CAT 2012 : Apply before Sept 19

By Our Subject Expert

July 30, 2012: Indian Institutes of   Management (IIM) has notified the dates for Common Admission Test  2012 (CAT 2012) for admission to various Management Programmes including Post Graduate Programme (PGP) in Management and Fellow Programmes in Management (FPM) at the 13 IIMs at Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, Indore, Kashipur, Kozhikode, Lucknow, Raipur, Ranchi, Rohtak, Shillong, Tiruchirappalli and Udaipur (as available). CAT 2012 is being coordinated by Indian Institutes of Management, Kozhikode.

Programmes: Post Graduate Programmes in Management are offered in all the Institutes as follows.

(i) Ahmedabad: http://www.iimahd.ernet.in: PGP and PGP-ABM (Agribusiness Management)
(ii) Bangalore: http://www.iimb.ernet.in: PGP, PGSEM (Post Graduate Programme in Software Enterprise Management) and PGPPM (Post Graduate Programme in Public Policy Management)
(iii) Calcutta: http://www.iimcal.ac.in: PGP-PGDM (Post Graduate Diploma in Management) and PGP-PGDCM Post Graduate Diploma in Computer Aided Management
(iv) Indore: http://www.iimidr.ac.in: PGP and EPGP (Executive Post Graduate Programme in Management (EPGP)
(v) Kashipur: http://www.iimkashipur.ac.in/: PGP
(vi) Kozhikode: http://www.iimk.ac.in/: PGP
(vii) Lucknow: http://www.iiml.ac.in/: PGP and PGP-ABM (Agribusiness Management)
(viii) Raipur: http://www.iimraipur.ac.in/: PGP
(ix) Ranchi: http://www.iimranchi.ac.in/: PGDM and PGDHRM Human Resource Management)
(x) Rohtak: http://www.iimrohtak.ac.in/: PGP
(xi) RGIIM Shillong: http://www.iimshillong.in/: PGP
(xii) Tiruchirappalli: http://www.iimtrichy.ac.in/: PGP
(xiii) Udaipur: http://www.iimu.ac.in/: PGP

Fellow Programmes in Management (FPM) which is equivalent t Ph.D are offered at IIMs at Ahmendbad, Bangalore, Calcutta, Indore, Kozhikode, Lucknow, Raipur, Ranchi, Tiruchirappalli and at RGIIM Shillong.

Eligibility: Applicant should have a Bachelor’s Degree, with at least 50% marks or equivalent CGPA [45% in case of the candidates belonging to Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Differently Abled (DA) of a recognized University or an equivalent qualification recognized by the Ministry of HRD, Government of India.

In case the results are in Grades/CGPA, the conversion of grades/CGPA to percentage of marks would be based on the procedure certified by the university/ institution from where they have obtained the Bachelor’s degree. In case the university/ institution does not have any scheme for converting CGPA into equivalent marks, the equivalence would be established by dividing the candidate’s CGPA by the maximum possible CGPA and multiplying the result with 100. 

Those appearing for the final year of Bachelor’s Degree/equivalent qualifying examination and those who have completed Degree requirements and are awaiting results can also apply.  If selected, such candidates will be allowed to join the programme provisionally, subject to submission of a certificate latest by June 30, 2013, from the Principal/Registrar, of his/her College/Institute, issued on or before June 30, 2013, stating that the candidate has completed all the requirements for obtaining the Bachelor’s Degree/equivalent qualification on the date of the issue of the certificate.

Age: No, there is no age restriction for appearing in CAT.

Nature of Test: CAT will be a computer-based test (CBT) wherein, a candidate will read the questions on a computer terminal and choose an answer by clicking on the correct option by busing the mouse or Key board. Common Admission Test 2012 (CAT 2012) will be spread over 21 days from 11th October to 6th November 2012. CAT 2012 will have two sections. The first section will have questions from Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation and the second, from Verbal Ability & Logical Reasoning. These two sections will be administered sequentially with separate time limits for each.

The total duration of the examination will be two hours and 35 minutes including a 15-minute tutorial that will be provided before the start of the test. .The actual examination will be for 140 minutes. Candidates will have 70 minutes to answer 30 questions within each section which will have an on-screen countdown timer. Once the time ends for the first section, they will move to the second section and will no longer be able to go back to the first section.

A practice test to provide candidates with a feel of the timed sections as well as navigation and functionality of the actual test is available on the CAT website www.catiim.in . Candidates may go through it carefully to familiarize themselves with the screens, layout, and navigation.

