Who will bail the CAT?

Updated on: Monday, December 07, 2009

The Common Admission Test (CAT) for entry into the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), which was conducted online for the first time this year, ran into technical problems on the first day itself. Students appearing for the test at 361 centres at 104 locations across 32 cities in India reported that the server crashed among other technical glitches during the exam.

Prometric, the company hired by IIMs to conduct the test, officially blamed the server crash on computer virus
and urged students not to panic. The online CAT exam mess has surprised many as India prides itself on its technological knowhow.

There are, however, other institutes and coaching centres that have been conducting online tests
successfully. For example, Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) Pilani started its online test from 2005. Along with BITS, All Indian Management Association (AIMA) had put MAT online from this year. Delhi University, too, had done a pilot project to conduct the environment science
exam online.

According to G Raghurama, deputy director, academics, BITS, “It was more difficult at that time and technology has become only better. Hence, we cannot blame the failure of online CAT on technology.” Raghurama and many others cite lack of preparation as the main reason behind the mess. “When we conducted BITSAT, we had created backup for servers and computers, because technology can go wrong. You have to ensure power back up too. Therefore, we gave the contract to a company that would understand and respond to the Indian scenario,” he adds.

Expressing his dissatisfaction, CS Venkata Ratnam, director, International Management Institute (IMI), Delhi, says, “There have been incidents of online exam failure before, the authorities should have taken more care. There was no proper infrastructure, no mock tests were conducted and many centres did not have the software to check virus.”

Another reason could be the sheer number. Other institutes handle smaller numbers whereas IIMs had to plan for more than two lakh students. Raghurama feels it was over-ambitious for the IIMs to provide online testing facility to over two lakh candidates.
Will this deter other institutes from opting for online testing? “I think online exam is the way forward for institutes. It is more convenient for students to appear for the online exam according to his/her day and time,” he says. In fact, more institutes are keen on online tests. Ashok Ranchhod, director, Mudra Institute of Communications (MICA), Ahmedabad, says, “MICA has been conducting its internal examination — MICAT — for several years. This test assesses managerial capability, creativity, ability to handle quantitative analysis and verbal aptitude. MICA is looking at the possibility of conducting online MICAT at two centres to begin with and if it works well, it would be rolled out to more centres.”

Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS), Mumbai, too, is going to conduct its online exam for the first time. Rajan Saxena, vice-chancellor, NMIMS, says, “NMIMS is taking all possible preventive measures to ensure a smooth operation of the NMAT 2010. The contract for conducting the NMAT 2010 online exam has been given to Pearson Vue. We will be sanitising all the labs where students will appear for NMAT online. Also a prior dry run will be carried out in the first week of January. NMIMS has identified the problems that could occur at all levels, including the registration of candidates, confirmation of those who have registered, administration of the test etc.”
Besides the IIMs, around 160 B-schools and university departments are subscribing to the CAT score this year.

H Chaturvedi, director, Birla Institute of Management and Technology (BIMTEC), Noida, says; “We are convening a committee on what should be done to assess a student for admission, so that s/he gets a fair chance after the fiasco. Group discussions and personal interviews may assume more importance as it would give us a chance to assess a candidate face-to-face.”

Times of india

Who will bail the CAT?

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