Paper Pencil Based Management Aptitude test (MAT) for MBA and Allied Programmes of over 198 Business Schools was held on September 5th, 2010 and the results for the same is declared.
17,000 students had registered for MAT September 2010, out of which 30 per cent had opted for the computer based test which started from 11th September 2010 onwards.
The number of questions was 200 and the duration was 150 minutes. The difficulty level of the test was Moderate. While one mark was awarded for each correct answer, for each wrong answer, there was a negative marking of 0.25 marks.
All India Management Association (AIMA) announced the MAT September 2010 Results
Monday, September 27, 2010
Sunday, September 26, 2010
No. of CAT applicants falling – For the first time CAT Registration deadline extended by a week
The Common Admission Test, the route to IIMs, has probably hit a rough patch. The unquestioned king of B-school entrance tests — used to gauge the popularity of business education in the country — has for the first time extended its registration deadline by a week, probably to convince more candidates into queuing up for the test.
"The number of people applying to take CAT has been falling. When the IIMs conducted the paper-pencil test themselves, they looked at restricting the number of takers. But, now that it has been outsourced, the revenue from CAT is suddenly important," said an IIM faculty. For years, the entrance test has been the IIM's golden goose; in 2007-'08, India's blue-chip B-schools raked in Rs 2.98 crore just by conducting CAT.
But in 2009, after 33 years, the test graduated from being a paper-pencil one and that, experts said, left out a large number of aspirants from smaller corners of the country who were not comfortable taking the computer-based test. This year again, the number of cities where test centres have been set up, too, has fallen.
Has that affected the number of those interested in taking the test? Prometric, the American company conducting the computer-based test for the IIMs, said in a press note, "The decision to extend the registration period was undertaken in order to provide candidates with additional opportunity to register and at the request of some candidates who required a longer registration period."
So the last day of registration, which was to end on September 30, has now been pushed to October 7. CAT convener Himanshu Rai said extension of the registration period had nothing to do with the falling registration numbers. "I don't have the data on how many students have registered for CAT-2010 but those wanting to take CAT would have done so by now. Also, if someone has decided not to take the test, they wouldn't."
However, Promteric, which earns its money on the number of candidates who register, is probably looking at converting fence-sitters to rushed last-minute registrations. "What otherwise would explain the reason for extending the dates to sell vouchers too?" asked Arks Srinivas, director of TIME (Kolkata), a coaching academy. He added that there could be no logical reason to extend registration but the falling numbers of CAT takers that had prompted Prometric to keep counters open for longer.
"The number of people applying to take CAT has been falling. When the IIMs conducted the paper-pencil test themselves, they looked at restricting the number of takers. But, now that it has been outsourced, the revenue from CAT is suddenly important," said an IIM faculty. For years, the entrance test has been the IIM's golden goose; in 2007-'08, India's blue-chip B-schools raked in Rs 2.98 crore just by conducting CAT.
But in 2009, after 33 years, the test graduated from being a paper-pencil one and that, experts said, left out a large number of aspirants from smaller corners of the country who were not comfortable taking the computer-based test. This year again, the number of cities where test centres have been set up, too, has fallen.
Has that affected the number of those interested in taking the test? Prometric, the American company conducting the computer-based test for the IIMs, said in a press note, "The decision to extend the registration period was undertaken in order to provide candidates with additional opportunity to register and at the request of some candidates who required a longer registration period."
So the last day of registration, which was to end on September 30, has now been pushed to October 7. CAT convener Himanshu Rai said extension of the registration period had nothing to do with the falling registration numbers. "I don't have the data on how many students have registered for CAT-2010 but those wanting to take CAT would have done so by now. Also, if someone has decided not to take the test, they wouldn't."
However, Promteric, which earns its money on the number of candidates who register, is probably looking at converting fence-sitters to rushed last-minute registrations. "What otherwise would explain the reason for extending the dates to sell vouchers too?" asked Arks Srinivas, director of TIME (Kolkata), a coaching academy. He added that there could be no logical reason to extend registration but the falling numbers of CAT takers that had prompted Prometric to keep counters open for longer.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Basic Difference between MBA vs. PGDM
No difference between PGDBM & PGBM while MBA is a degree compared to PGDBM & PGBM as these are diploma. Also it is always mentioned that the diploma provided by the institute is equivalent to an MBA degree and although it doesn't matter much but its better if the diploma given by the institute is reconized by AICTE and AIU.
There is a wide variety of nomenclature of degrees in management education. There are mainly two categories - postgraduate diploma and master's degree.
