CAT replaced JMET for MBA admissions in IITs, earlier JMET was the entrance test required to be eligible to apply for MBA admissions in IITs. From 2012 onwards one can apply with a valid CAT score, IIT Madras was supposed to conduct JMET in the year 2012.

IIT Madras website notified as ” The Joint Management Entrance Test (JMET) stands discontinued. Admission to the Post Graduate Management Degree Programmes (MBA/M.Mgmt) for 2012 – 2014 in six IITs (Bombay, Delhi, Kanpur, Kharagpur, Madras, Roorkee) and IISc (Bengaluru) will be based on CAT 2011 score in place of JMET score. Further details regarding eligible educational qualifications and other criteria will be available in the website of Department of Management Studies IIT Madras.”

IITs being autonomous like the IIMs have the leverage to choose CAT entrance exam as a criteria, however IITs will have their own selection criteria which is independent and IIMs will not play any role in the selection criteria. JMET is replacing CAT in view of reducing burden on the student in taking multiple entrance exams, form filling, application cost etc.

If IITs consider CAT score it will only better the selection process and IITs can compete with IIMs in management education. Over the decades IITs are known for its quality education offerings in technical courses, it’s time IITs are thinking to have a double edge by bringing quality education in management as well.

In an interesting exercise in synergy, the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) have decided to abandon their decade-old entrance test for postgraduate management courses and adopt the exam conducted by the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs).

The move will also ease pressure on aspirants, who are required to appear for an array of tests every year.

The six older IITs at Mumbai, Delhi, Kanpur, Kharagpur, Chennai and Roorkee have decided to scrap their own joint national management test from next year. The six institutes run two-year, full-time postgraduate management programmes with an intake of about 600 students. The IIMs take in fewer than 3,000 students every year, but charge a substantially higher fee than the IITs.

“Yes, we have decided to do away with our test and will accept CAT (common admission test),” confirmed Deveng V. Khakhar, director at IIT Bombay, ending months of speculation.

The IIT national test is almost similar to CAT, “so there is no point duplicating exams”, he said.

The move has come at a time when the Union government has suggested reducing the number of national-level entrance tests of similar nature to ease the stress on candidates.

Besides CAT, other well-known entrance exams for management education are XAT by the XLRI School of Business and Human Resources, Jamshedpur; MAT (management aptitude test) run by the All India Management Association; NMAT conducted by the Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai; the Mudra Institute of Communications, Ahmedabad Admission Test; the Symbiosis National Aptitude Test and the Graduate Management Admission Test.

A Masters in Business Administration program helps one hone their potential and latent managerial skills. One gains many invaluable skills with which one manages personnel at work and also the other managerial activities. There are a lot of courses apart from MBA, but a lot of people want to undertake post-graduation in this field because it opens great vistas. One can opt for MBA after graduating in almost any field. If you are willing to take up a lucrative job in the big corporate houses or want to start your own entrepreneurial venture, MBA education is the best bet.

Masters in Business Administration is a course for people who desire a managerial role. This involves decision-making, supervising, motivating employees and other such functions along with the core function the person performs. Core functions may be if a person is a Marketing Manager, he has to market the product or services of the organization and also perform the soft-skill functions. Most of the time, these functions may not come naturally to a person. If this is the case and a high-profile corporate job is desired then MBA education is highly recommended.

There are various fields in MBA. This is so because nearly every field today requires managers and managerial decision-making. One can opt from a number of subjects according to the job he/she wants to take up. This includes MBA in Accounts, Finance, HR, International Business, Retail, Entrepreneurship and a few others. MBA teaches business management primarily focusing on management techniques, business techniques, leadership skills etc.

