CAT 2009 – CAT 2009 Notification

CAT 2009 or CAT 2009 Notification or CAT Exam 2009 is the Entrance test for gaining admission into top B-schools of India.From this year the Entrance Test into IIM’s will be held online. It will be the first time Computer Based Test (CBT) that CAT will be conducted online.Sale of CAT Vouchers at Axis Bank is from 9 September to 1 October 2009.CAT 2009 will be held on Nov 28th 2009.

CAT has become one of the most competitive exams to judge the potential of the candidates willing to pursue their career in business administration.

CAT 2009 to be Online :

The new computer-based test (CBT) will be embraced by IIMs across Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Kolkata, Indore, Kozhikode, Lucknow and Shillong, and will allow students to select a date convenient to them from a specified period of 10 days.

The new system is also expected to help the IIMs cope effectively with the increasing number of candidates every year. While around 95,000 candidates took CAT in 2003, the number rose to about 250,000 last year, reflecting a growth of over 163% and bringing the administrative system under severe pressure.

“With the online test, CAT will be similar to the GMAT test in its process. This will be definitely beneficial for the students as they can appear in the exam according to their suitability rather than a particular day”, says, Dr S P Parashar, Director, IIM-Indore.

The online CAT exam will be conducted on the pattern of similar international exams like GMAT (Graduate Management Aptitude Test), with the only exception that the results will not be declared instantly.

Here’s the gist of information that the IIMs have released till date:

* The CAT will be held online for the year 2009
* Prometric ETS has been awarded the contract for conducting the test
* CAT 2009 will be conducted over a period of 10 days at the end of 2009-05-11
* Relevant details regarding the structure and the conduct of the examination to be released with the advertisement (normally in the month of July)
* Mr Subhashish Gupta, admission chairperson IIMB has said that the possibility of CAT 2009 being computer adaptive is quite remote.
* In all probability there will be 3 tests in a day. This means that there will be 30 tests over a period of 10 days.

CAT Eligibility :

BAchelor’s Degree with at least 50% marks or equivalent CGPA. 45% in case of candidates belonging to Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and Differently Abled Categories

Sale of CAT 2009 Vouchers

Will commence on Sep 9, 2009 till Oct 1, 2009 at Axis Bank branches across the country. Registration fee is Rs 1400 (Rs 700 for SC/ST candidates)

Important Dates

Sale of CAT Vouchers at Axis Bank branches: Wednesday, 9 September 2009 – Thursday, 1 October 2009

Registration for CAT 2009: Wednesday, 9 September 2009 – Thursday, 1 October 2009. You will also be able to reschedule date, time and location of your test during this period at no extra cost.

CAT Test Dates : Saturday, 28 November 2009 – Monday, 7 December 2009

CAT Result: Friday, 22 January 2010 onwards

CAT Candidate Care Support

Phone support: From Sep 9 till Oct 1 between 9 AM to 6 PM – Monday to Saturday. The number is 1-800-103-9293

Email support. From Sep 9 till candidates receive their scores.

You can send your queries from this URL: http://www.prometric.com/IIM-CAT/contactus

CLICK HERE FOR DOWNLOAD CAT 2009 NOTIFICATION AND OTHER DETAILS

Click Here For Online Registration Instructions

Official demo test for CAT 2009 from the IIMs is available at http://content.catiim.in/catdemo/index.htm

Click here For FAQs

Official CAT website: http://www.catiim.in

Click Here for Previous Papers

CAT Preparation MBA Learning Centers

The MBA learning centers groom the students by providing them with the necessary study materials and making them aware of the mistakes to be avoided during the CAT exam. They also take Mock Tests to evaluate the potential of the students and give them the feedback. Some of these learning centers are -

SHARPMINDS
T.I.M.E
Career Launcher
Top Careers and You
Prime Tutor
Bulls Eye IGNOU Tutor
Planetetutors

Cracking the CAT 2009 – Strategy

1. The accuracy or strike rate
While each correct answer was awarded 4 positive mark, each incorrect question carried a penalty of 1 mark. Hence, it is important to get a strike rate of over 85% – that is reduce the number of negatives. Though speed is important, in a paper like CAT 2006 paucity of time was not one of the primary factors that determimed success. Most students found the time provided to be adequate. What set the winners apart was the accuracy.

2. Smart Selection
As it is clear that you will not be generally able to attempt all 300 marks question, and you skip between 25 to 30 questions, the key to success lies in selecting questions properly. Hence, it is important to remember that there are no kudos, nobel prizes or awards waiting for attempting the tough questions. Be smart in choosing, the easiest of the questions and the ones that you have practised a lot and get them right. Do not venture into unsafe territories. Essentially, do not try any question about which you only have a vague idea.

CAT and entrance tests of other top B Schools are a unique breed of entrance exams. They focus on testing some of the basic qualities essential for managers – the grit to work hard, smartness to choose the best alternative, quick thinking and above all perseverance.

Exams like IIT JEE test the depth of your knowledge, while the Civil Services exams test your width of knowledge. CAT evaluates your presence of mind and the ability to perform under pressure. You cannot prepare for CAT during the last 10 days, as one generally does for college semester exams. A minimum of 3 to 9 months of regular preparation is recommended however there have been cases where aspirants have cleared the CAT with excellent percentiles without any formal preparation.

List of IIMS

* Indian Institutes of Management, Lucknow
* Indian Institutes of Management, Bangalore
* Indian Institutes of Management, Kozhikode
* Indian Institutes of Management, Ahmadabad
* Indian Institutes of Management, Calcutta
* Indian Institutes of Management, Indore

List of Non-IIM Institutes accepting CAT 2009 scores

* National Institute of Industrial Engineering (NITIE), Mumbai
* S.P.Jain Institute of Management and Research (SPJIMR), Mumbai
* Management Development Institute (MDI), Gurgaon
* Bharathidasan Institute of Management (BIM), Trichy
* Mudra Institute of Communications Ahmedabad (MICA), Ahmedabad
* T.A.Pai Management Institute (TAPMI), Manipal.
* Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad
* National Insurance Academy School of Management (NIASoM), Pune
* Institute of Management, Nirma University, Ahmedabad
* Welingkar, Mumbai