Postgraduate diplomas include Postgraduate Diploma in Business Administration (PGDBA), Postgraduate Diploma in Management (PGDM) and Postgraduate Diploma in Business Management (PGDBM). Most of these diploma courses are having two-year duration and graduation is the entry qualification.
Master's programmes include Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Business Management (MBM), Master of Business Studies (MBS), Master of Finance and Control (MFC) and Master of Management Studies (MMS).
According to the University Grants Commission Act, universities and university-level institutions, including deemed universities, alone can award MBA and related degrees. The institutions outside the university system can award postgraduate diplomas. All institutions offering PG programmes in management should obtain the approval of the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). PG Diplomas in Business Administration / Management awarded by very few institutions are approved by the AICTE or recognised by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) as equivalent to the corresponding masters degree/MBA.
Deemed universities can also offer MBA or Master's Degree in Management. The AIU is the appropriate authority for granting recognition. The Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, Indore, Kozhikode, Lucknow are ranked in the list of top institutions that offer Postgraduate programmes in Management (PGP).
IIM Calcutta also offers PGDM and Post Graduate Diploma in Computer Aided Management (PGDCM). Meritorious graduates in any discipline can apply for the postgraduate programme offered by the IIMs. The selection is based on the Common Admission Test (CAT) score. The PGP of IIMs is considered as equivalent to an MBA and has much greater demand in industry/management field.
Most of the universities in India offer MBA programmes with specialisations such as marketing, finance, personnel, systems management, human resource management, etc. Some institutes offer sectoral electives such as telecom, health, retail, textile, insurance, pharmaceuticals, supply chain, shipping and port Management, etc. besides the main specialisations.
Innovative specialised subjects of MBA include biotechnology, tourism, power management, information technology, public services and e-governance, IT-enabled services, banking technology, pharmaceutical management, etc. The duration of full-time MBA programmes is two years.
The reputation of the institution within the industry, the quality of the faculty, infrastructure, placement record, location of the institute, etc. are the factors that need to be taken into account before choosing a masters programme or a PG diploma. It is not important whether a student pursues PGDM or MBA. The institution where he/she is studying is of paramount importance and enhances their employability.
Those who pass out from reputed institutes get better job opportunities in multinational companies in the executive/managerial posts. IIMs, Xavier Labour Relation Institutes (XLRI), Jamshedpur, Xavier Institute of Management (XIM), Bhubaneswar, Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai, Narseemonjee Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai, S.P. Jain Institute of Management and Research (Andheri West) Mumbai, Barathidasan Institute of Management (BIM) Tiruchirapalli, etc. are some of the top institutes offering PG programmes in management.
Admissions to MBA/PGDBM/equivalent programmes are made either through an all-India Common Entrance Tests or through State-level tests. The All India entrance tests consist of IIM-CAT, JMET conducted by IITs, MAT conducted by AIMA, ATMA conducted by AIMS, XAT conducted by XLRI. Admission guidelines are available on the AICTE website: Welcome To AICTE. The Joint Management Entrance Test are conducted annually for admission to Postgraduate Programmes in Management at IITs Madras, Bombay, Delhi, Kanpur, Kharagpur, Roorkee and Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore. Graduates in engineering are eligible to apply for this test.
There is a wide variety of nomenclature of degrees in management education. There are mainly two categories - postgraduate diploma and master's degree.
Postgraduate diplomas include Postgraduate Diploma in Business Administration (PGDBA), Postgraduate Diploma in Management (PGDM) and Postgraduate Diploma in Business Management (PGDBM). Most of these diploma courses are having two-year duration and graduation is the entry qualification.
Master's programmes include Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Business Management (MBM), Master of Business Studies (MBS), Master of Finance and Control (MFC) and Master of Management Studies (MMS).
According to the University Grants Commission Act, universities and university-level institutions, including deemed universities, alone can award MBA and related degrees. The institutions outside the university system can award postgraduate diplomas. All institutions offering PG programmes in management should obtain the approval of the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). PG Diplomas in Business Administration / Management awarded by very few institutions are approved by the AICTE or recognised by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) as equivalent to the corresponding masters degree/MBA.
Deemed universities can also offer MBA or Master's Degree in Management. The AIU is the appropriate authority for granting recognition. The Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, Indore, Kozhikode, Lucknow are ranked in the list of top institutions that offer Postgraduate programmes in Management (PGP).
