Online CAT results announced

The results of the much-anticipated Common Admission Test, the qualifying examination for admission to the elite Indian Institutes of Management, are out. However, like every year, students are already experiencing difficulties in accessing their score cards due to "server issues".

The results, which were declared early on Sunday morning, can be accessed on http://catiim.in, the official website of all the IIMs. The score card contains candidates scores, both absolute (out of 450) and percentile. The CAT is the first of two stage admission process to the IIMs' flagship two-year post-graduate programmes (PGP) in management. The second stage comprises Group Discussions/Essay Writing and Personal Interviews.

To retrieve their scorecards, candidates may use their CAT 2009 Register Numbers and email IDs, as it appears on their hall tickets. For those who are unable to do so, due to lack of sufficient details, the Prometric helpline (1 800 103 9293) will available, according to an announcement on the website.

The results, first slated to be released in the first week of January and then in mid-February, are well behind schedule. Roughly 2.4 lakh candidates took the exam this year. The seven IIMs located at Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Kozhikode, Bangalore, Kolkata, Indore and Shillong will put up separate lists of shortlisted candidates, who will qualify for the second stage that comprises group discussion/ essay writing and personal interview. By Sunday afternoon only IIM Shillong and Ahmedabad had put up their lists. Over 120 other B-schools across the country also use these scores as a yardstick for admissions.

This year's CAT, the first computer-based CAT, was held over a 10-day window in November-December 2009, and then again in January for those whose tests were rescheduled due to technical glitches. The scorecard thus far does not explain any anomalies or queries students may have regarding how a comparative percentile can be determined for 12 different set of questions.Curiously, the score card has marked them out of 450 for a test that comprised 60 questions, spread over three sections that carry equal weightage.