Apart from choosing the subjects one also needs to decide which type would be better suited to one’s career. This depends on factors whether a person is a student, working full-time or working part-time etc. He/she can opt from the following:

• Executive MBA Programs

• MBA'>Distance Learning MBA Programs

• Online MBA Programs

• Full-Time MBA for 1 Year

• Full-Time MBA for 2 Years

• Part-time MBA Program

MBA from India is mostly a 2-year program. Some colleges and countries offer 1-year MBA programs also. The Executive PGDM or MBA programs are for working individuals. This also gives a boost to the career not only in the country he resides in but also opens doors across the globe. Finding a good MBA College is not a piece of cake. It depends on one’s caliber and willingness to work hard to crack the entrance exams for getting into the top B schools.

After obtaining the PGDM degree one is all set to take up the challenges of the dynamic business world. So what are you waiting for? Get going to seek admission into the Top B-Schools for your MBA education.

The All India Management Association (AIMA) has announced the dates for the Management Aptitude Test (MAT) of September 2011, the third MAT exam of the year. The paper pencil based MAT will take place on Sunday, September 4, 2011. The computer based test will be held from Saturday, September 10, 2011 onwards.

Candidates can choose to take the test in either computer based or paper pencil based format. The 2.5 hour test will take place from 10:00 am to 12.30 pm for the paper pencil based test. The computer based test will take place in different time slots.

The sale of MAT September 2011 application forms will begin from Friday, 1 July.

Application Process

Candidates who wish to apply should be graduates or in the final year of their graduation. The last date for sale of Application Forms is Friday, 12 August, 2011. The last date to submit the filled up application forms is Tuesday, 16 August, 2011.

The forms can be obtained from select branches of Bank of Baroda, Axis Bank with application fee of Rs. 1,200 or from Study Centers of AIMA with application fee of Rs. 1,050. Online application can also be done by visiting www.aima-ind.org/matfeb11.

The candidates have to obtain their Admit Cards seven days prior to their tests, with effect from Saturday, August 27, 2011. Registered candidates can download their Admit Cards from the AIMA website, http://www.aima-ind.org/mat_centre.aspx.

All India Management Association (AIMA) Management Aptitude Test (MAT) September 2011

Courses Offered
Applications are invited for admission to MBA Programme

Eligibility
Graduates in any discipline. Final year students of Graduate Courses can also apply.

How To Apply
Application form and brochure can be obtained from the AIMA Office.

Payment can be made either through Credit Card or through demand Draft.

Demand Draft for Rs.1050/- drawn in favour of ‘All India Management Association’ payable at New Delhi.

Candidates should write his/her name and Auto-generated Registration Number on the back of the Demand Draft.

Send set of documents to:

Manager-CMS (MAT-Online),
All India Management Association,
Management House,
14 Institutional Area,
Lodhi Road, New Delhi-110003.

Contact Details
Management House, 14, Institutional Area, Lodhi Road, New Delhi 110003
Tel: 011 – 24645100, 24617354
Fax: 011- 24626689
Website: http://www.aima-ind.org

Last date for receipt of form
12 August 2011

Entrance Date
04 September 2011

A MBA is a very useful and flexible graduate degree to those who have a few years worth of experience in the corporate world, even if the experience is considered by those who don’t know any better as “doing low-ranking jobs.” Non-profit organizations or government service also count as valuable to get accepted to an MBA program offered by many reputable schools. Most leading MBA schools require that their students have previous actual work experience. Making an investment in an MBA program will, in the long run, help you gain perspective in how your work relates with those of others in the place where you work.

Most MBA schools try to mold you to become more strategic in thinking, and hopefully tactical when taking actions in most situations in life especially at the work place (or even when you run your own business). The whole point of all the academic subjects you have to digest, read, and even probably write about (alone or with your classmates) is to be able to think through all the information, confusion, anxieties, threats, and still shine out through your strengths you’ve learned to identify, plus the opportunities you may fathom in dark times (so to say). Worry not, as you can do this, just like the others who have finished their MBA degrees.

