All India Management Association (AIMA), the apex body of the management profession, is looking at conducting its newly launched Management Aptitude and Skills Test (MAST) four times annually from next year.
Conducted for the first time on September 25, 2011, the computer-based test is aimed at providing a level playing field to the management students of all the B-schools in India. The test is for the B-schools students who are ready to enter industry.
“As many as 5,000 students of 300 B-schools across India took the test held in September this year. Currently, the test is being conducted twice a year with second test scheduled in February 2012. We are looking at conducting the test four times a year from the next year and subsequently plan to make it like GMAT,” said Rekha Sethi, director general, All India Management Association (AIMA).
According to AIMA recruiters cover only 10 per cent of B-schools each year. As a result, many bright students from the B-schools other than top 50 and metro-based institutes are in a way denied appropriate placements.
The test initiated by AIMA provides platform to the students of B-schools other than top management schools to grab placement opportunities. At the same time, it also offers corporate companies a chance to spot talent even in small towns. “We are acting as a bridge between the industry and the students,” she added.
As per the information available with the apex body, over 3.5 lakh MBA students pass out annually from around 4,000 All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) approved institutes. There is a disconnect in matching supply with demand as potential recruiters are not able to reach out to the remotely located institutions.
“Today, the companies are transforming from small to medium to large sized companies. They require manpower in bulk. We are targeting such mass recruiters through this test. We compile data based on the test results and provide them to recruiters,” added Rajiv Vastupal, newly elected president of AIMA for the year 2011-12. Vastupal is the chairman and managing director of Ahmedabad-based Rajiv Petrochemicals Pvt Ltd.
Referring to AIMA’s efforts of setting up a national network of centers, Vastupal added that the association has opened its first AIMA office outside Delhi in Bangalore and now it plans to set up centers in Pune and Kolkata soon, to have a presence in all regions.
