Forensic test to pick CAT retest batch

Updated on: Friday, December 18, 2009

Kolkata: Two weeks after the CAT fiasco, the exam’s organiser Prometric has broken its silence on how it will identify candidates who will be allowed to take a retest.

In an email sent exclusively to The Times of India on Thursday, Prometric revealed details of the identification process that will be conducted over the next few days. “We are conducting a rigorous forensic analysis to ensure every candidate genuinely affected by disruptions during the original test period is given the opportunity to retake the test,” Prometric said.

In the days after the online exam, which was hit by glitches, students were confused over how the organisers would identify those who faced snags while taking the test. But Prometric said the exam had been designed to permit digital tracking of the entire test, which will make the review possible.

“Finally, it is the IIMs that are going to establish an objective criteria for determining which candidates will be invited to retake their test. The types of problems experienced by candidates mostly include disruptions caused by malfunctioning computers, premature exit due to inadvertent use of the “End” button,” Prometric clarified.

The review will be completed over the next couple of days, after which selected candidates will be informed about the rescheduled dates.

On how it will ensure candidates aren’t faking the snag now that they have the opportunity to take the test again, Prometric replied: “The rigorous forensic analysis will ensure that. We will be able to zero in on every candidate who was genuinely affected by these disruptions during the original test period. Only after we are absolutely sure that the candidate was affected will we allow him to take the retest.”

It added: “One of the strengths of computer-based testing is that it permits digital tracking of the entire test-taking process, making it possible to identify and authenticate genuinely affected candidates.”

Forensic test to pick CAT retest batch

More Education news