Ninad Karpe
Ninad Karpe, CEO and MD of Aptech Ltd, tells PaGalGuY his plan of action for conducting the first Common Management Admission Test (CMAT) 2012.
How does it feel to be chosen among prominent bidders such as Tata Consultancy Services and Prometric to conduct the first CMAT?
CMAT is a very prestigious project for us and the entire team is working to make this a big success.
What is your take on the controversy regarding All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) announcing the entrance exam so late?
This initiative by AICTE is very well thought out and will benefit the candidates in a big way. Initially, any new initiative faces controversy and criticism. CMAT will let aspirants concentrate on their preparation rather than getting entangled in the hassle of filling up forms for multiple exams.
When the Common Admission Test (CAT) was conducted online for the first time, there was a lot of mismanagement. What precautions will Aptech take to ensure that CMAT is conducted smoothly?
We have been conducting online exams for various educational institutes, public sector organisations and private sector companies for many years. Plus, we conduct close to two million tests in a year. So, our team has taken into consideration issues that have cropped up in the past.
As per the AICTE website for CMAT, the trial test was supposed to be available from December 12, 2011 but it was made available only from December 14. What was the reason for the delay?
The trial test was available from December 12, but it was updated on the 15th.
??The test had bizarre questions on corporate finance. As it is, CMAT was announced at a very short notice, then why weren’t the questions correct?
The test that was available on December 12 was to give aspirants an idea about the look and feel of the actual screens and to make navigation familiar. We updated the same on the 15th with relevant sample questions.
With so many companies jumping into the education space, was the bid to conduct the test a way to stay ahead and avoid competition?
We are not doing anything new. Aptech has been in the assessment business for quite some time now.
The registrations for CMAT have already started. How fast is the work progressing?
We are surely racing against time. The assessment team is working 24X7 and the rest of the divisions are helping them to ensure a smooth execution of the project.
How are you planning to deal with the power issues faced by most states?
Every examination centre would have a UPS, and a generator/additional power back-up to ensure uninterrupted power supply during the exam.
How many candidates would appear for CMAT 2012?
We are expecting that close to 2.5 lakh aspirants would take CMAT. Registrations have opened and the results are encouraging.
How are the preparations going as far as infrastructure, working of the computers, etc. are concerned? How many centres are there in each city?
There will be multiple centres in every state so that it is convenient for aspirants to take the exam. Some of the cities where we are expecting a larger turnout would also have multiple centres. In all, we are planning for more than 50 centres across the country. The number of students that a centre can accommodate would range from 50 to 350 aspirants.
How do you plan to conduct the test differently as compared to other agencies?
We all know about the technical glitches that exam conductors have witnessed in the past. What the industry decodes as mistakes, are in fact development opportunities. And as I have mentioned earlier, Aptech is experienced enough to handle any glitches and would do its best to conduct the exam smoothly.