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Test Center Regulations & Updates for CAT Day

by Allwin Agnel on 26 November 2009
in , ,
90 comments

Prometric has sent out the following email to all CAT registered users. We are putting it out, just in case you missed it.

To assist you during your preparation and testing day, Prometric has created a CAT 2009 Practical Guide. Please go to www.prometric.com/IIM-CAT to download the CAT 2009 Practical Guide that contains valuable information for your testing day. We strongly encourage you to view this document prior to your testing day.

In addition, we would like to also highlight some of the below Prometric Testing Centre Regulations:

1. You are prohibited from communicating, publishing, reproducing, or transmitting any part of your test, in any form or by any means, verbal or written, for any purpose.

2. You must not talk to other candidates or refer to their screens, testing materials, or written notes in the test room.

3. Any clothing or jewellery items allowed to be worn in the test room must remain on your person at all times.

4. You must conduct yourself in a civil manner at all times when on the premises of the testing centre. Exhibiting abusive behaviour towards the Test Centre Administrator, or any other staff member of the test centre, may result in criminal prosecution.

5. To protect the privacy of all testers, the Test Centre Administrator can neither confirm nor deny if any particular individual is present or scheduled at the test centre.

What it means on PG: You are strictly prohibited from discussing your questions with any one else. Do not post it on PG or any other online site. Don’t share it. Period.

As for other updates, Prometric has mentioned the following:

Candidates are requested to keep the following pointers in mind in the run-up to the CAT – stay contactable by phone and email from today onwards; access emails regularly, including the spam folder; check Admit Cards thoroughly for appointment date, time and test location. Candidates should note that any SMS messages sent by Prometric will be from “PROMETRC” (the letter ‘i’ has been omitted to conform to the TRAI eight-character ID regulation).

In order to provide further assistance to candidates, Prometric has made available directional maps for all CAT 2009 test centers. Candidates can access their respective maps on www.catiim.in. It has been recommended that candidates visit their test center at least two days prior to their appointment date and acquaint themselves with the location, commute time and traffic conditions to eliminate any last minute uncertainty.

“With just days to go before the start of the CAT 2009 testing window, it is important that candidates do their own checks to ensure that they have everything they need for their test day,” said Ramesh Nava, Vice President and General Manager, Asia Pacific, Japan & Africa, Prometric. “Have sufficient rest and be at the test centre at least two hours before the scheduled appointment”, He said.

Candidates are also encouraged to view the YouTube video ‘What to expect on test day’, available via www.catiim.in or on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaKHWpiFToE

A supplementary Practical Guide is also available for download on www.catiim.in

Update: Go through PaGaLGuY’s policy on discussing the CAT 2009 paper.

All the best Puys!

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Comments (90)

Leave a Reply
sayanddude
#1 November 26, 2009, 11:10 am

OMG!!! That means there`s gonna be no discussion about the cat paper of each day on PG. Very Bad news for me n esp. for those who r gonna appear later!!! :P

Allwin Agnel
#2 November 26, 2009, 11:11 am

@sayan – Prometric can legally go after people who disclose questions. Not sure any aspirant would want that :D

sayanddude
#3 November 26, 2009, 11:19 am

ya Sirjee……. definitely…. That`s the last thing I would want now!!! :P

jaidev_iyer
#4 November 26, 2009, 11:20 am

I dont think discussing about the test can a legal issue. I dont think math questions are anybody’s intellectual property.
jaidev_iyer
#5 November 26, 2009, 11:21 am

having said that, discussion can/should be avoided.
peogrip
#6 November 26, 2009, 11:40 am

Discuss the questions not in the name of CAT but saying like I found it in some test paper. After all we Indians are the Master in Piracy right !!!! :) :) .
harisreez
#7 November 26, 2009, 11:48 am

I don’t think they will take the pains to go after anyone discussing the paper… After all what if I come and say that there was question like this”…” . I am not giving the correct question but saying there was a type pf quest like this. No one can indict me then!! But then Y should I?! :)

Ps: Not long ago when the candidate was not allowed to take the QP back home the same rules existed still we have QP from old cats like 2k1,1988 etc na!! :) so chillax
Apurv Pandit
#8 November 26, 2009, 11:49 am

jaidev_iyer & peogrip – doing any of this might land you in trouble. GMAT, (formerly administered by Prometric) has in the past banned students for life for contributing and accessing GMAT questions online. They usually mean it.
the confessor
#9 November 26, 2009, 11:50 am

it is just a scare tactic by prometric,it is impossible people will keep their mouth shut after giving the exams
mohdhuzaifa2010
#10 November 26, 2009, 11:51 am

