BANGALORE: Your entry into the premier IIMs has just got tougher. For, the fat CAT wants to shed weight.
In a move that will affect thousands of IIM aspirants, directors of the six IIMs have taken a collective decision to fix a minimum academic eligibility to take the common admission test (CAT). Though there has been no official confirmation, the figure is likely to be 50%.
This means candidates have to secure a minimum percentage of marks in the qualifying examination to be eligible to appear for the CAT — let alone cracking one of the toughest B-school entrance exams this side of Harvard.
"The number of applicants are far too many for us to handle. Every year the number of applicants goes up by 20,000. Last year about 1.7 lakh students took the CAT. We want to reduce the number by fixing a minimum eligibility criteria so that the best minds get into IIMs," IIM-B director Prakash G Apte told TOI.
At the recent meeting in Ahmedabad, directors of all the IIMs decided to take up the issue with the respective faculty councils to seek their feedback. The decision was taken after the CAT Group, involving admission chairpersons of IIMs informed the directors the chunk of faculty time was taken away in conducting CAT and completing the admission process.
"Traditionally, IIMs had insisted on having a minimum marks in graduation. But I don't know at what stage this was discontinued. We are only going back to an earlier practice. This move will further filter the number of applicants taking the CAT," S P Parashar, IIM-Indore, said.
Not just that. There are other sweeping changes IIMs are contemplating for CAT 2006. Like the erstwhile IIT-JEE style of admission, IIMs are mulling a two-tier selection procedure, where applicants have to appear for two CATs — preliminary and mains. "We are also thinking of keeping the group discussions and personal interviews short so that these do not take away teaching and research time of our faculty," Apte said.
But, the IIMs' proposal to take CAT online has hit a roadblock. "We are yet to find a credible agency, with integrity to conduct CAT. We are still discussing the outsourcing issue," Apte added.
Source : http://economictimes.indiatimes.com
In a move that will affect thousands of IIM aspirants, directors of the six IIMs have taken a collective decision to fix a minimum academic eligibility to take the common admission test (CAT). Though there has been no official confirmation, the figure is likely to be 50%.
This means candidates have to secure a minimum percentage of marks in the qualifying examination to be eligible to appear for the CAT — let alone cracking one of the toughest B-school entrance exams this side of Harvard.
"The number of applicants are far too many for us to handle. Every year the number of applicants goes up by 20,000. Last year about 1.7 lakh students took the CAT. We want to reduce the number by fixing a minimum eligibility criteria so that the best minds get into IIMs," IIM-B director Prakash G Apte told TOI.
At the recent meeting in Ahmedabad, directors of all the IIMs decided to take up the issue with the respective faculty councils to seek their feedback. The decision was taken after the CAT Group, involving admission chairpersons of IIMs informed the directors the chunk of faculty time was taken away in conducting CAT and completing the admission process.
"Traditionally, IIMs had insisted on having a minimum marks in graduation. But I don't know at what stage this was discontinued. We are only going back to an earlier practice. This move will further filter the number of applicants taking the CAT," S P Parashar, IIM-Indore, said.
Not just that. There are other sweeping changes IIMs are contemplating for CAT 2006. Like the erstwhile IIT-JEE style of admission, IIMs are mulling a two-tier selection procedure, where applicants have to appear for two CATs — preliminary and mains. "We are also thinking of keeping the group discussions and personal interviews short so that these do not take away teaching and research time of our faculty," Apte said.
But, the IIMs' proposal to take CAT online has hit a roadblock. "We are yet to find a credible agency, with integrity to conduct CAT. We are still discussing the outsourcing issue," Apte added.
Source : http://economictimes.indiatimes.com