What after CAT 2021 Exam? Here are Some Important Things To Do

CAT 2021 results are likely to be announced by early January 2022. CAT answer keys 2021 was released by the authorities on December 28, 2021. Once you are done with the mammoth task of giving the CAT 2021 Test, you have a fair idea of how you have fared in the exam. But ultimately, your fate is in the hands of the 2021 CAT paper invigilators. And all you can do is sit like a duck and wait for the results, right? Wrong.

The article contains the small things that you should know and you can do to correctly assess your expected scores for CAT 2021 exam. You can also use the CAT 2021 Rank Predictor and College Predictor of CAT 2021 to analyze your performance and find out the admission possibilities.

Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) adopt a highly mechanized and systematic approach during the evaluation of the CAT answer sheets. First, the raw scores of CAT 2021 are calculated, followed by processes, such as CAT normalization be included to give a fair percentile ranking to CAT takers. And the process of Equating allows accurate comparisons to be made, which, ultimately contribute to your overall percentile.

Important Dates After CAT 2021

Here are the dates for some of the important events after CAT 2021 is conducted.

What after CAT Exam?

Provided below are a few pointers explaining what your next step should be after appearing for the CAT exam.

Analyze your Exam Performance

Firstly, check out the detailed exam analysis of the CAT to understand the question paper and the difficulty level of the exam. It is very essential to evaluate how your performance was before seeking admission to any MBA college. Given underneath are the credible sources talking about the CAT 2021 paper analysis in detail. Go through them to get a firm understanding of the exam.

Calculate Your Raw Scores in CAT 2021

Your raw scores will be calculated for each section based on the number of questions you have answered correctly, incorrectly, or omitted. You will be given +3 points for each correct answer and -1 point for each incorrect answer. There will be no points for questions that are not answered. This scoring methodology ensures that candidates are only awarded points for what they know. 

Find Out How the CAT 2021 Score Will be Evaluated

The CAT, like virtually all large-scale exams, will utilize multiple forms, or versions, of the test. While all forms are carefully assembled to ensure that the content is comparable, the difficulty of each form may vary slightly. Such minor differences in the overall difficulty level cannot be accurately measured until after all of the forms have been administered and the results analyzed.

To facilitate this comparison, each form will contain equating blocks comprising a pre-defined number of statistically profiled questions selected from a large item bank. By comparing candidate responses to these equating blocks across multiple forms, the ability level of the individuals can be evaluated and the precise difficulty of the forms calculated. The raw scores are then adjusted, as necessary, through a process called equating.

Equating assures fairness for all candidates by allowing accurate comparisons to be made of performance across all of the test forms. Equated raw scores are then placed on a common scale or metric to ensure appropriate interpretation of the scores. This process is called Scaling.

Also Read: CAT 2021:Check Out Seat Reservation Policy at IIMs

Check the CAT 2021 Normalization Process

CAT 2021 will be conducted in two sessions. Two different Test Forms shall be administered in two Test Sessions. To ensure fairness and equity in comparison of performances of the candidates across different test sessions, the scores of the candidates shall be subjected to a process of Normalization. The Normalization process shall adjust for location and scale differences of score distributions across different forms. After normalization across different forms, the scores shall be further normalized across different sections. The scaled scores obtained by this process shall be converted into percentiles for purposes of shortlisting.

The process of Normalization is an established practice for comparing a candidate’s scores across multiple Forms and is similar to those being adopted in other large educational selection tests conducted in India, such as Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE). For normalization across sections, the percentile equivalence will be used.

What will be the Normalization Process for CAT Result?

• Adjust for location and scale differences of score distributions across different forms
• Then the scores will be further normalized across different sections
• The scaled scores obtained by this process shall be converted into percentiles for purposes of shortlisting For reporting purposes, Scaled Scores for each section viz., Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Ability (QA)) and Total score, along with the percentile shall be published

Also Read: Top B-schools that Accept CAT Percentile Below 90 other than IIMs

What is the CAT Percentile Ranking?

A percentile rank is the percentage of scores that fall below a given score. For example, a 75 percentile would imply that your score is greater than or equal to 75% of the total CAT test-takers.

Percentile rankings are provided for each section as well as for the overall exam score. Raw scores will not be made available under any circumstance, as they do not represent a fair interpretation of your performance to other candidates who have taken the CAT during the same testing window.

Taking Admission in MBA Colleges

Based on your CAT percentile score, you will get a call from the colleges individually, provided you had already individually applied to that college earlier. Each college follows its application deadline – some before the last date of application for CAT and some after. Usually, many colleges keep their application deadline open till January of the next year.

Besides CAT 2021 percentile, MBA colleges follow their shortlisting parameter usually comprising of Essay Writing, Group Discussion, Statement of Purpose, Case Analysis, Personal Interview or Extempore, etc.

Also Read: CAT ScoreVs Percentile Analysis - Check Details Here

Important Things to Do After Taking the CAT Exam

Here are some important things that you should do after appearing for CAT 2021 entrance exam. 

Preparing for GD/ PI

You should remember that scoring good marks in the CAT examination doesn't guarantee your admission to one of the top IB-Schools in India. You will have to perform well in GD/ PI and other rounds also. Final admission to colleges will be done on a merit list which will include your performance in CAT as well as GD/ PI rounds.

Apply for Admission to B-Schools

You are advised to keep a track of the application dates of your selected colleges. Some colleges have an application deadline before the CAT result. You cant apply to them once the result is declared.

Attend Webinars And Workshops

Attending webinars and workshops will help you to get familiar with the type of questions that you can face in the interview. Besides this, it will also help you to gain some confidence before you appear for an interview. 

Choose your MBA Specialisation Wisely

Once you have appeared for the CAT exam, you have some time to choose your specialization. You can check the trends and future growth of all types of CAT specializations before finalizing one. You are advised to choose the specialization that matches your interest and experience. 

Back-Up Plan for MBA Admission 2021

One of the most important things is to have a back plan. Since you are not sure about the CAT result, you should keep a backup plan ready with you. You are advised to give at least 2-3 other entrance exams such as XAT, NMAT, or CMAT. If you can score good marks in any of these management entrance exams, then you will surely be able to get a good B-School. You don’t have to depend upon the CAT results.

Also Read: CAT vs CMAT, NMAT, XAT, SNAP, IIFT & Other MBA Entrance Exams

Top MBA Colleges Accepting CAT Scores

You are advised to sort out at least 8-9 colleges of each CAT percentile range. You can check the official website of the college to know about its cutoff percentage. Some of the well-known MBA colleges that accept CAT scores are provided below.

If you have any other doubts about the CAT 2021 examination, you can ask questions on the QnA zone. You can also refer to some of these articles provided below.

For admission-related guidance, fill our Common Admission Form or call the student helpline number 1800-572-9877 (toll-free). Our admission experts will be glad to help you out.

Stay tuned to CollegeDekho for more updates!