1) Start by identifying at least 5 schools you’ve heard and believe are reputable as MBA schools in the place where you are currently working (or will eventually move to get a new job). Or your current employer may have in-house training program or advanced study-benefits being provided, which you may avail. Or you may ask around from some people you know have finished their MBA degrees (don’t even bother to ask those who have not finished the degree – they have different views which may not be helpful for you).

2) Check the academic schedules of each of these schools so that you can make plans when to apply. Write down the schedules, gather and collect all the necessary materials for the schools’ requirements, and make sure to submit them on time.

3) If you can visit each of these schools, or attend sessions where you can have a better idea of the process of getting into any of these schools, work it out on your schedule to gain the benefits of doing so. You’ll have a better appreciation on what’s the MBA program is all about, and then subsequently work on your personal goals along advance studies in business administration.

4) Though some don’t advise this, do engage in your MBA studies while you are working – you’ll have better use of your lessons from the classroom while employed at the same time. The topics at school become meaningful and more lasting to your memory when you encounter similar situations when you are at the workplace. For example, there’s not much switching done between vocabularies as most terms you encounter at the MBA school are also used at the workplace, i.e. the jargon is basically the same.

5) Figure out where you’re sourcing funds for your MBA studies – you may get funds from your own savings, different kinds of medium-term loans (as the outcomes of an MBA degree realistically show up usually in the medium term, i.e. 3 to 5 years), relatives’ support, or even from your paycheck now if your budget allows it. These programs are almost always expensive in well-known schools, as there are many students who enroll in these programs. The more famous the school is, the more expensive the costs of the education. Scholarships are also available, but be ready to compete against other students from all over the world, and not only where you are based now.

6) When accepted into the program, even if you’re basically timid or shy, try to do a lot of networking with your classmates, other MBA students, and your teachers. You’ll eventually get the hang of it. Have your business card handy during these networking situations – they can be during campus parties, group study sessions, or any academic activity happening while at school again. It’s up to you whether you’d give out your card without being asked, as it depends on whom are you talking to in each of these occasions.

7) Most, if not all, MBA schools follow the extensive use of case studies in conducting the classes to impart lessons under the confines of the walls of the classroom. A lot of active participation in the class is called for, so make your share of inputs in each class. The case-study method entails a lot of reading and understanding at least 500 case studies before the whole program is over; they’re briefly or extensively longer written materials from textbooks, and other printed sources, on all areas of the science and art of Management as applied in the business world. They can be on Finance, General Management, Logistics, Marketing, Human Resources, and related fields. Of course, you’ll not be able to read and comprehend all these case studies, as some of them are really bewildering to read, and given the high chances that you’d be employed full time while working on your MBA degree. The technique is to partner it out with other reliable students whom you are friendly with, so that the load is distributed, and everyone will have assignments on small parts to cover for each case study.

Learn to become confident in your platform skills. This takes a lot of practice and the readiness to do trial and error if you will. You’ll be asked most often to do presentation of all manner and style imaginable before your classmates, which would almost always be around issues that can be crafted out from the case study assigned. As such, you’ll dissect, discuss and cover the relevant subject matter covered by the case study on hand.

9) Be adept in using the computer and the Internet so that you’ll optimize the use of very helpful tools in working on your studies, both by yourself and with your classmates. Make use of what’s available and used by most number of students on social networking, too, to build a reliable support group who will be around to help you with your studies.

10) For the academic paper which most MBA schools require students to independently write, submit and present as a final requirement before conferred with the degree, plan to come up with a paper that integrates all the major subject matters covered in the MBA school. There would be less work to do towards the end. Depending on the school, this can be a “business plan” or a “business proposal” for a particular company. Connect the relevant contents of all the papers you’ve written for each subject, as an integral part of your final paper at the end of the MBA program. For example, under Finance, your paper for the subject should have focused on a topic that will then relate seamlessly with the other academic subjects like Human Resources, Marketing, Logistics, Operations Management. It’s tactical, too, to spend time writing reports covering the same company for all these academic subjects – towards the end, you’ll collate and relate all in one integrated draft that will serve as your final paper (or some MBA schools call this “thesis”) for defense and submission.

