CAT 2008 - Combined Admission Test to IIMs - 270,000 individuals took the test today

270,000 appear for 'doable' CAT exam

New Delhi (IANS): Around 270,000 MBA aspirants appeared for the Common Aptitude Test (CAT) across the nation Sunday, an official spokesperson said.

A majority of those who appeared felt that while the three-segment paper was fairly 'doable', there were a few hiccups in the 'lengthy verbal' and 'tough quant' sections.

"A total of 270,000 applicants were shortlisted for CAT 2008. Last year, about 220,000 candidates had appeared in the test," Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad (IIM-A) spokesperson Ishita Solanki told IANS over the phone.

"The numbers of forms received was much more, but after screening forms for eligibility criteria, the final turn out was still quite large," Solanki said.

The CAT is one of the most competitive exams in the country but aspiring students could find that admission to an IIM just might not get you that dream job.

This year more number of companies called IIM Bangalore to woo students with dream jobs and hefty pay packets. The companies participating in the placement went up to almost 100 from last year's 66. But that is on invitation and not because the popularity of these schools has increased.

"Number of offers per company have gone down. We had anticipated it and hence compared to 66 or so companies last year, we had invited close to 100 companies," said the Associate Professor of Placement at the IIM-Bangalore, Sourav Mukherji.

The initial pay packages offered are by and large the same this year too but IIM-Bangalore foresees that the packages for final placements could be higher.

That's because the students are only interns for about 10 to 12 weeks and pay packets offered may increase when final recruitment happens in March.

"It would be far greater a challenge for us when it gets to the final placement because companies are not recruiting. We have to try all our means just as we did during summer to reach out to companies and ask them to come and take our student," Mukherjee added.

The CAT entrance test held on Sunday gains significance on these counts. Will aspirants then stop eying B-school listing, then?

"I don't see that happening because close to two lakh 80 thousand students will be attempting. If at all (there are any effects of the recession) perceptible thing, then maybe next year. But again, one can't say much," Mukherjee said.

CAT 2008 is a 90 question paper, easier than previous year, say experts By PaGaLGuY.com CAT Day Events Dude
Published: November 16, 2008
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90 questions across 3 sections, with Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation having 25 questions each and the Verbal Ability having 40 questions. That was CAT 2008, the Indian Institutes of Management's (IIMs) annual entrance exam taken by nearly 2.7 lakh students. "The paper was definitely easier than previous year," said well known author of CAT books Arun Sharma.

According to Mumbai-based CAT trainer Munira Lokhandwala, "Data Interpretation was considerably tougher than last year, while Quant was as tough. English was easier." Munira attempted 85 questions, the 5 unattempted questions being from DI.

CAT 2008 Analysis and Discussion threads on PaGaLGuY
Overall discussion | Quant Section | Data Interpretation Section | Verbal section

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Bangalore: A fter years of holding down tough managerial positions and leading many in the boardroom, a few get back to the classroom.

CAT candidates over 35, though few, are not uncommon. According to statistics provided by the Indian Institutes of Management, the number of candidates over 35 in 2007 was 22.72% higher than the previous year.

After garnering work experience, what interest could CAT possibly be hold for these candidates? According to Ajay Arora, director, TIME, of the total candidates, at least 3% fall in the over-35 category. "Most write the CAT because they feel they've reached a plateau and are looking for a career shift. An IIM degree would certainly add weight to the resume," said Arora. It's not the only reason -- some candidates are actually PhD aspirants or want to pursue the fellowship programme, added Arora.

According to Kavitha Narendra, head, academics, Career Launcher, said working software engineers also add to the number of CAT candidates over 35 years. "They take CAT for the post-graduate course in Software Enterprise Management, believing that an IIM degree adds value to their resume," said Kavitha.

Age, said these experts, is no hindrance. "Quite the opposite. As they've already been in the industry, they bring in a different perspective to the class than a person without any experience," said Arora. CAT experts said age and work experience are actually an advantage. "They're really focused because they know what they want. Besides, they've already experienced pressure in the workplace. It is easier for them," added Kavita.

Experts also said that if money is not a constraint, getting an IIM degree never goes waste. Manikantan Kumar (name changed), 38, works as an MNC global product manager. A mechanical engineer, he started working soon after getting his degree. With 15 years of experience to his credit, he's appearing for the test so "he can grow further and have a quantitative career jump". He said, "I'm looking at becoming a CEO of my company. For that, I need good qualifications," he said.