Better placement records last year, promise of new Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and hopes of an economic revival have pushed up the number of applications for this year's Common Admission Test (CAT), an increase after five years.
While 2008 saw 2.76 lakh applying for the exam, the number of applicants registering for the MBA entrance exam went down in 2009 and 2010. There was a marginal rise in 2011, but numbers dropped again from 2012. In 2014, there were 1.89 lakh applicants but the total candidates who have registered for the exam this year jumped to 2.18 lakh, said IIMAhmedabad which is conducting CAT this year.
