CAT 2017 to be a single-day two-session exam; likely Exam Date is November 26: MBAUniverse.com

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CAT 2017 will be a single day exam and will be held over two sessions on the same day. CAT 2017 exam date is expected to be Sunday, November 26. The number of CAT exam centers is also proposed to be reduced this year. MBAUniverse.com has learnt these important updates from reliable sources.

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As alreadypublished by MBAUniverse.com on July 26, and confirmed by Prof Neeraj Dwivedi, faculty at IIM Lucknow and CAT 2017 exam convener, the official CAT 2017 exam Notification will be released on July 30 in leading news papers. Responding to MBAUniverse.com query, Dr Dwivedi said, We are planning to bring out the CAT notification on 30th July.
The CAT Notification will carry all the updated information on CAT 2017 exam schedule, CAT exam eligibility, CAT test centres, CAT exam pattern, CAT 2017 registration dates and IIMs admission process. CAT 2017 website is also proposed to be launched along with the CAT notification release.

Related Links:

• CAT 2017 Notification release on July 30 by IIM Lucknow; 5 dos on this Sunday
• CAT 2017: 3 steps preparation plan for IIM A,B,C admission in 2018; know the success strategy
• CAT 2017: Online Registration & Application begins on scheduled date; be ready with your documents

November 26: CAT exam date is a week before than last year
CAT 2017 convening IIM Lucknow in its CAT notification on July 30 is expected to confirm November 26 as exam date for CAT 2017. In 2016, IIM Bangalore who convened CAT 2016, carried the CAT exam date beyond November and scheduled it, to December 4, again a Sunday. This was the first CAT during last many years that was held after close of November month.

While CAT used to be conducted in the months of October and early November till 2013, since 2014 CAT exam dates are now scheduled for the last week of November or the first week of December.
In 2014, IIM Indore conducted CAT in 2 days 4 sessions. The exam dates were spread with a gap of one week. While the first CAT exam date was November 16, the subsequent date was November 22, 2014.
In 2015, IIM Ahmedabad the then CAT convener, conducted CAT exam on Sunday, November 29 for the first time and further enabling IIM Bangalore to schedule CAT 2016 in December.

CAT 2017 a single day two session exam
This year again,CAT is expected to remain a single day eventon November 26, 2017. CAT has remained a single day event during the previous 2 years also.
CAT has taken absolutely different shape as the testing partner of CAT exam was also changed in CAT 2014 from Prometric to TCS. This change has also prompted IIMs to change the CAT testing window.
Till 2013, CAT exam, in its computerised format, used to be held in 20 days 40 sessions. CAT testing window was reduced to 2 days, 4 sessions in 2014 by IIM Indore. IIM Ahmedabad further reduced the CAT exam window from 2 days-4 sessions to 1 day-2 sessions in 2015. IIM Bangalore also followed the same pattern of 1 day 2 sessions testing window for CAT 2016.

CAT 2017 to reduce test centres
After getting the feedback on technical glitches and some malpractices from small town test centres in previous years exam, IIM Lucknow is expected to reduce the already increased number of test centres in the states ofBihar, U.P. and others in hinterlands.
Earlier, after shortening of CAT testing window from 20 to 2 days, test centres were increased in CAT 2014 to 99 cities and 354 testing venues as against 40 testing cities with 76 testing sites in 2013. In 2015, IIM Ahmedabad further increased the CAT test centres to 136 and 360 testing venues.

IIM Bangalore who conducted CAT 2016 again increased CAT exam centres to 138 with even more testing venues and focused more on small towns. It appears that the experience of CAT 2016 exam at some of these small towns might have not been a pleasant one because of which CAT 2017 exam centre is contemplating to reduce, remove and replace these CAT exam centres.
The responsibility to conduct CAT 2017 is on IIM Lucknow and Prof Neeraj Dwivedi, faculty and admission chair at IIM Lucknow is the convener of CAT 2017 exam. Common Admission Test (CAT) 2017, conducted by IIM Lucknow, is the mandatory entrance exam for admission to MBA/PGDM 2018-20 programmes in all the 20 IIMs, FMS Delhi, SPJIMR Mumbai, MDI Gurugram, IMI New Delhi, IMT Ghaziabad, JBIMS Mumbai, TAPMI and other highly ranked B-schools in India.

Stay tuned to MBAUniverse.com for more updates on CAT 2017