CBT CAT 09 - Evaluation and Ranking

Update: I got a re-assuring reply from Professor Pankaj Chandra, Director IIM B, saying - "Sorry for the inconvenience caused to you. We will address the issues that you have raised in your email." Thank you Sir, it means the world to me for you taking out time to reply to my email. Hope everything is sorted out and resolved pretty soon so that everyone gets a fair chance to start their MBA from the IIMs !!

Also check out this TOI article.
End of Update

Following is the email which I've written to the directors of the prestigious IIMs regarding information for evaluation and ranking of scores obtained by students in the CBT CAT 09. Decided to post it in the blog sphere as well so as to know if there are others who share a similar concern.

Disclaimer : I'm not whining against CBT CAT 09 nor asking for a re-test / paper based test to be conducted again. Also those who have scored awesomely in this years CAT might be against the views expressed in this post and will definitely tell me to "adapt" to the changes and that this is the system and that we have to live with it. Okay, thanks in advance. And congrats to all of you for cracking CAT. Please spare me the lecture.

Respected Sir(s)

I, the undersigned, aspire to start my management studies in one of the prestigious IIMs from next year. I have appeared for CAT 09 on 5th Dec from Hyderabad and I have no complaints with respect to the actual test conduction process on a personal level since everything went smooth for me. There were no technical glitches or inconvenience of any type. I guess the situation has been improved drastically from what it was at the onset and I thank the quick measures taken for the same.

However, keeping asides all the other issues we have seen bogging CBT CAT 09 so far, I always thought that the greatest challenge of this year's exam was to arrive at 20 papers with questions having more or less similar difficulty level. This is based on the presumption that, the evaluation of candidates is going to remain constant as earlier years - i.e. - the "percentile" marking / grading system - where you rank students based on the "score" they obtain.

However, me and a very large number of students who have appeared for CAT 09 feel otherwise (that the difficulty level was different and waving in different slots) due to the following reasons:

1) Students who gave CAT in the earlier two days, though had to under go the trauma of delayed server responses and virus attacks, have reported that the level of questions was very easy and most of them managed to score 50+ out of 60 which was so unlike a CAT exam. Unless, it was intended that the CAT exam be brought down to a lower level, I feel this has really dented the image of CAT as an exam where scoring 50% of the total marks was considered as a daunting task earlier.

2) Students who gave CAT in the middle days reported that the questions were getting repeated from the earlier slots and also were being taken "as_it_is" from previous years CAT papers. This, I feel, was a big blow to those who took the tests earlier because they would never even have got wind of some of the difficult questions since they were actually attempting it for the first time. It might be unnecessary to point it out Sir, but even 3-4 questions solved in a minute just because of "prior knowledge" ensure that you make a quantum leap by saving time and dedicating it to other ques. Is this fair to all others who instead got unique questions ?

3) After the break out of all the above issues along with numerous others, it seems that the CAT has been brought back to being CAT on the last few days. Suddenly, the level of difficulty of questions in some sections has been steeped up making it really difficult to cross even the 45 mark !! I will admit, I might not be the brightest of the CAT aspirants, but then I am definitely not among the dumbest. Now we are seeing almost a no-show of repeat questions and no previous CAT questions. This is good from an exam point of view, but how do you justify the same happening for some students earlier, which clearly gives them advantage over others. As you know, a difference of a couple of questions make it a big deal of difference due to the current "percentile" based marking / grading.

The issue which I want to address through this letter is that how are we going to grade students appearing for CAT 09 based on questions with varying difficulty level ? Is it really fair to compare someone who got 50 correct in a easy paper (By easy I mean and include any / all of the following : easier questions lifted from database, questions repeated from earlier slots, questions taken from earlier slots, questions passed on by friends / teachers / forums etc) to someone who got 40 correct in a paper which did not have the above mentioned features ? Unless of course, there is going to be some sort of normalization based on the difficulty level, some sort of relative grading, I believe many are going to suffer from gross injustice and would only be left to regret at not being offered a fair shot at the IIMs.

