CAT 2018: Know Your CAT Exam Convener - Dr Sumanta Basu, Faculty IIM Calcutta

Dr Sumanta Basu, faculty on Operations Management at IIM Calcutta is the CAT 2018 Convener who proposes to bring more diversity in IIM classrooms and is working on suitable examination pattern to achieve it.

CAT Date Announced Early: Innovative Step of CAT Convener
IIM Calcutta has been assigned the responsibility to convene CAT 2018 and Dr. Basu has been appointed as CAT 2018 exam convener. CAT 2018 Exam date is November 25, 2018 and the entire CAT exam schedule is to be announced with the release of CAT 2018 Notification in the last week of July 2018.

NMAT 2018 Applications Open: Know More and Register Now

Immediately after taking over as CAT 2018 convener, Dr. Basu has effected an important change in CAT 2018 as for the first time, the CAT exam date has been announced around three months before the release of official CAT Exam Notification.
During the past six years this is the first time that IIM Calcutta will be conducting Common Admission Test (CAT). Traditionally, one of the top six older IIMs convenes CAT every year.

MBAUniverse.com anticipates that Dr. Sumanta Basu would bring about more changes in CAT 2018 exam structure and pattern, synchronizing with what IIM Ahmedabad had begun in 2015 and was carried forward by IIM Bangalore in 2016 and by IIM Lucknow in 2017.

MBAUniverse.com broke the news and chose to congratulate Dr. Basu who has reverted enthusiastically with the humble words Thanks for your wishes. Committed academician and able administrator clubbed in one is what Dr. Basu is. He may bring about more effective and aspirant friendly changes in CAT 2018 exam. It is very much possible that CAT 2018 test takers may find yet another improved and aspirant friendly CAT on November 25, 2018 in the convenership of Dr Basu.

Dr. Sumanta Basu: Highly Qualified Academician
The Convener CAT 2018, Dr. Sumanta Basu is faculty on Operations Management Group at IIM Calcutta. Prior to joining IIM Calcutta he has served as Assistant Professor of Operations Management Group, XLRI, Jamshedpur.
His interest in academics and Research has brought him to the academic areas from the Corporate sector. Earlier he had worked as Senior Manager in Wipro Technologies & BPO, and Process Engineer in Haldia Petrochemicals Limited .
Dr Basu is FPM in Production and Quantitative Methods, Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad;. He did his B.Tech (Hons) in Chemical Engineering, Vidyasagar University.

Known for his flair for research and writing, Dr Basu has been keen on research. His research interests are Heuristics and meta-heuristics;Algorithms and computational aspects of operational research;Traveling salesman problem and its applications, Pricing and Revenue Management.
His Publications, case studies and reviews are widely read, referred and quoted. His significant publications include Management of Mathematics or Mathematics of Management: Quantitative methods in Management in Management Education in India: Perspectives and Practices. (Springer, 2016). Apart from this number of research publications stand to his credit on various issues of Management.

Dr Basus work has been awarded as the best thesis proposal of track Algorithmic Models & Supply Chain in the international conference Doctoral Colloquium, 2008 organized by Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.

CAT Conveners & Key Changes in Exam
During last 6 years, CAT conveners from different IIMs have effected many changes in CAT exam. These changes have helped IIMs to improve diversity in IIM class rooms further. With the change in CAT convener, the CAT exam pattern, Test Duration, Type of Questions has also changed:

CAT Exam Year
CAT Convener & CAT Convening IIM
Changes Effected

CAT 2018
Dr Sumanta Basu
IIM Calcutta
1.Nov 25 Exam Date Announced 2 months before CAT Notification Date.
2.Expect more changes

CAT 2017
Prof Neeraj Dwivedi
IIM Lucknow
1.More No-Negative Marking questions
2.Answer keys made available for the first time. Each candidate could view his questions and answer keys

CAT 2016
Prof Rajendra K Bandi
IIM Bangalore
Number of non-MCQs reduced from 28 to 25

CAT 2015
Prof Tathagata Bandyopadhyay
IIM Ahmedabad
Number of sections increased from 2 to 3; Non-MCQs introduced alongwith MCQs; testing window got shortened to 1 day

CAT 2014
Dr. Rohit Kapoor
IIM Indore
Testing partner changed from Prometric to TCS; Testing window reduced from 20 to 2 days; Number of questions increased from 60 to 100

CAT 2013
Dr. Rohit Kapoor
IIM Indore

Type of questions in Verbal Ability section changed.

CAT 2018: More candidates expected to apply
Common Admission Test (CAT) 2018 is the mandatory exam for admission to management programmes at IIMs and other top B schools in India in 2019.In CAT 2017 number of candidates who registered for the exam were 2.32 lakhs while the actual test takers were 1,99,632, an increase from 1.95 lakhs in 2016.The registration number is also on the rise from 2.19 lakh candidates in 2015.CAT has been showing a systematic rising trend in number of registrations.It can therefore be anticipated that CAT 2018 may see yet higher number of registrations.

Besides, with the increased number of intake in IIMs and other B-schools, it is expected that more candidates may appear in CAT 2018.

The CAT 2018 convening IIM Calcutta was established as the first National Institute for Post-Graduate studies and Research in Management by the Government of India in November 1961. Over the years, IIM Calcutta has grown into a matured institution with global reputation, imparting high quality management education. It has been playing a pioneering role in professionalizing Indian Management education through its Post Graduate and Doctoral level programs, Executive Training Programs, Research and Consulting Activities.

Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Calcutta is the oldest and one of the top three Management Institutes in India. It is the first Institute in India to be accredited by the three leading international accreditation agencies, AMBA, AACSB and EQUIS.

Stay tuned to MBAUniverse.com for more updates on CAT 2018