Of course! CAT questions will not be coming from heaven or hell? neither they are present exclusively in the cat paper nor they will have any tag mentioning that they are from cat paper ?
Apurv Pandit
#11 November 26, 2009, 11:54 am

An example of what testing agencies like Prometric are capable of, if you share CAT questions online – http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/content/jul2008/bs2008071_278439.htm
rajisthename
#12 November 26, 2009, 11:55 am

Hey guys,
I guess posting actual questions is not allowed as they might be copyrighted. But hell no one can stop a discussion about the test, that is plain free speech. So we can always discuss the type of questions, chapters, marking, difficulty level etc.. I dare Prometric or any 1 else 2 prove that they have d legal rights to stop ppl from discussing the paper..
shanks4mba
#13 November 26, 2009, 12:18 pm

hey cant we even discuss about the topics tht came in paper????
peogrip
#14 November 26, 2009, 12:18 pm

@ rajisthename , ye huyi na mardo wali baat :P :P

rajaramvarun
#15 November 26, 2009, 12:22 pm

Echoing Apurv’s article above,GMAT cancelled scores of 80 odd students for Copyright Infringement.So I think this is no joke. http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20080911/0202322232.shtml
rajaramvarun
#16 November 26, 2009, 12:24 pm

Although the article is in favour of lifting of copyrights from questions,however when agreeing to appear for the exam administered by Prometric,we are legal bound.
naga25french
#17 November 26, 2009, 12:29 pm

highly appreciating mail sent by prometric .. kudos to them :) ..there is no need to discuss anything IMHO ..
estranged_gnrs
#18 November 26, 2009, 12:31 pm

@rajisthename – The statement very clearly states “You are prohibited from communicating, publishing, reproducing, or transmitting any part of your test, in any form or by any means, verbal or written, for any purpose.” So even discussing instructions might be not allowed. This is a grey area and we are trying our best to get more clarity on this.

Until that comes, I will request everyone to stay away from trying to become a “mard”. They have all rights to initiate criminal proceedings against anyone they find breaking the T&C and cancel your CAT score and debar you from taking it in future. More so, electronically, where every thing can be traced back to you.

@the confessor – Check out the link given by Apurv. Trust me it will not be a scare tactic cos this is the first time CAT takers are experiencing this and Prometric will make sure they will set some precedents by taking strong action.
mdshetye
#19 November 26, 2009, 12:45 pm

I have a query.Is discussing questions after the entire 10 day period of CAT also prohibited?
shivam07usit
#20 November 26, 2009, 12:46 pm

but what about coaching institutes on which we have spent thousands of rupees
wont they be analysing each and every set of paper
i think this is again a glitch in prometrics..many instt have well planned of discussing+analysing each and every set and i dont think even prometric can stop them they can givr the questions to students saying the to be their own questions

ppl please reply to this
mdshetye
#21 November 26, 2009, 12:50 pm

I think if papers are discussed before the 10 day period is over,students answering the test at a later date would have an unfair advantage over students who would answer earlier.Therefore i think this is fair.
rajaramvarun
#22 November 26, 2009, 12:55 pm

@Shivam: I think the coaching institutes are unclouded about how they plan to go about analysing the paper without infringing upon copyrights.Go through the link below.

http://www.time4education.com/cat_analysis_plan.htm
harisreez
#23 November 26, 2009, 1:12 pm

Discussing the exact question is unfair and can invite you trouble but cant one say there were PJ or no RC in an exam :) ..or maybe the diffi level etc
btb even IF the question discussion were allowed one can be sure that there will be no advantage for students taking exams later on coz one is pretty sure that all the 20 QP will contain diff questions atleast..its not that diffi to make them!:)
harisreez
#24 November 26, 2009, 1:14 pm

Also just for a loop hole” “You are prohibited from communicating, publishing, reproducing, or transmitting any part of your test, in any form or by any means, verbal or written, for any purpose.” The instr says you cant discuss YOUR TEST only what if I post on behalf of my friend, no one can ban that na :P …

Dont think anyone can groan the comments ;) hehe
DEVILISHANGEL
#25 November 26, 2009, 1:25 pm

its true that gmat has banned a site called scoretop.com for selling “REAL” gmat questions. true but but but, GMAT is administered by gmac a private body hence it has right to intellectual property of the questions but here iim’s are publicly funded and their questions are for a publicly held exam can’t be intellectual property of a public body.