From IIMs stand point I have heard that the argument being offered is that such things happen with other exams like GMAT as well and no body complains there. However, I would like to point out some key differences between the two, which I know you are definitely aware of :

- GMAT can definitely be taken more than once in a year in a testing window which is very large as compared to that of CAT 09. The point being, one can improve upon his / her score if he / she feels she got a bad deal. CAT 09, on the other hand can be given only once, and you just have to live with it and give it next year only.

- While GMAT also sometime may show up with repeat questions and different difficulty level questions, we can't forget its a "Computer Adaptive Test" - where the difficulty level depends on how many questions you answer correctly. The database is repeatedly updated to avoid repetitions. Even the scoring algorithm makes sure you can't skip to the next question until you answer the current one. Most importantly, the "result" is generated at the end of the test itself.

In the case of CAT which is a "Computer Based Test" - and most importantly - where the results are based on "%tile" and not "%tage", it really boils down to how many students you outscore / outperform. In such an evaluation scenario, how is it justified to have some students face a difficult paper and some an easy one (the demarcation of the above being done in Point 3) and on top of it, its just unbelievable to imagine that our futures will now be controlled via a random algorithm which is modified "midway" between the exam after glitches being pointed out by earlier CAT takers !!

I believe that there are many things which have gone the undesired way in CBT CAT 09. But the most serious issue according to me which needs to be addressed is how the "ranking" of students is now going to be done? Do we just have to live with the earlier ranking scheme based on %tiles and cut offs which will be same for everyone or are the IIMs going to take pain to make a definitive analysis of the different slots and come out with something which is just for all ?

By the way let me just repeat, I am not asking for a re-test / paper based test as some might perceive but I'm only asking for the right to know how will the grading and ranking be done and would it be fair to everyone given the above things which have hampered this year's CAT.

I don't know if this letter will even be "opened / read / thought upon" by the busy IIM directors since you must be receiving thousands of such emails / letters by now and one more student crying out aloud will just be like a drop in an ocean. They might even consider me treating CAT as sour grapes. But at least I will be in peace thinking that I did raise my voice / concern when I had the time and means and would avoid the regret in case I don't complete my MBA from an IIM.

I sincerely hope that I would get a fitting reply from some of the authorities responsible for CAT 09.

Thanks,
Suyash Joshi

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B.Tech. today... Engineer for Life !!

Hello everyone, as you can see from the title, its finally done. Yes, I don't know how it will change the world around you, but this day, will remain forever in my memories as one of the great days which you share with your grand children while sipping hot coffee in a comfy rock chair! Of course, there have been other such magical moments earlier too, when I felt really proud (Click here), and there will be others as well (Click here, in future), but this will forever be one of the greatest ever.

Anyways, to come to the point straight away, let me first create the exact scenario. It was roughly 12:25 PM on 1st May, 2008 and the sound boomed loud and clear in my ears, "5 minutes remaining (and enter your roll no and tie your supplements, as if I ever use one !!)." It was then, that I gave up. I turned around carefully, to see my colleague scribbling something forcibly in his answer book and when I finally got "the moment" to speak to him, "Hey, please tell me the answer for the 4th and the 5th... and the... ahem... 6th fill-in-the-blank fast dude!!". The dude looked petty disturbed at this sudden late interjection of mine, which kind of obstructed the smooth flow with which he was drawing a diagram. After he kindly objected to my demand, thanking him dutifully, I later found out that I had not attempted one small question, which was placed as if it was some "conditions apply" type thing they have in the ads. As I frantically began to pen it down, the clock struck 12:30 PM (IST), and the examiner snatched my answer sheet from my desperate attempts to finish that one last answer !! After cursing him soundly along with my bad luck, I finally knew this, ultimately, was the end. After all, as Neo says, everything which has a beginning (16th August, 2004) has an end (1st May, 2008). And this was the way my stint as an Engineer in Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology, Nagpur (also sweetly referred as VNIT, in the local circles) was put to a grinding halt.

