CMAT is the second most popular MBA entrance exam report

InfoEdge (India) Ltd.’s Shiksha.com, an online platform for college selection in India, has released its annual MBA Outlook Report 2022. This report covers every measure of college selection and trends among MBA candidates in India. The survey provides an overview of the most preferred MBA entrance exams in India, the topics to keep in mind when deciding on their preferred colleges and the preferred specializations among others.

Every year millions of students in India take the MBA entrance exam, regardless of their study style which makes MBA one of the most popular fields of study for postgraduate. When it comes to choosing the right B-school, Kovid has removed the priority of MBA candidates. One of the most important findings of the MBA Outlook Report 2022 is that MBA candidates are not limited to choosing B-schools in big cities. They are now willing to study MBA in their own state or city instead of relocating to a city outside their own state during the Covid period.

The report reveals that after CAT, CMAT has become the second most popular MBA entrance exam in India. Exams including CAT, MAT, SNAP, NMAT, and IBSAT were less popular in 2021 than in 2020; A fall between 15-50 percent. West and South India have seen the most significant declines in CAT, while North and Central India have seen the most severe declines in MAT. CMAT is now more popular among students than MAT, which was not the case in previous years. With the exception of South India, there has been a significant increase in CMAT in each region. On the other hand, the overall choice for XAT, ATMA and KIITEE management has increased by at least 10 percent in 2021 as compared to 2020. However, the choice of UPSEE and APICET has increased by more than 100 percent, although other regional tests have performed similarly, with minor ups and downs in the past year.

More than 65 percent of MBA students prefer classroom learning over online lectures, the report said. To meet this need, more than 60 percent of B-schools are expected to resume offline classes by February 2022. As the number of B-school options decreases and the level of uncertainty increases, so does the average number of entrance exams per student. All parts of India except East India declined significantly in 2021. In 2021, 97 percent of students took part in three entrance exams. This number stands at 6 per student in 2020 In 2021, students in the West (97 percent) and in the North (94 percent) took four entrance exams, while in 2020, they took up to five. Surprisingly, the weighted average of the entrance exams in East India increased by 17 per cent in 2021 as compared to 2020.

When it comes to college location choices, students’ preferences for MBA colleges in their respective states, cities and regions have increased dramatically compared to 2020 to 2021. The Covid-19 epidemic could be responsible. When looking for an MBA college in 2021, candidates from East and North India chose larger cities like Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai than their respective states or cities, whereas candidates from West and South India chose their own states and / or hometowns rather than larger cities. Central Indian students, on the other hand, were divided into two options.

One of the most striking revelations in the Shiksha.com report is that famous western cities, including Pune and Mumbai, saw a negative relative lift, while Nagpur, Bangalore and Surat saw a favorable lift as the preferred MBA destination among candidates in West India. When comparing 2019 with 2021, Nagpur’s priority has increased nine times. Among the Eastern candidates, MBA College continues to be the top choice, while Bangalore and Delhi-NCR continue to be the top choice, with Bhubaneswar surpassing Mumbai and Kolkata. Indore has surpassed Pune as the top choice for Central Indian MBA students. On the other hand, Bangalore and Delhi have declined year after year. Interestingly, Central Indian students are increasingly choosing Jaipur and Nagpur as their preferred places to pursue MBA.

Despite Delhi-NCR being the most popular student destination in North India, it is losing popularity year after year. Moreover, students from North India are increasingly choosing Lucknow as a preferred destination for MBA studies. Compared to previous years, South Indian candidates choose to study MBA in their home state and city as opposed to outlying cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Ahmedabad and Pune.

The MBA Outlook Report 2022 also reveals that student reviews, recruiting and placement metrics, college ratings and reviews are responsible for key decision-making elements in researching and selecting MBA colleges in 2021, as opposed to pre-college selection trends. Information department bases such as fees and scholarships, college offered programs, college related Q&A and student support services. This was closely followed by the proper programs offered by the institutions and a strong need for industry training / internship opportunities.

Interacting with current college students, following interactions with college alumni, has become the most popular way to learn more about college. In North, East and Central India, interaction with college alumni has increased in positive years. When comparing 2021 to 2020 and 2019, interaction with counselors in search of actual information for admissions-related questions shows a downward trend, especially in North and South India, where interaction with student support services shows an upward trend in the eastern, northern and central regions. India.

The MBA in Finance continues to be the top choice for students, as it was the year before. Even though the overall position remained unchanged from the previous year, it lost part in West India and gained part in South India. In 2021, MBA in human resources is now preferred over MBA in marketing. This is responsible for the growing preference for HR over marketing in West, Central and South India. Compared to the previous year, the popularity of new emerging specializations such as entrepreneurship, agriculture, and food business declined slightly in 2021.

Since 2020, search engines like Google, online college selection and review portals like Shiksha.com and online sources of information have grown significantly in contrast to traditional sources. College listing / ranking websites have emerged as an important resource for learning about colleges. Students from West, East and North India are becoming interested in using the college listing service. Over the past year, word of mouth (family / friends) has improved significantly, while newspapers / magazines have declined.

The decline in placements in 2020 as a result of the epidemic is also a matter of concern for students considering it a B-school. As markets adopt new ways in the post-Covid era, companies will look for the best workers to help them overcome future epidemics. As a result, MBA candidates may soon find themselves in innovative possibilities to demonstrate their abilities.

As in previous years, the report revealed that value-addition, such as placements and internships, continued to be the top value-addition that students were looking for in an MBA college, followed by work experience while studying, quality student, budget for startups, corporate exposure. , Among others, has gained popularity among MBA candidates across India.

The Education Platform has over 2.65 million authentic college reviews with dedicated pages on college admissions. It has now been claiming a leading position among India’s most preferred college selection and review platforms for over two decades.