all of which come under rti-they will have to publish all questions with answers whenever demanded to do so.
plus there are a million loop-holes. i hope these guys can stop all of them as all of them have more than one person taking exam on every slot.
for a country with 1p/sec call rate, dynamic ip and almost nil cyber laws, this will be a very difficult course to take

BUT its very obvious that all of us who are serious candidates abide by the rules and do exactly as they say because we are all good boys and good girls who want to go to a good b-school with other good boys and good girls. you don’t need to worry prometric we all all nice kids and we wont do anything that you or the iim’s don’t want us to do. all of us shall play fair and square. i am sure you guys have planned it in a fool-proof way :)

btw, this means a lot to the cat 09 aspirants ;)
many inferences to be drawn
1)how close is it going to be to gmat/gre?
2)this certainly means that the question pool is very similar and so students having a later test date will benefit some how or the other
3)there are enough people and institutions including tutorials who will try their level best to get as much info and dispense as much info as legally as possible.

jittery feet, jittery mind :)

best of luck to all us participants in India’s largest knowledge fair of its kind. wishing the same to the IIMs and Prometric. we are all in this together and hope we all cross the river soon and well enough :D

may the best mind win :)

ghooda
#26 November 26, 2009, 1:36 pm

frnds i havent received any info from prometric ..last mail received was my admit card 2 months back..is that ok??
manjushaa
#27 November 26, 2009, 1:38 pm

How in the world are we supposed to evaluate our scores?
jamboy
#28 November 26, 2009, 1:46 pm

@Apurv They can’t possibly know who discussed it with the coaching class guys. Plus, those people are sending their own people to take the tests, and the guys who take it aren’t worried too much about the ‘legal issues’. Maybe over here, discussion might be an issue. But one way or the other, people will come to know.
Rahul
#29 November 26, 2009, 1:54 pm

well i dont think that any of those 20 sets of papers would have same quastions…… so discussing them shud not be made a big issue…. ya hwat we need to keep in mind is if prometric has made some rules so not to discuss the exact question and possible ans but we can just discuss how was the paper overall……. distribution etc……. that shud not be against any rules…..
amresh.manit
#30 November 26, 2009, 2:07 pm

Constitution of india gives me free dom of thought and expression wat abt dat..no body can stop me from conveying it to my frnds….so those people whu wl be visitng coaching centres and talking to their frnds wl have than unfair advantage of knowing …so it sud be alllowed on pg by the simple logic that instead of exclusve people knowing the contents all the general people sud know wats happening i open pudlic forum like “PAGALGUY”
Apurv Pandit
#31 November 26, 2009, 2:09 pm

@jamboy – True, what goes on inside a classroom cannot be tracked. But what goes on online can be tracked – we have everyone’s IP addresses logged with us, so anyone sharing questions online can be tracked down physically.
daniket
#32 November 26, 2009, 2:34 pm

Puys, nothing wrong in discussing an issue, but do not read too much into it. Analysis would have helped to a certain extent, but in the end you have do it on your own.
Do not waste your energy over things that are not under your control. Don’t panic. Stay cool. Stay focused. Enjoy and crack it LRC.
All the best !!!
Clark Kent
#33 November 26, 2009, 2:37 pm

it has been declared on the Television that all the 20 papers will be different although their difficulty level will be the same.
anyways, i suppose people can discuss anything and everything on phone…2.4 lacs + test takers…how can some one stop this number from interacting?
obviously people are going to discuss….
vij_sastra
#34 November 26, 2009, 2:57 pm

taking it from your friends is a totally different thing. Everyone would like to know the difficulty level and the “feel” in the test room. I dont Think that is wrong. But as said this is a grey area and I wouldnt wish to be part of it.

Puys here who are ‘daring’ them to take any action, kindly do so at your own risk and dont pull other puys into it. The action wont be effective immediately but in case it is implemented… i hate to think what ll happen. Anyway the questions shouldnt matter

for ppl who take it soon – u have no choice or nothing to lose
ppl who take it later- u are aware of your chances which means knowing the questions(legaly or not) wont make any difference.

It is said that Aamis Khan spent 3 months in facebook n twitter for getting into his role as a student in “3 idiots” :-) U can imagine our IIM ppl to be something similar. NEVER under-estimate them.

I would however try to know things like logistics,ambience,interface details and the ease of using it.. you know things like that which u may not expect, that is if the mods allow it :-)

er.shaan887
#35 November 26, 2009, 3:31 pm

well i must say that Cat students this year are going to become the culprits of experimenting….we have our career on stake and we have no idea about
1)hows iim people going to set 20 papers of equal difficulty…
2) even if they r able to do the above …how the hell r they goin to evaluate us all on a common ground…??

yaar paper pencil ka hi sahi tha…ye kaha phasa diya cat walo ne…
Akshay Vannery
#36 November 26, 2009, 6:12 pm

Agree totally er.shaan887..
Doesnt bloody make sense.. GMAT has a marks pattern and not a percentile pattern..
So maybe evn CAT will consider scores and not percentiles this time….

