On the sidelines of today’s CAT 2010 test, there have been reports of centre personnel asking CAT candidates for their personal information and contact numbers before or after the test.
At the Sri Balaji Society center in Pune where I was taking the exam, all students were asked to form a queue inside the building entrance and write their names, CAT registration number, mobile number, email address and in-time in a register. The register did not have any Prometric branding on it. On asking the attendants if the data was being taken for the school’s purposes or Prometric’s, they replied in affirmative that it was being taken by Sri Balaji Society for ‘security’ purposes.
Huh?
CAT registration number and email address for a security register?
Similarly, my colleague Vasundhara Vyas reports from her Institute of Business Studies and Research (IBSAR) test-center at Belapur, Navi Mumbai,
After the test ended, all I wanted to do was stretch. But the institute where I was taking my test did not think we were done yet. “The uploading of all the test papers has to be done. We have started the process and will request you to wait till the Prometric office confirms having received all the test,” said one of the senior faculty invigilators of the institute. Then he motioned one of his staffers to bring in something.
A long register was brought in, which had green paper. There were columns drawn and the register was brought to each of the candidates to fill in information: Name, Contact Number, Email ID and Pin code.
When the register reached me, I turned and asked the young office staff what it was for. “It’s official,” she said. When I asked was it for the college’s purpose, she confessed. “Yes, it’s for the college,” and took the register to the next candidate.
In both the cases, the manner in which the data was being asked for was such that it seemed like a mandatory part of the process to appear for the CAT.
About half of this year’s CAT 2010 testing centers are private management institutes and being visited almost daily by hundreds of registered CAT candidates is a golden chance for harvesting their personal data. The concern here of course is, if the institutes are recording the data so that they have a ready database of leads to pester for admissions after the CAT results through unsolicited emails and SMS. In other words, will your personal information leak out into the open market and will you soon start receiving ‘counselor’ phone calls, SMS and emails from business schools you really did not opt-in to look out for.
We spoke to senior management in both Sri Balaji Society and IBSAR.
Prof Biju G Pillai, Director (IT) of Sri Balaji Society said that the data was just being collected for security purposes. “Anybody who visits our institutes is asked to fill in the register at the entry gate so that we know who is on the premises. But since today was the CAT day, we shifted that register inside the building for the same purpose of security.”
When asked why a security register would require people to fill in their CAT registration numbers and email addresses, he replied, “What if some people forget their personal belongings submitted at the token counter? We feel responsible for all the people who are going to visit us today and the remaining days of the CAT.”
Asked if the candidate data will be used by the Sri Balaji Society to send unsolicited emails, phone calls and SMS to the candidates during the admission season, Prof Pillai said, “Has anybody received a phone call today? Then why are you asking? I have personally signed the MoU with Prometric for allowing our campus as the CAT center and if any violation happens then I’m personally responsible for it.”
PaGaLGuY also contacted Manju Aggarwal, the Group Deputy Director of IBSAR and she said, “That register is for the information that Prometric has asked us to gather. The register is of Prometric and I do not know of the details they have asked for in it. The information has been asked for by Prometric to keep a record of the candidates giving the test so that in case there is a glitch while uploading the test of the candidate, the information is readily available and the candidate can be informed.”
Both Prometric and the CAT 2010 Convenor deny that there is any such requirement.
“Prometric has not instructed any CAT test centres to take down any candidate particulars upon arrival for their test. We have investigated the report that this is happening in some centres and have reiterated the standard operating procedures to them. We will identify the responsible parties and take appropriate action,” said Prometric’s Managing Director Soumitra Roy in an email to PaGaLGuY.
When contacted about the matter, Prof Himanshu Rai, CAT 2010 Convenor said, “Nowhere in the process is an institute required to record the candidates’ personal data on their own accord. If any institute is doing this then they are clearly stepping out of their brief. I request the candidates to report any such activity so that we can take action.”
Were you asked to share your personal information at any of the CAT centers you attended? Are you comfortable with giving your personal information so that b-schools could contact you after the CAT results? Do comment.