Day 160

Now the directors of two IIMs – Calcutta and Bangalore – have mooted a proposal of the online exam. They want to have a pen-paper based exam at least for this year. This is an attempt to save the reputation of the IIMs. The CAT 2009 fiasco has lead to the anger amongst the CAT aspirants. It has really put the CAT’s credibility at stake. The Prometric romance has cost CAT Committee more than just the money. Its reputation, its credibility and the dignity of conduction quality CAT exam has been damaged this year. Now the aspirants of CAT 2010 are having dilemma in their minds that whether they will get a fair exam or not? Whether there will be online exam or will be pen-paper based exam? If again online exam will be conducted next year, then will be a fiasco like CAT 2009? There are many more questions like this. Aspirants are favouring the pen-paper based exam. They don’t want to be at the risk level. After all, CAT exam is not like another exam where you are sure that okay after couple of months, we will reappear in this exam. CAT exam is having some dignity attached to it.

And the major setback is that online exam contract was given to Prometric. People are saying that foreign companies are coming to Indian IT Professionals for all their software works. And IIMs went to a foreign company to conduct such a prestigious exam. Mismanagement was already there. But the technical hitches which popped up become another instrument of insult. People are even saying that IIMs teaches management to others but when it came to take vital decisions then it forget all its management lessons. BITSAT is conducting online exams every year successfully for over 1.25 lakhs students. And that without any hassle. People are even saying that when the CAT exam was paper based then the question paper was having a good standard and when the matter came to set 20 different question papers then CAT Committee couldn’t maintain its standards.

It’s true that CAT Committee gave the assignment to Prometric Company but the general mass thinks that CAT Committee is the sole responsible authority of conducting CAT exams. And they gave the assignment to Prometric without any mock test or without any other tests to check whether the exam will run smooth or not.

So not the CAT Committee has to take some concrete steps for the quality of CAT exam and for regaining the lost stake. I hope that CAT 2010 will be conducted without any hassle. Only time has the answer to this anxiety. And of course, CAT Committee knows it very well.