GMAT is better for individuals with more work experience who want to study an executive MBA in India or a master's in management abroad.

One of the most common questions management aspirants ask is whether GMAT is easier than CAT, the difference between these two mba entrance exams, which is better CAT or GMAT whether a high percentile in either exam guarantees admission to top management colleges in INDIA or abroad, which exam is best suited to individual engineering students or others and whether preparation for both exams can be done together.

 In this article, we will try to answer all of these questions regarding CAT vs GMAT including their pros and cons.

GMAT Exam – Quick Overview

GMAT- Graduate Management Admission Test is the most widely accepted test for admissions to management institutes globally. Leading Indian IIMs as well as other top institutions also accept GMAT scores for their executive programmes for working executives. Some independent colleges consider GMAT scores for regular PGDM courses.

The GMAT Focus Edition, introduced in late 2023, is the new GMAT. This 2-hour and 15-minute test has three 45-minute sections: Quantitative Reasoning, Verbal Reasoning and the new Data Insights. The scoring scale is revised as well on a range of 205 to 805. The GMAT Focus provides a more meaningful and focused measure for business school candidates.

CAT Exam – Quick Overview

CAT full form Common Admission Test is the computer-based entrance test for India’s premier management institutes. Administered on an annual basis, by IIMs, it evaluates candidates on three main parts namely Quantitative Aptitude (QA), Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) and Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning. 

MBA Programmes Accepted via Each Exam

The majority of the management institutes worldwide accept the GMAT and GRE scores for admission to the Master's programs in management. All  Indian IIMs and other top B schools in India also accept GMAT or GMAT Focus edition exam scores for their executive MBA programs designed for working professionals. A few leading private management colleges such as SPJIMR Mumbai, BITSoM Mumbai, IMT Ghaziabad, IMI New Delhi, Kolkata and Bhubaneswar, XIM University Bhubaneswar and ISB Hyderabad and Mohali accept the GMAT scores for their regular MBA courses.

CAT scores are accepted by majority of the Indian management colleges including 21 IIMs, IITs (those impart MBA education), JMI New Delhi, UBS Panjab University, IMS, BHU Varanasi and other leading Private sector colleges like MDI Gurugram, SPJIMR Mumbai, ISB, XIM Bhubaneswar, Great Lakes, IMI, Amity University , Jaipuria and Many more.

Conducting bodies of GMAT and CAT

The GMAT is owned and conducted by Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) whereas the CAT is conducted by one of the six IIMs every year on a rotational schedule. For instance, it was IIM Kozhikode that brought the 2025 exam. 

CAT and GMAT - Exam Fees

The fees for the two MBA entrance exams are as follows:

CAT Exam Fees

The CAT registration fee varies based on the candidate's category:

• General / NC-OBC category candidates: INR 2,400

• SC / ST / PwD (Persons with Disability) category candidates: INR 1,200

There are no additional rescheduling fees as the exam is conducted only once a year.

GMAT Exam Fees

The GMAT fee structure is global but can vary slightly by country. The standard fees are:

• Test Center Exam Fee: $300 (approximately INR 25,000, subject to exchange rates).

• Online Exam Fee: $300 (approximately INR 25,000).

Additional costs apply for services like rescheduling ($60), exam score cancellation/reinstatement or sending score reports to more than five schools.

The CAT has a low, subsidised fee structure for the Indian candidate pool while the GMAT, being a global test has a significantly higher fee.

GMAT and CAT – Exam Schedule, Mode & Attempts

Here are the key details on the schedule, mode and attempts for GMAT and CAT:

GMAT

• Schedule: Available whole year at test centers with flexible timings. Online exams also have continuous availability.

• Mode: Computer-adaptive at authorised test centres or online 

• Attempts: You can take the GMAT up to 5 times in a  12-month period and up to 8 times total.

CAT

• Schedule: Conducted once a year on the last Sunday of November.

• Mode: Computer-based test administered in designated test centers across India in three timed slots.

• Attempts: No official limit. Candidates can attempt CAT every year they meet the eligibility criteria.

GMAT and CAT Exam Pattern Comparison

Comparison of the exam patterns of the GMAT Focus Edition and the CAT:

CAT and GMAT - Syllabus comparison

Here is a comparative overview of the syllabi of all three sections VARC, DILR and the Quant section for the CAT (Common Admission Test) and the GMAT Focus Edition.

Key Differences in Approach:

• CAT tests depth and speed in core concepts with a mix of MCQs and non-MCQs.

• GMAT Focus tests integrated reasoning and decision-making with data, emphasising critical thinking in a business context especially through data sufficiency.

Scoring and percentile System of the two entrance exams

Comparison of the scoring pattern for the CAT and GMAT Focus Edition.

CAT Scoring 

• Marking: For a right answer, the candidate will get +3 marks and for wrong  answer 1 mark is deducted (only MCQs).

• Percentile System: The only measure here is the percentile – not the raw score. A 99 percentile shows he has performed better than 99% of the test takers that year. 

