40,000 students take first computer-based NMAT

Almost 40,000 students took the first computer based Narsee Monjee Management Aptitude Test (NMAT) to gain admission in the Mumbai-based Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS). For the first time, NMAT was conducted in a computer based format by computer-based testing company Pearson VUE for a period of 10 days.

From 30 January to 8 February, the test was synchronously conducted across 51 centres in 19 cities in India and 11 countries outside India. Other countries where the test was taken were Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, Nepal, among others. There were 1,530 batches with three slots each day and students were to come 45 minutes before the exam began.

Though no batch had to be cancelled because of any technical reasons, there were technical glitches due to which there were interruptions (the Common Admission Test or CAT conducted by the premier Indian Institutes of Management or IIMs, on the other hand, had to cancel tests at centres across the country due to technical glitches). At a test centre in Mumbai, for instance, power to the network was switched off and there was a delay of 20 minutes in the test. At another test center in Noida, a network card developed a fault. In another test centre in Delhi, the uninterruptible power supply (UPS) developed a fault due to which there was no power for around 20 minutes.

“Of all the batches, four batches experienced a temporary interruption but the test was resumed. It was for this reason that we kept 9 February as an extra day if any contingencies occurred and any batch had to be rescheduled,” said Pearson VUE’s Managing Director for Asia Pacific, Sarvesh Shrivastava.

The test results, that will be out in March, will be used for admission to NMIMS’ management programmes comprising MBA Core (300 seats); MBA Actuarial Sciences (30 seats); Capital markets (30 seats); Banking (30 seats); Pharma Management (60 seats); MBA Part Time (240 seats) and Executive Doctoral Programme (25 seats).