CET - Common and yet unique
The exam is designed for admission to the two- year full time MBA/MMS courses offered in affiliated universities in Maharashtra.
Common Entrance Test or the CET is conducted by the Directorate of Technical Education, Maharashtra. The exam is designed for admission to the two- year full time MBA/MMS courses offered in affiliated universities in Maharashtra. It is usually the last competitive entrance examination to be held (Probable date: February, 14 2010). Last year 1,10,000 candidates took the CET, battling for the 9000 seats in nearly 85 colleges in Maharashtra (2500 seats in 25 colleges are in Mumbai).
Eligibility-The candidate should be a graduate with a minimum of 45% marks (40% in case of a SC/ST/OBC). A candidate in the final year of graduation can also appear.
Selection Criteria - The admission process for the MMS/MBA programs has five components (Total 240 marks) - Written Test (200 marks), Group Discussion (17 marks), Personal Interview (17 marks), Past Academic Record (4 marks) and Work Experience (2 marks).
Written Test Pattern - The written paper has 200 questions to be answered in 150 mins.CET paper pattern is different from other exams in 2 major aspects ,viz; No negative marks and no sectional cut-offs. CET is the only exam where there are no negative marks for incorrect answers. This means a candidate can rely on guesswork without any worry. It is a crime not to mark responses for all 200 questions.
Also, no sectional cut-off means one can (theoretically) completely avoid one particular section and yet secure admission to a good B-school. This is a major reason why people with Maths -phobia like CET. They stand a better chance of cracking the CET as compared to other exams where they would struggle to meet the Quant cut-off. You can maximise your score in area of strength without worrying too much about your area of weakness.
Written Test Breakup (Based on CET 2009)-CET has 3 main subjects/ test areas- Maths & Data Interpretation (50 marks), Verbal (50 marks) and Logic/Reasoning (100 marks).CET has a highly predictable pattern and the distribution of marks across sections and topics have remained consistent for many years.
Let's have an overview of each section:
Maths and Data Interpretation: CET has a very low focus on Maths. Only simple topics like BODMAS, probability and elementary arithmetic topics (Percentage, Profit-Loss) are tested. One can safely assert that CET has the simplest Quant section amongst all entrance exams.
Verbal Ability: Reading Comprehension has both - questions based on the understanding of the passage and vocabulary questions. English Usage questions are based on elementary school grammar.
Logical Reasoning: Another aspect that differentiates the CET is the high weightage on Logic. Also, a few topics like Visual Reasoning, Verbal Reasoning and Syllogisms etc are not a part of any other exam. If you prepare for other exams, you will sail through the Quant & Verbal questions in CET but you will have to acquaint yourself with the new Logic Questions. Ignore the logic section at your own peril!!
CET Success Mantra: Though CET is one of the easiest exams, one cannot afford to take it easy as 1 lakh+ candidates compete for 200 open merit seats in the top 10 colleges. One must remember that most other exams (CAT, FMS etc) are accuracy exams whereas CET is a speed test. After, mastering the basics, one must focus on improving the speed as one has only 45 seconds per question . The key to success is to attempt around 160 questions with 85-90% accuracy. This requires that one attempts many practice papers before the actual test. A score of 150+ in the written exam (followed by a good GD-PI) will ensure admission in your dream B-school. The question is—are you ready to put in the required hardwork?
The writer, Hemang Panchmatia, Product Head - CET & Faculty - Verbal at CPLC