CAT or GMAT? What do you prefer?

Nidhi Bahl updated on : 07 Jul, 2020 46

Now that more Indian business schools are accepting GMAT scores for MBA admissions, the craze for the Common Admission Test (CAT) has been diluted to a certain degree. It will be incorrect to say that the value of CAT has been undermined by any context, but with introduction of GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test), the chances for students of getting into niche business schools in India and abroad has gone up reasonably.

According to reports by leading news agencies, the number of Indian students who took GMAT hit an all-time high last year. Figures released in news reports show that 22,878 applicants from India appeared for GMAT in the year 2013. This means that the number of test-takers has increased by 25% since 2010.

CAT aspirants can check their results at CAT Score Calculator and know the CAT accepting colleges available for admissions.

On the other hand, the reports also claimed that the number of applicants for CAT dipped to a seven-year low. Since 2010, the number of CAT test-takers has declined by 4%.

The new trend is being attributed to the country’s changing MBA education landscape where students are ditching two-year full-time MBA programmes to go for shorter management courses.

Currently, the CAT exam is applicable for admission to two-year full-time MBA courses only while GMAT is applicable to full-time (one year or two-year) Post Graduate courses in management.

Another reason behind CAT’s declining popularity could be GMAT’s flexible format, which allows candidates to take the test multiple times in a single year. Also, GMAT scores have longer validity.

Check details on CAT 2020

Differentiators of CAT & GMAT:

	CAT	GMAT
Administering body	Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs)	Graduate Management Admission Council® (GMAC) –the global non-profit council of leading business schools worldwide
Test frequency	Happens once a year	Can be taken up to 5 times in a year.
When do you get the score?	Results are announced much later at a fixed date	Score for Verbal and Quantitative section can be known immediately. But you have to wait up to 3 weeks for the official scores to reach you.
Validity of score	Valid for 1 year	Valid for a period of 5 years
Fees	Rs. 1600	US$250 – At current value, it is approximately Rs. 16000.
Courses accepting the scores	Two-year full-time MBA/PGP	Full-Time PGP (1 year or 2-year)
No. of schools In India accepting the score	Compulsory for IIMs and mostly all other top business schools accept CAT exam scores except a few that conduct their own entrance tests	GMAT exam is accepted for admission at more than 200 courses offered at over 90 business schools
Sections on the test	You have 2 hours and 50 minutes to attempt a total of 100 questions in 2 sections: Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation (b) Verbal Ability & Logical Reasoning.	You have 3 hours and 30 minutes to complete the 4 sections – Analytical Writing Assessment, Integrated Reasoning, Quantitative, and Verbal
Test Format	Computer-Based Test	Computer-Adaptive Test
Booking your test	You can register for CAT 2014 from the official CAT 2014 website www.iimcat.ac.in	Choose the nearest GMAT test center by visit the GMAT official website, http://www.mba.com/india After this, you can schedule the exam as per your convenience and register.
Who should take the test?	Both fresh graduates and working professionals can apply provided they meet the eligibility criteria	Both fresh graduates and working professionals can apply provided they meet the eligibility criteria

