AI and FinTech to drive MBA jobs, India’s domestic growth to boost demand, and faculty quality remains IIM Ahmedabad’s biggest strength, says Prof. Bharat Bhasker.
In an exclusive interaction, IIM Ahmedabad Director Prof. Bharat Bhasker spoke about trends in CAT applications, the MBA placement scenario, emerging sectors like AI and FinTech, and the institution’s consistent top ranking. Excerpts from the conversation:
Q: There is a buzz that the number of CAT applicants has dipped this year. Is there really a decline?
Prof. Bharat Bhasker: I don't think the dips matter. This is a bit of a fluctuation which happens year after year. There is always a little bit of a technology trend. Many of the people are also looking at uncertain market that should they be leaving job which they have because most of the people who apply for the CAT are the ones who have experience.
So many people want to stay put. But it's always a minor, there is no significant dip. And there have been years where there is minor dip and minor up which continues to happen. So I don't think it's making any major impact. And ultimately IIMs are looking for the top 15–20,000 people and those people are maybe still interested. So we will continue to be there.
Q: There was also a trend in placements recently. Do you think things will improve from this year?
Prof. Bharat Bhasker: I would say that IIM placements were not that badly hit. And the top IIMs placement were also not that greatly impacted. Many times things get exaggerated. But yes overall MBA employment trend was slightly impacted because of the certain slowdown in certain sectors of the economy, especially sectors like consulting which was at an upswing.
During COVID time also there was extra hiring. Meaning they all thought that growth is going to be tremendous. So they actually did an extreme hiring at that period. And they created a surplus on the benches. So some of them had to slow down their hiring. And much of the impact came from those kinds of sectors.
Q: Was this also because of too much supply of MBAs in the market?
Prof. Bharat Bhasker: I would not say in a growing economy there was excess supply. It is being cautious on the hiring side of the companies. And also post-COVID impact where growth expectation by the companies was very high. Certain sectors thought they will have a huge opportunity which did not materialize for them. And they did not want to lay off those people. So they worked out a mechanism that reduced the hiring and we were able to employ them.
No, the candidates do not have to pay any fee for CAT form correction. The facility is provided to candidates free of cost. However, if they have made an error in a field that will not be available for editing during form correction, then they will have to fill a fresh form before the submission deadline and pay the CAT application fee again. So, candidates must review the CAT application form before submitting to check whether they have filled all the information correctly or not. Once submitted, the form will not be editable but of photo, signature and test city.
Q: Consulting has always been a major recruiter. Are new sectors emerging where MBAs will find opportunities in coming years?
Prof. Bharat Bhasker: The two sectors which are going to be seeing a tremendous growth. Of course consulting is an evergreen field and will continue at a stable pace. Finance and investment are going to be also seeing a growth which has continued in the past and will continue in the future also. But more importantly the AI transformation is a major thing.
Even in the finance sector now the FinTech is becoming more important. So those who are actually better equipped to work in the FinTech sector and take advantage of AI are going to see tremendous growth.
Q: Will the current economic scenario have some impact on MBA admissions and placement trends?
Prof. Bharat Bhasker: I would say it may have an overall positive trend. Because I also see two ways to look at it. We have every time been in crisis, we have come out stronger. And this is one more crisis of a similar kind where more and more companies will probably produce for the Indian consumer. And we will also do lesser import because we will not have that much money to spend outside. So when the internal expenditure goes up, the employment of the internal companies will also go up.
Q: IIM Ahmedabad has been consistently ranked as the best institution in the NIRF rankings. What is the reason and how do you plan to take things forward?
Prof. Bharat Bhasker: I see it's quality of the faculty. It's simply the legacy of the faculty and our continued selection model which actually not only selects the best but also grooms them to become the best.
So we also have a model that your selection does not make you a great faculty. We then spend enough resources including classroom training, etc., teaching, etc., that my faculty takes another two or three years but then they turn out to be a gem matching the past gems of ours.
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The CAT form correction window usually opens for 2-3 days. It opens a day after the last date of CAT registration. For example, if the CAT registration 2025 will end on September 13, the form correction window will open on September 14 and close on September 17, 2025. If the CAT registration window is extended by a week, then th form correction window will open thereafter.
Only registered candidates, who shall have paid the application fee will be able to access their CAT 2025 application forms to make changes. CAT form correction is a one-time activity so candidates must not miss the chance of updating their photo, signature and changing test city choices if required.