CAT vs GMAT Difference | Know The Key Differences

CAT vs GMAT Difference 2022: Both the CAT and GMAT are entrance exams for MBA, but both differ in the scope of their acceptability. CAT is only accepted by Indian business schools, where as GMAT is accepted by more than 7000 MBA programs worldwide.

If you want to know the CAT vs GMAT difference, read the whole blog.

CAT vs GMAT Difference 2022

To know the difference between CAT and GMAT, you can refer to the table below:

GMAT vs CAT	CAT	GMAT
Full-Form	Common Admission Test	Graduate Management Admission Test
Conducting body	Indian Institute of Management	Graduate Management Admission Council
Validity	One year	Five years
Eligibility	Bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 50% marks	At least 13 years of age
Frequency	Once a year	Round the year
Accepted by	Indian business schools	Global business schools
Mode of Exam	Online	Online
Number of sections	3	4
Number of questions	100	80
Exam Duration	120 minutes	187 minutes
Exam Fee	₹2,000	USD 250

CAT vs GMAT Difference 2022 | Format and Duration

• CAT has 3 stages, where as GMAT has 4, including the analytical writing assessment.
• Both the GMAT and CAT are computer based tests, but the GMAT is adaptive in nature whereas the CAT isn’t.
• The difficulty level of the next question is decided based on your performance in the previous question in the GMAT and not in CAT.
• The time duration for CAT is 2 hours, while for the GMAT, the time duration is 3 hours and 7 minutes.

CAT vs GMAT Difference | Score Validity

• The score validity for the GMAT is 5 years from the date of your test because as per the GMAT, your reasoning skills and abilities would not erode substantially over a 5-year period. But make sure you check the policies of your target school before you apply.
• The score validity of the CAT is 1 year from the date of the test.
• If you don’t score well in the CAT, you will have to take the exam again next year whereas the GMAT can be taken on demand.

CAT vs GMAT Difference | Attempts and Eligibility

• If you are above 18, you can apply for the GMAT. If you are between 13-18 years of age, you can apply for the GMAT, with parental permission. 
• You can attempt the GMAT 5 times a year and the minimum duration between the consecutive attempts must be 16 days. There is an 8-attempt overall lifetime limit.
• You can attempt the CAT once in a year and the date specified by the convening IIM. 
• There is no upper age limit or attempt restrictions for the CAT. But to attempt the CAT you need to have a bachelor’s degree from a recognized institution or its equivalent. If you’re in the final year of their respective degree programs can also appear and take the CAT.

CAT vs GMAT Difference | Exam Fees and Average Salaries

• To register for the GMAT you have to pay $250, where as for the CAT, it is INR 2000. 
• The details related to the dates of registration, exam fees, and other information of CAT are included in the CAT Exam notification. 
• The average salary offered to an IIM graduate of the Top -10 IIMs is between the range of INR 22-25 lakhs. The highest international offer made to an IIM graduate stands at INR 82 lakhs.

CAT vs GMAT Difference – Key Points

Parameter	GMAT	CAT
Sections	4 Sections         · Quantitative reasoning (QR) ·Verbal reasoning (VR) · Analytical writing (AWA) · Integrated Reasoning (IR)	3 Sections         ·Verbal ability and reading comprehension (VARC) ·Data Interpretation and logical reasoning (DILR) ·Quantitative Ability (QA)
No. of Questions/ Time limit	80 Questions in total         ·QR – 31 Questions / 62 Minutes ·VR – 36 Questions / 65 Minutes ·IR – 12 Questions / 30 Minutes ·AWA – 1 Question / 30 Minutes	100 Questions in total         ·VARC – 34 Questions / 40 minutes ·DILR – 32 Questions / 40 minutes ·QA – 34 Questions / 40 minutes
Test Duration	3 Hours and 7 Minutes	2 Hours
Adaptiveness	Question adaptive	Not adaptive
Score reporting	Absolute score (Out of 800) and percentile score reported	Only Percentile score reported
Score Validity	5 Years	1 Year
Scheduling Flexibility	Delivered on-demand, can be taken up to 5 times a year. With at least 16 days between attempts.	Conducted only once a year.
Test Fee	$ 250 (approx INR 18,000)	INR 2000
Eligibility	·Lower age limit – 13 years         · Upper age limit – None	· No lower age limit but bachelor’s degree from a recognized university or equal qualification required.         · No upper age limit
Number of Attempts	· Maximum 5 attempts in a year (Minimum 16 days between consecutive attempts)         · Lifetime Limit of 8 attempts overall	· Can be attempted only once every year.         · No limit on the number of attempts.
Acceptance	· 7000+ programs (Including ISB, SPJIMR, MDI, IIMs (Executive Programs)        · Accepted by business schools in 110 countries	·20 IIMs         · Other management colleges in India (SPJIMR, FMS, MDI, IMT, IIFT) ·Accepted for admission in India only

Relaive Difficulty in CAT vs GMAT

• There is a very well defined syllabus and type of questions in the GMAT. Therefore, it is easier to prepare for the GMAT when compared to CAT. You can score 700+ on the GMAT with 90 – 120 hours of dedicated preparation.
• The syllabus for CAT is not very well defined and requires more time for the CAT exam preparation.
• The verbal section of GMAT is more difficult than the CAT, where as the Quantitative section of CAT is more difficult than the GMAT.

