CAT Going Online - IIMs to outsource the Exam

After facing criticism over errors and leaking of exam questions ahead of the common admission test (CAT), an all-India test conducted by the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) as an entrance exam for their much-soughtafter management programmes, IIMs are now looking to outsource the exam to a global testing company.

The institutes, which have rolled out the process for inviting tenders from companies for conducting CAT, have already shortlisted four companies, two of which command strong presence in global testing market.

The companies in the race are ETS Prometric, Eduquity Ventures, Attest and Pearson VUE (Virtual University Enterprises).

While ETS Prometric is a US-based company that handles global exams, such as the graduate record examination (GRE) and test of English as a foreign language (TOEFL) for admission to universities and colleges in the US, Pearson VUE of Pearson Plc., based in the UK, is the sole testing partner worldwide for tests such as the graduate management aptitude test (GMAT) and Cisco Corp.’s certification exam.

Of the two Indian companies in the bidding process, Bangalore-based Eduquity Ventures currently conducts Bitsat for the Birla Institute of Technology, Pilani, and Attest is a testing division of Aptech Ltd, a company that deals in computer training and courseware.

The four companies have been selected after a March pre-qualification notice.

About 30 companies had placed initial bids.

Hoping to make CAT an online test by 2009, IIMs are currently working on the tender document for the process. >>> Read Complete news at Livemint

CAT Going Online, What would it be ?

Students and teachers alike say they will welcome any move to make CAT online and increase its frequency to twice a year

The buzz among management students is that the CAT may soon go online and its frequency increased to twice a year. Sources say the CAT committee is in touch with a global testing firm, Prometric (known for conducting tests for the GRE and the TOEFL).

With the number of CAT applicants increasing from 90,000 to 2.3 lakhs in the last four years, conducting the test on the ground has be come increasingly difficult. “An online test will help us handle the huge number of students appearing for the test each year,” says Asish Bhattacharya, Admissions Chairperson, and IIM-Calcutta. The leak of the CAT question papers in 2003 may have also influenced the need to go online.

CAT online means one will have to take the test sitting at a computer. “Online testing is definitely not web based,” says shiva kumar, Director, career Launcher. The test duration will probably vary between three and three–and-a-half-hours.

Of all the available test models, two are most commonly adopted by examining institutes. The first is based on a fixed pattern of questions categorized as easy, medium and difficult. This is similar to the BITSAT model of testing. The Second model is based on student aptitude. Questions appear in succession and difficulty levels change based on each student’s ability. This is the pattern followed for the GMAT and GRE.

Though an online test does not spell a fundamental difference to students, they will just have to be more comfortable with appearing for an examination on a computer. “An online test for CAT is a very good move, for us though it will still be the same old paper and pen exam.” Says Deepali Sen, a B-School aspirant who will be appearing for CAT this year.