The general interest in CAT seems to be waning but interestingly, there is a rise in the no. of IIMs from 6 to 13. And with another 7 in the pipeline, it would be 20 IIMs. Registrations by female candidates have increased. Candidates with no work experience declined but with two or more years of work experience, have increased. A rise in CAT registration by differently-abled candidates is seen. Engineers still rule but percentage of registrations from non-engineering backgrounds have increased.
Also on the rise is numbers of applications to Global B-Schools. Indians have shown a strong presence in global MBA schools and stand second to China. What could be a worrying factor for IIMs or for that matter top Indian B Schools, is the rising GMAT applicant (25% jump) from India.
CAT still remains to be a basic parameter for admissions in top B Schools of the country, but many like Dr. Das feels it is not fair to judge the potential managerial quality of a student only by his CAT score. Schools like SJM School of Management – IIT Bombay or FORE School of Management, Delhi, gives more weightage to other factors and less to CAT during their admission process. MICA Ahmedabad, do not keep a cut off for CAT. The focus on providing international exposure to students is also getting prominence like at FORE ‘International Immersion’ is a part of the PGDM program. An area, the IIMs clearly lacks.
Is it the format of CAT or the lure of foreign university for which CAT is becoming an old hat for Gen Y & Gen G? It’s yet to be comprehended but what is apparent is rapidly growing cognizance of the stakeholder towards seeking value for MBA and in selecting institutes providing academic excellence.
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