And im sure tips of this nature:
No of questions from Geometry 4, algebra 6.. is surely possible…
Discuss stuff on SHOUTBOX!!!
Avi
#37 November 26, 2009, 6:31 pm

I thnk ths is nothin bt bullshit. Wat they r doin is just generatin some more revenues for the private b-schools. It wl become impossible to predict the percentiles and as a result more ppl wl 2 more colgs. n ppl like me who r desparate to get n mba this time wl empty thr pockets!! u jus cant prohibit discussion of the ppr. friends wl surely discuss among themselves, unless prometric guys are planning to attach one individual to each n every candidate or fixing some chips into the candidates brain!! wat is the point in setting 20 dif pprs thn?? or they they sud hv given the scores thn n thr aftr the test as like gmat or gre. I planned to apply to some more colgs aftr the xm. Now thrs no point in waiting. shit!
estranged_gnrs
#38 November 26, 2009, 7:02 pm

@Avi – Go easy on language dude.

Check this – http://catiim.in/disclaimers.html
Quoting from there –
“Disclosing, publishing, reproducing, transmitting, storing, or facilitating transmission and storage of the contents of the CAT or any information therein in whole or part thereof in any form or by any means, verbal or written, electronically or mechanically for any purpose, shall be in violation of the Indian Contract Act, 1872 and/or the Copyright Act, 1957 and/or the Information Technology Act, 2000. Such actions and/or abetment thereof as aforementioned may constitute a cognizable offence punishable with imprisonment for a term up to three years and fine up to Rs. two lakhs. Candidates who want to appear for CAT have to agree to a Non-Disclosure Agreement at the time of the test.”
yeshwanthnag
#39 November 26, 2009, 7:30 pm

We cannot reproduce the test..but suppose : ax+by=2 we can write it as cx+dy=3.

Isnt it ? :P

shanu.prasad
#40 November 26, 2009, 7:50 pm

First of all i would like to thank PROMETRIC for such a thing…That rejuvenated me….I just cant control smiling….Maza aa gaya….guru…

And thanks to pagalGuy as well for giving the platform to students to speak…Every comment is worth reading buddy…

I wish i could convert entire thing into a novel…A Best Seller…

As the D Day is quite near..reading the entire story was quite intrsting..and relieving…

All the best Puys…!! and PROMETRIC too…HAHAHA!!
@njani
#41 November 26, 2009, 7:53 pm

@ Bolo prometric baba ki jai…
People relax, Jo hona hoga -hoga.. give your best.. and why to worry after exam.. take a break, watch movie.. give some time to girl friend too (finally at last).. listen to problems of family… have fun..
all the best ppl
@njani
#42 November 26, 2009, 7:56 pm

@ shanu.prasad…
Mr Prasad !! Indeed thats a good idea… at least prometric can bring the writers out of us.. he he he
shanu.prasad
#43 November 26, 2009, 7:58 pm

@Anjani
but yaar…there STARCAST is quite large in numbers…..
and there are many writers….So how to manage….

Why not give the tender to PROMETRIC …for doing so….
TheWallStands
#44 November 26, 2009, 8:07 pm

@estranged_gnrs & apurv,

How are you guys going to moderate it on the forums? just curious ….
Will you delete the posts after they are posted or moderate the posts before posting them?

@others
Except for the coaching institutes, I don’t understand why the test takers in the first half should disclose the questions …. it’s a matter of percentiles ….we’ve collaborated on PG to clarify doubts etc, that’s fine… but this time the stakes are high …. Why should other competitors divulge the questions? It’s plain stupidity ..

What if someone says the paper is damn tough … it surely would cause unnecessary fear/confusion …. refrain from forums & Relax and give it your best shot, without any prejudice before the exam …
jigar
#45 November 26, 2009, 9:30 pm

Agree with alllll………
IF they know (IIMs) that this will happened, then why go online???
“”"”EK hi DIN EK hi PAPER” (Past)…. ALL equal…..
FRiends just enjoy the Cat…… TRUst only on your Hard work……
BEst luck….
Amit_Gulati
#46 November 26, 2009, 9:31 pm

