Did start of CAT 2013 see any glitches?
Ipsita Sarkar Gupta | shiksha.com
Day 1 of CAT does not appear to have gone through without glitches. Some of the second slot candidates at a centre in Noida spoke of technical issues encountered during the test.
“The server stopped and my system had to be rebooted twice,” said a visibly upset Ariz Khan who lost about 15-20 minutes in the scheduled test of 140 minutes. His computer had to be rebooted during the first half of the exam and then again with 55 minutes remaining on the clock. Both the times, the computer clock jumped a few minutes ahead instead of restarting at the same time. Khan, an engineering graduate employed with HCL, was attempting CAT for the first time.
Similar problems were reported from a few Ahmedabad centres. “The server connectivity was lost on two systems at one centre,” informed a reliable source.
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Apart from connectivity issues, students complained about ‘slow system’ and ‘system hanging’. “After clicking on an answer, it generally takes 4-5 seconds to move to the next question. But my system was so sluggish that it took 15-20 seconds in the whole process, thereby affecting my performance,” said Ashish Dua, second time CAT taker.
On contacting Prometric spokesperson, they claimed that everything went smoothly. “With more than 4,000 students taking the online test, a little glitch here or there is possible. However, in any case of rebooting or server connectivity all the test restarts where it stopped. The computers are programmed this way and no time can be lost.”
Unfortunately, same was not the case with Ariz Khan. To validate Khan’s statement, this Shiksha correspondent got in touch with other candidates at the same centre who confirmed witnessing that he had lost time due to technical glitches.
According to Ankur Agarwal, GM, Endeavour Careers, “Infrastructural problems are bound to happen in exams of such huge magnitude. In such cases, the candidate affected should be given a fair chance. Giving extra time at the moment may not be very beneficial since simple glitches can affect the mental equilibrium of the candidate. A second chance or fresh slot is the appropriate thing to do in such instances.”
Upon narrating Khan’s and Dua’s incidents, CAT convenor Rohit Kapoor assured of taking necessary action. “Students will be compensated in one way or other. If such things happen, students are advised to notify the authorities or get in touch with me.”
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