Campus placements: IIT-B to hold single aptitude test, share results with firms

Ahead of this year’s placement season, the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay (IIT-B) plans to hold a common aptitude test for students, and share the results with the companies that visit the campus.

Companies usually conduct their own aptitude tests to shortlist students, but this means students take several tests during the season.

The idea is to reduce the number of times students take the test.

Placements this year are scheduled between December 1 and December 18, and the aptitude test will be held at the end of November.

So far, more than 1,650 students have registered for the first phase of placements, a number that is likely to go up by the end of the month.

“We will be conducting this test for the first time, and all students registered to appear for placements will write it,” said Tom Mathew, the professor in charge of placements at the campus.

“Their individual scores will be shared with the companies that want to recruit them,” Mathew said.

Placements at IITs span several rounds that include individual presentations, group discussions, aptitude tests and personal interviews. Companies use the aptitude test to whet students.

“The common aptitude test will help us, as companies can simply use the score to scout for the top students who can participate in the final round,” said a student registered for placements this year. While this is the first time that IIT-Bombay is conducting the common test, IIT-Guwahati and IIT-Kharagpur have implemented similar institute-supervised aptitude tests earlier. “However, most companies did not accept the institute-supervised test and conductedtheir own tests,” said a senior official from another IIT. “If IIT-B manages a better response, other IITs may follow suit and firms may become more open to the method,” the official added.