New Delhi: India Institute of Management (IIMs) has declared the date of its online Common Admission Test (CAT) 2009. The first computer-based CAT exam is scheduled to be held between November 28 and December 7, 2009.
The test will be held twice, once in the morning and the second time in the evening. Candidate can choose the test date, session (morning/afternoon), and venue - across thirty centres (cities) all over India, subject to availability. However, IIMs have not yet clarified whether the online CAT exam would be available for candidates abroad as well. The sale of application forms starts on Wednesday, September 9, 2009, at designated bank branches and their associate outlets. The last date of sale is October 1, 2009.
Online registration for CAT 2009 will also begin on Wednesday, September 9, 2009 and end on October 1, 2009. Interested candidate can buy a scratch-voucher from the designated bank branches, and using it, register themselves online for CAT 2009, later on. Instructions on access to online registration will be given in the voucher, and detailed registration instructions will be available on the CAT website www.catiim.in
IIMs have been conducting CAT in paper-and-pencil format for the last 33 years. As per sources, while about 95,000 candidates took the CAT in 2003, the number rose to about 250,000 in 2008, indicating a massive 163 percent rise. According to the IIMs, the increase in the number of management aspirants appearing in the exam has resulted in severe strain on the administrative system. Therefore, IIMs have adopted a new internet based procedure, which will be candidate-friendly, flexible in the selection of test date, and provide ease of registration process, better physical environment and test experience, and enhanced security, in terms of biometric identification of candidates and video monitoring.
