25 years ago, I had gone all the way from Palghat to Bangalore to write the Common Admission Test (CAT) for entrance to the IIM programs. It was one of my first experience in an event being organized at a large scale and without a hitch. And the reason for admiring IIMs and wanting to join them.
It is also why I am apalled when I read that the online CAT exam conducted yesterday was a disaster, with many students not being able to take the exam across the country with the servers crashing. And what is more galling is the response of the IIM to it. (The highlightings are mine and my comments in brackets).
Convener of Common Admission Test (CAT) said there is no widespread server crash for their first ever online test but just delays (is it acceptable that there was one server crash and a few delays. Has our IIMs heard of Six Sigma?). "There are no widespread server crashes. What is happening is there are delays due to many process that we require to fulfill," Professor Satish Deodhar convener of this year's CAT said.
"This is the first day of the first on-line test. Such an attempt to take an on-line test of 2.41 lakh students in the span of 10 days is being carried out for the first time in the world," Deodhar said.
"We must understand that there are bound to be some problems on the first day of such an huge exercise but the exams is going on and it will go on for the next ten days," he said. (Oh! so we are to understand that there are bound to be some problems on the first day for an exam conducted by the so called only 'World Class' Elite Management Institute in India?)
More than 2.41 lakh students are appearing for the test across the country for admission in different IIMs and other management institutes. "There were delay in processing of candidates finger prints and photographs which are required. (Why should there be delay? Was CAT not aware of the logistics involved?) There is also delay as our test file are taking long to get download due to strict data security provision given to them.( So this is not a glitch but poor and bad Test process design. Did someone not take the trouble of running dry tests before trying it out on the poor students?). Students are also not familiar with the system," Deodhar said.(Ah! now blame is on the students!) "But we hope that from tomorrow it will become more smooth," Deodhar further added. (Again note that he only 'hopes' it will become smooth but cant give a categoric assurance)
Sad to see such a 'Chalta hai' attitude in an exam that is supposed to select the best of the students to the supposedly world class management Institute in India- Shame on you IIM and CAT. What kind of inspiration and values are you spreading by the shoddy conduct of a prestigious exam like CAT? How can we believe that IIM is the best when it comes to management education, when you cant manage your own entrance exam? I would have appreciated if CAT administrator had offered an unconditional apology and accepted responsibility, instead of hiding behind 'these things happen' silly ramblings.
