One of the toughest entrance examinations, Common Admission Test (CAT) 2012 has seen a sharp rise in the number girls attempting it. According to Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode (IIM-K), the facilitator and coordinator of CAT 2012, there has been an increase of 8.6 per cent in the number of girls who have registered for the test compared to last year.
With 2,14,068 candidates registering this year there has been an 4.2 per cent rise in the over all registrations.
Candidates from engineering background continue to dominate the total pool with 67.6 per cent.
As in the past, a large number of applicants are either freshers or have work experience of less than six months. However, there is an increase of 43 per cent in the test takers with two to three years work-experience.
According to Prof S S S Kumar, convenor of CAT 2012, the trend is a welcome change. “The shift in candidate pool in terms of gender and social balance, as well as work experience, is a positive indication. It shows that candidates are aware of the opportunities that are available,” Kumar said. Based on candidates’ residing address, Maharashtra has the highest number of registered candidates with 31,040 test takers. “Candidates are recommended to view the test day video, and try the practice test that is available on the CAT website. This will give them an idea of what can be expected on their test day,” said Soumitra Roy, MD of Prometric India.