• The percentile overall and sectional are the ones that are used by IIMs & other institutes for shortlisting applicants. There is no set composite score range.

GMAT Focus Scoring 

Scoring: It produces an overall total Score on a scale of 205­-805, in ten-point intervals. Each component (Quantitative, Verbal, Data Insights) have their own scaled scores of 60-90.

Percentile System: A percentile rank is provided for the Total Score and each section score. This percentage compares the scores of a test-taker to other candidates in the official GMAC database during the past three years. For instance, a 695 Total Score would correspond to the 97th percentile, because the score is above 97% of the group.

Key Difference:

The CAT result is entirely percentile-driven and is relative to a single year's test-takers. The GMAT provides a standardised composite score with an accompanying stable percentile based on a multi-year global pool.

GMAT and CAT Score Validity & Retake Policy

Here are the key details regarding the score validity and retake rules for the GMAT (Focus Edition).

GMAT Score Validity

The official GMAT score is valid for 5 years. This allows you to use a single score for multiple application cycles across business schools worldwide.

GMAT Retake Rules

• You can take the GMAT up to 5 times within 12-months period.

• You are allowed a lifetime maximum of 8 total attempts.

• A mandatory 16-day off period is required between any two consecutive exam attempts.

These rules apply to both the test center and online GMAT Focus Edition.

CAT Score Validity

The CAT scores are valid for one admission cycle only. You cannot use your CAT score from a previous year to apply for admissions in a subsequent year. Each candidate must take the exam again for each new application cycle.

CAT Retake Rules

As of now, there are no such rules for how many times CAT exam can be given. One can appear in this examination every year provided they meet eligibility condition (mainly, you just need to have graduation with minimum marked percentage. Multiple Attempts - It is normal for a candidate to write the CAT more than once in order to achieve their desired score.

Differences and Similarities between CAT and GMAT

CAT and GMAT difference regarding time duration, marking pattern, CAT and GMAT sections and in which order sections should be approached are given:

1. The CAT ia a  120 minutes exam and consists of 68 questions from three sections. Each is allotted 40 minutes and no breaks are allowed. 

2. The GMAT on the other hand is a 64-question exam that takes 135 minutes to complete with 45 minutes for each section and a 10-minute optional break after any section may be taken. 

3. The CAT has +3 marks for correct answers and negative one for incorrect answers whereas the GMAT does not have negative marking.

4. CAT- The order of the three sections is fixed: VARC first, followed by DILR and  Quant.

In GMAT, one can decide in which order they want to take the different sections

5. The GMAT is a computerised adaptive test, with questions that are displayed on the screen one at a time and whose progressive difficulty level is based on your performance of the previous question. CAT, the entire set of questions from a section are shown together and aspirants can decide the order to attempt each question.

6. GMAT scores are available immediately after the test whereas CAT results take 3-4 weeks to be declared.

7. The GMAT test is administered throughout the year whereas the CAT is administered once a year on the last Sunday of November.

Difficulty Level – GMAT vs CAT Which One Is Tougher?

The section-wise level of difficulty of CAT vs GMAT are explained in the following points 

1. The CAT's quantitative section is regarded as more difficult than that of the GMAT quant due to more formula-based questions whereas GMAT quantitative ability questions are more logic-based.

2. The verbal portion of the GMAT is thought to be more difficult than the CAT. The  VARC section of the CAT contains four passages and 7-8 verbal ability questions. 

The GMAT includes passages that are perceived to be more difficult and the critical reasoning questions demand strong analytical skills. As a result the GMAT verbal section is more difficult than the CAT due to the more advanced questions. 

3. The Data Insights section of the GMAT differs from the Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning section of the CAT. The Data Insights section contains extensive tables and charts as well as a large amount of data that can take some time to process. 

The CAT consists of data interpretation sets and logical reasoning puzzles designed to assess the student's problem-solving ability. 

4. The CAT is better suited to the majority of Indian students particularly those who lack strong vocabulary and grammar. The GMAT exam takes less time to prepare because it is more logic-based. 

The CAT on the other hand is a more syllabus-orientated exam that requires extensive practice before a student is prepared to take it.

Which Exam Should You Choose – GMAT or CAT?

Choosing between the CAT and the GMAT depends entirely on your target business schools.

Choose CAT if:

Your aim is to do MBA only in India as majority of Indian business schools accept CAT scores; specifically at Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) or other top Indian B-schools.  Once-a-year CAT is the required to these programs — and it’s cheaper.

Choose GMAT if:

You are applying to MBA programmes outside India or from some elite Indian schools (such as ISB, SPJIMR, IMT and XIMB) that accept global scores or want to pursue executive MBA designed for working professionals from IIMs or from other top schools. 

The GMAT is a year-round test available at several thousand test centers around the world widely recognised assessment tool for international business programs. It is the easiest one – providing you with five years validity and unlimited tries.

So to sum it up, based on where you aspire studying and your dream university list-CAT for India-centric goals and GMAT for global or flexible options.