The Big CAT has finally been belled by the Mouse!
In this last one week, CAT has made many funny headlines. It has because a cause of uproar from Indian Parliament to the Confines of Drawingrooms across the country. various coaching institutes have written Open letters to IIMs, championing the cause of students! Blogs are flooded with a call for re-test, discussions rampant with critiques of IIMs!!
While I agree with almost everything said by everyone, let us take it fair and straight - What is done, is done. IIMs are not going to scrap the test or retake for anyone whose test was not hampered by any technical glitches. While accepting the fact that teething troubles in a venture of such measure should only be expected; the scale of mismanagement has left a lot to be desired on part of IIMs and Prometric.
At the same time, when less than 1% applicants are admitted by IIMs, technical glitches for anything more than 0.1% of students should be unacceptable. But with all the prejudices held by authority that be at IIMs, and 'the disdain for everyone in society till one is in IIMs' that administration at IIMs carry; do we expect IIMs to rethink the process?!?! Do we expect that IIMs would do what XLRI boldly did a few years ago - scrap the online test and hold paper-based instead!
Now if we let that be the case, and move on from here on; what do we expect from CAT that was not to be. We do not know how IIMs are going to equate scores from two different slots. Perhaps, they are yet do devise a formula that can be defended (Note: Not a formula that is just!). Reason enough for not declaring what score test-takers have obtained in an online test! Reason enough to schedule results exactly 45 days after the last of the students takes an online test! Reason enough not to declare in advance weightage to be given to academics, work-experience, test, and GD-PI. Well, the trial-and-error run continues after selection of 47 batches for IIMs.
Yet, students have taken CAT. Students are wondering what attempts would be good. Students are worried what score would fetch them an IIM call. Here is my take: Assuming +6, -2 for a correct and wrong attempt respectively, a score of 228 would place a student safely above vagaries of IIM Directors. Score of 228 should almost mean 99.5+ percentile. [50 attempts with 80% accuracy]
Score of 198 to 228 [45 attempts with 80% accuracy] can fetch a call depending upon how IIMs decide to equate scores of different slots.
Score of 162 [40 attempts with 75% accuracy] should come close to 95%-ile and a score of 120 [35 attempts with 75% accuracy] should earn a student almost 90%-ile.
While a careful analysis has gone into coming to this estimate, depending upon my students' reviews; I , of course, do not have a solid explanation - I presumably do not have questions and answers from the test!
3 comments:
will institutes which accepts CAT scores rely on the IIM's next time onwards..????
Ahh... a different take alas! But i think, sir, that the uncertainty initiated blame game that we are currently witnessing is out of the sheer amount of effort that students aiming for IIMS had put it.
And this, whatever it was that happened, was a non sequitur. It was a big anti-climax. It just didnt feel right, to the people who were religiously aiming for it, to be a part of this spectacle.
So maybe that's why the mortals scream and the mortals run...because well, that's what the students are and have been in a nation as ours where every turn is a huge bottleneck- academically speaking.
As for you estimate. I fall in the third category as MICA requires a 90%ile and i would love for this prophecy to come true among others ;)
Keep posting more!
True Sir, even they dont seem to have any idea!
But I still feel 50 with 80% accuracy is a little high, atleast high for me :D. Though if it does go that high only the good people would get through, those who would have had it been paper based( Not any Jack or Jill, as some experts are claiming)
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