Very unfair advantage to bestest of the friends…….
no good friend of mine will stop me to tell what has happened
and if i go back even my parents would be curious…. who’ll say….
“Dad that is not allowed” How wil i turn my best friend down…” Brother i really wanna help you and i know how dire u need the info……i i i just cant…… u knowwww…”
absurd sounding isnt it…….
but discussions on the pagalguy ( public forum ) might be a controversial case……
i may prohibit from the latter one but not from the first one.
what sayyy????
wineman
#47 November 26, 2009, 10:25 pm

puys….

we will find some way and u all will definitely get some word of mouth from your friends, colleagues, coaching centres etc…

and topics from which question appear like a blueprint…..

let the moderators decide wht to do
wineman
#48 November 26, 2009, 10:30 pm

I figured out one way…..

the people who are not giving CAT can diclose the the relevant topics with difficulty level of a question frm cyber cafe through a fake id or anonymous…

they cannot be prosecuted…..
interceptor16
#49 November 26, 2009, 11:20 pm

there are thousands of blog sites and forums…how many of those will prometric ppl check….moreover there are N no of ways to discuss something about CAT if we want to.

I myself have 15 of my frnds appearing for CAT. How can prometric sue them legally if they tell me verbally :P

pk_gt1
#50 November 26, 2009, 11:22 pm

i think if such is the case,then already we r doing enough tampering by discussing aimcat ,simcat..questions and papers and sharing them on e space–where all these things come up with a strict notice–reproduction in any form without prior permission is an offense ..

did time and others forwared a legal notice against our ip address.. no

FIRST OF ALL THIS IS INDIA..AND CYBER LAWS ARE TOO WEAK.. EVN TRAI RECOGNIZES THIS WITH FULL FAITH..and i don’t think prometric will be able to forward legal notices to all kinds of offenders ..as they will mar their own repute and will pose a big chalenge to their credibility in providing a safe sound test..

if still people have doubts..use your g-talk to suffice your wants–but i doubt a serious aspirant would do so..and finally more doubts whether it can help him on his exam day..

IF CAT IS GOING ONLINE
dasarp.urug
#51 November 26, 2009, 11:49 pm

hmmm…Coaching institutes could organize an army of phony-CAT takers who take the exam in all the slots and leak questions (obviously not through officially)…unlike other aspirants who take cat to get into a b-school, they have nothing to lose, even if their scores are cancelled…
However, other general aspects of the paper like no of questions, marking scheme, negative marking, level of difficulty, structure of paper, etc do not come under da Non-disclosure agreement and can be discussed/disclosed …such knowledge will definitely benefit those who take the test towards the end n they will have a fair idea of what they are up against…in a paper based test an aspirant cud know all these only minutes before the test…
DEVILISHANGEL
#53 November 27, 2009, 12:56 am

uhh *blink* shud hav tried law dude.
i think ur perfectly correct. i jus cross-checked and it clearly specifies that its abt the test centre.
pk_gt1
#54 November 27, 2009, 1:21 am

hmmn..this is clearly referred towards testing centers…awesome picking –blink–
pk_gt1
#55 November 27, 2009, 1:26 am

and do read point 4, point 5..there is a little bit confusion ..still as i said above..a well behaved cat aspirant will refrain from blurting out..everybody should face the same difficulty level..as per exam..
Clark Kent
#56 November 27, 2009, 1:59 am

sab log critical reasoning khel rahe ho kya bhai log???

“THESE REGULATIONS ARE MEANT FOR THE TEST CENTRE, AND DEFINE THE IDEAL CONDUCT OF A CANDIDATE ON THE TEST SITE.discussing it later shud not harm.”

its a delight reading these comments…really…
pt_ct
#57 November 27, 2009, 2:30 am

I’m eagerly waiting for Allwin’s or Apurv’s take on Blink’s Point.:)
kartik158
#58 November 27, 2009, 3:18 am

Well that is the case….(as said by blink)…thats why the coaching classes like T.I.M.E and others are so blatant in specifying their plans for these 10 days….Even G.R.E (graduate record examination) is an exam administered by prometric which states the same binding rule with regards to the examination….a lot of people give GRE in the later part of the month because they are sure that some of the questions will get repeated…since GRE verbal is based on having the knowledge of the words, students easily find words which are occuring frequently….they log on to ORKUT and other websites which host GRE communities…So as of now we all are in a vortex and we have no idea how PROMETRIc will set up their database for different slots…and even if they are saying that they will remove 20 diff papers for 20 slots is insane..how r they gng to measure these 2.5 lac ppl by the same yardstick…

So lets just hope that all goes well….and trust ur instincts…All the best guys…!!
estranged_gnrs
#59 November 27, 2009, 7:44 am

