Servers crash CAT's date with mouse

The maiden attempt by the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) to make aspirants take the Common Admission Test (CAT) on computers ran into technical snags on the very first day when some servers in 11-odd centers crashed. While there was no official confirmation about the number of affected students, test-preparation institutes estimated that over 300 students could not sit for the examination.

CAT is scheduled between November 28 and December 7 in 32 cities. Nearly 241,000 applicants have registered for the exam and over 24,000 students will sit for the exams every day in two slots of 12,000 each. The number of students who took the examination today however, could not be ascertained as Prometric, which has developed the software for CAT, did not release the data. But it's estimated that 180 to 200 students took the examination at each of the 105 centers. CAT is mandatory for students who wish to study at the seven IIMs and over 150 other B-schools in India.

However, due to the technical snags, many students had to begin the paper without reading the tutorial guidelines, while in some cases, the computer screens went blank. Sources from the test-preparation institutes said each student lost around 15 minutes due to such snags.

“Logging-in was a hassle. The computer screen went blank sometimes. Though we began the test 30 minutes later, it being a computer-based test, that time was not adjusted,” rued a student who took the examination at a test center in Ghaziabad. At many centers, the exam was delayed by 30 to 40 minutes due to the technical glitches. “Prometric has given NIIT the software to conduct CAT, and NIIT will reschedule it in two or three days. We will get an email confirmation by tomorrow in this regard,” said an aspirant from Delhi.

Meanwhile, sources informed that IIMs and Prometric met today afternoon to decide on the future course of action with regard to the 300 students who were not able to take the examination. “Those who have the responsibility to hold the exam are accountable for these glitches. We hope that it is not repeated again,” said Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal.

Prometric, on its part, insisted that CAT has not been cancelled at any of the test centres. It has only been rescheduled. “Of the eight CAT testing venues in Bangalore, seven have delivered vast majority of their scheduled exams. Throughout the country, thousands of candidates have successfully completed their exams. Due to technical difficulties, that could not be resolved in time, and many candidates scheduled at Garden City College of Science and Management Studies were not able to take the test today and will be given a new date,” said Prometric India Managing Director Soumitra Roy.

He added that the company has deployed additional technicians and hardware to this test centre to rectify the issues that arose early this morning. To fully effect and test the solution, Prometric and IIMs have decided to delay the start of testing in Garden City College of Science and Management Studies until November 30. Tests in all other centres in Bangalore will not be affected. CAT Candidate Care is in the process of contacting all affected candidates by email and phone to identify a new appointment date and time.

Test-preparation institutes, nevertheless, are unhappy. “We are shocked and condemn the inability of the authorities to conduct the examination in an appropriate manner. The under-preparedness of the test conducting agencies got reflected as thousands of students were unable to take CAT due to system failures. With the career of these students at stake, we urge the exam conducting bodies to take strong steps towards correcting the mess. A body of experts needs to be set up on an urgent basis to ensure a foolproof system which keeps the interest of students in mind,” said Satwinder Singh, director, MBA Universe.com.