New Delhi: Inflation seems to have hit even the Common Admission Test (CAT) which is conducted by the elite Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs).

The IIMs have increased the cost of application forms by Rs.200 for general category & OBC students and by Rs.100 for SC/ST candidates for CAT 2008.

Common Admission Test Notification 2008

Last year the form was priced at Rs.1,100 for general category candidates and Rs.550 for reserved category candidates.

The cost was increased in 2004 and 2005 to Rs.1,100 and Rs.1,200 respectively for general category and Rs.600 for SC/ST candidates.

The Common Admission Test (CAT) brings in large revenues for the IIMs.

A report by the V.K. Shunglu Commission had said that IIM-Ahmedabad netted Rs.168.96 lakhs in the 2002-03 CAT against Rs.4.25 lakhs in 1991-92.

At IIM Bangalore, the collection was Rs.247.07 lakhs, while the expenditure was Rs.51.4 lakhs.

1.72 lakhs students appeared for CAT 2006 and the number increased to 2.07 lakhs last year.

The IIMs have also confirmed that the Common Admission Test (CAT) will not be conducted online this year, as was thought earlier.

Subrata Mitra, admission chairperson at IIM Calcutta said, "Though we are in talks with several agencies for conducting the test online, it will be a pencil-paper test this year."

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