New Rule for CAT 2007

A move aimed at arresting the number of candidates appearing for entrance tests for
elite business schools, the Indian Institutes of Management on Sunday announced
they should have secured at least 50 per cent marks during graduation to be eligible
for the Common Admission Test (CAT) 2006.

The new eligibility criteria for this year's CAT, to be held on November 19, was
announced by the IIMs on Sunday.

The announcement stipulates that candidates must hold a Bachelor's Degree with at
least 50 per cent marks to be eligible this year as against only "successful
completion" of their graduation hitherto.

It has been fixed at 45 per cent marks this year for students belonging to SC, ST or
persons with disability category, it said.

The duration of the examination is also set to increase by 30 minutes to two-and-a-

half hours.

Making a special reference to government's proposed move to reserve seats for OBC
candidates during academic year 2007-08 in elite educational institutions, IIMs said
"the details of the reservation for candidates belonging to OBCs would be notified by
the IIMs on their websites and through a an advertisement in national newspapers on
receipt of an official communication from the appropriate authority".

Observing that no student should be denied opportunity to pursue the management

course for want of adequate financial resources, the IIMs said substantial need-based
scholarships were available for students belonging to economically disadvantaged
families.

Over 1.5 lakh students appeared last year in the CAT examination for admission to six
IIMs at Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Kolkata, Indore, Kozhikode and Lucknow.