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LATEST
NEWS |
01st
March 2010 / Times of India / Bangalore Edition
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 CONTROVERSIAL CAT
CAT held online for first time from Nov 11 - Dec 8, 2009
Server crashes across India, forces re-exam Online re-exam held on Jan 30, 31 Results out on Feb 28 2nd-round CAT candidates ‘had an edge over others’ Many Of The Questions Were From Past Test Papers: Expert
Bangalore: The online CAT is still getting the brickbats. Results may be out, but criticism has not ceased.
Many experts believe that students who took the test on the last few days of December and on January 30 and 31 had an unfair advantage over the others, and this is evident in the results. “Many of the questions were from previous slots or past CAT papers, which are in public domain,” said R Shiva Kumar, director, research & development, Career Launcher.
Byju Raveendran, chairman of Byju Classes, agrees, “CAT usually tests the presence of mind of the candidates. They have to think on their feet on how to do it. But this time, there were no changes in the pattern of the paper at all. So students knew what to expect in the later sessions.”
He also cited a case where a student who had attempted only 35 questions in the first phase, appeared for the second phase and answered close to 50 questions, and has got a call from IIM-A.
Moreover, trainers at coaching centres feel students who are less serious about the test will share the questions with others. “Though the clause asks students not to disclose any questions, there were students who did not adhere to it,” he added.
VIRUS HIT SOME
Others were affected by the virus in their computer. “Only those who could cope with it could perform well. A small percentage was affected,” said Ajay Arora, director, TIME, Bangalore branch.
But all is not lost for students who did not get the advantage. It is just a hurdle that has been crossed.
There are two more, and only the fittest will survive!
LONG WAY TO GO
Experts feel the online test was welcome, but could have been conducted in a smarter way. “This year, CAT lost its cutting edge because it was monotonous on all 10 days. It was not the online factor that should have been changed, but the format in which it was conducted,” said Byju.
A bigger question bank, change in pattern every session and a transparent way of calculating scores were other suggestions.
“They need better planning in terms of technology capability of partner institutions and content quality from IIMs,” felt Shiva Kumar. Adding to it, Arora said Prometric should understand local issues. “They must study the infrastructure in the institute where they want to conduct the tests. A pilot run has to be made to ensure its efficiency. Three slots instead of two have to be provided,” he said. |
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