Effect of pandemic on MBA preparations

By: Joe Amal Antony J

Covid-19 has affected most of the National Competitive exams in many ways. From changes in preparation time to alterations in the exam pattern and admission process, the pandemic has made an impact on every sphere of our education structure.

Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown have forced the education authorities to alter the academic schedule all over the country and has led to the cancellation of all India entrance exams like CAT, MAT, XAT, CMAT etc. Social distancing became the norm and the council was not able to conduct the exams, resulting in the postponement of the dates without any prior notification.

Is there a change in the exam pattern?
Applicants to these entrance examinations are likely to be more than 2 lakh and most of them are going through stress due to this lockdown. An absolute dilemma has affected their journey towards a successful career. The CAT (Common Admission Test) will be conducted once in every year to get into the elite institutions like Indian Institute of Management, whereas the MAT (Management Aptitude Test) will be conducted four times a year, that is, February, May, September and December. Even though CAT holds a superior value, many top colleges consider MAT scores as well. The exam pattern is usual, however; the mode of the exam has changed this year due to the norms of social distancing announced by the government. The MAT authorities decided to have an Internet-Based Test (IBT) with remote proctoring through artificial intelligence. By this, the aspirants will be able to write their exams sitting in their homes.
Are there changes in the admission process of top colleges?
Indeed, with the shutting down of colleges due to Covid-19, there have been many changes in the admission process of the top colleges. This lockdown has led to a change in the standard selection process from last year. Many top B-Schools have stretched their online admissions and have announced new deadlines for the applications. The complete selection process has certainly changed every perspective, where the aspirants are now requested to attend their GDPI and WAT online, thereby eliminating the face-to-face interviews and physical contact. The AICTE also has given a go-ahead to institutions to facilitate admissions on the basis of merit, instead of waiting for further conduction of MBA entrance exams. Also, after being placed into the institutions, they get to start their online classes as soon as possible.

Has the lockdown helped the preparation?
To an extent we can say, it has. The lockdown has stalled every mechanism, leading aspirants to indulge in self-learning. Many online coaching classes have commenced and many educational platforms have offered free exclusive courses, available on the internet. Amid this, the exam dates have also been postponed and aspirants had enough time to prepare themselves to crack these exams. Many aspirants are devoted to self-study, while many are preparing with online coaching classes or offline at home with the support of one or other coaching centres. By practising mock tests, some aspirants do lag in the online tests and not able to manage time for the internet-based exam (IBT) however, there still are many who have the potential to crack these exams.
It is not tough to be at the top. Just need to find someone who is and score a point higher!

About the Author:

Joe Amal Antony J is pursuing MBA from Thiagarajar School of Management. He completed his graduation in BCA from The American College. Passionate about athletics, Joe has won many medals in various events both at school and college levels.