CAT vs GMAT Difference | Syllabus 

Verbal Syllabus 

CAT	GMAT
Fill in the blanks	Verb tense
Grammar	Pronoun
Para Completion and inference	Subject-verb agreement
Reading Comprehension	Modifiers
Verbal Logic	Idioms
Para jumbles	Parallelism
Verbal Reasoning	Comparison
Syllogisms	Inference
Contextual usage	Assumption
Analogies	Evaluate
Different usage of the same word	Strengthen and weaken
Antonyms	Boldface
Sentence completion	Paradox
Jumbled paragraphs
Foreign language words used in English
Sentence correction
Idioms
One word substitution

CAT	GMAT
Geometry	Number properties
Trigonometry	Multiples and factors
Mensuration	Fractions
Ratios and Proportion	Decimals
Number system	Percentages
Work and time	Averages
HCF & LCM	Powers and roots
Algebra	Profit and loss
Profit & Loss	Simple and compound interest
In-equations Quadratic and linear equations	Speed, time, and distance
Geometric Progression	Pipes, cisterns, and work time
Percentages	Ratio and proportion
Averages	Mixtures and alligations
Partnership (Accounts)	Descriptive statistics
Time-Speed-Distance	Set theory
Surds and Indices	Probability
Inequalities	Permutation and combination
Logarithms	Monomials, polynomials
	Algebraic expressions and equations
	Functions
	Exponents
	Arithmetic and geometric progression
	Quadratic equations
	Inequalities and basic statistics
	Lines and angles
	Triangles
	Quadrilaterals
	Circles
	Rectangular solids and cylinders
	Coordinate geometry

Sr No	School/University	Program	Location
1	SP Jain Institute of Management	MBA	Sydney/Dubai/Singapore
2	SKEMA Business School	MiM	France
3	Singapore Management University	MiM	Singapore

• There are more than 7,000 programs across 2,300+ graduate business schools worldwide, GMAT is accepted for admission into graduate management programs.
• Some of the world’s top-ranked business schools accept GMAT scores for admission into their graduate management programs are mentioned below:

1. Harvard Business School
2. MIT Sloan School of Management
3. Stanford Graduate School of Business
4. INSEAD

If you want tp study abroad and gain valuable international exposure and work experience, then the GMAT is the obvious choice because of its wider acceptance globally. Aslo, the GMAT is gaining acceptance as an admission criterion for Executive programs at some of the top Indian B-schools.

But if you want to live and work in India at some of the best domestic as well as global employers, then the CAT is the preferred choice.

CAT vs GMAT Difference | Program Choice 

If your target program is the regular 2-year, the full-time residential MBA program at any IIM then you must have a valid CAT score. Whereas, if you are considering the 1-year full-time executive program (EPGP/PGPEx) then a valid GMAT score is accepted.

CAT vs GMAT Difference | Location Preference 

Pursue an MBA from a B-school around the target area as this would place you in close proximity with your target employers and open up opportunities for internships as well.

CAT vs GMAT Difference | Investment vs Return

Sr No	Expense	GMAT	CAT
1	Test Fee	$250	$ 30
2	Preparation Cost	$349 (e-GMAT course)	$ 450 (Average Cost of CAT coaching in-classroom programs)
3	Cost of rescheduling	$50 – More than 60 days prior to appointment $100 – 15 to 60 days prior to appointment $150 – 1 to 14 days prior to appointment	Conducted only once a year (rescheduling not possible)
4	Score reporting	$35 each (First 5 reports are free)	Reported to all IIMs free of cost.
5	Enhanced score report	$30	Not available
6	Score Validity	5 Years	1 Year
7	Total Cost	$ 829	$ 480
8	Total cost per year	$ 166	$ 480

CAT vs GMAT | Scholarships

• A good GMAT score will help you in getting into a top business school, as well as, increases the chances of securing a partial scholarship or a full fellowship.
• For CAT, most IIMs offer loans rather than scholarships. Scholarships offered by the companies and private entities are also available to students.

CAT vs GMAT | How To Choose Between Both Of Them?

• Career goals (International Exposure vs Domestic Experience)
• Program Choice (Executive, Full-time 1 year, Full Time 2 years)
• Preference of Location (India or Abroad)
• Investment vs Return.
• Scholarship Opportunities 

In this blog we have seen GMAT has wider worldwide acceptance, lower opportunity cost, and greater return on investment along with its increasing acceptance to executive MBA programs at IIMs and a few other Indian B-schools stands out as the better option when compared to CAT. 

But if you want to get admission into the traditional 2 year MBA program at IIMs or other business schools in India such as MDI or SPJIMR, then the CAT can be your choice.

This is the complete blog on CAT vs GMAT Difference. To know more, ask in the comments. 

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