28/07/2015
CAT 2015 Exam Pattern: CAT or Common Admission Test 2015 will be conducted in one day in two sessions (forenoon and afternoon) on Sunday November 29, 2015. This year IIM Ahmedabad is the conducting body for CAT. As per IIM Ahmedabad, the CAT 2015 exam pattern has been changed entirely. We bring to you the CAT 2015 Exam Pattern as announced by the officials in an notification on Sunday, July 26, 2015.
Compared to last year, where the total duration of the exam was 170 minutes and the candidates were allowed to switch among the two sections. This year the pattern has been changed entirely. As per the new CAT Exam Pattern 2015, the total duration of the exam has been increased to 180 minutes or three hours, with total 100 questions to be answered. Below are the changes that have been done in the Exam Pattern of CAT 2015,
CAT is a computer based objective type test with multiple choice questions.
The total duration of the exam is 180 minutes with exact 60 minutes to answer each section. The total number of questions is 100, divided into three sections. The exam will be divided into three sections namely, Quantitative Aptitude (QA), Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) and Verbal and Reading Comprehension (VRC). Candidates will not be allowed to switch from one section to another while answering questions in a section.
QA and VRC will have 34 questions each, and DILR will have 32 questions. Some questions in each section may not be of multiple choice type, instead, candidate have to type direct answers on the screen.
One of the major changes, and also first time in the history of CAT, candidates will be allowed to use basic on-screen calculator for calculation. The tutorial, explaining the CAT 015 Exam Pattern will be launched on October 15, 2015, for the candidates to have a better understanding of the changed pattern, and the procedures to be followed at the time of CAT 2015 exam.
Details about the individual aspects of CAT 2015 Exam Pattern.
Duration – 60 minutes for each section
The duration of CAT 2015 will be 180 minutes or three hours. Unlike the previous year, the sections were not time bound and the candidates could select any section to attempt first. The exam was divided into two sections, Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation and Verbal Ability & Logical Reasoning. This year, there are three sections to attempt. Candidates will not be allowed to switch from one section to another while answering questions in a section. They will be given exact 60 minutes to attempt each section. Unlike previous year, the liberty to attempt any section in any order or switch between the sections has been scrapped.
Sections
One of the major change in the CAT 2015 Exam Pattern is an addition of one more section. This year the exam will have three sections, namely, Quantitative Aptitude (QA), Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) and Verbal and Reading Comprehension (VRC). QA and VRC will have 34 questions each, and DILR will have 32 questions. Some questions in each section may not be of multiple choice type, instead, candidate have to type direct answers on the screen.
Last year, the number of sections in the exam were 2, Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation and Verbal Ability & Logical Reasoning. As mentioned before, there are no sectional time limits and each section consists of 30 questions.
Scoring Process
Till last year, each question had 3 marks. For each wrong answer, there was a penalty of 1 mark. No marks were awarded or deducted on unattempted questions. This year the scoring process has not be defined yet.
Additions in the Mode of Exam
CAT is a computer based multiple choice objective type exam. This will be the first time in the history of CAT that the candidates will be allowed to use basic on-scree calculator for calculations. Candidates will not be allowed to switch from one section to another while answering questions in a section. Some questions in each section may not be of multiple choice type, instead, candidate have to type direct answers on the screen.
Last year onwards, Tata Consultancy Services is conducting the computer based CAT as Prometric, the erstwhile agency completed the 5 year contract. The application process will start from August 6 and will continue till September 20. This year the exam will be conducted in one two in two sessions on Nov 29, across 136 Cities comprising of 650 Test Sites.