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ShareWith the third day of the Common Admission Test 2009 seeing cancellations at select test centres, experts feel organisers hadn't thought of back-up plans. KR Venugopal, principal, University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering stated that Prometric were not prepared to tackle emergencies, resulting in a poor show by the Indian Institutes of Management. He spoke to DNA on the issue.
What is your take on the recent spate of test cancellations in CAT 2009?
It was odd that the IIMs decided to outsource such a high stake test to a company with little testing experience in India. It is almost as if they didn't have enough confidence in Indian companies to pull it off without any controversies or issues cropping up. None of the organisers, Prometric or the IIMs, had thought of any alternatives in case glitches/ snags disrupt the original plan.
If such a thing can happen in an IT city like Bangalore, then one can only imagine the fate of other cities. Prometric didn't think things through when organising the test. Tests should have been planned in a systematic manner and the authorities should have thought about the problems which are likely to crop up or evolve through the 10 days of CAT2009.
What factors contributed to the dismal show that the CAT 2009 has been so far?
We should remember that there are likely to be errors when such a major test goes online. However, the carelessness shown by the CAT organisers is surprising. They cannot claim that the test, when administered in the US, works, but doesn't work in our country. That is simply absurd and a reason like that doesn't inspire confidence. Looks like, they (Prometric and IIMs) were overconfident about CAT 2009's success. As a result, they had no plans to fall back upon; thusthey haven't been able to recover fast enough.
What are the lessons to be learned from CAT 2009?
The first lesson for all concerned is that, to be successful in India, companies need to be extremely careful. Especially when handling large numbers of candidates. The CAT organisers always knew that they will be handling large volumes of around 2 lakh or more candidates. So why weren't they better equipped in terms of technology preparedness? The server crash, which seems to be constantly used as a reason for cancellations, is unacceptable.
Any other concerns about online exams?
I'm all for online tests because that is the way ahead. Competitive tests are better organised online because of the sheer numbers involved. There is a high-level of competition in India for minimal number of seats. IIMs should have looked at collaborating with some Indian companies because they understand the challenges involved. Tests are bound to increasingly go online, but a lot of planning needs to be given in the process side.
