2.15 lakh candidates complete CAT 2009

Kolkata, Dec 18 : More than 2.15 lakh candidates successfully completed the Common Aptitude Test (CAT) this year, said an official release.

"Over the course of 11 days tests were administered on 17,000 computers in 361 temporary testing labs at 104 centers in 32 cities throughout India. Never have so many candidates successfully completed a computer-based test in such a condensed period of time, especially after the server crash incident," said Soumitra Roy, Managing Director of Prometric Testing Centre in India.

"Prometric deeply regrets that some candidates encountered difficulties and need to reschedule or retake the test. We would like to thank the IIMs for providing us with the opportunity to ensure that all affected candidates can take the test in the same testing environment as their peers," Roy said.

Computer-based testing has a transformative impact on education by expanding access, enhancing the test development process, and producing results that are representative of the capabilities of test takers, he said.

"While there were difficulties on the first days of the test, Prometric and NIIT operated the network at a very high standard during the final 5 days of the administration; we are reviewing the standards that enabled us to deliver that high standard to ensure the same practices are used for the subsequent administration.

"We are in the process of identifying candidates who have been interrupted or were unable to test, and we will contact them to reschedule the examination," said Roy.

CAT servers crashed all over the country on Nov 28, affecting at least 200 candidates appearing for the test.

The CAT was being held online all over the country for the first time.