5 Reasons Why GMAT is Better than CAT

Should I take the Common Admission Test (CAT) conducted by the

IIMs or the GMAT? This question is the perennial butter-scotch/ black
forest dilemma that any Indian MBA aspirant faces today.
Other major dilemmas students face are, Which exam will I stand a
better chance at? Which exam will give me more bang for the
buck? Which test will give you access to MBA programs that are
commensurate at your experience level? And finally which exam will
open my gates to the best management programs in the world.
We analyze some important points on the eternal CAT vs GMAT
debate, to help you decide:

Factor #1:The Number of Aspirants

Over the last five years, both the CAT and GMAT have shown a
consistent rise in the number of applicants but for last year. The
number of aspirants for both the exams actually declined last year.
However, even after considering the decline the number of test
takers for CAT is almost three times as much as the number of test
takers for GMAT. Here is a brief illustration
What does this mean for you?
Less competition, less pressure which directly leads to More
Opportunities!!

Factor #2: The ability to improve the score:

One of the major factors as far as the CAT is concerned, is that it is
like a bullet from a gun, once shot it cannot be recalled. Similarly,
you only have one shot at the CAT in a given academic year. You
have a bad headache or a fight with your girlfriend on the day of
your CAT or suffer from Delhi Belly, CAT will just say BhaagBhaag DK
Bose..
However, as far as GMAT is concerned, there is no cap on the
number of times that you can take the test. In an academic year,
you are allowed to take the GMAT five times, with an interval of one
month. These repeat attempts do come at a price, but then that
critical option to improve your score exists and is used favorably by
many candidates
Target CAT/GMAT Score Number of Attempts

What does this mean for you?

This means if you have a bad day or something crops up at work,
you can shift your GMAT date to take it when you are ready. Infact
you can reschedule your GMAT dates online up to a week before the
test date.

Factor #3:The validity of the Score

Your CAT scores are valid only for that particular year. If you take
CAT in 2013, you can use the score to apply for programmes starting
in 2014 and not after that. However, some institutions do give you
the leeway to use your previous CAT scores when applying, but then
they
are
very
few
and
far
in
between.
On the other hand, GMAT scores are valid for 5 years.
What does this mean for you?
That means, you take your GMAT now and manage to get an
awesome score but for some reason do not apply, you can use the
same score to apply to any program even when:
2014GlasgowCommonwealthGames
2014FIFAWorldCup
2014Twenty20worldCup
2015CricketWorldCup
2016RioDeJaneiroOlympics
2016Twenty20WorldCup
2017AucklandWorldMastersGames

 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup

Factor #4:The institutions covered by GMAT

CAT scores in its current form, can be used only for admissions in
the IIMs and other affiliate Indian b-schools. Though it has been
conducted for many years, it is still a very Indian test for Indian MBA
programs.
Taking the GMAT opens up the gates to the best institutions,both
abroad and in India. Harvard Business School, Wharton and Stanford
amongst other schools in the USA, INSEAD in France and Singapore,
London Business School are ome of the prestigious institutions that
consider GMAT scores for admissions to their management program.
Top Indian B-schools such as the Indian School of Business (ISB) in
Hyderabad, Great Lakes Institute of Management (GLIM) in Chennai
andSP Jain in Mumbai also have started considering GMAT scores for
entry to their programmes.
What does this mean for you?
Well, we are certainly asking you to Think beyond the IIMs . Not
in the ponytail way, but know that GMAT will open up a lot more
prestigious doors, than what CAT will.

Factor #5: The relative ease of admissions

Acing the CAT is just the first step in what is an arduous and a highly
competitive admission process. Group discussions, essays and
personal interviews are the next in line before you bag the coveted
admit.
And worsening your already difficult task is the fact that Each step
has a high and arbitrary cut offs.You will have meet the daunting
sectional cutoffs, 10th marks, 12th marks, Graduation marks
..phew!before
you
finally
convert
it.
Also the competition is unbelievably high. For about 1000 seats in
the top five IIMs, you are competing with 200,000 people with
similar aspirations. And do not forget the ubiquitous reservations!
Simply put, only 0.5 percent of the total number of applicants make
it
to
the
IIMs.

Most b-schools abroad have a streamlined system for admissions

which is also very subjective. Once you take your GMAT, you would
need to send out your essays and recommendation letters, In which
there is a lot of scope to explain certain gaps in education and
experience.
Heck, the schools abroad dont even look at your 10th or 12th
standard marks! It is all about how you are as a person and not
just meeting some arbitrary cutoffs which in all probability you
dont
even
know.
The conversion ratio is almost 10 percent for b-schools who
consider GMAT.

Conclusion:
Encapsulating the five factors mentioned above, I give you a side by
side comparison of CAT and GMAT

All I will say is, YOU DECIDE!!!!!!!!!!!!!