After going through plenty of experiences, reviews, predictions and days filled with anxiety I had my tryst with the Common Admissions Test (CAT) 2010 on Sunday, November 14. Here is my review of the test, and what happened before and after the test.

Before the test

I reached my center (Thakur College of Science and Commerce, Kandivli, Mumbai) at 1.30 pm (for the 3.30 pm slot) and there was already a large crowd in front of the gate. It was expected, as the center is home to many exams including the Bank PO tests.

Only the test-takers were being allowed to go inside the venue, and that too after checking their admit cards and photo IDs at the gate. Once inside, we were led to join a queue outside the test lab in order to get our admit cards verified and to deposit any belongings we had brought to the center. After being thoroughly frisked for any prohibited items on our person (I was asked to pull out my pockets to show that they were indeed empty), the photo IDs were verified. We were asked to keep our bags in a separate classroom. In some of the earlier slots, there were reports that bags weren’t allowed inside the centers but that’s not how it was for us. We were also allowed to take wallets and handkerchief inside the testing labs. After being thoroughly checked, we were directed to another classroom where they recorded our fingerprints and took digital photographs of our faces. All this took a couple of minutes. Then we were directed to the labs. And thus I was at my testing computer at 2.25 pm.

All 40 computers in my lab were separated from each other by cardboard partitions to prevent copying. On the table we were given a booklet with four sheets of paper (8 sides) and also a pencil and an eraser each. There was also a laminated A4-sized card detailing the instructions to be followed while taking the test. At 2.45 pm, they announced that the washrooms could be used only till 3 pm. Then at 3, a center official started instructing us about how long the test would be. He mentioned that the lab had video cameras fitted which which would record the classroom during the test and also help the center monitor any copying behaviour by the test takers. At 3.30 pm we were given the option of going through either a tutorial or starting the test. The tutorial explained the various parts of the testing interface and their functions. One had at most 15 minutes to view tutorial and could quit it midway. After I viewed the tutorial, the proctor started my test.

The test

The test started as soon as the proctor logged me in. The sections in my paper were in the order: Data Interpretation (DI) followed by Quantitative Aptitude (QA) and finally by Verbal Ability (VA). The sections weren’t demarcated from each other in the interface, though.

I started with QA. The section wasn’t a very tough one and anyone who had prepared seriously would not have been stumped by the questions. There was one question which confused me and made me doubt if it was correct in the first place, so I skipped it. No particular sub-topic of Quant dominated the section and it had something for everyone. I completed 18 questions in the QA section in 45 minutes and left the section.

Then I switched to the DI section. As the reviews have been for some of the earlier slots, DI was calculation intensive. Quite a few questions were outright insolvable, the kind I had better leave for the end if time permitted. The Logical Reasoning caselets were relatively easier and everyone should have solved them. I could spot one ‘red herring’ type question where there was no need to make a table for the data given. Mere option-elimination would have easily gotten you the answer. Number of DI section attempts after 45 minutes: 12.

Finally I moved to the Verbal section — a mix of moderate and easy questions. There were three Reading Comprehension passages with 4, 3 and 2 questions. Almost all the notable types of questions that appear in VA were in the paper; there were no major surprises. I spent 35 minutes on the section and attempted 16.

With 10 more minutes to go, I decided to use it to solve the DI set I had held up for later. I could solve two of the three questions there. The third question seemed to have two options satisfying the criteria. So I did not mark that one and completed a paragraph jumble question in the VA section before time ran out and the test ended automatically.

The testing ambience

There were also a couple of other entrance exams going on at the same center but except for a couple of hourly bell alarms, there were no major disturbances at the center as well as in the testing lab. The lab was well insulated from external sights and sounds and one could concentrate fully on one’s test. There were no technical problems.

The screen user interface

Just like what has been shown in the demo test. The multiple highlighting feature can be helpful in RCs and LR sets if used properly.

After the test

During CAT 2009, at my center, after people had completed their test, they were allowed to leave the lab. This had caused chaos in the lab and people who had started the test late weren’t able to concentrate. This time, even though a few people had completed their test, they weren’t allowed to leave the lab. Only after the invigilator checked that everyone had completed the test were people allowed to leave the lab. This was a welcome change from last year.

What I liked?

The proctors were good. The invigilators there knew what they were supposed to do. The check-in process was quick and smooth and even after we ended our tests, we were made to wait before everyone else in the lab completed their tests.

What could have been better?

The waiting period after the fingerprinting and starting of the test can be reduced significantly. Sitting there and doing nothing for more than an hour is pretty boring.

Overall, it was a nice experience. The test conduct was markedly more professional than last year’s. But with the difficult levels fluctuating wildly, one hopes that the normalization process is sound and fair.