The Common Aptitude Test for English (CATE) for admission into the highly sought after B.A. English (Honors) programme offered by the Delhi University (DU).
According to the CATE-2010 information bulletin, teachers of English at DU feel that a candidate’s good performance in the Class 12 English examination does not necessarily mean that they have an aptitude for studying English Literature.
Earlier, the entrance tests for admissions to the English Honors course offered by colleges at DU were all conducted individually by the colleges themselves. The university administration had decided to change the system as it was believed that too many English entrance tests would put excessive pressure on candidates.
In 2009, CATE was introduced by DU as an alternative to the several individual entrance tests for English (Honors) by DU colleges. Twelve DU colleges had agreed to use CATE as the means to admit students in their English (Honors) courses.
The colleges that will use CATE as the means to admit students for their English (Honors) programme include Delhi College of Arts and Commerce (DCAC), Hindu College, Indraprastha College for Women, Kamla Nehru College, Maharaja Agarsen College, Ram Lal Anand College (evening), Satyawati College (Evening), Shivaji College, Zakir Hussein College (Evening), Lady Sri Ram College (LSR), Miranda House, Bharti College, Shaheed Bhagat Singh College and Deshbandhu College.

The eligibility criteria for appearing for CATE are a minimum of 60 percent marks in English (Core, Elective and Functional) in the Class 12 board examination as well as a minimum of 60 percent marks in the best of four subject aggregates.