Just when Maharashtra based b-schools were close to figuring out their admission strategy based on Common Management Admission Test (CMAT) scores, the Directorate of Technical Education (DTE) in the state has stirred things up again.

The DTE has sent a proposal to the state government to accept AIMS Test for Management Education (ATMA) score in addition to CMAT scores for all the MBA seats previously catered by the Maharashtra Common Entrance Test (Mah-CET), Dr SK Mahajan, Director, DTE told PaGaLGuY today.

A senior DTE official also based in Maharashtra added that although preference will still be given to CMAT scores, the proposal to include ATMA scores for admissions is just a precaution to ensure that all the MBA seats in the states b-schools get filled.

Despite a state specific Mah-CET, over the past couple of years the DTE has struggled to fill all the MBA seats in Maharashtra. Since CMAT is a national test and yet to gain popularity amongst students, the possibility of empty MBA seats in the state could increase. “This is the situation that we are looking to avoid,” the official added.

Wont this step go against the idea of moving towards a single national MBA entrance test? Although in favour of the concept of a single national test, the official said that the immediate priority is to ensure that all management seats in the state get filled. If a student is unable to appear for the CMAT for some reason, he/she should have another chance to become a management student, he said.

According to the present directives issued by the state government, once the AICTE sends DTE result data of both CMAT September 2012 and February 2013 tests, the DTE will draw up a merit list. After the merit list is out, students will have to go online and register for their GD/ PI on the DTE website. The DTE will then hold three rounds of admission interviews to the states b-schools on the basis of the registrations.

However, the DTE is apprehensive that even three rounds might not be enough to fill almost 48,000 seats that the states b-schools have to offer.

The proposal sent to the State government by the DTE states that while the first three rounds for interviews will be conducted on the basis of CMAT scores, if seats still remain empty, another round will be conducted on the basis of the candidates ATMA scores.

Although the Maharashtra state government has not yet responded to the proposal, the DTE is hoping for a positive response by the end of this month, the DTE official concluded.