At the test venue, each candidate will be seated at a desk with a computer terminal and will be provided with a scratch paper for calculations. After the test, candidate must leave the scratch paper at the desk. Rough work cannot be done on any other paper/sheet, as nothing will be allowed inside the testing room. No breaks will be given during the test.

Online Registration/Application: Online registration for CAT 2012 will begin on 30th July 2012 (Monday) and end on 19th September 2012 (Wednesday). An applicant can choose a test date, test time and a venue across 36 cities all over India, subject to availability. The list of test centres will be available at www.catiim.in. A candidate has the freedom to reschedule the location, date and time of his/her test within the registration window which will be active between 30th July and 19th September 2012. No reschedules are permitted once the registration window is closed.

Purchase of Voucher: As the first step to Registration, applicant will have to purchase a CAT voucher, on payment of Rs.1600/- (Rs.800/- for SC/ST category), from any of the selected branches of Axis Bank as per the list given at http://www.catiim.in/axisbank_branch.html, during 30th July (Monday) to 17th September 2012 (Monday), in the name of the applicant only, as appearing in the school leaving certificate. Applicant will be required to fill pay-in-slip at the branch to obtain the voucher. There will be two copies of the pay-in-slip. The bank will retain one copy of the filled pay-in-slip and will return the other, stamped, to the applicant. This should be retained during the entire selection process.

A candidate needs to buy only one CAT 2012 Voucher irrespective of the number of institutes he/she is applying to. If the name has been changed due to events such as marriage, the candidate must show the relevant document such as a marriage certificate and submit a photocopy at the time of the test, interview and at the time of joining a programme.  SC/ST candidates must show a copy of their SC/ST Certificates at the time of obtaining the CAT 2012 Voucher from the Axis Bank branches.  If the voucher is lost, voucher number is not readable due to mishandling of the voucher by candidate and/or candidate thinks he/she has made mistake(s) in filling-out information during the online registration, then the candidate can purchase a new voucher and re-register online.

The voucher number on the Voucher will be under the scratch-off area of the voucher purchased from the Axis Bank. A coin may be used to scratch off gently so that the voucher number does not become illegible. Instructions for online application and registration process are available at www.catiim.in. 

Applicants must ensure that they have a valid and unique email address and a phone number before beginning the registration process. They should also keep ready the information needed to complete the registration process which includes the voucher, educational history, mark sheets (SSC, HSC, Graduation), work experience and the list of the IIM Programmes to which one is applying. 

Registering for CAT: To register to take the CAT 2012, applicant must log on to www.catiim.in and click on the ‘Register for CAT 2012’ link. During registration, the applicant will have to create a profile, fill out the CAT application and schedule the test. Once the applicant completes the Application and chooses the ‘I agree’ button, all the information submitted will be entered and saved into a computerized data entry system. This may take several minutes. Applicant should not close this window while the information is being saved. After the information has been successfully saved, a copy of the application will be emailed to the applicant within 24 hours to the email address specified by the applicant.

Once the application has been successfully submitted, the applicant (except DA candidate who has selected support requirements for the test) can continue the online process to schedule an appointment to take CAT between 11th October and 6th November 2012 in any one of the sessions- first being at 10 a.m and the second being at 3.15 p.m. The applicant will be asked to choose a site and pick an available date and time at that site. When choosing a test site location, applicant will see ‘State / Union Territory’, followed by a white box with an arrow at the end. Click on the arrow and scroll down to see a list of the states and territories where the CAT will be given. Click on the state or territory the applicant would like to take the CAT. Applicant will then see a list of test site locations available and the applicant can click on ‘Schedule appointment’ under the site of his/her choice.

Once the site is chosen, the applicant must choose the date required to take the CAT. Applicant will be able to select only one of the dates highlighted in blue. If a date in the test window is not shown, it means that all available testing sessions at that site for that date have already been filled. Once the date is chosen, the applicant will be required to choose the either the 10 a.m session or the 3.15 p.m session. If either of these two times does not appear, it means all available testing seats for that time have already been filled.

If a site no longer has any available dates, applicant may use the blue ‘Back’ button at the bottom of the screen to search for other sites. Once site, date and time selections have been completed, the applicant must click the ‘Save & Finish’ button at the bottom of the screen. 