@blink – Selective reading :) Check this link – http://catiim.in/disclaimers.html
ashishdalvi33
#60 November 27, 2009, 8:00 am

chill man we will discuss it on yahoo :P

rao.bharat
#61 November 27, 2009, 10:55 am

Chill guys!!!…..No matter how much we discuss this topic, the fact remains that CAT’09 is online and we all have to oblige….and as far as discussing the questions is concerned, the aspirants who have given the exam should refrain themselves from discussing the exact questions as this,inturn, will affect their percentiles and scores.Just remember that every mark counts and even a single mark can decide your future. Similarly, discussing the pattern of the exam won’t be that as handy & helpful for the test takers as it seems considering that the IIMs have set 20 different sets of QPs, so they might have covered almost the entire syllabus in these sets. We can discuss the feel of the test centres; however,discussing about the difficulty level is also a subject of contention as it is quite a subjective term. A potential 100%iler might say that the exam was quite easy whereas a 50%iler might say,”How could the IIMs set such a difficult paper?”

…..So taking all these parameters into consideration, guys just relax, focus on your gameplan and do well…All the Best!
coolzamzk
#62 November 27, 2009, 11:24 am

hey… wat if a guy talks on phone abt the details of the exam? Pls dont tell me that they are gonna tap ur phone…
khanjan
#63 November 27, 2009, 11:25 am

Man.. Tracing IP n all that crap!! Its very simple if u want to discuss.. There r a lot of ways. But will not reveal it here.. nor m planning to use any of those ways.. Coz I know one thing.. If u have prepared it will not be useless.. You will surely get the reward for that…
One more thing.. I will surely try to know from my friends that what was the distribution of marks n all..
So all the best to all and play by rules not wid rules..
Omkarp
#64 November 27, 2009, 2:19 pm

it isnt worth the risk to discuss the paper….period..
Apurv Pandit
#65 November 27, 2009, 2:35 pm

Update: PaGaLGuY policy on discussing CAT 2009 paper
http://www.pagalguy.com/forum/our-announcements-suggestions-and-feedback/announcements.html
atheist
#66 November 27, 2009, 4:11 pm

Puys,

One concern I have..I did not receive this mail. May be I am njot receiving mail from prometric..Did all of you received the mail?

Thanks!
Just a surfer
#67 November 27, 2009, 4:34 pm

Hi All,
Saw a new website catometer.com with a couple of free tests. Any idea if they are any good? just took a small grammar test.. seemed ok
pranav@spjimr
#68 November 27, 2009, 4:46 pm

Hi all…I dont quite understand this strategy from Prometric. It is impossible to stop people from discussing (discussing in private or on a public forum is the same because it leads to leaking of potential questions). With 20 papers, the question bank also doesnt seem to be very big. So guys, take this opportunity to know as much as you can from your friends….!!!
rajisthename
#69 November 27, 2009, 5:42 pm

@ Omkar P, I know of more than three coaching centres who would be putting up the experience of the exam as soon as it gets over on the first day. Every news paper, business magazine, online web site is goin to put up this information as well..

People have already pointed to the discrepancy, in whether the policy for not discussing the questions was meant for only the duration of the Exam or later. We give exams like NMAT, SNAP etc in which the question papers are not shared but dont we discuss them openly every time..

However, if you do not want to take a risk, do not quote exact questions. There are copyrighting laws which dont let you do that. But u can always tweak the question, change the variable names, individual names, data, and no copyrighting law in the world can prove that it is the same question. For example, if the question is about Sameer taking 10 days to build a wall, and i change it to Rakesh taking 7 days to build a wall, its absolutely fine..

Any one who is well aware of the plagiarism laws for content on the internet would be well aware of that. Almost 50% of the content on the internet works this way but even the most fierce international copyrighting laws cant stop that.. Nd u can forget about the Indian cyber laws about this issue. Though, one thing that hurts me is that Pagal guy is scaring the hell out of people instead of being rational. I hope ppl from the web site have got in touch with Prometric to speak about this issue pesonally. There are other web sites who have all put out their plans as to how they r going to hold the discussions.

All in all, India is a country of free speech. And if there is no copyright infringement, questions can be discussed, spoken about, written etc with ease.. So stop scaring the hell out of people.. Just chill and give the exam.. Nd yes phone lines of 2.4 lakh people across the country are not going to be tapped, if you are discussing the paper with a friend at a public place, Prometric people will not come after u. Nd if u discuss the paper nd d questions, albeit in a smart way on the internet, you wont face any problem.. All d best guys..
vanilla_sky
#70 November 27, 2009, 7:37 pm

I have a query.

