CAT Over More Days

The Common Admission Test (CAT), the gateway to the Indian institutes of Management and other top B-schools, will be held over 20 days between October 27 and November 24 this year.

The computerised test has been brought forward by almost a month to avoid the dates clashing with those of other examinations. Last year, the test was held daily between November 28 and December 7.

Himanshu Rai, the admissions chairman of IIM Lucknow and the convener of CAT 2010, said: "The test centres where there were glitches last year have been eliminated. Hence, we are holding the test on more days. This will reduce the pressure on each centre and offer examinees more options."

The pen-and-paper examination was computerised last year. About 7,000 examinees could not take the test in the scheduled 10-day period because of glitches, forcing the IIMs and Prometric, the US-based test service provider, to re-evaluate the process.

IIM hopefuls have welcomed the longer test window. "I work in an IT company where we have project deadlines. Now I will not have to worry about how to manage both the deadlines and the test," said an examinee.

CAT vouchers will be available from select branches of Axis Bank from August 30. Registration for the test begins on the same day.

The duration of the test is 2 hours and 30 minutes, including a 15-minute tutorial. There will be 60 questions spread out over three sections. Results of CAT 2010 will be declared on January 12, 2011.
(The Telegraph)