If all information has been entered correctly, applicant will see a confirmation screen. It should be read and ensured that to make sure all information is correct. If something is not correct, applicant may click the ‘Edit’ button in the area where there correction needs to be made. It has to be ensured that there are no red ‘Pending’ buttons which indicates that some information need to be entered. Click on the ‘Finish my registration’ button to complete your registration and scheduling process.

If any information is incorrect, the applicant may click on ‘Edit Profile’ or ‘Edit Application’ button, to make corrections. If all information is correct, click on the ‘I am done (exit)’ button to end the Scheduling session. Applicant will receive an email Admit Card and Application Summary to the email address specified by the applicant, within 24 hours. Applicant will also have the option while on the confirmation page, if preferred, to print the CAT Admit Card and to print the Application Summary. Even if this is done, the information will still be emailed to the applicant.

Result: Results of CAT 2012t will be announced on 9th January 2013 at the website of CAT. The List of short listed candidates for the next level of selection will be made available on the individual IIM websites. Each IIM will send interview letters to the candidates it has short-listed. The criteria for short-listing vary from IIM to IIM.

Reservations: 15% of the seats are reserved SC and 7½% for ST candidates. 27% of seats are reserved for Other Backward Classes candidates belonging to ‘Non-creamy’ layer (NC-OBC).  3% seats are reserved for Differently Abled (DA) candidates. Details relating to the eligibility conditions for the reservations and the documents to be produced to award the claim are available at http://www.catiim.in/

Admission Process: Performance in CAT2012 examination is an important component in the admission process. Each IIM wills shortlist candidates for second stage of selection which may be independent of each other. The process may include Written Ability Test (WAT), Group Discussions (GD) and Personal Interviews (PI). IIMs may also use previous academic performance of the candidates, relevant work experience and other similar inputs in short listing and ranking of candidates at various stages of the admission process. The processes, academic cut-offs and the weights allocated to the evaluation parameters may vary across IIMs. More details on these can be had from the respective websites of IIMs.

Eligibility Verification: If a candidate is short-listed for interviews by any IIM, he/she has to comply with the following eligibility verification.

Mark sheets and Degree Certificate: A candidate must show all the original mark sheets and submit attested copies to prove his/her eligibility at the time of interview. Further, if a candidate is selected for a programme, original Degree certificate and mark sheets of all semesters/years along with their attested copies must be submitted for verification at the time of joining the programme.

Reservation Category Requirements: If short-listed for interview, SC, ST, NC-OBC, and DA candidates must show the original caste/class/disability certificate and submit a photocopy at the time of interview.  Further, if a candidate is selected for a programme, original certificate of qualifying Degree and attested copy of the same must be submitted for verification at the time of joining a programme.

Candidates in the Final Year of Graduation: If short-listed for interview, candidates appearing for the final Bachelor's Degree or equivalent qualification examination must show an original certificate from the Principal/ Registrar/ Director of the university/institution certifying that the candidate has obtained 50% marks or equivalent  (45% in case of the candidates belonging to SC, ST, and DA category) based on latest available grades/marks.  He/she must submit an attested copy of the original certificate at the time of interview. 

For the PGP of IIMs, such candidates, if selected, will be allowed to join the programme provisionally only, if they submit a certificate latest by June 30, 2013 from the Principal/Registrar of their college/institute (issued on or before June 30, 2013) stating that they have completed all the requirements including appearing for supplementary exams if any (the results may, however, be awaited) for obtaining the Bachelor's Degree/ equivalent qualification on the date of issue of the certificate. Their admission  will be confirmed only when they submit original mark sheet and qualifying degree certificate of having passed the bachelor's degree/equivalent qualification referred to in the certificate issued by Principal/Registrar of their college/institute.  They must obtain at least 50% marks or equivalent.  They also must submit an attested copy of the mark sheets and qualifying degree certificate. The deadline for submission of the mark sheet and the certificate is December 31, 2013. Non-fulfillment of this condition will automatically result in the cancellation of the provisional admission. 

Provisional admission will also be cancelled if it is found that the certificate (Annexure E) is found to be incorrect subsequently. IIMs would not allow any candidate to join their programme in case the candidate is unable to complete all the requirements for a bachelor degree on or before June 30, 2013. The IIMs would also not offer admission to any candidate after June 30, 2013.

Non-IIM Members using CAT: Several Non-IIM institutions may also use CAT scores for their admission. List of such institutions are given at http://www.catiim.in/non_iim_institute.html

For more details, visit http://www.catiim.in/index.htm