CAT 2013 dates announced; registration commences August 5

Students can register for the Common Admission Test between August 5 and September 24, while the exam will be held between October 16 and November 11.

The registration for the Common Admission Test for the academic year 2014-15 will commence Monday, August 5, 2013.

The last date to register for the test is September 24, 2013.

Conducted by Prometric on behalf of the Indian Institutes of Management, the Common Admission test is a crucial eligibility test taken by over two lakh students in the country.

Performance in the exam will enable admission to the coveted IIMs and most of the top business schools in the country.

The exam will be held over a period of 20 days between October 16 and November 11, 2013 in Prometric test centers across 40 cities in the country.

About the test

The computer-based test comprises two sections that are separately timed.

The sections are (a) Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation (b) Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning.

Each section will be of 1 hour and 10 minutes (ie 70 minutes) duration and there will be 30 questions in each section.

Aspirants will be presented with the section on Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation first, followed by Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning.

Once you proceed to the next section, aspirants can no longer go back to the first section.

Who can apply?

To appear for CAT, the candidate must hold a Bachelor's Degree, with at least 50 percent marks or equivalent CGPA (45 percent in case of the candidates belonging to Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Differently Abled (DA)), awarded by any of the Universities incorporated by an act of the central or state legislature in India or other educational institutions established by an act of Parliament or declared to be deemed as a University under Section 3 of the UGC Act, 1956, or possess an equivalent qualification recognised by the Ministry of HRD, Government of India.

How to apply

If you meet the eligibility criteria, you need to purchase a voucher from any of the participating Axis Bank branches and register for the test.

For details of participating Axis bank branches, visit http://www.catiim.in/axisbank_branch.html

During registration, you will have to do the following:

1. Create a profile.

2. Fill out the CAT application.

3. Schedule your test.

You may choose a date between October 16 and November 11, 2013 and schedule your test.

Illustration: Dominic Xavier/Rediff.com