Separate body for conducting CAT soon

Updated on: Wednesday, December 01, 2010

For the better conduction and management of the Common Admission Test (CAT) in future, the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) have planned to establish a separate body for the purpose.

IIM Lucknow Director Devi Singh was in Delhi on Thursday and said that the IIMs intend to set up a distinct body within the IIM structure for CAT. This body will be run and managed by professionals and would be solely responsible for the conduction of the management entrance test.

He further added that the organization could be established under Section 25 of the Companies Act and that the details for the same are being worked out. "We have definite plans in this direction for setting up the body," he said.

Another major plan by the IIMs involves CAT, which has more than two lakh takers every year, to be made similar to the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) so that it can be conducted more than once a year.

The CAT Convener this year was IIM Lucknow professor Himanshu Rai. Over 2.04 lakh candidates appeared for the CAT tests this year which were conducted over a window period of 20 days from October 27 to November 24.

Last year, the CAT had been made a computer based examination instead of a paper-pen test format but had witnessed several teething problems in the form of technical glitches and errors. However, this year, the online CAT was conducted successfully and no glitches or errors were reported.

Prof. Himanshu Rai informed that along with Prometric, the organization that was responsible for the online conduction of the test in 2009 and 2010, the IIMs were also considering modifications in the CAT format from 2011.

These changes would include making the CAT vouchers available for sale online and reduction of time period between reporting at the test centre and commencement of the test, which was 90 minutes this year.

Prof. Rai further added that there would always be scope of improvement in the conduction of CAT. "We are working towards making the test as candidate friendly as possible," he said.

Separate body for conducting CAT soon

More Education news