The Final year certificate which is mentioned in the cat site, do we need to carry that on the test day??
somjeetbehera
#71 November 27, 2009, 7:41 pm

hello friends i went thru some posts above and found that many junta is willing to discuss the questions here…but i would only say that we need to adhere to the quidelines becoz we only will be agreeing to the agreement and then we will be starting the Test.So its a legal agreement and if we dont respect it , the Constitution which proclaims our Freedom of Speech will be the one who will also send you to Jail/Make you pay fine/Bar you from giving CAT.
So best is give the exam and then start preparing for other exams…
I have a feeling that Prometric may be using same type of questions with same level of difficulty.Also in this world where brother cuts the throat of his own brother…we think we sud learn to be a bit selfish..not disclosing much to frends who may have a unfair disadvantage!!
TheWallStands
#72 November 27, 2009, 7:48 pm

TIME is not going to put up the analysis … hope others will follow suit ..

Dear Student,

We are sure that you are now ready to face the CAT.

At this juncture, we would like to draw your attention to an important point brought
out by Prometric and the IIMs yesterday. As per the “guidelines and disclaimers”
published yesterday by Prometric and the IIMs, you SHOULD not disclose any questions
or content from the CAT paper or any information about the CAT paper to any person
or on any forum in any manner. Please make sure that you observe the above WITHOUT fail.
“Any information” could include, among other things, the number of sections,
the number of questions in each section of the paper, the difficulty level of the paper
or of individual sections. It is in your own interest to adhere to these guidelines.

Accordingly, there will NOT be ANY sort of discussion on http://www.time4education.com regarding
CAT2009 papers or the questions in CAT2009 papers. This will include:

Analysis of CAT2009

Chat on CAT2009 papers

Talktime threads on CAT2009

However, the regular chats and discussion threads meant to help you in your preparation
for CAT and various other entrance exams will continue. This will include:

Chats on

i. Last minute tips for the CAT

ii. Strategy for the CAT

iii. Chats on preparation for other entrance exams like SNAP, JMET, XAT, FMS, etc.

iv. Chats on selecting the right B-School

v. Talktime (discussion forum) threads on CAT preparation

vi. Talktime threads on preparation for other entrance exams

B-School guidance support and B-School form filling support that are available to you
through http://www.time4education.com will continue.

To further enhance your preparation, we will be providing special discussion threads
on TALKTIME for doubt solving in the three sections of CAT. You will receive a
separate mail on this facility.

A little later in December, we will also introduce GDPI Briefcase and other facilities
that will help you in your GDPI preparation.

In short, NOTHING will change in the support that you will get for your preparation.

Please also note that you should definitely adhere to the following:

DO NOT post any questions from CAT2009 papers or any info pertaining to the CAT paper
on any thread on TALKTIME (or any other forum)

DO NOT disclose any info on CAT2009 papers in any chat that you will be participating
on http://www.time4education.com or anywhere else.

DO NOT email any info on CAT2009 papers to anybody or discuss the same with anybody.

While you should follow the above in your own interest, if we find anybody indulging
in any activity on http://www.time4education.com that violates the copyright clauses/ guidelines/
disclaimer of CAT2009, they will be solely responsible for the consequences.
They will also be barred from the website, http://www.time4education.com.

Wishing you all the very best,

T.I.M.E. Team
TheWallStands
#73 November 27, 2009, 7:49 pm

TIME is not going to put up the analysis
DEVILISHANGEL
#74 November 27, 2009, 8:30 pm

hey, i think this is for our own betterment and we should abide by the laws pertaining to the new CAT : )
best of luck to everyone.
Setu_NowOrNeva
#75 November 27, 2009, 8:55 pm

I agree to the instructions provided by Prometric that live qs can not be discussed but if we discuss on overall difficulty level ..it being similar to CL prock 7 or 8 ….or for that matter DI was comparatively easy to last year’s ..this things can be discussed …they don’t amount to any violation as these are a just a point of view not direct infringement….i just hope that ppl discuss what was feeling of giving CAT online …hw they attempted it …it does not amount to any violation….please see into it…..
Krazy.Kkash
#76 November 27, 2009, 9:06 pm

hello friends, this is something indeed weird that we all are being prohibited to discuss questions on PG. I strongly believe that Prometric will not be repeating same question in every paper. Still , in case if it repeats also, then how could they stop us from verbal communication. Anyways, lets abide by the rules on PG and rest we all are sassy enough to tackle this affair.
All the best guys…………
Atul Yadav
#77 November 27, 2009, 11:10 pm