Soon, as the dust settled (i.e. when the examiners left the hall) all of us fellow warriors leapt out with a jubilant cry of victory. Yes... this was the class of '08 , which just had just finished with Metallurgical and Materials Engineering on an all time high... !! Some of the people hugged each other with delight, while others gave a thundering Hi-five; some of them laughed like monsters and some even had tears of nostalgia. Most of us had felt greatly relieved as the exam had ended while simultaneously knowing the fact that we are going to see very little of each other after this day. Truly, this bunch of 40 people, coming from different parts of the country, had become really one big ensemble of awesome friends and legendary memories shared in VNIT, which was going to be missed big time hereon. As everyone gushed with each other about how happy everyone was, there indeed was a feeling of void, as to how life will shape out for each of us ahead. With mixed feelings of joy and sadness, everyone spent this day like none other.

How I spent the rest of the day? In the aftermath of this event, we later went to a really expensive restaurant that day (out of sheer compulsion, since it was a local holiday that day) and ate to our hearts fill. Then most of us slept in the afternoon (to complete the sleep deprivation caused due to the night out yesterday, instead of the earlier thought of plan of watching the latest movie) and in the evening it was time to celebrate the euphoria again along with other batch mates!! The feeling that my family too was proud of me for the completion of B.Tech. gave me tremendous happiness which I will cherish forever. After all, this won't have been possible without their constant support, motivation and encouragement !!

It's indeed been my privilege to be graduating from such a prestigious institute, due to which, most of us have achieved what we have so far. Some of us have bagged great jobs; some have humbled the exams like GATE and CAT and GRE (the list is countless...) to continue with further education; while some have plans to become entrepreneurs !! Talent overflows like a tsunami here and I am grateful that I got to rub my shoulders with it. As someone said, "God Created the World. Engineers Created the Rest." And all of us, intend to add value to this statement, by contributing, in every possible measure by the application of the knowledge earned here. After all, in spite of the type of career or life style one chooses, once an Engineer, always an Engineer !! I'll be looking forward to joining my work place 2 months later in Hyderabad, but till then, I will ensure that these days, which shall never come back, are spent so that there are no regrets in future. The wheels of fate and destiny are now smoothly placed in motion and the steering wheel is in our hands to choose the freeway of our life to reach the destination. Here's congratulating the class of '08 once again, for achieving brilliantly, what we set out for 4 years ago and wishing all of us the really best in future!!

Adios VNIT !! I will miss you... [:(]

For posting your comments, views and sharing similar experiences, please click Here.

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Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish

I hope that along with changing the look of my blog (the theme remains the same - "stretch" - so as to accommodate maximum text in a line - so as to decrease the vertical height of the posts), there must be something special for this post. Hence, I would like to share with you a really special speech, which might be the first one I have heard without yawning and with rapt attention. Because it came from the legendary Steve Jobs, who has been the brains behind the likes of Apple and Pixar, which have pioneered innovative brilliance beyond all boundaries.

Just do yourselves and your life a favour by listening to the whole speech carefully, since such words of wisdom are rare to find. The ultimate message is delivered in the end, but for grabbing the essence of the whole talk, its imperative you listen the whole thing. Watch it and have the time of your life...

By the way, this was delivered at the Commencement of the 2005 academic session at Stanford University by Steve Jobs and is today regarded as one of the best speeches in the world. Just 3 simple stories... what a way to deliver a great punch !!

Some of the key highlights, which will make a big deal of difference in your life (I'm positive !!)

----> You can't connect the dots of your life looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots (events) will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach will never let you down, and it will make all the difference in your life.

----> Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle.

---->No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

----> Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

Simply awesome, what do you have to say? Click here to share your views.

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The CAT is out of the bag !

First of all Hearty Congratulations to those who cracked it and hard luck to those who got cracked by it... Its none other than the The Common Admission Test (CAT) which is an all-India test conducted by the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) as an entrance test for the management programmes of its six business schools and is considered (it really is...) the toughest exam to crack through after the prestigious IIT-JEE exam for engineering entrance to the Indian Institutes of Technology. Somehow the common words (II) in both of these have always struck a mesmerizing academic challenge to students in India with respect to their graduation and post graduation.

More than 200,000 (230,000 in the year 2007) students compete for about 1500 seats in the IIMs. This makes the IIMs even more selective than all the Ivy League Universities. Even with a top 1% score, a candidate must also cross the equally stringent hurdles of a group discussion and an individual interview. Hence, graduates all over the country always die to cross that 99 %tile hurdle so that one day they can earn hefty pay scales as investment banker and what not.

