File photo of students waiting outside the CMAT test centre in Tughlaqabad, New Delhi

In a first of sorts, an extra Common Management Admission Test (CMAT) will be held this May 2013. This will additional to the one going to be held in February 21-25 and in September 2013. Disclosing this, All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) chairman said the exam will be held around May 17-19 but these would be approximate dates as of now.

According to Mr Mantha it is being done only accommodate candidates from Karnataka, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh and a few other states which have only recently come under the AICTE umbrella. “Some candidates have missed out because of the late entry of these states into the CMAT hold, so this exam is only for them,” clarified Mr Mantha.

Apparently, the nodal educational bodies in the affected states had written to the AICTE to hold an extra examination since a small number had enrolled for the February one.

Mr Mantha reiterated to PaGaLGuY.com that the May exam will not be counted as a third exam but just a one-off exercise to give candidates from Kerala, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh a fair chance.

When asked whether May would not be too late to hold an exam, Mr Mantha said that admissions happen by June-July so May is not at all a bad idea.