This year, the number of students taking the exam was a three-year high, in anticipation of the Indian Institute of Management Bill being passed.
Twenty candidates scored an overall 100 percentile in the Common Admission Test (CAT), results of which were declared on Monday. CAT allows more than about two lakh candidates to seek admission in India's top business schools, including the IIMs.
This year, the number of students taking the exam was a three-year high, in anticipation of the Indian Institute of Management Bill being passed. Now, students will get degrees instead of diplomas. The number of students who appeared for the exam in 2016 was 1,95,000. It reached 1,99,632 in 2017, highest in the last three years.
The profile of CAT toppers this year has been different as compared to those of CAT 2016. While in CAT 2016, all top 20 candidates were male and engineers, this year the top 20 list contains two female candidates and three non-engineers. The exam was conducted in 140 cities in November.
One of the two female toppers — Chhavi Gupta — is from Delhi. Speaking to DNA, she said, "I prepared for CAT along with my job. It was difficult but I managed to crack the exam by studying for at least four hours a day on weekdays and by taking mock tests on weekends."
With the overall results better than last year, competition for getting admission in the top three IIMs — Ahmedabad, Bangalore and Calcutta — will be tougher this year.
"The overall results have been good this year. Many students have scored well and there seems to be several students scoring over 99 percentile. The competition to make it to the top IIMs is going to be tough" said Prashanth Nair, Centre Director, Triumphant Institute of Management Education(TIME), Mumbai.
"Even as the value of a diploma from an IIM is big itself, the fact that IIMs will now start granting degrees has affected the number of students opting for CAT. A degree weighs more than a diploma when one has to apply for a research in foreign universities," said an IIM professor.
CAT Results
With the overall results better than last year, competition for getting admission in the top three IIMs — Ahmedabad, Bangalore and Calcutta — will be tougher this year
(With inputs from Ankita Bhatkhade in Mumbai)
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