IIMs announce next CAT | CAT 2011 Notification

The Common Admission Test (CAT) for the country's top management schools, conducted by Indian Institutes of Management, would be held between the 20 day window of October 22 and November 30, 2011. Announcing the CAT 2011, IIMs in a statement said Prometric would continue to be the IT partner in developing and delivering CAT 2011.

The CAT 2011 will have only two sections instead of three. The first section will focus on Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation and the second on Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning. These two sections will be implemented sequentially with separate time limits.

The examination will be of 140 minutes. Candidates will have 70 minutes to answer 30 questions within each section which will have an on-screen countdown timer. Once the time ends for the first section, they will move to the second and will no longer be able to go back. Although new in the computer-based version of CAT, this format was previously practised in some of the earlier paper-and-pencil years.

Mouse has eaten the 'CAT'

Opposition members expressed concern in the Lok Sabha today over the server crash during the CAT examinations that affected hundreds of students all over the country.

Raising the issue during zero hour, Deputy leader of BJP, Sushma Swaraj, said the development was a shock for several talented students who had come all prepared to face the examination.

"Mouse has eaten the CAT," she said referring to the development, and noted that "It was nothing less than a shock as their computers either failed to get connectivity or could be able to see only two of the four options available in the question paper."

Amid cries of "shame, shame" from Opposition benches, she said it was a matter of regret that India, which boasts itself to be a superpower in the field of Information Technology, failed to conduct the Common Admission Test (CAT) for management education, properly.

Noting that examination centres affected included those in Bangalore and Bhopal, she said there should be no recurrence of such incidents in future.

CAT 2009: 10 tips to light up your path to success

Here we present to you a summary of all the important advice in the form of the following 10 tips, that will surely help you in your endeavour:

1. Don’t rush with preparations now - Revise a few vital concepts and take a couple of practice tests to fine tune your strategy. All test takers should avoid cramming too much information in these last days.

2. Take Mocks to create the test like situation – Take more and more Mock tests to recreate the exam scenario at home with strict adherence to time.

3. Revise the basics – According to the experts, CAT tests your basic knowledge. So now you should revise on the basics. Keep one hour before sleeping to revise the basics.

4. Analyze Mock tests again – Analyze Mock tests which you have already taken. Try to solve the questions which you did not attempt or got wrong. You can also try and solve the questions which you have got right in a faster way.

5. Don’t waste time by putting your efforts in areas which cannot be improved now – If you find that you cannot grab a particular area, then don’t try too hard to be good at it in this stage. Forget your weaknesses; just build on your strengths. You should take at least one full length Mock test on alternate days.

6. Start Confidently – It is always advisable to start the CAT exam paper with the section you are most comfortable in. In that way you can gain confidence and make the entire CAT exam paper more scoring.

7. Get a balanced score – It is a known fact that IIMs look for an overall balanced paper. Make sure you attempt all the sections and at least get the cut offs in your weak areas and higher percentiles in stronger areas.

8. Keep moving – Don’t get tense if you get stuck in a particular question. Just keep moving and focus on other questions. Your effort must be to read every question in the paper. Use the ‘Mark for review’ feature judiciously.

9. Finish the paper 15 minutes in advance – Attempt to finish the paper 15 minutes in advance. Then only you will be ale to attempt all questions you may know. Have that last 15 minute buffer in the end to boost your score.

10. Relax and take it easy – The CAT exam day will be really hectic. So don’t take much stress on last minute preparations or go overboard with enjoyment. Just relax and ease out.

CAT:Prometric promises new dates for missed candidates

The first-ever experiment of the IIMs to conduct its Common Admission Test (CAT) using computers ran into trouble today with servers crashing in 11 of the 105 centres across the country, affecting over 1500 students who would take the exam again within ten days.

Soon after the exam started, students faced problems in opening the computers at 11 centres in Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Chennai, Bangalore, Kolkata and Bhopal.

Nearly 2.41 lakh students across the country had registered to take the exam for getting entry into seven Indian Institutes of Management and other elite B-schools.

Doing away with the paper-based system, the IIMs had entrusted the conduct of computer-based CAT 2009 to American firm Prometric. The firm has decided to spread the test over a period of ten days at 105 centres in 32 cities.

"Once the exam started, the screen went blank. We were made to sit in another room and there was no information given to us on what happened," said a candidate here.

Another student said they faced problem when they pressed the 'exit' button on the key board.

Prometric said the tests would be rescheduled within ten days for the affected students.

"It has certainly not been cancelled in any of the test centres. As a result of isolated technical issues, exams of some candidates are being rescheduled and provided with a new appointment via email and SMS," said Soumitra Roy, Managing Director, India, Prometric.