What is MICA?

• MICA (Mudra Institute of Communications Ahmedabad) was established in 1991.
• It is one of the few, or perhaps the only institute in the Asia-Pacific, that focuses on creating leadership in Strategic Marketing and Communication.
• MICA is an autonomous institute that offers three programs:
  • PGDM – Communications (PGDM – C)
  • Crafting Creative Communication (CCC)
  • Fellowship Programme in Management-Communications (FPM-C).
• It is renowned as a premier management institute for marketing, creativity, and communication.
• Additionally, MICA provides several online courses through the MICAT exam platform.

 Also, prepare with courses curated by Top B-school mentors

What is the MICAT exam?

Confused? Get free mentor-ship by experts  Firstly, the pattern of MICAT along with the MICAT syllabus is different from other MBA Entrance Exams. As most of the MBA entrance exams are made up entirely of Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs). However, MICAT has a paper pattern that asks objective, as well as subjective questions. Further, the marking scheme for each section isn’t usually disclosed. Although negative marking applies only to the objective questions (except Psychometric). And will not be applicable to any of the subjective questions.  

MICAT Eligibility Criteria

• The candidates who appeared/appearing in CAT/XAT/GMAT
• Degree Recognition: The bachelor’s degree must be obtained from an institute/university recognised by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU)
• Minimum Education: Candidates must have completed a minimum of 15 years of education in a 10 2 3 format
• Also, candidates appearing for final year Bachelor's degree examinations are eligible to apply

MICAT Exam Important dates:

MICAT Exam:  Selection process

Candidates who demonstrate an aptitude for expressing, assessing, and /or conceiving ideas that move people to action and achieve business results tend to stand a better chance of being shortlisted.

So the selection process for MICA is different from the other B – Schools across the country.  And it has three steps:

Step 1: CAT/XAT/GMAT

All candidates must appear for at least one of the above-mentioned three exams (CAT, XAT, or GMAT) to be eligible to apply to MICA. This step ensures that candidates meet the minimum eligibility criteria for MICA's programs.

 7 things a CAT aspirant is doing wrong

Step 2: MICA Admission Test (MICAT)

MICAT is the in-house exam of MICA. And it assesses the students with the help of 6 sections:

1. Psychometric Test
2. Verbal Ability
3. Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation
4. Divergent and Convergent Thinking
5. General Awareness
6. Descriptive Test

Step 3: GE and PI

Also read: All you need to know about MICAT The students who score top ranks in MICAT are then selected for the next round. After that is Group Exercise (GE) followed by Personal Interview (PI).

The Psychometric Test

• Qualifier Test: The Psychometric Test serves as a qualifying round for candidates.

• Impact on Advancement: If a student fails to clear the Psychometric Test, they are ineligible for the subsequent rounds of Group Exercise (GE) and Personal Interview (PI).

• Section Importance: The marks obtained in the other five sections of the MICAT Exam hold no significance if the candidate does not pass the Psychometric Test.

• Relative Score Consideration: Upon qualifying the Psychometric Test, the candidate's relative score in CAT/XAT is taken into account.

• Minimum Cut-off: The relative score of CAT/XAT has a minimum cut-off value, ensuring candidates meet a certain threshold to proceed further in the selection process.

The Psychometric section is a compelling feature of the MICAT. Students are given 30 questions (MCQs) to comprehend their Aspirations, Motivations, and Behavior.

Other sections

Candidates who meet the CAT/XAT cut-off or GMAT score are then assessed in the remaining sections of the MICAT exam, including:

1. Verbal Ability (VA)
2. Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation (QADI)
3. General Awareness (GA)
4. Divergent and Convergent Thinking (DCT)

Those who qualify based on relative performance in each of these sections, compared to a base cut-off in Scaled Scores, along with the CAT/XAT cut-off or GMAT score, may have their Descriptive Tests evaluated.

Also check: How to save time in quants and DI Reading comprehension tricks and tips

Qualifying candidates

• Candidates who qualify based on their performance in the Verbal Ability (VA), Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation (QADI), General Awareness (GA), and Divergent and Convergent Thinking (DCT) sections, along with the Descriptive Test (DT) are considered for the next step in the process.
• A waitlist is established based on MICAT-I and/or II, or the better of the two performances if an applicant has taken both MICAT-I and MICAT-II.
• The waitlist is prepared according to the Composite Score formula, which combines half of the CAT/XAT/GMAT score and half of the MICAT score.
• Approximately 1/10th of the average number of applicants who appear for either of the two MICATs are shortlisted for the Group Exercise (GE) and Personal Interview (PI) rounds.
• The shortlisting for GE and PI is based on the total scaled score earned in MICAT.

MICAT exam centres

GE-PI

Every one of those hopeful applicants who appear for GE and PI. And satisfies the below-mentioned conditions will be considered for the shortlist:

• Recommendation by PI panel.
• No less than at least 3.5 on a 5-point scale in GE
• No less than at least 4 on a 5-point scale in PI

Also Read: What is the pattern of the MICAT exam?

For each candidate who meets the criteria, a final composite score (FCS) is calculated based on the following weightage:

• CAT/XAT/GMAT: 20%
• MICAT: 30%
• GE: 20%
• PI: 30% (Scaled Scores are used for MICAT).

The final round of GE and PI are held in Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Delhi.

MICAT Exam pattern

Learn the best courses from experts 

The MICAT 2024 exam consists of three sections. Each section comes with a specific time limit, and candidates must complete answering the questions from that section within the provided time limit. 

The table below provides details of the MICAT 2024 exam pattern:

 Read the details below: Check out the important topics of G.K. to crack this section 

More about MICAT exam

MICAT exam design specifies the aggregate number of questions that will be asked. And in addition, the mode in which the test will be held. Also, MICAT is conducted twice in a year. MICAT exam design likewise specifies whether there is any negative marking if the applicant gives the wrong answer. So, the objective of taking a section-wise pattern test for MICAT 2020 is to help the applicants in drawing a clear plan for the exam. Applicants can read about the syllabus of MICAT 2020 to make themselves familiar with the themes and subjects from which questions are probably going to be asked. Therefore, in this article, applicants can thoroughly understand MICAT exam design 2021, for example, the marking scheme, the method of the examination, the number of questions, allocated time, total marks, and so forth.

In conclusion,

Remember, along with your aptitude, MICAT also tests you on your creative skills. And it is one of the few entrance tests that engages your brain in an off-beat way. Also, MICAT is known to throw in surprises, with respect to the paper pattern, every year. Moreover, changes are usually in the number of questions and/or in the duration of a section. So, be ready for any such changes. Thank you for reading this article. And I hope it helps in your preparations.

All the best!

Related Links:

General Awareness for MICAT - Must Do GK  

MICAT GE PI experience - Rashmi cracks MICA with a score of 47 in MICAT

Residential Courses @MICA