Around 10,000 students have been scheduled to retake the Common Admission Test (CAT) in its second phase on January 30 and 31.
The first phase of CAT had to be extended by a day this year due to major technical glitches. Those who experienced difficulties due to various disruptions such as frozen computer screens, blank screens, and data/graphic elements not displaying properly (identified through site reports recorded at the test labs and have not been rescheduled yet) will be eligible to appear for the second phase (retest) of CAT.
While most students have the option of saying ‘No’ to the retest and retain their previous test scores, those students who got over the mandated 140 minutes to take the test due to the glitches will compulsorily have to take the retest.
“We got complaints that many students got extra time. In order to prevent those students from taking undue advantage of the test, we have called all those students who got time beyond 140 minutes for the retest. It will be compulsory for them to take the test even if the first test was satisfactory to them. All the criteria that we called the students on are clear on the website,” said Satish Deodhar, convenor of CAT, adding: “The number of students taking more than 140 minutes could be about 400-500, though I am not sure”.
Originally scheduled to be conducted between November 28 and December 7, 2009, the first computer-based CAT had to be extended by an extra day as technical glitches marred the test. Nearly 241,000 applicants registered for the CAT this year. CAT is mandatory for students who wish to study at the seven Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and over 150 other B-schools in India.
Till date, 215,000 students have taken the test successfully. Around 18,000 did not turn up for the test, and 10,000 have been called by IIMs and Prometric, the company which conducted the test, for a retest.
More From This Section
“We have identified seven criteria on the basis of which the students are being called. The students can read their emails carefully to understand whether they have been given an option or have to take the test compulsorily and why. Those students who had problems like graphics not showing properly or had inadvertently pressed the ‘end’ button have the option to take the test again. In such cases, we do not know whether the students had pressed the button deliberately or by mistake, so it is up to them to decide whether they want to take the test or are satisfied with the same. If the students take the rescheduled test, they will be allotted fresh marks,” he added.
Meanwhile, there are some students who are puzzled as to why they have received an e-mail from Prometric, since they claim that they had satisfactory tests. “I have given my exam well and had no problems with that. Still, they have rescheduled me. I am confused as to which category I fall into. Besides, I have my final year exams to write,” said a student from HR College of Commerce and Economics, Mumbai.
Arks Srinivas, director of coaching institute TIME in Mumbai said he knew around 1,000-1,500 students who had appeared in the first phase successfully and did not want to take the exam again but had been shortlisted for the retest.
“The reason why they have been rescheduled could be because they got more time, they had technical glitches or that their answers were not recorded by the systems,” he said.
In the first week of January, the IIMs had announced the criteria for students who would be shortlisted for the second phase of CAT. According to IIMs, those who could not take the test due to various reasons (see box) were eligible for the test.
With inputs: Kalpana Pathak & Archana M Prasanna