CAT ‘09: Servers crash at two centres,100 applicants’ exam cancelled

The server reportedly did not accept the user name and password provided to the students.

“I couldn’t log in with my user ID. Others in the centre also faced the same problem. Then we were told that the test has been annulled,as some problem had occurred in the system,” a candidate at the Gian Jyoti Institute of Management and Technology said.

Another student said: “The institute authorities didn’t know how to handle the situation,which created panic among students. We don’t know what will happen next.”

Candidates also complained of mismanagement. “The test that was to begin at 10 in the morning started around 12. We kept waiting for almost four hours as the reporting time was 8 am,” candidate Neeraj Gupta said.

Some alleged that the system slowed down in the middle of the test,but no extra time was given.

Vineet Joshi,spokesperson of the Rayat and Bahra Biotechnology Centre of Excellence,said,“The system was overloaded in the morning which led to slow speed.”

“In some cases,students themselves didn’t know procedure of registering due to which their test was cancelled,” he added.

“We have asked them to contact the IIM authorities for the next date of the test,” Joshi said. He claimed that some students have already been informed about the new date and examination centre.

For rest,‘test was easy’
Other applicants who took the exam said the “test was easy”. “The test was easier than the sample papers I have been solving. English was a cakewalk for those having a command over the language,” Sakshi Bhatnagar,a CAT aspirant,told Newsline.

Around 1,200 candidates took the test in the city.

Another applicant Daksh said: “Data interpretation was tough because of the number of calculations involved. But those adept at the subject may crack it easily.”

Experts at Career Launcher agreed that the exam was easier than previous years. The difficulty level of English was reportedly similar,but comprehension passages were shorter this year. Quantitative analysis was easier than previous years,but the data interpretation section was a little time consuming.