate must have a bachelor’s degree from a recognized University with a minimum of 50% marks (45% in case of SC/ST reserved category)
• Final Year Candidates: Candidates who are studying in their final year of UG course can also apply for CAT 2018.
• Conversion Scheme: Percentage obtained by the candidates are subject to change under certain conversion schemes by the respective universities the candidates want to join.
• Grade conversion: If the candidate scores in Grade points (CGPA), the conversion would depend on the certificate given by the university and the candidate can use that score to fulfil the eligibility criteria for CAT 2018.
•  Percentage Conversion: In case the percentage conversion scheme is not present, candidate’s CGPA is divided by total CGPA and the result is multiplied by 100.
• Genuine Details: Candidates are advised to provide the details over the website must be genuine and correct. Since IIMs will verify the eligibility at various stages of the selection process.
• Valid Contact Details: Candidates must provide and maintain a valid email account and a phone number throughout the selection process.
• Age Criteria: There is no Age Criteria set by CAT officials to fulfil the CAT 2018 Eligibility Criteria related to the age of the candidate.
• Application Form: The candidates who fulfil all the CAT 2018 Eligibility Criteria may move forward to fill the CAT 2018 Application Form.

Reservation Seats For CAT 2018 Eligibility Criteria:

• Reservation for SC applicants: 15%
• Reservation for ST applicants: 7.5%
• Reservation for OBC applicants: 27%
• Reservation for Physically challenged applicants: 3%
• Total Percentage of Reserved Seats – 52.5%

The categories of disability are:

• Low vision and Blindness.
• Deaf and Less hearing power.
• Locomotor disability including, leprosy cured, dwarfism, cerebral palsy, acid attack victims and muscular dystrophy.
• Autism, intellectual disability, specific learning disability and mental illness.

Introduction To Exam Pattern:

• Authority: The candidates should be prepared for the exam pattern set by the CAT authorities.
• CAT Exam Details: It mainly includes a number of questions asked in the CAT examination, the number of sections, time duration, subjects covered etc. Under this section, the candidate will come to know about CAT 2018 Exam Pattern.

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CAT 2018 Exam Pattern Highlights:

[table id=32 /]

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CAT 2018 Exam Pattern:

• Test Mode: CAT 2018 examination is conducted in a Computer Based Test (CBT) i.e. Online Mode.
• Exam Duration: Duration of CAT 2018 examination is 3 Hours.
• Number Of Questions: CAT 2018 question paper would consist of 100 objective type questions. The candidate has 60 minutes to complete one section/subject.
• Marking Scheme: For every right answer, the student will be awarded 3 marks, 1 mark will be deducted for every wrong answer.
• MCQ and Non-MCQ type: About 70%–75% of questions are Objective type questions and the remaining 25%-30% are the Non-MCQ type. For Non-MCQs there is no negative marking.
• On-Screen Calculator: A non-scientific calculator has been provided which was on-screen for the calculation and basic computation. This year the same trend is expected to continue.
• Mock Test: The CAT 2018 mock test will be available on the official website from October 2018 (Tentative). Mock tests are actual test sample which is developed to help candidates understand the exam pattern and navigation on the online test.

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CAT 2018 Paper Pattern:

The exam pattern for CAT 2018 is dynamic and changes every year. The CAT 2018 will follow: 

MCQs and Non-MCQs:

• Type: Subjective type question.
• Space: Input answer via virtual keyboard in the space provided for each question.
• Options: Subjective questions do not have options.
• How many?: Every section has Non-MCQs but the number is not fixed for each section.
• Previous Pattern: Depending on the previous pattern given below, candidates can get the idea.

CAT 2017 – No of MCQs and Non-MCQs:

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Best CAT 2018 Books for Preparation:

Considering the CAT 2018 Syllabus, few related books are mentioned below:

Here is a list of Top 10 best CAT 2018 Books for section wise preparation:

Best CAT 2018 Books for Quantitative Aptitude

1. How to Prepare for Quantitative Aptitude for CAT by Arun Sharma
2. Quantitative Aptitude Quantum CAT by  Sarvesh K Verma
3. Quantitative Aptitude by R.S. Aggarwal

Best CAT 2018 Books for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension

4. How to Prepare for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for CAT by Arun Sharma & Meenakshi Upadhyay
5. Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for the CAT by Nishit K Sinha
6. Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension by Ajay Singh
7. Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis

Best CAT 2018 Books for Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation

8. How to Prepare for Logical Reasoning for CAT by Arun Sharma
9. How to prepare for Data Interpretation for CAT by Arun Sharma
10.  Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation for the CAT by Nishit K. Sinha

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Some CAT 2018 Reference Books, GD and Personal Interview preparation for CAT 2018:

• Business & Management Chronicle by Chronicle Publications

• Business Line by The Hindu Group

• Business Today in India Today Group

• Business World

• Competition Success Review

• Management Compass Career Launcher

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CAT 2018 Reference Books:

There are no particular books for CAT 2018 preparations, but they can use these books for reference:

• Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis

• Verbal Reasoning By Arun Sharma

• Quantum CAT by Sarvesh Verma

• Quantitative Aptitude By Arun Sharma

• NCERT maths books of class 8,9 and 10

• Logical Reasoning By Arun Sharma

• Data Interpretation By Arun Sharma

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Recommended Newspapers for the Current Affairs for CAT 2018:

• The Hindu
• The Indian Express
• The Statesman
• Economic Times.

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CAT 2018 Coaching Institutes:

The candidates can join some of the reputed coaching institutes to prepare for CAT 2018. Some of the most well-known Institutes are:

• T.I.M.E
• IMS
• Career Launcher

CAT 2019 Exam Dates (Updated):

• Some of CAT 2019 Exam Dates are given below and all candidates are required to know them.