2.05 lakh Aspirants registered for CAT in 2011!

Common Admission Test (CAT) is one of the most prestigious exams in the country and is a gateway to Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs). The number of aspirants who have registered for CAT remained almost stagnant this year.

About 2.05 lakh candidates have registered for CAT this year, as compared to 2010, where 2.04 lakh candidates registered. It reveals the stabilization in the number of registered applicants. As per the Prometric data, 2, 04,267 aspirants registered for CAT in 2010. This year about 2.06 lakh vouchers sold, out of which 2.05 lakh candidates have registered.

It seems like that the number of aspirants who have registered for CAT has stabilized. In all this, there is one good thing that the number has not declined further. CAT registrations have been declining since 2009 when the new format of computer-based test was launched. About 2.41 lakh candidates registered for CAT in 2009, which fell to a little over 2.04 lakh in 2010.

As per an expert, the current economic situation and the future expectations are affecting the numbers to a great extent. A question has also been raised that, if students and professionals are losing their interest in MBA studies. But it seems like that there are more focused candidates that have been taking CAT in the past two years, compared with those who would attempt CAT just for the sake of it a few years ago.

IIMs are offering more than 3,100 seats this year, despite the fact that the number of applicants has not gone up. Besides IIMs, six IITs, three NITs and other major B-schools would also consider CAT scores for admissions this year.

Source: Richha Bhatnagar (Shiksha Team)