CHENNAI: This year’s Common Admission Test (CAT) for entrance into the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) will be held during a 10-day window, starting at the end of November 2009. While it will be the first time that students will write the test on a computer, CAT will not be held online and will not be computer-adaptive. It will cost Rs. 100 more than last year’s paper-based test.

These were some clarifications provided this week by IIM-Ahmedabad on CAT 2009. There have been widespread speculation over the test ever since the IIMs announced that they were making CAT a computer-based test. A set of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) now posted on the IIM-A website attempts to allay students’ concerns.

The IIM authorities make it clear that the popular terminology is wrong — CAT is not an Internet-based test, but a computer-based test. The candidate will not take the test on an Internet site. Instead of reading questions on a paper booklet and answering on paper, students will now read the questions on a computer terminal and click on the correct option.

The CAT will not be computer-adaptive either. International examinations such as the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and Management Admission Test (GMAT) are computer-adaptive tests, where the computer automatically adapts the test to match the aptitude of the individual candidate. The scoring system is based on the difficulty level of the questions attempted.

However, the IIMs have decided not to bring about too many changes in the format, so students should still be able to scroll back and forth between questions, attempt them in any order and make corrections at any time during the test.

For rough work and calculations, each student will be given a writing pad with numbered pages that must be left on the desk with all its pages intact at the end of the test.

Many were concerned that moving CAT to a computer-based format would involve infrastructural investments on the part of the IIMs and make the test more expensive. However, the IIMs have only increased the candidate testing fee from Rs. 1,300 last year to Rs. 1,400 this year (Rs. 700 for SC/ST candidates). Vouchers can be bought from designated locations after advertisements with information on the CAT 2009 are published in newspapers near the end of August.

The vouchers will provide instructions on how to register oneself on the CAT website. An email account is a pre-requisite for all candidates since the Admit Card will now be sent electronically. The card must be printed out and brought to the test venue where photo IDs will be checked and biometric information captured. Candidates will only be allowed to register and take the test only once during the ten-day window. The test will be held in about 25 cities across the country.

CAT 2009 results will be declared by the end of January 2010.

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