Kerala B Schools Accepts CMAT Scores For Admission

The Common Management Admission Test (CMAT) is conducted by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), New Delhi for admission to management programmes across the country. Now, The Kerala Business Schools will have to admit the students on the basis of the CMAT Score. However, business schools which offer postgraduate diploma in management programmes can go for an entrance exam of their choice.

Joseph I Injodey, Dean of Rajagiri Centre for Business Studies said, "Last week, AICTE called us for a meeting in Thiruvananthapuram and we were tole in no uncertain terms that all institutes offering management courses approved by AICTE can only admit students for the course based on their CMAT Score,"

Presently, the Kerala business schools were admitting the students to the MBA Courses on the basis of Common Admission Test (CAT) Score conducted by IIMs and Management Aptitude Test (MAT) score conducted by AIMA. "Now students won't have to appear for multiple exams, This will save time and money, "said Dr M Bhasi, Professor, School of Management Studies, Cochin University of Science & Technology.

However, private business schools fear that AICTE may not be able to reach several students in remote areas across the country.

Association of Private, Unaided Professional Colleges of India and Founder of SCMS Kochi, President, GPC Nayar said, "As per the supreme court judgment of 2002, non-public sector institutions have absolute right to admit students and AICTE has no legal right to enforce their test on us. Even if the test is mandatory, it will not work as CMAT will not be able to reach all students,"

Around 4,300 business schools are present in the country, with 3,700 institutes offering MBA course with total student intake of four lakh. In Kerala, there are around 60 business schools, with total students intake of 7,000 plus. The detailed merit list will be provided to respective state governments for allotting the students through central counseling. In case there is no central counseling, scores awarded will be used for admission in AICTE approve institutes or university departments through separate group discussion and interview conducted by these institutes.

The students who interested to write the computer based 3 hour entrance test, students need to be registered online on the AICTE website from Nov 01, 2012 to Jan 02, 2013 and it will conducted in Feb.