The Common Admission Test, or CAT, organised by the Indian Institute of Management is underway. Having begun on October 27, this test for admission into b-schools in India is in its second year as computerised exam.
Running for 20 days till November 24, CAT-2010 has seen more than 200,000 people registering for different slots.
However, the number of applications to sit CAT has actually dropped by 15 per cent compared to last year, with the southern city of Chennai seeing a 10 per cent drop in registrations. With the repercussions of the economic crisis still being felt world over, it is no surprise that people are unwilling to quit their jobs to do an MBA.
Besides the global recession, many are jittery about using computers for the test. Last year's CAT exam was fraught with problems - from complaints about premature exit from the system, to connectivity problems and slow speed.
This year is - hopefully - expected to be better! The administrators of the exam - Prometric - are said to have taken over the exam centres 25 days in advance to ensure everything runs smoothly. So will it work out?
Shyam Sundar who will be writing his CAT exam in Chennai this month is optimistic about this year’s procedures. “There is less chance for technical glitches as they have had a lot of time to plan ahead. Also the extension in the number of exam days from 11 to 20 this year is quite possibly to ensure there are no server crashes or to make accommodations for any last-minute glitches.”
Bhavya Roongta is sitting his CAT for the second time this year. His experience last year was reasonably hassle-free. “They (the organisers) did a reasonably good job considering that it was the first time and the number of people taking the test. But they definitely need to work on the system so the student doesn't worry about his computer acting funny, in addition to the stress of the exam.
“Also, they should screen the test centres more carefully, picking up those which have better systems, and staff competent to handle minor problems.”
Though he did not face any trouble during his exam, he found the screening process a bit troubling. “Their screening process is annoying, with fingerprints taken from both hands – it makes you feel like a terrorist!”
CAT’s run this year has been smooth so far. We’ll be able to say if it’s been a success after the 24th, but so far so good!
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