CET - Common and yet unique

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