Hindustan Times: Testing time for CAT as students line up for GMAT

Your website, Oneyearmba.co.in, has been saying it. Now, the world seems to be saying it – the One year MBA is the only MBA in India and is poised to be the first choice of students here.   

Today’s report in the The Hindustan Times (HT), a leading national paper in India, reveals this trend when it speaks of a sharp rise in the number of students in India taking the GMAT and a marked decrease in the number of those taking the CAT. The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) is the test you clear to gain admission to the One year MBA in India.

The HT says the number of GMAT takers in India has increased from 18,929 in 2009 to 22,878 in 2013 – a rise of about 21%. In the same period, the number of people sitting for the CAT has fallen from 2.3 lakh to 1.74 lakh — a fall of nearly 33%.

The falling popularity of CAT is affecting IIMs’ ability to increase the fee for the exam. A recent article in India Today that examined this issue said that most of the IIMs have realised that not many students are interested in CAT now, and a fee hike would further affect the registrations. Commenting on this, Rishikesha T Krishnan, Director of IIM-Indore said,“I don’t think there is an appetite for fee increase. The number of people appearing for CAT has not increased. We will try to be efficient and absorb as much cost increase as we can.”

More and more people are realizing that this is the MBA of the present and the future.

A few students we talked to corroborated this trend. A student at a leading IIM shared how despite having got admission to a two-year course at another leading business school, he joined the One year MBA. Asked the reasons for his choice, he said, “Most of the top MBA programmes in Europe are of one-year duration – there really is no reason why an MBA should take any longer. The one-year programme allows me to join work faster and the fact that the class consists of people who have extensive work experience made it a no-brainer for me. Since I already had substantial work experience, I couldn’t see myself learning much in a two-year course where the class consists largely of freshers.”

Another student we spoke to talked of the better Return on Investment of the One year MBA. You save one year of study and join work in senior positions, as is custom for MBAs worldwide.” He added, “The fact that this is the only globally accredited MBA in India also influenced my choice.”

To understand the One year MBA better, consider its global accreditation (Read: Executive MBA? No. India’s first globally accepted MBA? Yes, the world-class talent it attracts (Read: A class that lives up to global standards, the course rigour (Read: Rigour of a global 2-year MBA in one year, the placementsit leads to (Read: Placements light years ahead and the course’s global ranking (Read: Ranked among top Global MBAs by Financial Times, London

The article in The Hindustan Times

With more business schools in India accepting GMAT scores and one-year executive and management courses gaining popularity, fewer people are sitting for the CAT. The reason: Common Adm-ission Test (CAT) scores can only be used to apply for a two-year MBA course in India.

The simultaneous increase in GMAT takers indicates that people with some work experience are opting for executive courses,” said a former IIM professor. It also helps that 112 B-schools now accept GMAT scores as opposed to just 37 in 2008. Around 235 courses in B-schools also now accept GMAT scores. As a result, the number of GMAT takers has increased from 18,929 in 2009 to 22,878 in 2013 – a rise of about 21%. In the same period, the number of people sitting for the CAT has fallen from 2.3 lakh to 1.74 lakh — a fall of nearly 33%. Ashish Bhardwaj, Asia Pacific vice-president of the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) — which manages the GMAT — said: “2013 has been the strongest year ever for GMAT volume in India. This is primarily because of the increase in the acceptance of GMAT scores both worldwide and in India.”

Acknowledging ‘handsome’ interest in executive course, offered only through GMAT, IIM Udaipur director Janat Shah told HT: “I think the increase in the number of GMAT takers in India can be directly related to the growing interest among people with work experience who want to do a one-year management course to hone their skills.” The volatile economic climate, job uncertainty and expense of a two-year MBA course also dissuade many from taking the CAT. “Those who have even 2-3 years work experience look at GMAT as a suitable option.

Also there is the advantage of finishing the course in just one year,” said Gautam Puri, who runs a coaching institute for management. Himanshu, who has given both the CAT and the GMAT said: “The reason why the CAT is losing its numbers is because students are becoming aware of other programmes both globally and in India.” Puri agrees: “Business schools that take GMAT scores offer so much diversity. I have seen a huge increase in the number of students who want to be coached for GMAT.” Dr Lawrence M Rudner, R&D vice-president of GMAC said: “While globally there has been a dip in the number of GMAT test takers, in India it has been very consistent.”

Courtesy HIndustan Times. Hit this link for the original article.