Kolkata: Indian Institute of Management (IIM) conducted Common Admission Test (CAT) will go online from November 2009. However, the final approval is still awaited, which will come in May at the meeting of IIM directors. But it's almost certain, as mentioned by an official who preferred to remain anonymous.
IIM Calcutta Director, Dr Shekhar Chaudhuri, in an interview during the 44th convocation of the institute, told the reporters that decision to conduct CAT online was due to increasing number of management aspirants appearing for it and the new online format is undergoing the process of improvement. As per the sources, the online model will be similar to US exams like the GMAT (Graduate Management Aptitude Test) and GRE (Graduate Record Examination) except that the results will not appear instantly.
B-schools are caught in a scuffle with the Central Government which wants a pan IIM panel, suggested by the R.C. Bhargava committee. As mentioned by an official that the IIMs will preserve its full rights over the test although the entire process of conducting the exam, which includes processing the results and reporting the scores, will be handed over to a private service provider, with prior experience in online tests. It is also mentioned that a team has been formulated comprising of members from all IIMs, which will look into the aspect of efficiency and effectiveness of CAT being conducted online.
