About 2.05 lakh candidates took the Common Admissions Test (CAT) 2011 during 20 days between October 22 and November 18, 2011 at 68 test centers across 36 cities in India. Incidentally, the last day saw the lowest registrations throughout the 20 days of the CAT. Only 4,658 candidates were registered to take the test on November 18, even lower than those on the first day.

PaGaLGuY asked those who took the test on the last day and asked them whether there was a reason for doing so. Some said that they needed plain ‘more time to revise’ while others had office compulsions. For a few others it was just the only day available.

For most, the decision to take it so late was to be in the know of the trends from prior slots. Many followed the advice of those who had taken the CAT in previous years and tried to buy more time for practice. Ashish Agarwal was one of those who wanted more time to be confident of appearing for the CAT. He said, “Yes, I specifically took the last day as I have been told it helps. It gave me more time to practice. I think it helped but not too much. Maths was easier compared to Verbal. An okay paper I would say.”

Four friends — Davinder Sahni, Rohan Sarmandal, Harsh Shah and Hitesh Nahada had together decided to opt for the last day, last slot. “It gave us more time to study,” they said together. About the paper, Hitesh found the Quant section very tough though the others said that both sections were okay on the difficulty level meter. Concluded Hitesh, “Which means taking it on the last day did not help so much.”

Some others said that the confidence levels built up when one took the CAT towards the end. I had made a choice of going on the last day for the test. There is no advantage as such, but the test takers’ responses from earlier slots help in building your confidence for the exam. Nothing can replace your yearly effort for the CAT, as one cannot do anything at the last minute. I did perform fairly,” said Swapnil Mishra.

Others had to deal with workplace pressures which were not too welcoming for the CAT. Quite a few said that taking a leave would have been a problem at work and the only day they could manage leave was towards the end of the CAT season. While registering, the last day was the only option available. Added Anvita Mhatra, “I took it the last day since I was not getting a leave from work. There is no real benefit in taking it the last day. The paper was okay, easier than expected though.”

Priyanka Raje has a history of being a rank holder. Be it her X, XII or even Chartered Accountancy examination. She decided to take the CAT only two months ago and therefore had little time for prepare for the exam. I chose to take it on the last day because I was literally counting days and had no time to prepare for the test. Currently, I am working as an investment banker and there is no way I could have got leave to study for the test, said Raje. She further said that the only way she could prepare herself was by taking mock tests and discussing their reviews and the responses of test takers who had already appeared for their CAT in early November. For her choosing the last day of the exam was the best deal. “My exam was good. The verbal section was easier than the quantitative ability section,” she added.

Siddhi Bohra did not want her NMAT exam prep to clash with the CAT so she had to appear on the last day. Imagine me studying for two tests at the same time. Which is why I decided to finish off with NMAT and then start with CAT prep.”

Devika Nair did some research and concluded that the last day was not the best to pick. Her reasoning was, “There is too much information about the exam already out in the media. From the time that the CAT started, there have been daily updates and that only builds pressure.” But sadly for Devika, the last slot was the only one remaining when she registered. “I consciously tried not to read the responses of early CAT takers because then unwarranted pressure builds up that I didn’t want to overpower my performance. My exam was decent and I am happy to not have bothered myself with too much responses on the Internet,” said Nair.

That the last day was the only slot vacant towards the end of the registration period seems to have been one of the reasons it gathered numbers. Explains Shalaka Raje, “I was the only one among my coaching classes friends to register late. However, I constantly kept a tab on the help my coaching institute mailed me from day one. It really helped to keeping my preparation going. I was a bit nervous to be the only one left to take the test, but I knew that I needed more time for preparation than anything else,” she said. For Hemant Gupta too, it was the only slot left so he booked it.