IIM Calcutta also offers PGDM and Post Graduate Diploma in Computer Aided Management (PGDCM). Meritorious graduates in any discipline can apply for the postgraduate programme offered by the IIMs. The selection is based on the Common Admission Test (CAT) score. The PGP of IIMs is considered as equivalent to an MBA and has much greater demand in industry/management field.
Most of the universities in India offer MBA programmes with specialisations such as marketing, finance, personnel, systems management, human resource management, etc. Some institutes offer sectoral electives such as telecom, health, retail, textile, insurance, pharmaceuticals, supply chain, shipping and port Management, etc. besides the main specialisations.
Innovative specialised subjects of MBA include biotechnology, tourism, power management, information technology, public services and e-governance, IT-enabled services, banking technology, pharmaceutical management, etc. The duration of full-time MBA programmes is two years.
The reputation of the institution within the industry, the quality of the faculty, infrastructure, placement record, location of the institute, etc. are the factors that need to be taken into account before choosing a masters programme or a PG diploma. It is not important whether a student pursues PGDM or MBA. The institution where he/she is studying is of paramount importance and enhances their employability.
Those who pass out from reputed institutes get better job opportunities in multinational companies in the executive/managerial posts. IIMs, Xavier Labour Relation Institutes (XLRI), Jamshedpur, Xavier Institute of Management (XIM), Bhubaneswar, Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai, Narseemonjee Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai, S.P. Jain Institute of Management and Research (Andheri West) Mumbai, Barathidasan Institute of Management (BIM) Tiruchirapalli, etc. are some of the top institutes offering PG programmes in management.
Admissions to MBA/PGDBM/equivalent programmes are made either through an all-India Common Entrance Tests or through State-level tests. The All India entrance tests consist of IIM-CAT, JMET conducted by IITs, MAT conducted by AIMA, ATMA conducted by AIMS, XAT conducted by XLRI. Admission guidelines are available on the AICTE website: Welcome To AICTE. The Joint Management Entrance Test are conducted annually for admission to Postgraduate Programmes in Management at IITs Madras, Bombay, Delhi, Kanpur, Kharagpur, Roorkee and Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore. Graduates in engineering are eligible to apply for this test.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
52 Students Lose Seats Due To IIT Board's Blunder
To the shock and dismay of 52 candidates who had cleared the prestigious IIT joint entrance exam this year and were assigned architecture and design courses, IITs' Joint Admission Board has cancelled the allotments a day before the students were to deposit their fees.
IIT authorities says these students had not cleared the architecture/design aptitude test — a separate exam for architecture and design — but were "inadvertently included in seat allotment for BArch and BDes courses". Another set of 52 students have been offered admission to these courses. The students whose admissions were cancelled have been left in the lurch. Most of them have lost the chance of joining other institutes as they did not go for counselling after getting IITs.
Many of these students said they had cleared AIEEE and other entrance examinations but will not be able to join these institutes. The students have threatened to go to court against the decision.
The JAB said the 52 candidates would be considered for the second allotment based on choice-sheets they had submitted earlier. T Natarajan of JAB told TOI, "We are looking into it, something will be done.” But many in the JAB felt this assurance was meaningless. "There could be hundreds who scored more than these 52. The scores of all students who appeared for architecture and design must be published," a source said.
IIT authorities says these students had not cleared the architecture/design aptitude test — a separate exam for architecture and design — but were "inadvertently included in seat allotment for BArch and BDes courses". Another set of 52 students have been offered admission to these courses. The students whose admissions were cancelled have been left in the lurch. Most of them have lost the chance of joining other institutes as they did not go for counselling after getting IITs.
Many of these students said they had cleared AIEEE and other entrance examinations but will not be able to join these institutes. The students have threatened to go to court against the decision.
The JAB said the 52 candidates would be considered for the second allotment based on choice-sheets they had submitted earlier. T Natarajan of JAB told TOI, "We are looking into it, something will be done.” But many in the JAB felt this assurance was meaningless. "There could be hundreds who scored more than these 52. The scores of all students who appeared for architecture and design must be published," a source said.
22-Year-Old Whiz Kid Tathagat Avatar Tulsi Becomes Youngest IIT Teacher
IITians often liken the generation gap between themselves and their teachers to that between MS-DOS and Windows. This semester, however, the students on the Powai campus can look forward to someone much closer to their age: a physics teacher who has just entered his 20s.
At 22, Tathagat Avatar Tulsi, who has never studied in a classroom, plans to ask his students how they would want to be taught. "I have never taught in a class. But I believe I can come down to the level of a student and help them understand the subject," he said. Having completed high school when he was nine, his graduation in science at 10, an MSc in Physics at 12, and his PhD in Quantum Computing from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, at 21, Tulsi says he is going to write to the Limca Book of Records to include him as the youngest faculty member in the country.
