Change in format

It is not just the
logistics that make the CAT 2009 more
than just the competitive exam that it has always been. It is the whole
new
interface (in the form of computers and not paper) which is the real
cause of
worry; comprehension power being higher on the paper medium than on
online for most
candidates. Sections like reading comprehension (RC) and Data
Interpretation
(DI) would become difficult to attempt with the absence of a handy
pencil to
make a mark here and a line there. The general psychology of students
of being
anxious in an online environment for tests would also work against
them. Most of the candidates think it would be unfair
to students who are good at fundamentals of the test but are not
friendly with
the computer. Each one of them is of the
opinion that it puts students in the remote corners of the country at a
disadvantage. Jaya Sawnani, a software engineer preparing
for the CAT at T.I.M.E., Lucknow speaks about the students in the
institute from
Unnao and other adjoining areas. aThey find it difficult to even check
the
answers of the CAT classroom quizzes conducted by T.I.M.E. on the
coaching institutes’s websitea. One
cannot expect such students to be at par with candidates in the metros
for whom
computers is a way of life. Like Joel James
Menachery, a student in Mumbai for whom the online format is a welcome
thing
since he spends most of his time reading on the Internet . People
across metros
agree with him, although some do say that surfing social networking
sites like Orkut and Facebook
for hours hasnat given them the training
they would need to attempt an online exam.

Inevitability

Many, like Srikanth Balasubramaniam, faculty at IMS coaching
institute for CAT and also an MBA aspirant, believe that this is the ‘prelude
to where we would be heading’ in terms of technology and general advancement. According to him, since the MBA world is all
about working with computers and technology, there is no harm starting early. Also since the CAT is taken by such large number
of students, it might lead to the development of the remote corners of the
country to bring the candidates at par with the CAT criteria. Where there will
be a market there will be takers right?

Numbers

Will the high difficulty level of CAT, increased form prices
combined with the fact that it has gone online reduce the number of people appearing
for it? aNot reallya says Nand Kumar, faculty at Career Launcher, Mumbai. The high return on investment in an MBA from
a prestigious B-school would keep the candidates coming in. However, according to Malvika
Bhatt, a Sales and Marketing executive in Mumbai, the CAT from 2009 would become a ‘serious affair’,
with students without adequate preparation opting out of it.

Focus on the fundamentals

It might seem dark right now in the CAT world but if ‘online’
is what is giving you sleepless nights, there is not much to worry about. aYou just
need a dedicated schedule of computer practice to become familiar with the
computer,a says Kumar. Since the exam requires the knowledge of basic functioning
of the computer (keyboard, scroll up/down functions) and the mouse, there is
not much that cannot be learnt till the D-date(s) of the CAT at the end of the
calender year. Also till more details regarding the methodology of the paper come
from the IIMs, keep working at the fundamentals, they are the real clinchers.