CAT 2009 Aspirants Apprehensive of Online Format

It was just a days after the IIMs confirmed that CAT 2009 was to go online,hundreds of students are wondering “What the implications of this would be?” Though the kind of question paper for the computer based test (CBT) is yet to be decided, one thing is clear – candidates may not be able to see the entire question paper in one go.The confusion doesn’t end here but make  Students wonder whether it will be a computer adaptive test or just a computer test. So where lies the difference -In the adaptive method, if a student answers a question right, then the next question has a higher level of difficulty. If the student’s answer is wrong, then the next question is of a lower level of difficulty.This is similar to the pattern of GMAT. However, in a computer test, it will be a simple computer-based pre-programmed format. The questions do not vary depending on the answers. Here are a few challenges that students will face with the online method -
Those who have already begun their CAT preparation need to de-learn a little.The average time per question will increase.

CAT 2009 will be Verbal Section Centered taking into account past stats. Candidate’s verbal skills must be a strength area for a high percentile.New RCs, new approach, no more can a candidate surf through all questions before looking at the RC’s content. The RC on the computer screen will appear vertically on the left half of the screen and the right half has questions coming one by one. Moreover, there is ZERO possibility of underlining the keywords in the passage. No option but to jot down the keywords, topic sentences and inferential information in the passages on to a paper to answer the questions in time.Old DI with new challenges – managing the large amount of data in the DI section without any option of writing or underlining key information on the screen itself will prove a challenge.

After much speculation, on April 28, IIM officials confirmed that CAT 2009 would go online. After a three year of tradition  of being held as a written test on paper, to secure admissions to the Post-Graduate Programme in management at seven IIMs in the country, this move heralds the next generation of tech savvy. Officials at IIM-B say that they welcome the move as it is in the right direction. They can now handle the growing number of CAT applicants, maintain the quality at test centres and the environment with utmost ease. The test will be conducted over a span of 10 days at the end of the year.

Last year, IIM-B conducted CAT across 68 centres in three cities, Bangalore, Pune and Hyderabad. It also had to evaluate papers of close to 60,000 candidates. The test would also be cost effective because students will not have to shell out for facilities like test centres. Computerisation will also improve the security process, make for a better physical environment and test-taking experience. In terms of security, biometric identification of candidates and video monitoring will help boost the CAT’s foray into the online medium. Prometric, ETS, the organisation which conducts GRE and TOEFL tests will partner with the IIMs to deliver the computerised CAT.

Bhaskar Anand