New CAT gets thumbs up

When Arnab Nandi started preparing for the Common Admission Test (CAT) last year, part of his preparation involved finishing mock tests ahead of time, to factor in computer glitches like those that nearly derailed CAT-2009.

When Arnab Nandi started preparing for the Common Admission Test (CAT) last year, part of his preparation involved finishing mock tests ahead of time, to factor in computer glitches like those that nearly derailed CAT-2009.

HT Image

But when Nandi took the test on Thursday, the first day of a 21-day window for the 2012 CAT, he did not need any buffer. “The organisers got it right,” said the National Institute of Technology, Warangal, graduate.

Three years after the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) shifted from a pencil-paper CAT to a computerised avatar, a smooth first day reinforced numbers that suggest a growing confidence among students about the new test mode.

“Barring about 0.5% cases, it was a glitch-free experience today,” SSS Kumar, IIM Kozhikode professor and the convener for CAT 2012, told HT.

From 2.72 lakh registered candidates in 2008, the number of test-takers fell to 2.4 lakh in 2009, the first year of the computerised test. That number fell to 2.05 lakh in 2010 and 2011. But this year, 2.15 lakh students have registered to take the test that will take place in two shifts every week day till November 6.