SNAP vs CAT: Which one is hard enough to Crack?

SNAP vs CAT: Which one is hard enough to Crack? If you’re confused between SNAP and CAT, then this article is must read for you. You need to know the differences and similarities between SNAP and CAT in order to identify which one is hard enough to crack SNAP or CAT.

There are a number of MBA aspirants in India who wish to get admission in reputed B-schools and the gateway to the same is clearing management entrances like CAT and SNAP which stand amongst the most desirable and popular national level examinations. Though they are the most popular exam, they are immensely competitive too.

There is no as such difference in the preparation tactics that you adopt in order to crack these tests, but still each exam has its own pattern or structure, so there are minor differences in the content and strategy of the both exams.

SNAP Test is one of the most popular MBA entrance exams after CAT, XAT, IIFT and CMAT. Compared to these exams SNAP is considered easy.

Although the SNAP syllabus and exam pattern is very similar to CAT, the difficulty level of the question paper is generally moderate unlike CAT which is mostly of higher difficulty level.

About 50,000 to 60,000 aspirants take SNAP exam as compared to CAT exam which receives over two lakh applications. So, since the competition is less in SNAP, one may say it is easier.

But out of the two, which one is hard to crack? A comprehensive analysis has been done for you that include all the aspects, ranging from difficulty level to complete exam analysis.

Here are some key differences and similarities between SNAP and CAT.

Details	SNAP Exam	CAT Exam
Full form	Symbiosis National Aptitude Test	Common Admission Test
Conducting Body	Symbiosis International (Deemed) University	Indian Institute of Management (on rotational basis)
Eligibility	The candidate must have completed Graduation with minimum 50% aggregate (45 % for SC/ST/PwD candidates)	The candidate must have completed Graduation with minimum 50% aggregate (45 % for SC/ST/PwD candidates)
Sections	3	3
Exam mode	Online	Online
Exam Duration	60 minutes	120 minutes
Difficulty level	Moderate to Difficult	Difficult
Exam Fee	Rs 1,950 for all candidates	Rs 2,200 for General and OBC candidates and Rs 1,100 for Reserved category candidates
Registration Process	Online	Online

Also Read: Direct MBA Admission without Entrance Exam

The syllabus for both SNAP and CAT is almost same having Quant, Verbal Ability and Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning.

SNAP Exam	CAT Exam
General English (Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension)	Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension
Quantitative, Data interpretation & Data Sufficiency	Quantitative Aptitude
Analytical and Logical Reasoning	Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning

The exam pattern of both the exams is completely different from each other. Where SNAP is more of a speed-based exam, you can survive CAT with a lower speed.

CAT gives you 120 minutes to solve 76 questions, which is about 1.5 minutes per question. While, SNAP gives 60 minutes to complete 60 questions, which is only 1 minute per question. Therefore, both the papers differ drastically from each other when it comes to the toughness of examination pattern only.

In CAT, you are supposed to complete each section within 60 minutes. As soon as the 60 minutes gets over, you will be directed to the next section. Also, in CAT, you are bound to solve the question paper in the sequence as given.

SNAP is flexible. In SNAP, there is no sectional time-limit, so that you can choose the sequence of questions to solve, as per their choice.

Details	SNAP Exam	CAT Exam
Number of Questions	60	76
Total Marks	60	228
Duration	60 Minutes	120 Minutes
Negative Marking	Yes	Yes
Types of Questions	MCQs	MCQs and non-MCQs
Number of choices in MCQs	4	4
Sectional Time limit	No	Yes (60 minutes per section)

Both SNAP and CAT have negative marking, which makes both exams tricky. Thus, in both exams, it is crucial to choose questions which you can answer with 100 percent accuracy and leave out the ones you are not sure of. Wrong choice of question adversely impacts the score.

SNAP Exam	CAT Exam
+1 for correct answer	+3 marks for correct answer
-1/4 marks for incorrect answer	-1 mark for incorrect answer

Also Read: Direct Admission in Top 10 MBA Colleges without CAT Exam

Another important aspect of both the exams is the cutoff. For SNAP, the two most desired colleges are SIBM Pune and SCMHRD Pune.

Generally, a percentile of 98.5 or more is enough for getting an interview call from SIBM Pune. While at a percentile of 97 you can expect call for interview from SCMHRD Pune. These cutoffs are for general category only and can vary a little bit from year to year.

Also Read: Enroll for Symbiosis Direct MBA via SNAP 2021

For CAT, 99 percentile is generally perceived as a golden figure to get interview calls from the best of the colleges. However, Since IIMs give considerable weightage to the profile of the candidate, the cutoffs vary quite a lot.

Some people get an interview call from IIM Ahmedabad at 89 percentile also, while others don’t get it even at 99.7 percentile. However, as a rough figure, 99.5 percentile is a good score for IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore and Calcutta.

The cut off for IIM Lucknow stays around 99 percentile, for IIM Kozhikode at 98.5 percentile and for IIM Indore at 98 percentile.

Other than IIMs, top B-Schools including FMS, MDI, SPJIMR, JBIMS, IMT, GIM, Great Lakes, IMI, TAPMI, are the few names, accept CAT exam score.

The selection process for all the institutes under Symbiosis International (Deemed) University for MBA programs includes Group Exercise (GE), Writing Ability Test (WAT) and Personal Interview (PI).

The GE-PIWAT round is conducted by each constituent institute individually. However, the parameters of final selection are common for all of them.

Here are the parameters taken into consideration for admission to MBA programs of Symbiosis Institutes:

• SNAP Test Score
• GE (Group Exercise)
• WAT (Written Ability Test)
• PI (Personal Interview)

The IIMs and other top ranked MBA colleges in India select candidates for admission on the basis of CAT score. The selection criteria include Written Ability Test (WAT), Group Discussion (GD) and Personal Interview (PI). The IIMs conduct WAT and PI, while other B-schools conduct GD and PI.

Final admission list is prepared on the basis of the candidate’s performance on several criteria. Here are some parameters taken into consideration for admission to MBA/PGP programmes of IIMs:

• CAT Exam Score
• WAT (Written Ability Test)
• PI (Personal Interview)
• Class 10^th, Class 12^th, and Graduation Marks
• Weighted Work Experience

Every year over 2 lakh people appearing for CAT exam, which makes it the most sought-after management exam of the country. Wherein for SNAP, the candidate base is much smaller, with around 50,000 people appearing for the exam every year. This is also due to the quality of institutes covered under these exams.

Since CAT is one of the most sought-after MBA entrance exams in the country, the quality of candidates appearing is also top notch. Candidates prepare for 6 months to a year to crack this exam, and some even repeat twice or thrice to get their desirable college.

On the other hand, preparation for SNAP mostly goes along with CAT. There are many people who appear for both CAT and SNAP, and there are many who appear for CAT only. But the number of people who appear for only SNAP and not CAT is probably much lesser.

In terms of the extent of syllabus and speed requirements, SNAP is certainly a winner. While in terms of competition, the difficulty level of questions and cutoffs, CAT seems to be one step ahead of SNAP.

However, while opting for any of the two exams, you must go through the analysis and frame your choices consciously. Both the exams, if cracked, can lead you to a seat in the country’s most sought-after business schools.

On an overall basis, the dominance of CAT as the country’s toughest entrance exam is hard to overthrow. SNAP is certainly doing considerable efforts to match the level of CAT, but at the moment, it seems quite clear that CAT is a tougher nut to crack.

Hope that helps. All the Best!