GMAT vs CAT: Key differences on Syllabus, Eligibility, and Patterns
If you’re planning to apply to MBA programs, you may be wondering which entrance exam you should take. In this article, we’ll explore two commonly used entrance exams for business schools, the Common Admission Test (CAT) and the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT), and discuss the key differences between the two.
First, let’s discuss what each test is.
What Is the CAT Exam?
The CAT exam is an entrance exam administered by the Indian Institute of Management and used for admission to MBA and Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM) programs at Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and most other Indian B-schools.
The CAT is administered by computer, in English, and is offered once per year as an in-person test only, at one of the 6 oldest IIMs (IIM Calcutta, IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, IIM Lucknow, IIM Kozhikode, and IIM Indore. The IIMs rotate which institute conducts the exam each year, and an announcement about the exam location is made several months in advance of the test administration. For example, in May 2021, it was announced that IIM Ahmedabad would conduct the CAT 2021, which will be administered on November 28, 2021. India is the only country that offers the CAT exam.
What Is the GMAT?
The GMAT is a computer-adaptive test designed and administered by the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) and used for admissions to business schools worldwide. In fact, the GMAT is the most widely accepted entrance exam for MBA programs and other graduate business programs, such as Master of Finance and EMBA programs.
The GMAT is currently available year-round as either an in-person exam taken at a designated test center or an online exam taken at home. GMAT test centers are located in 114 countries around the world, and the GMAT Online is currently available to test-takers in all countries except Mainland China, North Korea, Iran, Sudan, and Cuba. You can learn about how the at-home and in-person GMAT compare in this article. Regardless of where you take the GMAT, the exam will be in English.
Now that we know the basics of what each test is, let’s take a closer look at which schools accept each test.
GMAT vs. CAT: Which Do Schools Accept?
One of the main differences between the CAT exam and the GMAT is that the CAT is offered in India and accepted by Indian B-schools only, whereas the GMAT is offered and accepted globally.
According to GMAC, more than 2,300+ schools and 7,000 MBA and master’s programs around the world accept GMAT scores, and an average of 200,000 test-takers sit for the GMAT each year.
Although schools outside of India do not accept CAT scores, many top B-schools in India accept both CAT and GMAT scores. In fact, more than 100 Indian B-schools accept GMAT scores (including the 6 oldest IIMs I mentioned earlier).
So, if you are an MBA hopeful who wants to attend business school in a country other than India, you will not be able to submit a CAT score for admission. However, if you plan to attend business school in India, you may be able to submit either a CAT score or a GMAT score. Of course, you should always check the websites of the individual programs to which you’re applying in order to determine whether they accept the CAT, the GMAT, or both.
So, we’ve seen that there are some differences in when and where you can take the CAT and the GMAT. But what about who can take each exam, how many times you can take each exam, and how long your score lasts? Let’s explore.
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