CAT goes online, exam begins today

The first-ever online CAT exam begins on Saturday. But with applications falling 12%, CNBC-TV18's Kritika Saxena finds out that IIM's (Indian institutes of Management) have not only seen revenues dipping by 30%, they are also grappling with the basics.

 

Here is a verbatim transcript of Kritika Saxena's comments on CNBC-TV18. Also watch the accompanying video. 

 

For the first time since its inception, the common admission test of CAT has seen a 12% drop in applications. Experts say one reason for this is that this will be the first year the test goes online and this has students from smaller centres shying away.

 

Satya Prakash, Director, TIME said, "Students from smaller centers have sort of stayed away from CAT. They are not trying to attempt CAT in as large numbers as they were last year and they don't think they are computer savvy."

 

The exams, which begin on the 28th of November and go on till the 7th of December, usually earn the IIMs over Rs 100 crores from applications alone, but with the fall in applications, these revenues have taken a 30% hit. Adding to the problem is the fact that every day will see a new set of the question paper in an effort to avoid any leaks. Experts say this will mean that the difficulty of the papers will vary, and this has students worried. But IIM's are confident that the testing agency, Prometrics, will pull it off.

 

The Indian institutes of Management would never have thought that the first ever-online CAT exam would see such a negative response. Students are obviously concerned. The exams end on December 7th so its wait and watch for us to see if things actually go smoothly. In Mumbai Kritika Saxena.