CAT 2009 will not be scrapped, says CAT committee

This year's computerised Common Admission Test (CAT), which was marred by technical glitches, will not be scrapped, the exam committee announced today.

The CAT committee, which comprised IIM Ahmedabad director Prof Samir Baruah, IIM Bangalore director Prof Pankaj Chandra and a few other professors, made this announcement after meeting with senior Human Resource Development Ministry officials in New Delhi.

"IIMs have decided to continue with computer-based test for 2009. We also look forward to continue the CAT through computer-based testing in future," Baruah told reporters.

The computer-based test has drawn flak from many quarters as a few thousand students failed to appear in the test owing to the disruptions caused by a virus attack and other technical glitches. A fresh test will be held around mid-January for students who genuinely could not appear for the test, which is conducted by American firm Prometric. IIMs will put in place a system to identify all students who failed to appear for the test during the testing period that continued from November 27 to December 8.

Asked whether the IIMs will review the contract with the American firm, Baruah said the focus of the IIMs is to complete the test in a fair manner. But the entire test will be reviewed to ensure that such problems do not occur in future.