Gone are the days when coaching centres threw a party just a day or two before the D-day to de-stress CAT takers. Or, when they handed over free tickets of a latest Bollywood flick or had a movie screening inside the coaching centre to lessen the anxiety associated with CAT. With the CAT testing window, increasing to 10 days last year and 20 days this year, coaching centres have come up with innovative solutions to help their students till the last moment possible.
Hitesh Devalia, from Endeavor, Ahmedabad shared with Pagalguy, that his centre will be carrying on mock-CATs till much after the CAT testing has begun. Devalia said, As most of out students have registered for the test post-Diwali (November 5), the gap from their last mock-CAT and the final CAT will be too long, hence we have planned to launch two test after October 27.”
But that is not all. These last two tests will be designed specially for the students after gauging the trend of the test from the first two days of the exam. There are people from the team who will be taking the test on the first two days. They will try to come out with a trend or a pattern on the basis of which the last two test papers will be created. The students can take the test that are custom-made and closest to the actual test, added Devalia.
Time coaching classes has also decided to hold their last two AIMCATs in two slots, which means that the candidates who are taking CAT in the last week of the testing window, will have a chance to give the mock-CAT only days before their actual test. The test paper though, will remain same for both the windows. The students will be given the result within 48 hours.
A recent mailer sent to the students registered with TIME, says that chat sessions on Verbal/Quant/DI, B-school Selection, and Test taking strategies/Last Minute Tips will be conducted. The chat sessions will also include chats on other exams like FMS, IIFT, SNAP, JMET, IRMA, etc. During the chat sessions, the candidates will get to interact and get their queries addressed from the coaching centre’s senior faculty and subject experts.
Abhishek S, who will be taking the AIMCAT 1102 on October 31, says: It’s good. You almost get a feel of writing the real thing. And it is a meaningful preparation too to write one just before appearing for CAT.”
Another candidate who will be taking the test in the second slot says that as CAT 2010 is extended over a 20 day testing window, students taking CAT earlier have had to forgo the last two mocks or the ones appearing in the later part have to forgo the mock experience closer to their CAT date. ” Though these tests are good to stay in touch with the flow of CAT, the results and scores might not give the true picture. The number of candidates taking the test has decreased and that reduces the percentile scored by the candidates. Candidates should not assess their performances with these mocks,”he said.
The website of Career Launcher has also launched a CAT’10 Corner, which has sections like slotwise analysis and the percentile predictor, besides the FAQs and information on other entrance tests. Though there are no mock tests,the website has made provision for CAT takers to discuss their papers, doubts and expected scores.