he format of Common Admission Test (CAT) to be held on November 29 has been changed to provide an “even” field to candidates from divergent streams.
Academics have welcomed the move as it will increase the participation of students from different backgrounds. Earlier, admission to prestigious B-schools in the country was assumed to be easier for students from engineering background. The new CAT will give a fair chance to students from arts and humanities background.
“Some questions in each section may not be multiple choice type. Instead, direct answers will have to be typed on the screen,” CAT 2015 convenor Tathagata Bandyopadhyay said in the statement.
A new section on reading comprehension has been added from this year, taking the total number of sections in CAT from two to three. The three sections this year are: Quantitative Aptitude (QA), Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) and Verbal and Reading Comprehension (VRC). The new section will have a bearing on the final score of the candidates.
Like last year, CAT applicants will need to answer 100 questions. However, instead of two sections of 50 questions each, this time, QA and VRC will have 34 questions and DILR will have 32 questions. The duration of the exam has been revised from 170 minutes to 180 minutes. In 2014, the duration of CAT had been increased from 140 minutes to 170 minutes.
Each of the three sections will have a stipulated time limit and candidates will not be allowed to shift from one segment to another.
“Candidates will be given 60 minutes for answering questions in each section and they cannot switch sections,” Mr. Bandyopadhyay stated on the CAT website. This restriction is also an addition.
Professor D.P. Goyal, dean, Graduate Programmes, MDI Gurgaon, said: “The new pattern is a welcome step. Earlier, there were complaints that admission to IIMs is easier for engineers. We got the same feedback from employers also who told us that they want to hire people from diverse backgrounds.”
Rohit Shankarmani, an MBA student who wrote the test two years ago, said: “This is for the first time that CAT has become descriptive, which is good because it will give an advantage to students from non-engineering backgrounds.”
The exam, which will be conducted in 136 cities, will also give students an option to choose an additional city to take the test, in order of their preference, instead of the three choices given last year. The results will be announced in the second week of January 2016. Tutorial to understand the format of the examination will be available on the CAT website from October 15 according to the official CAT website.
Candidates will be given 60 minutes for answering questions in each of the sections
