The rat race is not so fierce to bell the cat this year round. Students seem apprehensive about sitting for the most prestigious management exam in India.

Fewer takers for CAT, deadline extended

The rat race is not so fierce to bell the cat this year round. Students seem apprehensive about sitting for the most prestigious management exam in India. According to sources, the total number of forms that authorities have received so far is around 1.7 lakh, compared to 2.5 lakh in 2008.

u00a0 Wary? Only 1.7 lakh applications for CAT have been received so far,
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Last year's hullabaloo over the exam going online and then getting mired in controversy may also have kept students away. Owing to these reasons, authorities organising Common Aptitude Test (CAT) have extended the deadline for registration for the exam by a week -- till October 7.
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Earlier, the registration was to close on September 30 but because of low number of application forms, the date has been extended. The examination is between October 27 and November 24.Coaching centres in the city admit the motivation to appear for CAT is low.

Swati Malhotra, centre director, Professional Tutorials, said, "The chaos during online tests has scared students and has affected their trust towards the authorities. I know students who had got 99.5 percentile and still didn't get a call from any of the IIMs."u00a0

Ishant Singh, a CAT aspirant, said, "I am preparing with a coaching centre that is giving us online practice."u00a0

Ravi Shankar Sharnagat, centre manager, career Launcher, added, "There are several students from smaller towns who are not well-versed with computers.
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They also have contributed to the low turn this time. Compared to XAT or MAT, the number of enquiries that we have received for CAT is very low."