One of the criterion to be eligible for taking the test in the second phase of CAT, according to the CAT-IIM website states: ‘Those who could not take the test due to planned or unplanned closure of their test lab and were not rescheduled later in the first phase. (This does not include voluntary no-shows.)’. Looks like it wasn’t an important one after all. Ankit Arora, an employee in the sales division at PaGaLGuY.com was able to reschedule his CAT test after he voluntarily did not take it in the first phase.

Arora was supposed to take the CAT on November 30, 2009 which he could not as he had to go to Delhi. Later, he called up Prometric’s candidate care service and requested them to reschedule his examination. The representative there told him that according to their investigations, Arora had not appeared for the test. He sent an email to Candidate Services stating his ‘problem’ and requested to reschedule. There was no response to the email until January 20, 2010 when he received an admit card for taking the CAT in its second phase, on January 31, 2010.

Ankit Arora’s admit card for CAT retest on January 31, 2010

Arora took the test on January 31, 2010, without facing any of the problems that candidates in the first phase had to. There were fewer candidates at the center and the invigilators were brisk and alert. He was frisked thoroughly, down to his shoes and was warned that as the overhead cameras would capture all his movements, he should not even try using any unfair means.

CAT Update: According to the press statement released by CAT-IIM: “Approximately 48,000 candidates took the CAT in the second phase. The weekend administration involved 42 testing locations located throughout the country in 26 cities.

While approximately 11,000 candidates were offered appointments to take the test, only 4,500 of these candidates did not have opportunity to test before and thus did not have a score. Approximately 6,500 of those invited to the second phase already had a valid score for potential selection to the IIMs and opted not to test in the second phase.”