MBA Entrance Exam

No, it is not mandatory to write CMAT exam for MBA entrance. You can appear for other exams too like CAT, XAT, MAT, ATMA or SNAP to get into premiere B-schools.

You need to have minimum 50% in CAT and 500 score in MAT exam.

ATMA 2017 registration fee can be paid through debit card/credit card, net banking, bank transfer and by cash through FCC/ distributor.

Slot 2 (Afternoon slot) paper is definitely tougher than the first slot paper. Hence, it is expected that the cutoffs would be lesser than the first slot marks. However, there would be normalization between slots and the same will be taken care of.

Yes it is possible that IFMR will consider you for admission if your CAT percentile is exceptionally well (>95 percentile) with a good work experience.

To be on the safer side you need more than 99 percentile.

Cutoff last year was around 79 percentile. But to be on the safer side, you should aim for 85 percentile.

CAT is a strategic exam and you need to plan the syllabus accordingly. You can go through the syllabus once. A smart plan and hard work will help you to crack it.
For your convenience, there are three parts:
1. Verbal.
2. Quant.
3. Data interpretation and logical reasoning.
Best of luck.

One year preparation classes begin in January, six months preparation starts from June and 3 months preparation starts from August end in TIME. You should go through the syllabus and select according to your ability.

Both the institutions are good, but TIME is better. If you are looking to appear for an entrance exam, competitive exams, bank exams or government exams, TIME is the best institution.
Best of luck.