B-School alert: IIM announces registration for CAT 2013

Indian Institutes of Management (IIM) announced the registration of the Common Admission Test 2013 (CAT 2013). Prometric, trusted provider of market-leading test development and test delivery solutions, is IIM’s partner in developing and delivering CAT 2013. The registration window will be open from 5 August through 26 September 2013. New this year, CAT candidates can buy vouchers online directly from IIMs, from 5 August to 24 September.

Candidates can also purchase traditional vouchers for registration and scheduling from designated Axis Bank branches from 5 August to 24 September. Details of the designated Axis bank branches can be obtained from the website www.cat2013.iimidr.ac.in or www.prometric.com. This year 30 more Axis bank branches have been added to provide CAT 2013 candidates even greater convenience.

“IIMs enable students with an opportunity to pursue their career options through a personally and professionally enriching experience. During their IIM journey, if they develop the right skill sets and if they are able to put their best foot forward then there will be promising career choices. The CAT is their first step to achieving their goals,” said Professor Rohit Kapoor, Common Admission Test (CAT) 2013 Convenor. “New to this year’s CAT is the option to purchase vouchers electronically. Details about payment of fees online will be made available on CAT 2013 website www.cat2013.iimidr.ac.in from 5PM on Saturday, August 3, 2013. We hope this new point of purchase brings added convenience to the registration process.”

Similar to last year’s exam, the CAT 2013 will have two sections. The first section will focus on Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation; the second on Verbal Ability & Logical Reasoning. These two sections will be implemented sequentially with separate time limits. The 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 and will be unable to go back.

CAT 2013 aspirants can register and schedule for CAT 2013 on the website www.cat2013.iimidr.ac.in or https://iim.prometric.com. For support and assistance, candidates can call the toll-free candidate care number 1-800-419-0080, Monday to Saturday, 9AM to 6PM from 5 August.

CAT will be conducted over a period of 20 days — from 16 October to 11 November 2013 — in Prometric test centers across 40 cities. This increase in locations (up from 36 cities last year) provides candidates greater flexibility and convenience for choosing a suitable test day.  For candidates who are differently abled, additional support will be available.

A 15-minute tutorial will be provided before the start of the test, and candidates are advised to go through it carefully before starting the main examination. The total duration will be two hours and 35 minutes including the tutorial. A practice test to provide candidates with a feel of the timed sections, as well as navigation and functionality of the actual test will be made available on www.cat2013.iimidr.ac.in in the coming weeks. Candidates are advised to go through the practice test carefully to familiarize themselves with the screens, layout and navigation.

The Indian Institutes of Management and Prometric are preparing for more students to appear for CAT 2013.  “This year’s CAT students will have greater opportunity for admission into the IIMs,” Professor Kapoor added. Across all IIMs, 115 seats have been added for B-School admissions this year, a total of 3,335 seats. The number of women appearing for CAT has been steadily increasing, as well — from 53,700 in 2010 to 56,000 in 2011. For 2012, more than 60,800 women appeared for the CAT. Additionally, female aspirants are achieving better success on the CAT, with 255 women scoring higher than the 99 percentile on CAT 2012. 

“IIM graduates continue year after year to be among the most valued professionals entering the workforce, earning very attractive compensation packages offered during campus placement by global corporations as well as large Indian transnational companies,” said Soumitra Roy, Managing Director of Prometric India. “Consulting, Finance and Sales/Marketing careers continue to be leading sectors for recruitment.”