IIMs, Prometric release CAT practice test

The Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and Prometric, the US-based agency that is conducting the ensuing Common Admission Test (CAT), have released a practice test on the web ahead of the actual examination.

The practice test, available on www.catiim.in, is intended to familiarise candidates with the navigation and functionality of CAT and includes a tutorial, followed by 12 sample questions.

CAT 2010 will be conducted over a 20-day testing window between October 27 and November 24. The results will be available from January 12, 2011, onwards.

Candidates will have 15 minutes to try selecting, de-selecting, marking and reviewing responses as they navigate through the questions. These sample questions are not representative of the content or difficulty level of the actual test.

The tutorial will explain how to navigate the different options — question number, on-screen timer, next button, previous button, mark button, review button and quit test button - available on the screen.

Last year, when CAT was conducted through a computer-based process for the first time, candidates complained of difficulty in navigation during the test. Every question will have four options - A, B, C and D. Candidates will have to read the question on the screen and click on the circle next to their selected answer. They can change their answer by clicking on any other circle.

Three points will be awarded for each correct answer and one point will be deducted for each wrong answer. Candidates may choose not to answer a question if they are not sure.