MBA aspirants clear first CAT hurdle |
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Forget about making it to the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs). Two year ago, 7,000 MBA aspirants didn't even make it for the Common Admission Test (CAT)-the gateway to the IIMs. The reason? Their application forms were rejected as they were incomplete or wrongly filled. This year, the figure dropped to zero - data available with the IIMs shows that not a single CAT application form was disqualified. "That is because the registration process went online for the first time this year. It was impossible to send in an incomplete form, as all the fields had to be filled in online for the form to get processed,'' said an IIM official. A few years ago, those who filled in their forms incorrectly or forgot to attach important documents, were given a three-day period to reach one of the six IIMs and rectify their errors. But from 2007, candidates were not so lucky. They were informed through the CAT website whether their applications had been accepted or rejected. There was no opportunity to correct the forms, with the result that thousands found themselves disqualified from the CAT race. This year, candidates had it easier. "The online registration process allows students to edit the application form, something that was not possible when it was on paper,'' said Gautam Puri, vice-chairperson, Career Launcher, a CAT coaching class. "In future, it would be great if payments went online too.'' Sourabh Gupta, a MBA aspirant, said the online registration process was very simple this year. However, he too thought that payments should be made online next time round. "Buying vouchers took a lot of time this year.'' Most students agreed that online registration was a boon. "The registration process was a lot simpler than last year,'' said MBA aspirant Akhilesh Agarwal. Gaurav Rohatgi, another student appearing for the CAT exam, said the entire process was self-explanatory this year. However, Jiban Mukhopadhyay, a professor at the SP Jain Institute of Management and Research, was quick to point out that while online registrations may not be a problem with students in metros, it will be so for those in other parts where the penetration of computers is not high. "The infrastructure for filling in forms online is not available in large parts of India. Forget about computers, electricity itself is not available in many areas. For instance, thanks to massive power failures, computer operators in Patna often run on diesel,'' said Mukhopadhyay. |
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