CAT – Reduce the weightage from this academic year itself

CAT is slowing losing its past glory by sheer mismanagement of the online Common Admission Test (CAT) this year. Added to this, is the news that many IIMs considering lowering the weightage given to the CAT results from 90 points to 50 points or less. This is a good move. Rightly, the IIMs are considering more weightage to class X and XII marks, work experience, the performance of the candidate in personal interview and group discussion.

Now, with regard to the retest conducted for about 2000 students: First of all, the retest should have been taken for all the candidates. Many candidates who had problems during the first test were not called for the retest. The criteria were not clear. Many who were called were not interested in giving the retest, and now it is said that the test papers were identical on some days in the subsequent two slots!

This is totally unfair situation to the candidates who appeared in the first test. The candidates who gave retests are definitely going to be benefited by this decision.

It is only fair to one and all that from this academic year itself, the weightage for the CAT marks should be brought down to 50% or less.