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ShareThe mother of all entrance tests going online does not seem to have gone down well with those aspiring for admission to the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs). Registration for the common admission test (CAT) closed on October 11 and, for the first time in several years, the figures show an alarming drop in the number of applicants.
The number of applicants who registered for the online CAT 2009 is 2,41,582, almost 34,000 less than the number of applicants for CAT 2008. The total number of vouchers sold was 2,46,912, including those who bought more than one.
While the prestigious IIMs blame the drop in registrations on the recession, because of which many who may have gone for management studies now prefer to hang on to their jobs, others feel that it is mainly because of a lack of interest in the online test.
"Since the decrease ismarginal, it cannot be related to the recession," argued Apurv Pandit, editor of Pagalguy.com, a popular MBA web resource. "I feel the main reason was that aspirants were wary of being part of the first batch to attempt the online format. The price of the form was also raised to Rs1,400 from Rs1,100."
According to CAT aspirant Amit Bhushan, an Andheri resident, the reduction was mainly owing to concerns about the online format. "Many of my colleagues want to see how the test will be conducted this year and attempt it next year," he said.
But Arks Srinivas, director of the Triumphant Institute of Management Education (Time), disagreed. He said, "There is a reduction in the number of MBA applicants at B-schools across the world. Working professionals are preferring to hold on to their jobs. Another factor is the fee, which is mostly paid through bank loans. At a time when there is uncertainty about pay packages, students do not want to take new loans."
This year, 65% of the applicants are from the engineering, technology, and architecture industries. Women account for just 26% of the applicants; 71% are working professionals with over six months' experience. Management graduates make up 23% of the total.
