CAT exams to be computer-based from this year

The Common Admission Test (CAT), conducted by the prestigious IIMs, will be held through computers from this year, marking an end to the 33-year-old paper-based examination system.  

To do away with the enormous task involving huge paper work and logistic arrangements for conducting the test, the seven IIMs have agreed to adopt the computer based examination from this year.  

"For quite sometime, the IIMs have been contemplating holding CAT through computers. Now this is going to materialise. This has been done to ensure smooth conduct of the exam," Prof Amarnath Krishnaswamy, IIM-Bangalore spokesperson, told PTI.  

The computer-based test will be conducted in a window of about ten days towards the end of the calendar year. The system will be more candidate-friendly in terms of flexibility in selection of test date and ease of registration process.  To ensure better security, there will be biometric identification of candidates and video monitoring.  

Since the computer-based exam system is innovative, the IIMs are roping a US-based company for holding this year's CAT. Education Testing Society (ETS), which has long experience of holding TOFEL through computer, will be given the task of holding this year's CAT, he said.