Know your CAT Registration Process and study online during this pandemic

Common Admission Test (CAT) examination is a National Level examination which is a gateway for admission to 20 IIMs and over 1,200 business schools all over India. It is an online examination organized in over 156 cities. CAT Registration for 2020 has already started from August 5 and will end by September 16. One can register on iimcat.ac.in which isthe official website. In 2019, the number of applicants was 2,44,190 lakhs. Let’s know about the CAT Registration process and the advantages to study online in this pandemic.

Important Dates for CAT Registration

Let’s take a look at the CAT Registration Dates along with the other important dates:

CAT Registration Process

Candidates can enrol for the exam through an online form available at the IIM’s official website. It is advisable to all the applicants to go through the instructions before filling up the form for CAT Registration.Students with a Bachelor’s degree from any recognized institute / university are eligible for the examination. Providing improper information can lead to the rejection of the CAT Registration. This will mean that the candidature will is invalid.

Steps to follow for CAT registration are

Step 1: Registration – Candidates should register themselves on the official website.

Note – As the entire communication related to the examination is done through the provided email id and mobile number, therefore it is advised to provide valid details.

Step 2: Filling CAT Registration form – Enter particular details like communication information, academic information, work experience, program preference and exam centre preference.

In case, any of the information given is incorrect; there is a risk of rejection of the CAT Registration. However, students will be given an opportunity to make changes once in case of any error.

Step 3: Uploading Documents – The subsequent step of CAT registration includes scanning and uploading documents (Photograph, Signatures & Asked certificated). This must be done as per the parameters set by exam authorities.

Step 4: Payment of Application Fee – Fee for CAT Registration is 2,000 INR now for General & OBC category. The rest can pay 1000 INR. The applying fee can be paid online via net banking/credit card/debit card. CAT Registration Fee is based on category. The fees are:

•  General/NC-OBC: 2000 INR
•   PWD: 1000 INR
•   SC/ST: 1000 INR

Apart from that, there are some additional transactional fees that applicants have to incur while completing registration online

• Credit Card (American Express) – 2.85% of the application fees, subjected to at least 5 INR.
• Credit Card (Visa/Master) – 0.75% of the transaction amounts up to 2000 INR. It is also subject to a minimum of 5 INR.
• Net Banking – 20 INR for each of the transactions.
• Debit Card (Visa/Master) – If the application fee is lesser than or equal to 2000 INR, then 0.75% of the application fees. If the application fees are more than 2000 INR, then 1.00% of the application fees are subjected to a minimum of INR 5.

After done with the CAT Registration, students must gear up with final preparation. In this pandemic, online study can be crucial. Let’s take note of some of the advantages of online study.

Advantages of Online Preparation after CAT Registration

1. Health in this pandemic: Needless to say, classroom coaching is not possible in times of this pandemic. Here comes the usefulness of online study for CAT preparation. After the CAT registration, one can focus on online preparation.
2. Online Study is a good alternative: It is a decent alternative to classroom coaching, as it saves time, money and can be accessed from the safety of your home.
3. Time-saving: As mentioned earlier, travelling outside is not required to attend any online coaching session. Thus, applicants can save about 2-3 hours of critical time. This time will be extra for the students to study more.
4. Flexibility: In online coaching, the timings of the class are very flexible. Some top online coaching professionals conduct night classes.
5. Cost-effective: Online coaching is cost-effective with a range of personalized courses. Thus, online coaching is gathering attention among many candidates. The fees of the personalized courses are also less because of low operational costs.
6. Quality education: The quality of education is also good due to the inclusion of quality teachers who are experts in this domain.
7. Revised and quality study material: After the CAT registration, it is time for final preparation. In that case, the study material available online is of good quality compared to the offline variant. Students can also access video lectures and live sessions; both are available and are at one’s disposal easily. Once can prepare by taking Mock Tests online. This will certainly benefit from the revision.
8. An enriched learning experience: In times of this pandemic when classroom education is not possible, digital learning delivers quality education. Many students attend a lecture at the same time. When you connect with various fellow aspirants, it enhances the overall learning experience of the students.

Some of the high-quality online courses offered for CAT preparation are offered by the following institutes – TIME, Career Launcher, Iquanta, Cracku, Handa Ka Funda, and Testfunda. The fees offered are between 6,000 – 13,000 INR.

So, gear up and complete the CAT registration if you are planning to take up this test in 2020. After completing the registration, focus on your health and study self and study online in this pandemic. Keeping away from harm’s way is the key to give critical exams like CAT in these current times.