With the kicking off of the Common Aptitude Test (CAT) 2016 application process from August 8, candidates, especially first timers, may want to know how to fill up the application form. Here is a step by step guide to help you out at every stage.
The application is to be filled and submitted online at the official CAT 2016 website. Details regarding the candidate’s academic record, uploading of photograph, signature, selection of IIM programs, test and interview cities are to be submitted.
Despite the website claiming that the process could be completed in 30 minutes, it may take closer to an hour with the uploading of photograph and other required documents.
The important dates to be kept in mind are that the registration which opened on August 8 will close on September 22 at 05:00 PM. The Admit Card could be downloaded from 01:00 PM on October 18. The Test day is on December 4.
The website also provides in PDF format separate documents on CAT 2016 eligibility, selection process of IIMs, scoring and equating process while a quick tour of CAT 2016 section provides Registration guide in PDF as also a registration video.
The Certificate Proformas and Forms section has in PDF format Identification Affidavit, Final year certificate, NC-OBC certificate, SC/ST certificate and Person with Disability (PWD) certificate.
Thus, it would be a good idea to visit the official CAT 2016 to get information about the eligibility criteria, required documents, certificates and other details.
Candidates are also required to have a valid email address and mobile phone number, as the IIMs will be sending updates regarding the exam through email and SMS.
The documents required to be uploaded are certificates and mark sheets of 10th/12th/Degree/Diploma and candidate’s work experience documents.
Scanned images of passport size photograph and signature. (Photograph should not be more than 6 months old and should have a white background).
List of IIM programs to which the candidate wants to apply.
The CAT 2016 application process is divided into three parts comprising registration, filing of application, payment and application receipt.
Step 1 – Registration
The registration process includes filling up the form which includes questions on personal and communication details. The name of the candidate, email ID, mobile number and country. Before submitting the form, the candidate will have to add the Captcha and tick on the ‘I Agree’ check box.
On completion of the process, the password would be sent through email and SMS in the email address and mobile number provided by the candidate.
Step 2 – Filling up the application form
In order to complete the application form, the candidate will need to log-out and log-in once again. Click on the ‘Go to Application Form’ tab to complete the application procedure. The application form will be divided into 5 categories as follows:
Personal Details
Academics
Work Experience
Programmes
Payment
After completing filling a section, click on Save & Continue tab to move further.
Personal Details
Under the personal details section, information regarding parents’/guardian’s name, full address, date of birth, gender, category, and nationality have to be given.
After filling up the form, the scanned recent passport size photograph and signature are to be uploaded. The photograph should be of 35 mm x 45 mm. The dimension for the signature is 80 mm x 35 mm.
The file size in both cases should not exceed 80 KB. The photograph and signature should be in .jpg or .jpeg format.
Documents
NC-OBC/SC/ST Certificate: Download the Certificate from the CAT Website, enter the required information and attest signatures from the appropriate authorities, self-attest, and scan as PDF document to upload.
PWD/DA Certificate: Download the Certificate from the CAT Website, enter the required information and attest signatures from the appropriate authorities, self-attest, and scan as PDF document to upload.
Academics
In this section, the candidate will have to enter the aggregate percentage, total obtained marks, maximum marks, Board/University name, stream, subject and degree obtained in the following stages of academics.
SSC/10th Std/Equivalent Details
12th/Equivalent/Diploma Course Details
Bachelor Degree Details
Other Professional Degree Details
Master Degree Details
For computing percentages of marks obtained in SSC or equivalent and HSC or equivalent examination, the aggregate marks of all subjects that appear in the mark sheet/grade sheet would be considered.
For graduates and postgraduates, the percentage of marks awarded by the Institute/University will be treated as final. If the Institute/University does not award the percentage of marks, it will be calculated on the basis of the marks obtained in all subjects listed in the mark sheet.
If any Board/Institute/University awards only letter grades without providing an equivalent percentage of marks on the grade sheet, the candidate should obtain a certificate from the Board/Institute/University specifying the equivalent marks which should be used for filling the online CAT application form.
If the candidate is in the final year of the Bachelor’s Degree, the current year and semester are to be given. The marks percentage or equivalent CGPA obtained for the years or semesters completed till date is to be provided.
Those pursuing an integrated Masters Degree programme after 10+2 are to calculate the percentage of marks obtained in the first 3 years as per University/Institute norms which is considered equivalent to Bachelor’s Degree. The remaining 2 years percentage is to be entered in the Master Degree marks.
Work Experience
This section is applicable only for candidates with prior full-time work experience. The candidate has to select the working area given in the list. In case it does not match the professional experience, select ‘Other’. Mention the work experience in months.
Selection of IIM Programmes and Interview Cities
Candidates could select any number of Program Names in this section. Then, the city for interview is to be selected from a drop down list.
Candidates applying for PGP/PGDM courses at the following IIMs are required to select the same interview city for all the selections.
- IIM Kashipur
- IIM Raipur
- IIM Ranchi
- IIM Rohtak
- IIM Tiruchirappalli
- IIM Udaipur
Exam city preference
Candidates have to give the choice of 4 cities in order of preference for taking CAT 2016. IIM Bangalore will allocate the city and centre on the basis of centre and node availability. The candidate will not be allowed to choose the same city more than once.
Payment
The last and final step is that of fee payment. For General and NC/OBC candidates, the application fee will be Rs. 1700 and for the SC/ST/PWD (Differently Abled) candidates, the application fee would be Rs. 850. The final amount will include additional charges for various types of transactions.
For Net Banking, Rs. 20 per transaction is charged. Credit Card (Visa/Master) will attract 1.20% of the transaction amount, subject to minimum of Rs. 5.
For Credit Card (American Express) 2.85% of the transaction amount, subject to minimum of Rs. 5.
For Debit Card (Visa/Master) 0.75% of Transaction amount for value up to Rs 2000, subject to minimum of Rs 5 and 1.00% of Transaction amount for value above Rs 2000, subject to minimum of Rs 5.
It is mandatory to select the I Agree checkbox in the Declaration section before clicking the Submit and Pay button and proceed to the payment gateway.
After the successful transaction of payment, a Payment Successful message will be displayed on the screen along with the Payment Transaction Number. The candidate will then be redirected to the CAT 2016 website.
Application Confirmation Email
The candidate will receive a confirmation email from CAT 2016 authorities after the application process is over. The email will also contain communication on additional details such as Admit Card download window etc.
Only after the successful registration of CAT 2016 students will be able to download the admit card from the official website from October 18, 01:00 PM onwards.
CAT 2016 is to be held in two sessions on December 4 at centres located in 138 cities across India.
The release of results in tentatively fixed for second week of January 2017, according to Prof. Rajendra K. Bandi, Convenor, CAT 2016, IIM Bangalore. (Image Courtesy : careerlive360.com)
