CAT 2009: My test was cancelled

CAT 2009 kicked off on November 28. So far the ride has been a bumpy one with exams being cancelled at some centres and computer glitches at others. Here Vijay Motwani (whose test centre was in Bhopal) shares his CAT ordeal:

The CAT fiasco for me started on November 28. My test centre was Bhopal.

I traveled form Jabalpur to Bhopal in expectation of a unique experience of the first-hand feeling of the new-format CAT. What happened there is probably already known. I along with other students waited for about one-and-a-half hours at the centre (my slot was at 3:30 pm with a reporting time of 1:30 pm). There was nobody at the venue to help update candidates with the details of what was going on, suddenly at 3:15 pm the coordinator comes up and says
that one lab -- IILCQ -- is working and we can take the test.

We were already exhausted, and they expected the students to take a paper that is known for testing mental alertness. I registered a protest, saying that it was not fair for us to take the test in the mindset we were in while the rest of India is taking the test calmly. But that was not the worst part -- they later canceled the test altogether. I returned from the centre after about four hours without having taken the test. I returned to Jabalpur.

The assurance was that the test would be rescheduled on a later day which will be informed to us by mail or SMS/phone call by 6 pm of November 29. No response came on this front untill 12 noon of November 30. So I decided to make a call to their customer care number. The information I got was a real shock. The test had been rescheduled for the 3:30pm slot of November 30.

They expected me to reach to Bhopal from Jabalpur within one hour. When I protested, they said that they would
transfer my call to another department. I waited for five minutes but nobody came on line and a recorded message kept saying that my call was on wait and was that my call was precious so to please stay online.

My call received the same fate that my entire year of hard work had faced -- nought.

Did you take the CAT this year? What was the experience like for you? Did you face any technical glitches or did the test unfold smoothly? Share your CAT experiences and tips with us by writing in to getahead@rediff.co.in and we will publish them right here on rediff.com.