5 reasons MBA aspirants can do without CAT

The Common Admission Test (CAT) registrations closed at a littlemore than two lakh this year, highlighting an overall decline in its numbers. Statistics reveal that 194,516 candidates registered for CAT 2013 but only 173,738 took the exam. According to industry insiders, this sudden downfall in numbers is witnessed due a downward falling economy. But, what actually is the truth behind such trends? Is it the bad economy or is CAT losing its value amongst MBA aspirants? Or is it just that MBA students want to choose the simpler way?

To dig deeper into reality, shiksha.com spoke to students to find the exact scenario and main reasons behind such massive decline in numbers.  

Reason 1: Too tough a nut to crack

Mayank Arora, who took MAT this year, said “CAT is very tough and MAT is quite easy to crack. In fact, I wouldn't have taken the exam if my college didn’t force me to take the exam for better placements and opportunities"

Sharing a similar feedback, Sarika who opted for MAT and not CAT said “MAT is my first attempt at any management exam and through it I aim to get into one of the good b-schools in Delhi. I never took CAT as it's very difficult and high level exam.”

For Shweta who is currently pursuing her PhD in Maths, CAT is just not her cup of tea. She says cheekily, “I took the exam because all my friends were taking it. But as soon as I appeared, I knew, I was so not into it. It’s not my cup of tea. Damn, it’s tough!”

Reason 2: Requires a lot of patience, time and energy

A senior manager (sales and operations) with a Delhi-based company, Ravindra Kashyap, shares, “I did take CAT but just for the sake of it, seriously! I knew nahi hone wala hai, even if I spent a lot of time preparing for it. It takes a lot of preparation and time. See, when we are in college, we do not take CAT seriously, and by the time we realize its importance, we do not have time”.

He further adds, “I did take MAT, SNAP and IBSAT and got through them with decent percentiles. These exams are easier and require less patience, time and energy as compared to CAT. If you really want to bell the CAT, start your preparations from 2^nd year college onwards”.

Reason 3: IIMs not the end of the world

Most of the students that shiksha.com spoke to believed that IIMs (Indian Institute of Management) are not the end of the world. “If not IIMs, then some other b-school in tier – 1 will do just fine” is their ideology.  

Zahid Akhtar, a working professional at L&T Ramboll, who appeared for XAT this year said, “This year, I have taken both - XAT and CAT, but, have no expectations from CAT. And anyways for me IIMs are not the end of the world. Agreed, they are amongst the top b-schools of India. But, there are other top leading B-Schools at par with IIMs too”.

Reason 4: Lack of required courses at IIMs

Aneeket Barua, a marketing manager with Reado.com who wanted to take CAT but didn’t appear for the same for a simple reason – IIMs do not offer the required programmes. He says, “I wanted to take CAT but figured out that it doesn’t offer the course that I wanted to pursue i.e. MBA in Advertising and Marketing. However, I have appeared for XIC’s (Xavier Institute of Communications) entrance exam. If I do not get through, I will keep trying”.

Emphasizing more on the value of programs, he says, “The value that XIC has for its advertising and marketing programs is way ahead of IIMs. Moreover, in XIC’s entrance exam, questions are more course-specific unlike in CAT. What if I want to pursue a course that has nothing to do with Maths, but still taking math-related questions in CAT will be a compulsion if I appear for the exam.”

Reason 5: CAT - not the only option

Till few years back, CAT was the only exam that MBA aspirants aimed at. But with so many other management exams coming into light, CAT might just be losing its sheen amongst such aspirants.

Rajvi Desai, a management aspirant says “I did take CAT but simultaneously got through SNAP. Moreover, I just wanted pursue my management studies, right there and then. And if I stuck to CAT, I would have to wait for another year, which I did not want to. Likewise, I did not have the time to prepare”.

These are some of the most common reasons why aspirants shy away from CAT, but as they say, each individual has their own preferences. So, do you prefer CAT? Share your views!