[krsh.vik]

CAT goes online

Summary of the article

1. CAT 2009 to be held online
2. IIMs are in the hunt for service providers which can help 'em conduct the exam online
3. Exam to be conducted in batches :neutral: which means different papers with the same level of difficulty :nervous:
4. Results will not be declared instantly as in GRE/GMAT
5. Security concerns as pointed out by one of the TIME's director

[stupidify !]

I like the way you think !!!

But Hindu (haven't seen) and TOI (read it) both carrying the same hoax ??

Then the IIMs would be the perpetrators, right ??

Somehow I don't think they have this kinda sense of humor ;-)

Originally Posted by Horn-ok

I have a suspicious feeling that it is a Hoax...
People, today is April 1....Fools day
Wat say y'll????

[loveekansal]

Here's the article published in TOI today..

CAT will go online from next year


Anahita Mukherji | TNN


Mumbai: The Common Admission Test for management schools will now be a frenzied blur of clicks. Ending weeks of speculation, IIMs have declared their intention to conduct CAT online from November 2009.
The decision will affect thousands of students who appear for the highly competitive entrance exam at centres across the country. Internetsavvy students seem comfortable with the idea.
However, when the exam goes online, not all students will be able to take it on the same day as is the case now. It will have to be staggered in batches and conducted over a period of months.

CATCHING UP WITH WEST



Online CAT will be similar to US exams


Mumbai: Under the new CAT rules, instead of the current single exam paper, the online test will have different papers with the same level of difficulty.
The online model will be similar to US exams like GMAT (Graduate Management Aptitude Test) and GRE (Graduate Record Examination), except that the results will not appear instantly. Asish Bhattacharyya, admissions chairperson at IIM-Calcutta, said an online system would ‘‘help us handle the huge number of students appearing for the test every year. Last year the number crossed 2.3 lakh’’.
This number is only expected to increase with projections of 3 lakh-plus in 2009.
The process of conducting the exam — including processing results and reporting scores — will be outsourced to a private service provider, one that has prior experience in online tests. ‘‘But the IIMs will retain complete control over the test,’’ said an official.
Most students who are comfortable with the online world have welcomed the move. ‘‘I think it’s a great idea if CAT goes online. This will make it more transparent and error-proof,’’ said Mehul Gandhy, a B-school aspirant.
Others from the management field said that while the online exam was an idea whose time had come there were several logistical aspects to be considered. ‘‘It’s a great idea but I have my doubts about exactly how the IIMs will manage to conduct the exams online for such large numbers,’’ said Arks Srinivas, director of TIME, a coaching institute.
‘‘There are issues of connectivity. Also, if the exams are not conducted on the same day, it will be next to impossible to set more than one exam paper and maintain exactly the same level of difficulty.’’
While CAT is currently conducted under tight security — the question paper seal is broken in the presence of an IIM professor in each centre where the exam is held, many wonder whether the same stringent security will be maintained when the test goes online. After all, as Srinivas pointed out, there is always the danger of someone hacking into the online software. Bhattacharyya, however, insisted that every security precaution would be taken while conducting the exam.

[nv_kkd]

please clarify:


Is the news about CAT going online is for cat-2008 or cat-2009?

[loveekansal]

its clearly stated in the above article that it is for CAT-2009 and not 2008...

[stupidify !]

2009
*********

Originally Posted by nv_kkd

please clarify:


Is the news about CAT going online is for cat-2008 or cat-2009?

[mirage101]

Originally Posted by nv_kkd

please clarify:


Is the news about CAT going online is for cat-2008 or cat-2009?

all concerned news articles clearly state cat-2009 rather november-2009 to do away with any confusion
Till now haven't gone though any piece indicating cat-2008 going online

[sachinbhai]

I hope is not the way as GMAT is conducted.. people wil be struggling to get slots:angry:.
they will be getting a chance to take CAT mre than once.... it all seems so scary

[targetcat2008]

Number of aspirants for CAT 2009 ----- say almost 3 Lkhs

If CAT goes the GMAT way then there will not be a limit on number of attempts.

So on an average say each candidate takes 3 attempts in a year.

Then total 9 lakh slots need to be provided for the test.

CAT exam cost say Rs 2000 per test.

Total money earned for CAT exam ---- Rs 180 Crore :cool1:

and how do they plan to provide 9 lkh slots.

[stupidify !]

Originally Posted by targetcat2008

Number of aspirants for CAT 2009 ----- say almost 3 Lkhs

If CAT goes the GMAT way then there will not be a limit on number of attempts.

So on an average say each candidate takes 3 attempts in a year.

Then total 9 lakh slots need to be provided for the test.

CAT exam cost say Rs 2000 per test.

Total money earned for CAT exam ---- Rs 180 Crore :cool1:

and how do they plan to provide 9 lkh slots.

True. Multiple attempts is something I didn't think of..
But maybe they can limit the total number of attempts EVER to say, 3 (like IITs where it's 2 I think).

That, my friend, would suck more than Pam Anderson.

One thing I can foresee is the craze in compiling question banks, since it's likely that there would be a common question pool and the candidates will be getting random questions (acc to difficulty, of course) to ensure fairness...