CAT in Coimbatore!

The flurry has still not died down after the Common Admission Test (CAT). Institutions training students for the test have already embarked on grooming candidates likely to get through to group discussions (GD) and personal interviews (PI). Detailed analyses of CAT are being held and candidates are working out their chances of making it to top Indian business schools.

With Coimbatore becoming a centre for CAT this year, around 2,500 candidates appeared for the test in the two centres. "This is the first time that Coimbatore has become a centre for CAT," says Madhu Nambudiri, Director, T.I.M.E, Coimbatore.

However, candidates who took the test in the two centres in the city include those from neighbouring Kerala and other Southern districts in Tamil Nadu.

Training in GD and PI is important, as it plays a major role in the cumulative scoring followed during admissions.

While 70 per cent of the thrust is on the entrance score, 25 is on GD and PI and five on work experience. But, this varies with institutions, Mr. Nambudiri says.

Till last year, Chennai was the only centre for taking the test in Tamil Nadu. Now, with Coimbatore also becoming a centre, more candidates will get an opportunity to attempt CAT, says T.P. Senthil Kumar, Centre Director of PT Education, a training institute in Coimbatore. Even in a centre such as Indore in Madhya Pradesh, which has fewer educational institutions when compared to Coimbatore, around 4,000 students appeared for CAT this year.

However, even among the number of students who appear for the test, very few of them actually aspire to get into the Indian Institute of Managements (IIMs).

Last year, six students from the city made it to IIMs and around the same number is expected to make it to the top institutes this year too, Mr. Nambudiri says.

There is a general perception that it is extremely difficult to make it to IIMs, which is one of the reasons why most of the students come prepared to settle for B- and C-level management institutions.

Also, according to Mr. Senthil, more than 70 per cent of the students who make it to IIMs are from an engineering background, as they usually have a strong base in mathematics. "This year however, maths and logic sections were relatively easier when compared with English," he says.

Fat pay packet


"Compared to the northern states, there are not many who attempt the examination from South India even if the average salary for an IIM student in India is seven to eight lakh per annum. Last year, the salary even went up to even US$ 96,000 abroad, Mr. Senthil Kumar says. More students from the city can attempt CAT, as the potential is high here, he adds.

Going by the national figures, the number of students who appeared for CAT has gone up from 1.75 per cent last year to 1.9 per cent this year, Mr. Nambudiri says.



Source: The Hindu