The CAT 2024 exam was held yesterday in various cities across India. The Common Admission Test (CAT) is an entrance exam conducted by the Indian Institutes of Management (IIM) for admission to their prestigious management programmes. The syllabus for the CAT exam is divided into three sections:
Section I: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension
Section II: Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning
Section III: Quantitative Ability
According to experts as well as students, the CAT 2024 exam paper appeared to be at a moderate to difficult level, crushing the ambitions of many students hoping for a relatively easy paper. Every year, thousands of candidates gear up to face an exam as challenging as the CAT. However, it is not an easy feat to qualify for a test such as CAT which sees intense competition among a huge number of candidates. Here is a list of alternatives to CAT, which act as entrance examinations to other reputed management institutes in India.
- GMAT (Graduate Management Aptitude Test)
The GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test) is a standardized exam used for admission to business schools worldwide as well as in India. It consists of four main sections:
- Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA)
- Integrated Reasoning (IR)
- Quantitative Reasoning
- Verbal Reasoning.
The test is computer-adaptive, meaning the difficulty level adjusts based on the test taker’s performance, with a total duration of 3 hours and 7 minutes. The score ranges from 200 to 800, combining results from the Quantitative and Verbal sections. Candidates can take the test at any point of time in the year, according to their convenience.
One can register and book their slot for the exam here.
- MAT 2024 (Management Aptitude Test)
The MAT is conducted by the All India Management Association four times a year. This exam allows one to apply for MBA courses in over 800 business schools across India. The syllabus of the MAT is divided into five sections:
- Intelligence and Critical Reasoning
- Language Comprehension
- Mathematical Skills
- Data Analysis and Sufficiency
- Indian and Global Environment.
Apart from the typical syllabus one has to study for the CAT exam, additional knowledge on India and Global Environment is also a prerequisite. The official syllabus can be download from the official website mat.aima.in.
Read More:
- SNAP 2024 (Symbiosis National Aptitude Test)
The Symbiosis National Aptitude Test (SNAP) is a national-level entrance exam for admission to postgraduate management programs offered by Symbiosis International University and its affiliated institutes. The test assesses candidates’ skills in General English, Quantitative, Data Interpretation and Data Sufficiency, Analytical & Logical Reasoning, and General Awareness.
The SNAP application typically opens in August or September, with the exam held in December. The SNAP is also a competitive exam for admission to one of India’s most sought-after management programs.
- XAT 2025 (Xavier Aptitude Test)
The XLRI Xavier School of Management, Jamshedpur (est. 1949) is the oldest management school in India. It offers admission to its Management Programs through the Xavier Aptitude Test. The XAT is administered via CBT and consists of three sections:
- Verbal and Reasoning Ability, Data interpretation and Quantitative Ability, and Decision-making
- Mock Keyboard Testing
- General Awareness and Essay Writing
The syllabus for the XAT is more extensive than that of the CAT, but the weightage of General Awareness has been reduced and there are no sectional time limits in the XAT exam.
Interested candidates can apply before November 30, 2024.
- IBSAT 2024
The IBSAT is conducted by the ICFAI Foundation for Higher Education, Hyderabad for admission to MBA programs. The aptitude test comprises 140 questions classified under four sections – Data Interpretation and Data Adequacy, Verbal Ability, Reading Comprehension and Quantitative Aptitude. Each question carries 1 mark, and no negative marking is applicable in this exam. Compared to the CAT, the IBSAT 2024 will carry more weightage in the Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension sections.
The exam is scheduled to be conducted on December 28-29, 2024, and closes in the third week of December 2024.
Read More:
- ATMA 2024 (AIMS Test for Management Admissions )
AIMS Test for Management Admissions (ATMA) is conducted by the Association of Indian Management Schools (AIMS) for admission to management programmes across affiliated business schools. The ATMA is administered online, and its syllabus aligns with the CAT syllabus as it comprises two sections each for Analytical Reasoning, Verbal Ability and Quantitative Aptitude.
Interested candidates can fill out the ATMA application form by December 11, 2024 at the official website atmaaims.com.
- Common Management Admission Test (CMAT 2025)
The CMAT is conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) in CBT mode. It acts as an entrance test for admission to management programs in various colleges and institutes.
The CMAT exam includes five sections, mostly congruent with the CAT exam pattern:
- Quantitative Technique and Data Interpretation
- Logical Reasoning
- Language Comprehension
- General Awareness
- Innovation and Entrepreneurship
The CMAT 2025 exam will be conducted on January 25, 2025. The NTA opened the application form on November 14, 2024 and will close it on December 14, 2024. Candidates can register online at cmat.nta.ac.in.
8. Narsee Monjee Management Aptitude Test (NMAT)
The NMAT (NMIMS Management Aptitude Test) is a national-level exam conducted by GMAC for admission to various MBA and other management programs at Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS) and other participating universities.
The exam pattern includes three sections: Language Skills, Quantitative Skills, and Logical Reasoning, with a total of 108 questions to be answered in 120 minutes. It is a computer-based test, and candidates can attempt the exam multiple times in a testing window. It is important to note that NMAT has sectional time restrictions.
The NMAT allows applicants to schedule their test according to their convenience. Although the last date to schedule the NMAT 2024 was October 17, 2024, candidates who have already applied can avail the window to reschedule the exam up till December 17, 2024.
Read More:
| NMAT Application Form 2024 | NMAT 2024 Exam Pattern |