We can discuss it over here … the mentioned points are applicable as long as you are taking the test … you are not allowed to do these thngs inside the centre … when u came out u can free to do that .
arianatul
#78 November 27, 2009, 11:14 pm

i still wonder if somebody discusses it verbally then how will the come to knw … If u read carefully all the regulations are applicable for test takers while taking the tests.
So guys dont be afraid to discussing it anywhere.
sabki_kyu_phati
#79 November 27, 2009, 11:39 pm

TIME is not going to put up any kind of analysis :-( ( That’s unfortunate…The only reason why I chose to take the exam on 6th was to get a fair bit of idea about the exam before hand but it seems that I won’t even know the number of questions that is going to come up…

I won’t be surprised if RTI act is used by some candidates and IIM asked to prove that the questions in his paper were of similar difficulty level as in others…

Lets see if other institutes follow suit and refrain from any kind of analysis…

A benign disclaimer from Prometric has scared the hell out of our coaching institutes…
koolprtk
#80 November 27, 2009, 11:53 pm

hi puys…..sumone piz help me out….actually i lost my voucher although i still have my voucher number.so pizz sumone suggets me ny alternative as i am supposed 2 bring the oucher on the exam day which i have lost unfortunately…i tried calling them many times but their phone is going busy……
dec1istheday
#81 November 28, 2009, 10:42 am

@sabki_kyu_phati : Yea.. I’m pretty sure there are going to be atleast a couple of court cases filed against Promtric/IIMs this time, for the scores, fairness and ranking criteria..

Its reminiscent of my engineering admission days, when, every year, someone or the other used to file a court case against the University and the entire admission process used to get delayed by a couple of months.. :)

arianatul
#82 November 28, 2009, 11:42 am

today in Headlines Today interview … one guy said that the difficulty level will increase with time … hence those who give the paper on 7th dec will face the biggest blunder of thier life … i hope this is not true.. but one cannot be sure of the process.
Himanshu Sharma
#83 November 28, 2009, 11:55 am

whatever. . i think that moderators have created unnecessary panic by taking their own meaning of the words!
these guidelines are strictly mentioned for test center only. Prometric and IIM guys are intelligent and at the same time they have logical sense, no one can stop people from discussing. They won’t make any such rules to catch prey!
may b our respected moderators are playing it too safe, but if i had a website of my own, i wouldn’t had done the same!
having said that, i m a true PUY. . i take it as family and definately will follow the rules specified by heads!
all the best puys. . .waise bhi ab tak jitna padha hai, wo sufficient hai!
discuss kar ke don’t divert your attention.
KHULA KHAO, NANGA NAHAO!
m2shines
#84 November 28, 2009, 12:39 pm

They actually cant stop us from discussing the cat format, cat questions type and other things. Only thing they achieved is that sites like Pagalguy and of TIME, CL wont be having discussion threads.
They are doing there part to make sure that every slot students appear with same mindset.
I suppose there are 20 question papers set by IIMs to conduct for 20 slots.
only point is if those 20 will be on same level or not.
gudakesh
#85 November 28, 2009, 12:42 pm

wat if puys have sme sort of a meeting in their cities nd get on with the discussion ?? who can stop tat ?? nd then wat bout telephonic conversations ?? has prometric collaborated with TRAI !!
gauravpruthi
#86 November 28, 2009, 12:56 pm

BREAKING NEWS
CNN IBM NEWS CHANNEL SAYS THAT CAT PAPER HAS BEEN CANCELED IN SOME CITIES.
WELL I KNEW IT BECAUSE HANDLING 2.25 LAKH STUDENTS IS NOT AN EASY TASK AND THAT IS ALSO TOO IN INDIA WHERE COMPUTER HASN’T REACHED EVERY HOUSE………
PHEW…..PHEW
gauravpruthi
#87 November 28, 2009, 1:13 pm

http://www.mid-day.com/news/2009/nov/281109-cat-servers-crash-during-online-test.htm

SEE THIS ALSO
ats002
#88 November 28, 2009, 2:30 pm

@gauravpruthi
also see this, IIMs have denied the server crash reports..
http://beta.thehindu.com/education/article56223.ece
and then you decide..
Khyati Chauhan
#89 November 28, 2009, 6:38 pm

thanx a lot 4 dis useful info guys…:)
is der ne1 4rm nagpur who attended d xam at priyadarshini college?
baijun
#90 November 28, 2009, 7:30 pm

prometric also conducts GRE and TOEFL…
and same rules apply…but they never chack who all are discussing the questions….there are open forums for GRE and prometric does know it…

so i dont think discussing questions is an issue….

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