The CAT exam is one of the most coveted MBA exams in India. Every year, over two hundred thousand students sweat it out for entry into the Indian Institutes of Management aka the IIMs. The selection ratio for an IIM is much higher than the Ivy League colleges, thus making the CAT exam one of the toughest management examinations in the world.

The CAT exam mutated to an online avatar in the year 2009. CAT is a computer based test rather than being a computer adaptive test (unlike GMAT). The paper consists of 60 standard questions, sub divided into three sections. These sections are Quantitative Aptitude, Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation and Verbal Ability. Students should note that these sections are not specifically demarcated in the actual paper itself.

Each of these sections comprises of twenty different questions with no particular time limit across different sections. A student is expected to show his competency across all the sections equally. Some of the qualities being assessed of students are stress management, quick thinking and concentration. Other facets of the exam include a two hour wait before the actual exam starts. However, this is set to change in the times ahead as CAT becomes a more accomplished exam.

However, since the inception of the new online format, there have been a lot of controversies surrounding the CAT exam. Students have criticized the paper due to many loopholes in the assessment system. Notwithstanding all this, the CAT exam continues to be a pioneer of management education in India.

The MBA Admissions process can be long and hard, to say the least. Juggling deadlines for the GMAT and school applications can become a full time job, making it hard to attend to work, school and family. While you would be hard-pressed to completely alleviate the pressures of the admissions process, there are many ways to “help it run more smoothly”, culminating in a desirable outcome.

When it comes to applying to business schools, organization is key. Not only will strong organization help you stay on track, it will also reflect positively on you during evaluation by admission board(s). Once you have decided to apply to business school and narrowed your school choices, the first thing to do is contact your choices and get the literature on each school’s application process. This can usually be done over the phone or on the internet. It is important to do this early in the admissions process so that you can develop a schedule that meets the criteria of all your school choices.

This can be harder than it seems given that different schools will have widely varying application processes and deadlines. Naturally, you must pin down all your application deadlines, which can vary greatly if some of your program choices have rolling admissions.

Most business schools will require you to take the GMAT. It is important to properly fit the GMAT into your application schedule. Depending on familiarity with GMAT subjects and material, applicants may need weeks or months to properly prepare for the exam. Consider your time frame and budget. So, if you feel you need to take a GMAT prep course, make sure the class dates will allow you to meet all your deadlines. For instance, if three out of four of your program choices have rolling admissions, it would be easy to be lulled into a false sense of “having time”. However, if just one of your choices has an early, set application date, you will need to adjust your GMAT study schedule and exam date accordingly.

Another important aspect of the MBA admissions process is the admissions interview. Some schools will not hold interviews, however, most will, and some push for them. If a program allows interviews, take the opportunity if at all possible. Depending on the number of schools you are considering and their locations, you most likely will not be able to travel to all of them. Just keep in mind, an interview will most likely be your best chance to differentiate yourself in a sea of impressive GPA’s and GMAT scores.

If you are trying for any sort of financial aid or scholarship, your application process may need to be accelerated. Money is limited and quickly allocated to eligible applicants, so make sure to inquire for each school choice. And remember, a change in one school’s deadline will often affect another.

Whatever path you take to business school, stay organized and keep your end goals and ambitions squarely in sight. Doing so will help keep you on track and motivated during the MBA admissions process as well as during your time as an MBA student.

MBA is a hot favorite among aspirants aiming for higher education in India. The most alluring factor of the post graduate program is the high paying designations. If we do some intricate research on the World Wide Web for the best MBA colleges in India, we will come across many proficient institutions in India which proffer eminent education. The excellent and demanding curriculum of MBA when summed up with highly efficient teaching staffs lead to the doors of top MBA colleges in India.