Having achieved a lot pretty early in life, Tulsi may seem like a young man in hurry, but he has set a huge task for himself—to come up with an important scientific discovery, which will probably lead him to his ultimate dream: to own that shining piece of gold with Alfred Nobel on the obverse.
The "wonder boy", who suffered humiliation in August 2001 when a delegation of scientists taken by the department of science & technology to Lindau in Germany for an interaction with Nobel laureates, suggested that he was not a thinker, but a "fake prodigy" who had "mugged up" theories. Putting that behind, the Patna boy will stay on the Powai campus in the faculty quarters and work towards achieving that dream.
That "not-so-distant" goal is probably why Tulsi chose teaching over a vocation. "I want to pursue my research and at IIT-B, I will have the leisure to continue my research and one day set up a lab focused on quantum computation in our country." Going to foreign shores is currently not on Tulsi’s plans. He chose the Powai college over Waterloo University, Canada, and the Indian Institute of Science Education & Research (IISER), Bhopal, both of which had also offered him teaching jobs.
At 22, Tathagat Avatar Tulsi, who has never studied in a classroom, plans to ask his students how they would want to be taught. "I have never taught in a class. But I believe I can come down to the level of a student and help them understand the subject," he said. Having completed high school when he was nine, his graduation in science at 10, an MSc in Physics at 12, and his PhD in Quantum Computing from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, at 21, Tulsi says he is going to write to the Limca Book of Records to include him as the youngest faculty member in the country.
Having achieved a lot pretty early in life, Tulsi may seem like a young man in hurry, but he has set a huge task for himself—to come up with an important scientific discovery, which will probably lead him to his ultimate dream: to own that shining piece of gold with Alfred Nobel on the obverse.
The "wonder boy", who suffered humiliation in August 2001 when a delegation of scientists taken by the department of science & technology to Lindau in Germany for an interaction with Nobel laureates, suggested that he was not a thinker, but a "fake prodigy" who had "mugged up" theories. Putting that behind, the Patna boy will stay on the Powai campus in the faculty quarters and work towards achieving that dream.
That "not-so-distant" goal is probably why Tulsi chose teaching over a vocation. "I want to pursue my research and at IIT-B, I will have the leisure to continue my research and one day set up a lab focused on quantum computation in our country." Going to foreign shores is currently not on Tulsi’s plans. He chose the Powai college over Waterloo University, Canada, and the Indian Institute of Science Education & Research (IISER), Bhopal, both of which had also offered him teaching jobs.
Health and HRD See Eye To Eye on Medical Education
The health ministry will collaborate with the human resource development ministry on the issue of accreditation of medical education institutions. The two ministries have been at odds over the control of medical education. The new draft of the National Council for Human Resource in Health (NCHRH) has proposed a subsidiary body, the National Committee for Accreditation, which will register and accredit medical colleges. In keeping with HRD ministry-piloted National Accreditation Regulatory Authority for Higher Educational Institutions Bill, the proposed National Committee for Accreditation will seek approval from the proposed authority.
Sources said the proposed committee will frame parameters and standards for accreditation, and then have these approved by the national authority proposed by the HRD ministry. It is likely that this committee, in turn, could set up further agencies for accreditation, which would operate within the parameters set out by the accreditation committee of NCHRH.
The health ministry has made it clear that even though the accreditation of medical education institutions would stick to the system laid out in the national authority proposed by the HRD ministry, this should not be seen as acquiescence on the issue of regulatory oversight.
“Medical education is too complicated and important and therefore regulatory structures must have technical expertise to be able to take informed decisions. Also, the proposed regulatory body National Commission for Higher Education and Research vests the power of deciding about institutions to universities. Accreditation of medical institutions and academic content requires technical expertise. Once the institutions are found to be acceptable by the NCHRH, the institutions can approach universities for affiliation,” a senior official said.
The issue of regulatory oversight still remains unresolved. The HRD ministry has argued that the task force which is preparing the framework for the National Commission for Higher Education and Research is keen to bring medical education under its fold. HRD ministry officials have argued that till the task force submits its report to the minister, no final decision on the issue can be taken. Interestingly, even as the HRD ministry has decided to keep the issue of regulatory oversight on medical education in abeyance, the Prime Minister’s Office has made it clear that medical education would fall within the purview of the NCHRH.
