MBA test registration get affected by economic slowdown

Entrance exam conducted to get admission into the prestigious management institutes across the country are going through the economic slowdown pressure. Registration for the Common Admission Test (CAT) 2013 has recorded a dip of 9.3% in the overall registration, while NMIMS Management Aptitude Test (NMAT) 2014 may also notice a decrease in the number of application in the registration. Expert�s are also expected a drop of 5 to 10% in the overall registration in Xavier Aptitude Test (XAT) 2014. There was a 25% increase in the number of application for XAT 2013.

Rohit Kapoor, convenor of CAT 2013 and chairperson, admission at Indian Institute of Management, Indore, explained that the registration have dropped since this is a of consolidation. He further added, �There has been a drop about 14,000-15,000 in total registrations. In my view, there are some candidates on fringes who usually write CAT for the sheer experience. It is these candidates who have not applied this year, and hence the fall.�

Kapoor added the macro-economy also has a role to play. He explained that earlier it was believed that an MBA is an entry pass for landing into a lucrative job, but with the grim market conditions, this scenario is fading out. CAT, which is a common test for admission to the Indian Institute of Management (IIMs) and many other non-IIM B-Schools have a ratio of 1:20, wherein almost 120,000 candidates have applied for 10,000 seats.

Industry experts pointed out that with rising costs and increasing fee, doing an MBA from a reputed institute was not viable for the Indian middle class. Senior IIM professor, said, �Students are presently focussed on finding a job after pursuing their education. Doing a course from one of the top 10 institutes with a Rs 10 lakh plus fee does not compare well with their aspirations. Hence, students, especially from the smaller towns, do not wish to take a risk, by applying for MBA programmes.