The MBA colleges in India proffer excellent opportunities like acquiring exceptional managerial Skills such as time management and prioritizing, challenging and fulfilling careers, fast track career growth Paths, lucrative compensation packages. Essentially a typical MBA program is of four types: -

-A full time MBA program which spans two years

-Part time MBA program spanning three years

-Executive MBA which lasts for two years or less and is fit for working professionals

-Distance MBA program is basically a correspondence course

If we move around searching for the top MBA colleges in Mumbai, we will come across names such as Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management, Lala Lajpat Rai College of Communication & Economic, B.V. Institute of Management Studies & Research, NL Dalmiya Institute of Management Studies and Research, S.I.E.S College of Management Studies, The Bombay School of Business, Mumbai Educational Trust’s Institute of Management, Atharva School of Business, Babasaheb Gawde Institute of management Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) etc.

Now let us review some of the top MBA colleges in Delhi. The institutions which have made a mark in imparting quality education in the capital city of Delhi are: – Amity Business School, EMPI Business School, Delhi Business School, Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies, Delhi Institute Of Technology And Paramedical Sciences, Delhi Institute of Heritage Research and Management, International Business School, Rai Business School, Times Centre for Media Studies etc. These institutions are renowned as the best MBA colleges in Delhi.

Now let us move around some of the top MBA colleges in Pune; International School Of Management & Research, National Insurance Academy, Maharashtra Institute of Technology, St.Vincent College of Commerce, Sinhgad Technical Education Society’S Sinhgad Institute Of Management, Vishwakarma Institute of Technology, Symbiosis Institute of Business Management, Adarsha Shikshan Mandali etc. The chief reason behind the popularity of the MBA degree programs is the extensive assortment of career alternatives it proffers after completion of the course.

In context of Indian subcontinent, the IIMs (India Institute of Management) are by far the best institutes to obtain a MBA degree. As of now there are nine IIMs in the country situated at Kolkota, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Lucknow, Kozhikode, Indore, Shillong, Ranchi and Rohtak. The Top MBA colleges in India aim of recognizing the brightest scholarly talent accessible in the student population of India and prepare them prominently in the most excellent management modus operandi proffered by the world. They ultimately intend to create a pool of industry ready, elite managers who will carry out research in emerging areas.

Full-time MBA programs are best suited for people who aren’t well-established in their current careers and looking for a change. These Courses are designed for recent college graduates that are looking to enter their desired Job Field after getting some Special managerial Specialization in their field. The Two types for Full Time MBA are One year Two year Full time MBA.

Two Year MBA is Dedicated Program that entails all the Aspects Of a good and Complete Managerial program. The Program Includes time given to Study core Subjects and Gives full time to Specialize on various Aspects. Two-year MBA programs require a total Academics commitment with Core Study of All included Subjects that is spread over four semesters, including active business internships in between. The Program lasts 23-25 months and is strictly for people who have the time to devote themselves to learning as their first priority.

The Program is Suitable for both career switchers (who Change Job functions or industries) and also career enhancers (who continue in the same Profession or industry with gaining some more expertise). These highly programs may require students to relocate to attend the business school of their choice and they may be the most expensive options.

One Advantage of Two year MBA is that they accept the widest variety of academic backgrounds. The basic requirement usually is an undergraduate degree that meets the business school’s standards that generally means a Four year academic Experience equivalent. Another advantage is that some employers understand the importance and benefits of Two year mba and may grant workers time off to complete their training without disturbing their job status and may resume On a Higher Corporate ladder After Graduation.

Although the Two years Full time MBA Program Requires more dedication as Compared to One Year programs as the rules and prerequisites are not as Strict here. The MBA program may fall short in the long run if you don’t have a powerful focus on your studies and a plan for attaining goals in the workplace afterwards. Also the More expensive ness of the program Makes you think about more financial stability needed afterwards to make up for the Amount and time spent in the Course.

Thus, Two year Full time MBA Is a good option for those looking to Switch or Enhance careers With full expertise. This program though requires more commitment and may bring lots of Benefits in the Future.