In keeping with this mandate, the health ministry has reworked the NCHRH. In the proposed overarching body for the health sector, activities have been separated as much as possible. The proposed NCHRH Bill provides for setting up several subsidiary bodies each of which will independently perform one of the many essential tasks in governing medical education, all of which are currently performed by the Medical Council of India (MCI).
Sources said the proposed committee will frame parameters and standards for accreditation, and then have these approved by the national authority proposed by the HRD ministry. It is likely that this committee, in turn, could set up further agencies for accreditation, which would operate within the parameters set out by the accreditation committee of NCHRH.
The health ministry has made it clear that even though the accreditation of medical education institutions would stick to the system laid out in the national authority proposed by the HRD ministry, this should not be seen as acquiescence on the issue of regulatory oversight.
“Medical education is too complicated and important and therefore regulatory structures must have technical expertise to be able to take informed decisions. Also, the proposed regulatory body National Commission for Higher Education and Research vests the power of deciding about institutions to universities. Accreditation of medical institutions and academic content requires technical expertise. Once the institutions are found to be acceptable by the NCHRH, the institutions can approach universities for affiliation,” a senior official said.
The issue of regulatory oversight still remains unresolved. The HRD ministry has argued that the task force which is preparing the framework for the National Commission for Higher Education and Research is keen to bring medical education under its fold. HRD ministry officials have argued that till the task force submits its report to the minister, no final decision on the issue can be taken. Interestingly, even as the HRD ministry has decided to keep the issue of regulatory oversight on medical education in abeyance, the Prime Minister’s Office has made it clear that medical education would fall within the purview of the NCHRH.
In keeping with this mandate, the health ministry has reworked the NCHRH. In the proposed overarching body for the health sector, activities have been separated as much as possible. The proposed NCHRH Bill provides for setting up several subsidiary bodies each of which will independently perform one of the many essential tasks in governing medical education, all of which are currently performed by the Medical Council of India (MCI).
CAT 2010 to be held at Fewer Centers
The Common Admission Test (CAT), mandatory for seeking admission to the premier Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and over 120 top B-schools, will be held across 32 cities -- the same as last year -- but the number of test centers will be less.The decrease in the number of venues is because of an extended testing window for this year.
The examination, which was made computer-based for the first time last year and held for 11 days, was riddled with problems, especially in the first three days. US-based testing agency Prometric was roped in to conduct the computer-based CAT."The testing window has been extended to offer students a greater choice of dates. We will reduce the number of CAT centers per city to ensure a better experience for the students," Prometric India MD Soumitra Roy told reporters here today.
Prometric is also finalizing multiple technology partners to execute CAT 2010 unlike last year, when homegrown information technology company NIIT was its sole IT partner.
"We are taking every step possible to ensure a successful administration for the CAT 2010 candidates. To avert potential overlaps in schedule with college exams, Prometric has recommended an earlier testing period. The final dates and details on registration and scheduling will be announced officially by the IIMs," Roy added.
Besides the eight IIMs, over 120 management schools registered with CAT use the exam score for admitting students.While 216,000 candidates could satisfactorily appear during the 11-day testing window last year, over 7,000 took the test in January this year during the second phase, as they could not appear in the first phase due to virus attacks and other technical glitches.
The number of testing centers and technology partners will be finalized by the end of this month and the IIMs are expected to publish the first advertisement for the test by end-August.
The examination, which was made computer-based for the first time last year and held for 11 days, was riddled with problems, especially in the first three days. US-based testing agency Prometric was roped in to conduct the computer-based CAT."The testing window has been extended to offer students a greater choice of dates. We will reduce the number of CAT centers per city to ensure a better experience for the students," Prometric India MD Soumitra Roy told reporters here today.
Prometric is also finalizing multiple technology partners to execute CAT 2010 unlike last year, when homegrown information technology company NIIT was its sole IT partner.
"We are taking every step possible to ensure a successful administration for the CAT 2010 candidates. To avert potential overlaps in schedule with college exams, Prometric has recommended an earlier testing period. The final dates and details on registration and scheduling will be announced officially by the IIMs," Roy added.
Besides the eight IIMs, over 120 management schools registered with CAT use the exam score for admitting students.While 216,000 candidates could satisfactorily appear during the 11-day testing window last year, over 7,000 took the test in January this year during the second phase, as they could not appear in the first phase due to virus attacks and other technical glitches.
The number of testing centers and technology partners will be finalized by the end of this month and the IIMs are expected to publish the first advertisement for the test by end-August.
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