Ramzauva Chhakchhuak, Bangalore: Jan 20, 2013 DHNS

None of the students, who wrote the Common Admission Test (CAT), 2013, in Karnataka, may have secured the perfect score of 100 percentile, but the State has the third highest number of candidates who scored between 90 and 99.9. 

As many as 1,115 candidates scored 95 to 99.9 percentile and 920 between 90 and 94.5 percentile.

Maharashtra had the highest number of such candidates: 1,401 of them scored 95 to 99.9 percentile and 1,406 between 90 and 94.9 percentile. Delhi came next, with 1,213 candidates from the National Capital scoring 95 to 99.9 percentile and 1,203 between 90 and 94.9 percentile.

Although girls did perform well in CAT, few of them made it to the two above score brackets.

For instance, out of 1,115 candidates who secured 95 to 99.9 percent in Karnataka, only 161 were girls. Similarly, among 920 candidates who scored between 90 and 94.9 percentile in the State, there were just 180 girls.

In Maharashtra, there were 203 girls among 1,401 candidates who scored 95 to 99.9 percentile and 319 female students out of 1,406 who scored 90 to 95.9 percentile.  In Delhi, there were 220 girls among 1,213 candidates in the first score bracket and 323 among 1,203 in the second score bracket.

Across the country, as many as 8,597 candidates – 7,208 boys and 1,389 girls – scored between 95 and 99.9 percentile, and 8,475 candidates – 6,601 boys and 1,874 girls – scored 90 to 94.9 percentile.

Out of the1.74 lakh candidates who appeared for the test, just about 50,000 were female, and this may probably explain why fewer girls made it to the top two score brackets. Two of the 10 candidates, who scored 99.9 percentile, were from Karnataka.
One of them was the only female to achieve the feat.

Sai Kumar, director of TIME (Triumphant Institute of Management Education), Bangalore, said that candidates from Karnataka had always been good and steady in CAT. The reason, however, could be that the State, especially Bangalore, attracts the best talent from all over the country.

“Being an IT hub and with a thriving industrial sector, Bangalore attracts graduates from top and elite institutes in the country who want to work here,” Kumar explained. “Hence, when such candidates write the test, good results can be expected.” He added it was possible that such candidates from other states were doing well rather than those from the State.

M K Sridhar, reader at the Canara Bank School of Management, Bangalore University, sees a common trend of good performance from industrial, commercial and educational hubs of Karnataka, Delhi and Maharashtra.

“Factors such as industries, colleges, research and development (R&D) centres and a high Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) attract people with different backgrounds. Karnataka has been performing well not only in CAT but in other tests as well,” said Sridhar.