Mumbai: The Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) are geared up to launch Common Admission Test (CAT) in Sri Lanka, next year. As per sources, IIMs have been approached by business schools in Sri Lanka to conduct CAT for their candidates also. Himanshu Rai, Convener of CAT-2010, confirmed that they refused to conduct the CAT for them this year, but will do so in 2011.
In addition, Mr. Rai said that apart from B-schools in Colombo, several countries in South-East Asia have also shown interest in offering admission to students through the exam. However, to begin with, the IIMs will start the exam in Sri Lanka. The CAT had been modified to a computer based test in 2009. As per sources, IIMs will conduct CAT in foreign as per the existing Indian model.
Further, sources told that the IIMs will hire an agency to conduct the exam. However, questions will be designed by the Indian Institutes of Management themselves. The IIMs are planning to setting up a company under Section 25 of the Indian Companies Act, 1956, for conducting CAT.
An IIM Faculty said that setting up a separate entity will ensure that a handful of IIM faculty members are de-linked temporarily from teaching and are involved only in conducting the exam. Few realise it, but it is a mammoth task. As per sources, IIMs have signed a contract with Prometric, an American based testing firm, to conduct CAT. The duration of the contract is five years.
Moreover, sources told that 157 B-schools across the country will use CAT marks to select their students, apart from the IIMs. Nearly 2.06 lakh Indians will sit for the test this year.
