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.

The Maharashtra Government has decided to fill 15,000 MBA seats which are lying vacant across the state through admissions to the course sans the Common Entrance Test (CET). The decision was taken recently by Higher and Technical Education Department enabling graduates from any faculty to take admission for the MBA course, based on their degree marks, without appearing for the mandatory CET. There are over 40,000 MBA seats in Maharashtra.

Despite CET and four rounds of Common Admission Process (CAP) about 15,000 seats remained vacant this academic year. The Directorate of Technical Education has issued a notification in this regard which say that priority would remain for students clearing CET for MBA course admissions.

The notification also clearly says that no injustice should be done with students while implementing the decision, else action would be taken by the government against institutions and organisations. Even the admission process has been extended till September 25 for students seeking to enter MBA course.

Delhi School of Management (DSM) which is the B-School of Delhi Technological University (DTU) extended its date of application for MBA till March 22, 2010 due to increasing demand.

Delhi Technological University (DTU) was formerly called Delhi College of Engineering. DTU entered into management education by starting DSM in 2009.

DSM provides a MBA programme for two years which includes specialization in knowledge and technology management, information technology management and supply chain management.

For applying in the institution, interested candidates should have a minimum aggregate of 60% in B.E. or B.Tech. for any branch of Engineering or Technology.

Otherwise, candidates should have Master’s Degree in any branch of Physical or Chemical or Mathematical Science like Physics, Chemistry, Statistics, Computer Application, Electronic Science, Environmental Science, Operations Research, Computation or Information Science.

Candidates can also have Master’s Degree in Commerce or Economics. A 5% marks relaxation or equivalent grades in CGPA will be provided to Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs).

Some applications will be selected based on the Common Admission Test (CAT) performance. Selected candidates will have to attend group discussion and interview.

IGNOU has relaxed the minimum eligibility for admission to MBA and other management programmes. Now even fresh graduates can apply for these programmes unlike before when aspirants required to have at least three years of work experience to be eligible.

In a bid to enable more management aspirants obtain MBA degree, IGNOU has relaxed the minimum cut off marks for eligibility to get admission in its MBA programme to 50 per cent for general category students.

Now, fresh graduates in general category with 50 per cent marks and reserved category students with 45 per cent marks are eligible to appear for OPENMAT, the entrance test of IGNOU for admission to the MBA programme.

Even those graduates who have successfully cleared the entrance test for admission to management programme conducted by recognised institutions like CAT, MAT and state level tests conducted by the state governments need not sit for the OPENMAT test of IGNOU.

The age limit for admission to the management programmes apart from MBA offered by the university has also been removed.

A Masters in business administration degree or MBA allows a student to obtain valuable information regarding how businesses are run, how companies can grow and expand in addition to learning possible international and global marketing strategies. Nothing is a substitute for real life experience, however learning possible scenarios and practicing them with classmates can help an MBA candidate to become more prepared for the real business world. The MBA is not a strictly theoretical degree – it will leave you in possession of skills you need to make sound, professional business decisions.

Plus. the MBA degree programs often require the candidates to participate in real-world training and internships that will also help them prepare for the business world.

1. Show self-knowledge. If you know who you are, where you’re going, and why it requires an MBA, you’re more than halfway to getting in.

2. Show past success. Admissions committees have to rely on your past successes and referees, as a shorthand indicator of your future success.

3. Show leadership experience and aptitude. Leadership is the ability to motivate and coordinate others to achieve a common goal. It is the key management skill and the key to management success.

4. Prove it with evidence. You think you’re great, and you surely are. But what counts is the evidence. The strongest evidence is concrete: promotions, awards etc, but stories and anecdotes will do the trick too.

5. Position yourself away from competitive categories. Look for ways to separate yourself from the herd.

6. Have clear, interesting, ambitious goals that fit with your past record and require an MBA.

7. Focus on telling your own story and don’t try to give them what you think they want to hear. If you get your profile right you can get in anywhere.

8. Don’t praise the school. They are fully aware of their value and their charms. What they want to know is why you are valuable and how you will add value to them.

9. Don’t try to be too competent. Success is good. Perfect is highly dubious. If you are too good, not only is it suspicious, but you leave them no role to add to your skills and build your profile.

10. Be personal. Give the admissions committee a real insight into your character, passion, personality and self-understanding.

1995 to 1998:

Total Questions – 185
Time – 120 minutes
Verbal Ability – 50 Q
Reading Comprehension – 50 Q
Problem Solving – 45 Q
Data Interpretation – 40 Q

In 1995 and 1996, the Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension sections were grouped and had a time limit of 1 hour.

Similarly, the Problem Solving and Data Interpretation sections were grouped and had a time limit of 1 hour.

There was no such time limit in 1997 and 1998.

1999:

Total Questions – 165
Time – 120 minutes
Section 1 : 55 Q – Verbal Ability – 25 Q and Reading Comprehension – 30 Q
Section 2 : 55 Q – Problem Solving – 55 Q
Section 3 : 55 Q – Data Interpretation – 31 Q and Verbal Reasoning – 24 Q

2000:

Total Questions – 165
Time – 120 minutes
Section 1 : 55 Q – Verbal Ability – 15 Q and Reading Comprehension – 40 Q
Section 2 : 55 Q – Problem Solving – 55 Q
Section 3 : 55 Q – Data Interpretation – 31 Q and Verbal Ability – 24 Q

2001:

Total Questions – 150
Time – 120 minutes
Section 1 : 50 Q – Verbal Ability – 20 Q and Reading Comprehension – 30 Q
Section 2 : 50 Q – Problem Solving – 50 Q
Section 3 : 50 Q – Data Interpretation – 31 Q and Logical Reasoning – 19 Q

2002:

Total Questions – 150
Time – 120 minutes
Section 1 : 50 Q – Data Interpretation – 40 Q and Logical Reasoning – 10 Q

Section 2 : 50 Q – Problem Solving – 50 Q
Section 3 : 50 Q – Verbal Ability – 25 Q and Reading Comprehension – 25 Q

2003 :

Total Questions – 150
Time – 120 minutes
Section 1 : 50 Q – Verbal Ability – 25 Q and Reading Comprehension – 25 Q

Section 2 : 50 Q – Data Interpretation – 30 Q and Logical Reasoning – 20 Q
Section 3 : 50 Q – Problem Solving

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 admissions 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.

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.

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.