Over 230,000 candidates register for CAT 2021 set for November 28

The test will be held at 400 centres across 159 cities, will follow last year's format of three shifts of 2-hour duration

Continuing with last year's format of three shifts of 2-hour duration, the Common Admission Test (CAT) 2021 has seen over 230,000 candidates register.

Gateway to the 20 premier Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and over 110 non-IIM B-schools, CAT 2021 will be held on Sunday November 28, 2021 at 400 centres in 159 cities, down from last year's 430 centres in 159 cities.

Comprised of three sections, including Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Quantitative Ability (QA), and Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR), the test will give candidates 40 minutes for each section whereas persons with disability (PwD) candidates will get 13 minutes and 20 seconds extra for each section.

According to a statement by IIM Ahmedabad, last year’s CAT format changes were necessitated due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

"Since we are seeing the same pandemic issue this year, the CAT 2021 exam format and pattern will remain the same. However, considering that there could have been time pressure to complete the CAT exam last year on account of changes made, for CAT 2021 the CAT Committee is making an attempt in reducing the number of questions across all the three sections - QA, DILR and VARC," the B-school stated.

The extended CAT registration closed on September 22, 2021 at 5:00 pm with roughly 231,000 candidates registering for CAT 2021, as against 228,000 last year.

Mock test or tutorials to understand the format of the test will be available on the CAT website from the last week of October 2021 with candidates being advised to work on the tutorials available on the CAT website well in advance.

The IIMs have also opened a 3-day registration form edit window from 10.00 am on September 25, 2021 to 5.00 pm on September 27, 2021 for candidates to edit the following fields in the application form (if required). "Candidates are advised to check CAT website regularly for updates on Edit window as well as for other information," the statement read.

However, even as CAT 2021 process is being conducted taking into account the COVID crisis, IIM-A stated that the information provided by the CAT website is contingent upon the decisions and directions issued from time to time by the central government, state governments, and IIMs, requiring candidates to regularly check the CAT website for the latest information.