The CAT is one of the world's most demanding entrance examinations for any graduate institute. The test taker is expected to excel in arithmetical problem solving, geometry, statistics, data interpretation, logical reasoning in solving complex puzzles, and English Language skills. The test is held on the third Sunday of November for a duration of two and a half hours and everyone gets ready for the final take with his pencils, eraser and sharp mind on this day to bell the CAT.

It is neither expected, nor possible, that all the questions be answered, so the CAT also tests the candidates' ability to prioritise under pressure: a quality necessary in the competitive environment of IIMs' courses. And I experienced the trauma that is CAT, on 18th November last year. Why am I blogging about this stuff? Because the results are out. And I flunked... big time... But no worries. They allow you to give it more than once, and if you work somewhere in between, its said that its even better. So even those who flunked it are optimistic of a better future, thus making true of the words from Geeta, "Jo hota hai acche ke liye hi hota hai" (Whatever happens, happens for good).

Sometimes, I wonder how the trend of the Y-generation has shifted to management education, without actually realizing the importance of the same, irrespective of the judgement whether they actually have the orientation to excel in this chosen field, since the diversity in the aptitude of different people is very well known. Its the latest "rat-race" in education sector, which is being exploited by the ever rising coaching institutes which promise you a birth in IIMs with its last year's record and impeccable faculty stats etc. Its always better for a person to first plan his career in a systematic way and then try to achieve his post graduation in the desired field.

Basically, being an engineer, our lot is divided into five types :

a) the techno geeks : These opt for GATE and GRE to pursue M.Tech and M.S. respectively, and are the true technologists, who find the love in the discipline that they "engineered" themselves in. Honestly speaking, after 4 years of drudgery, these students must get a bravery award just for "carrying on" !!

b) the management kids : They are kids because I think its really silly to get into a "B-School" just after completing your graduation and without any exposure to absolutely any kind of business environment, wherein you can interact with the system and apply your know-how accordingly. Of course, the only force of attraction these days towards MBA as a fresher is the amount of green bucks that you earn and it would be dishonest of me to say that I would turn one down if I had got a call from a super B-School.

c) Job Crackers : These are usually toppers who dominate the placement scene from the word go and might figure in the earlier two categories too. Some of the exceptions, might sneak through the tight filter, but then its all about presenting (correctly) what you know and hiding (efficiently) what you don't. So I have always felt that peaking in this category isn't really a smart indicator of your brilliance, talent or the amount of grey matter in your cranium.

d) The Win-all league : No Comments on this category because I am ideologically against the existence of such people. But this being my blog, I must at least give the reason for my fury against these "envy-of-all" candidates : you just can't have it all, spare some for others too !!

e) The alternatives : Somehow these are the real champs of life. Some of them open up their own business venture. Some of them might end up earning money for doing what they like to do the most. Some of them go on to a really bizarre career like adventure tourism or music development etc but at least they do what they like. Indeed, you get one shot and you gotta hit it spot on.

To end this crap on a rather lighter note, let me show you how education might ruin the simplicity of human life. Consider this sample (which is fictitious of course and copied from orkut :-)), GRE and CAT aspirants tune up their verbal skills that ultimately its useless for the common soul.

NORMAL PERSON : People who live in glass houses should not throw stones.
GRE scholar : Individuals who make their abodes in vitreous edifices would be advised to refrain from catapulting perilous projectiles.

NORMAL PERSON : Twinkle, twinkle, little star
GRE scholar : Scintillate, scintillate, asteroid minim.

NORMAL PERSON : All that glitters is not gold.
GRE scholar : All articles that coruscate with resplendence are not truly auriferous.

NORMAL PERSON : Beggars are not choosers.
GRE scholar : Sorting on the part of mendicants must be interdicted.

NORMAL PERSON : Dead men tell no tales.
GRE scholar : Male cadavers are incapable of rendering any testimony.

Hope you had a good laugh with your dictionary reading this awesome stuff. Click here to post your comments and views on entrance exams like CAT and JEE. Many love them and many sulk about them. What about you ??
P.S.: Please pardon me if the article went off the track in between, but I don't know what exactly I was writing on... hehe...

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