CMAT or MAH CET? Different Strokes for Different Folks!

The management battle in India begins not with the books one needs to refer to, but by the exam one is eligible to sit for. Yes, India has truckloads of MBA entrance exams that the students need to take with different application procedures, different paper patterns and different sets of institutes they cater to.

A clear demarcation and a better understanding of these exams is what the students seek before even considering MBA as an option. 'Surely, there is a positive side to this bifurcation, but the impact on students is a never ending debate altogether.

Few candidates today prefer hedging their bets by appearing for multiple MBA exams. The remaining ones often find themselves stuck in cobwebs of the various exam structures and the options they have on their plate today.  

The MBA aspirants in Maharashtra are primarily faced with the dilemma of appearing for CMAT or MAH CET. While both have their own sets of pros and cons, it is very essential to go down the inverted pyramid of these exams to crack them with a better score.

The Common Management Admission Test (CMAT) is a national level computer-based test that enables management institutes to select suitable candidates for all programmes approved by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), India.  MAH CET, on the other hand, is a state level exam for the management institutes in Maharashtra.

CMAT replaced MAH CET in 2013 which was discontinued by DTE to make way for the ‘One India One Test’ concept. This resulted in more than 39% of management seats remaining vacant that year. It was a drop of about 14% as opposed to 25% vacant seats in 2012. In addition, a drop of 66% was observed in the number of applicants across the business institutes in Maharashtra that year.  DTE had to cancel the GD/PI session during the admission process owing to the excess of seats in comparison to the number of applications.

The management institutes in Maharashtra not only suffered losses that year, but it also raised concerns over their future sustainability. According to experts, the reason behind the drop in numbers was lack of information about CMAT among rural students. Also, the online format of the examination is what apparently kept the rural candidates at bay.

The MAH CET was re-introduced in 2014 due to the shrunken number of applications and the popularity of the CET exam. However, it was modified into an online test from being a paper-based test. 

Paper Pattern

Popularity of MAH CET over CMAT

MAH CET occupies the upper shelf when compared to CMAT. It is regarded as more of a candidate friendly and relatively easier examination for admission into the management institutes. Also, it has a wider reach, as the aspirants from the rural background are well aware about the examination procedure and the paper pattern. The reasons that outline the preference of MAH CET over CMAT are listed below:

No Negative Marking: Candidates appearing for the CET exam are at ease as there is no negative marking for the incorrect responses. CMAT, on the other hand, needs a lot of accuracy, because a wrong answer would mean a deduction in the overall marks to them. This proves to be a great milestone for candidates going ahead with the CET exam.

Online Exam: The biggest challenge for the Maharashtra candidates while appearing for CMAT was the online mode of examination. Hence, CET being a pencil paper test gained popularity over CMAT. After the state level MAH CET was made online in 2014, both the exams came at par when evaluated on the basis of mode of examination.

Colleges accepting CMAT score: There is a lot of confusion over the colleges accepting the CMAT score. Getting to the list of schools accepting the score is a new task all together. CET has a well- defined list of 406 schools granting admission on the basis of the percentile scored in MAH CET. Candidates find the application through the MAH CET easier and hence go ahead with it.

Less of Quant: CMAT is more of a quant specific paper, about 25 percent of the paper includes questions pertaining to Quantitative Techniques & Data Interpretation. CET only reserves 10% of the 200 questions for the quants section. The non - engineering students, therefore, prefer appearing for the latter and consider it a more neutral exam.

More of Logical Reasoning: CET comes out as a popular choice due to the 50% section given to logical reasoning as opposed to a 25% in CMAT. Logical reasoning is an advantage for students when compared to Quants.

Visual Reasoning: Visual reasoning is one core segment which enables Maharashtra management aspirants to score more. While CET has about 25 out of the 200 questions on the same, CMAT has no visual reasoning section at all. This was one of the biggest blows to the aspirants in 2013, following the discontinuation of CET.

Verbal Reasoning: Again, a well-versed area for the MBA aspirants from Maharashtra which can be tackled with ease in the MAH CET is missing in CMAT. Candidates usually prefer playing on the known grounds than test them for something new.

Reading Comprehension: Reading Comprehension is a cake walk for the MBA aspirants appearing for MAH CET. The paper contains about 10-15 questions from this section. CMAT has a different approach towards it, which is usually the tougher out of the two.

Every individual should play on their strengths and then make the pick. They should analyse the core areas that can benefit them in the percentile and accordingly appear for the examination. Candidates who can manage time well should go ahead with CET given the neutral approach to the paper. While the ones who find it difficult to clock their activities, can go ahead with CMAT, which gives the individual 1 minute 80 seconds per question set against 75 seconds per question in CET. The no negative marking rule of course gives you the guilt free pass to attempt as many questions as one would want in CET. It is for candidates to consider all these aspects and sit for the exam which would promise them a better score and a better institute.