One of the toughest competitive examinations ever and the most prestigious one of the country is the Common Admission Test (CAT) examinations. Students undergo an Olympic preparation for months together with the aim of getting an admission in any of the IIMs (Indian Institute of Management). The education and coaching in IIM is hi-tech (I suppose so) but the exams were not till last year. It was in the usual paper-pencil mode and so IIM peeked into making CAT exam online from this year on November 28. The first attempt in history never speaks success. Such happened at yesterday’s CAT online examination when there was a server crash in many centers all over the country. Some students had a delay in the examination and for some others it was rescheduled.

         Again today (Nov 29) there was a server down in some places. The tests for those candidates who were unable to take up the test have been rescheduled with in the next nine days.  In a seminar yesterday, MBA exam experts have reacted sharply stating that the crisis was a result of under-preparedness of IIMs and its testing partner Prometric. They have also demanded IIM to give a public apology for the same and immediate corrective actions.

        The preparation to avoid crisis should also be taken into account when organizing an examination. Did IIMs fail in that perspective?