Old, wise and CAT veteran but still itching for CAT 2009

Oh, you’e writing CAT this year and are feeling jittery because this time you’re going to be wielding a mouse? Some people lose sleep because of CAT while others chase CAT in their dreams. People in b-schools or done with their MBAs look back at their CAT preparation days with misty eyes; they’re done with CAT right? In most cases, yes. This year there’s a new kid on the block called Old Man Puys Association CAT Team (OMPACT) which is itching to take a crack at the CAT. Anyone who wishes to join a b-school this year cannot be a part of this team. OMPACT has b-schoolers, working MBA junta as well as old hands at CAT hatching a plot to round up 100 such people to take the computer based CAT out for a ride – first day, first slot. And the goal is anything other then getting into a good Indian b-school!

OMPA consists of puys who’ve met up with CAT over the years and they’ve hung around on the PaGaLGuY forums for some time now. MBA might have taught most of them to pfaff (gas, globe – you get the drift) but they sure mean business here. They simply cannot stop themselves from dropping by to say hello to their old friend. It’s clear that even if the questions in CAT are similar to that in previous years, the test experience is going to be completely different. The team members have in some cases taken the CAT on multiple occasions and they want to see how CAT turns out in its new avatar.

It’s not just about checking out CAT to see if and how it will change. They’ve volunteered to be guinea pigs and they’re going to use this chance for all its worth. After the test they’ll take a deep breath, draw upon their warehouse of CAT experiences and write on the PaGaLGuY forums about what really is the deal with CAT 2009. There’s going to be lots of analysis and chatter between them after the test and that should provide some clarity about how the test is compared to earlier CATs. Prometric is the body organizing CAT 2009 and setting up test centers for CAT. Some of the team members have taken GRE and GMAT at Prometric test centers and can compare how those experiences match with that of CAT 2009.

This year’s CAT may have people in a single test slot getting different papers. New test centers are being built and the IIMs have also said that there’ll be biometric testing and video recordings at the centers. What happens in the case of power cuts? How are the facilities provided at the center and are there problems with loading pages? There are loads of questions with this year’s CAT and the veterans want to report first from the battleground.

Of course, one doesn’t know yet whether people can specify preferences for test slots and how they’ll be allotted. Let’s hope the OMPA Team gets its shot. And if you land up on slot one, day one, give yourself a light moment by trying to identify someone from this team of enthusiasts. It shouldn’t be too difficult.