Not just IIMs, top B-schools attract MBA aspirants too

 Mayank Sharma, a working professional based in the City, is preparing to take a number of MBA entrance exams, one of which is the Common Admission Test (CAT), the gateway to the renowned Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), that is scheduled for November 29.

His primary objective is to get into one of the top IIMs. However, he is not averse to idea of pursuing management course at other top notch institutions in the country.

“Cracking the CAT is definitely important, however, it is not the only thing. Personally, I would prefer institutes such as the XLRI, Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai, as I feel that they are equally good. I just gave my entrance to IIFT which is another very good institute,” said Mayank. 

A number of aspirants feel the same way as Mayank. Sahila Agarwal, an IT professional, is another example. Although she enrolled for a coaching stint to appear for the CAT and other entrances, she however will not be giving any MBA entrances this year due to various professional commitments. She said: “People should not fall for the brand name of CAT and IIMs. They should judge individual colleges on the basis of their merit. There are many such good colleges,” said Sahila.

The great deal of attraction towards the CAT and IIMs is explained in terms of the management concept of ‘branding’ by Joy Varghese, professor, Xavier Institute of Management and Entrepreneurship (XIME), Electronic City: “One may wear a Louis Philippe shirt because of the brand name it carries. However, if you look carefully, there are other brands of shirt whose quality is the same. Similarly while IIMs have their glamour, there are other B-schools that are equally competent,” he said.

Srinivas Belvi, director, TIME, a coaching institute, is of the opinion that each management entrance exam other than CAT has a specific target group in mind and hence differ in terms of difficulty level of the questions, composition of questions and packaging of the skill areas tested under each section. “Certain areas of tests like CAT, XAT, IIFT, NMAT, SNAP (Symbiosis National Aptitude Test) etc are unique to identify the target group to pursue management education at the desired B-School,” he said.

Further Belvi said that a large majority of the MBA aspirants take about three to four national-level management entrance tests as a safety net.

Sahila Agarwal, IT professional: People should notfall for the brand name of CAT and IIMs. They should judge individual colleges on the basis of their merit. There are many such good colleges.