Institutes accepting GMAT scores in India

ISB, Hyderabad & ISB, Mohali

S.P Jain Institute of Management and Research, Mumbai

IIM, Ahmedabad

IIM, Bangalore

Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai

School of Management, NMIMS, Mumbai

IIM, Calcutta

XLRI, Jamshedpur

IMT, Ghaziabad, Hyderabad, Nagpur & Dubai

IIM, Indore

IIM, Lucknow

ICFAI Business School, Hyderabad & Mumbai

IIM, Kozhikode

MDI, Gurgaon

FMS, Delhi

TAPMI, Manipal

Dept. of Management, BITS Pilani

XIM, Bhubaneswar

IIFT, Delhi & Kolkata

Goa Institute of Management, Goa

K.J. Somaiya Institute of Management Studies & Research, Mumbai

MICA, Ahmedabad

TISS, Mumbai

IMI, New Delhi, Bhubaneswar & Kolkata

VIT Business School, Vellore

Birla Institute of Management Technology, Noida

School of Business, Alliance University, Bangalore

Amity Business School, Noida

ISBF, Delhi

School of Management and Entrepreneurship - Shiv Nadar University, Greater Noida

IIT-DMS, Delhi, Kanpur, Bombay, Madras, Roorkee & Kharagpur

IIM, Ranchi

SDM Institute for Management Development, Mysore

PSG Institute of Management, Coimbatore

Adani Institute of Infrastructure Management, Ahmedabad

Europe Asia School of Business, Pune

School of Management - SRM University, Chennai

IIM, Rohtak

National Institute of Securities Markets, Mumbai

IIM, Shillong

FLAME, Pune

IIM, Tiruchirappalli

Mysore Royal Academy, MYRA School of Business, Mysore

IIM, Udaipur

Kirloskar Institute of Advanced Management Studies, Harihar & Pune

IIM, Raipur

IFMR, Chennai

NIFT, Delhi

NIT, Surathkal

Woxsen School of Business, Hyderabad

School of Business Studies, Sharda University, Noida

IILM Institute of Higher Education, New Delhi

Seshadripuram Institute of Management Studies, Bangalore

GITAM School of International Business, Visakhapatnam

Asia Graduate School of Business, Hyderabad

Amrita School of Business, Amrita ViswaVidyapeetham, Amritapuri, Bangalore, Kochi & Coimbatore

BIMS, Bangalore

B I I M, Bangalore

IISWBM, Kolkata

IILM Graduate School of Management, Greater Noida

ITM, Mumbai

Siva Sivani Institute of Management, Hyderabad

Jindal Global Business School, O.P Jindal University, Sonipat

NIIT, Neemrana (ICICI Business Leadership Program)

Apeejay School of Management, New Delhi

Acharya School of Management, Bangalore

AIMS School of Business, Bangalore

School of Telecom Management, Maharashtra Institute of Technology, Pune

Administrative Staff College of India, Hyderabad

SOIL, Gurgaon

Aegis School of Business and Telecommunication, Navi Mumbai

School of Economics, Pune

Prin. L.N. Welingkar Institute of Management Development and Research, Mumbai

Galgotias Business School, Uttar Pradesh, Greater Noida

Amity Institute of Telecom Technology and Management, New Delhi

Centre for Management, Mumbai

Apex Institute of Management, Pune

TASMAC, Pune

TERI School of advanced Sciences, TERI University, Delhi, Pune, Bangalore, Mumbai & Guwahati

Asian School of Business Management (ASBM), Bhubaneswar

College of Commerce, Shivaji University, Pune

International School of Management Excellence, Bangalore

Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India, Gujarat

Doon Business School, Dehradun

G L Bajaj Institute of Management and Research, Greater Noida

International School of Telecom Technology and Management, Hyderabad

IFIM Business School, Bangalore

ISBR Business School, Bangalore

IIBM School of Business, Allahabad

Institute of Management, JK Lakshmipat University Jaipur

Indian Institute of Social Welfare & Business Mgmt., Kolkata

JRE School of Management, Greater Noida

Indian School of Business, Indore

IBA, Bangalore

School of Management, International Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar

Seshadripuram Institute of Management Studies, Bangalore

Lotus Business School, Pune

College of Commerce and Management, Pune

School of Management, Udaipur

Faculty of Management, Mody Institute of Technology and Science, Jamnagar

Spicer Memorial College, Secundrabad

National Management School, Chennai

National Schools of Business and Management Private Limited, Chennai

Praxis Business School, Kolkata

Pune Institute of Business Management, Pune

Vanguard Business School, Bangalore

Delhi School of Business, Delhi

Sadhana Centre for Management & Leadership Development, Pune

Sunstone Business School, Noida

Conclusion

CAT is definitely most popular & reputed entrance exam in India by virtue of its administering body – the IIM’s. Also, because of its age, CAT is widely recognised by most of the corporate and industries. GMAT, being a relatively new entrant in the MBA & PGDM world in India may be looked upon with raised brows, but it is definitely a force to be reckoned with in the near future.

As a student, it totally depends on what exam/s you choose to appear for. All we are saying is that GMAT may open up avenues for you in ways that you would never have imagined. So keep your options open and maybe, you would want to add another option for your perusal of management studies.

Tagged in MAT MAT test pattern MAT exam AIMA MAT exam structure

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