JMET - Entrance Exam for MBA in 6 IITs

JMET is the entrance examination to the management program offered by the six leading IITs (Bombay, Delhi, Kanpur, Kharagpur, Madras and Roorkee). The pattern for this examination is pretty similar to the rest of the management examinations. It has four sections which are the verbal ability , data interpretation, quantitative ability and logical reasoning. The number of students who take the test is pretty less compared to CAT and this again is with respect to the fact that the number of seats are also limited. A point to note here is that IIT Madras has this time around chosen to also include CAT as a qualification examination. Whether this would mean a weakening significance for JMET in the coming years is yet to be seen. However as things stand JMET is still the primary entrance examination for the leading Business schools of the IITs across the country and hence preparation for that should be as good as possible.

Now coming to the examination aspect, students who have written the test seem to agree that the test is a little easier than CAT especially in the verbal ability section. The quantitative section can be considered a trifle more difficult. This is more so because of the fact that the there are typically questions asked on integration and differentiation. However, considering the fact that only the engineers are allowed to take the test, this should not be much of an issue. Even otherwise, the candidate may wish to concentrate more on the other aspects of the section to ensure that he/she obtains the minimum necessary marks to ensure qualification. Both the logical reasoning and data interpretation sections can be considered to be simpler than CAT. 

As far as the post JMET aspects are considered, candidates might be required to submit a statement of purpose with regards to the goals and ambitions in life and how life at a particular B school will help them towards achieving their goals. A similar GD + personal interview format is typically followed for the final selection rounds. The interview process like in the case of the IIMs is rather varied and just because the institutes are technical institutes does not necessarily mean that the interviews would be highly technical in nature. A reasonable general awareness is also required besides showing considerable knowledge in the undergraduate program that the candidate has undertaken.

A few important points to note are that while JMET serves as a common entrance examination, the application to each of the IITs has to be done separately. The qualifying criteria for each of the IITs’ management programs are different. One broad criterion is that the student should either have an engineering (and in certain cases Architecture) degree or a Masters degree in a scientific field.