CAT 2018 exam on November 25, 2018 will be held in two sessions – Morning and Afternoon. After getting well prepared for CAT D-day and coming a long way from the far off places to take CAT exam and make your dream of joining an IIM or other top B-school, one of the avoidable mistakes may put you into trouble and you may not be able either to take the exam or not utilise your preparation to maximise your score in CAT 2018. However, adhering to key CAT day instructions issued by IIMs and avoiding a few mistakes may help you take CAT with greater confidence and come out of the testing hall with flying colours.
Only a day remains for the CAT 2018 exam day which is on Sunday November 25. IIMs have issued specific do’s and don’ts for the 2.41 lakh CAT aspirants who have registered to appear in CAT 2018 in a single day.
CAT 2018 test takers have been categorically advised by IIMs to meticulously follow these CAT exam day instructions to make sure that they appear in the exam without unnecessarily getting subjected to different type of problems before or during the CAT exam on November 25, 2018.
All your hard preparation for CAT 2018 may go waste if you do not get clear understanding on your testing room strategy beforehand. It is very important that you should know when to reach the CAT test centre, what you should or shouldn’t wear, which articles you should gather a day before the exam so that you carry the same with you, how your CAT 2018 exam will begin, how you should answer the MCQs and non-MCQs in testing lab and what events will take place immediately before, during and after the CAT 2018 exam.
1. Gather your documents: Only two documents you need to gather. The first one is your CAT 2018 Admit card print out with your photo pasted on it apart from the scanned one that already exists and the second one is to keep ready your original photo ID proof as advised in your CAT Admit Card.
2. Adhere to CAT Exam Reporting Time: You are supposed to reach at your CAT 2018 test centre by 7.30AM for morning session and by 1PM for afternoon session. Getting late could put you in trouble, so reach in time. IIMs have already warned against getting delayed by sending SMS to eligible candidates as in certain states there are either elections going on or the election campaign processions can delay your movement. It is better to locate your test centre on Saturday, November 24 and check for the transport available to help you reach on time.
3. Shoes Not Allowed: CAT 2018 as computer based test is different from other MBA entrance exams. You are not allowed to wear shoes and if you do, your shoes and socks will not be allowed inside the testing room. It will therefore be better to wear Chappals/Sandals or slippers.
4. No Mehndi, Please: It is a very important instruction for the girl candidates who apply Mehndi regularly on their palms. Applying Hina (Mehndi) on palm side may be a hindrance in getting your biometrics captured. Accordingly you should not apply any Menhdi or Henna on your fingers on palm side to avoid any problem inside the testing lab. On the day of the test, your digital finger print scan will be captured.
If your finger prints cannot be digitally scanned due to reasons like applying Mehndi / henna / any cosmetic colours etc., will not be permitted to take the test. It is therefore, strongly recommended that you should avoid applying Mehndi on your hands (palm side) prior to the test.
5. Attention! No Jewellery, Jackets Allowed: You are not allowed to wear any metal jewellery or jacket inside the CAT testing room. So don’t make a mistake of wearing either. If you do, you will have to take it out at your risk, as there may not be any arrangement for safekeeping of the same. Besides, any electronic gadget like mobile phones, watches, calculators of any type or stationery items are not allowed inside the CAT testing hall. So, don’t carry any of them.
6. Check Reference Number – your guide to designated seat: Your CAT 2018 Admit Card has distinct 10 digit Reference Number which should be different from your CAT registration number. Your seat allocation at the designation work station would be according to your Reference number and not as per your registration number. So check it in advance to avoid any inconvenience on the exam day.
7. No tutorial before the test: You will not find a 15 minutes tutorial just before the exam on your computer screen also and therefore you must be well prepared how to proceed during the exam with sectional time constraints.
8. Don’t use key board during the test: At no point during the test, the candidate should touch the keyboard. Doing so will lock the terminal. All answer choices should be made using the mouse.
9. Practice the Navigation tools today: CAT 2018 has provided the facility to the aspirants to know the status of the question. The Question Palette displayed on the right side of screen will show the status of each question. There will be 4 colour symbols to indicate the status of the question on the right hand side of question-answer screen
Green - Answered question; Red - Unanswered question; White - Question not viewed; Violet – Question marked for review. It will be better to practice on the navigation tool in advance with official CAT mock test and understand the process.
10. Avoid Use of on screen calculator in CAT: Unless you are well versed with the use of CAT on screen calculator, avoid its use. CAT toppers studying at IIMs, FMS, SPJIMR have suggested to avoid on screen calculator for calculations as it is more time consuming. Instead they advise to use your brain power for calculation and save time.
Important Points to Note for CAT Exam Day
- CAT 2018 test duration is for a total time of 3 hours.
- PWD/DA candidates with scribe requirements will be allowed an extra hour.
- All candidates will start the test at the same time when the invigilator signals to start.
- Candidates are to remain at their seats for the entire duration of the test even if they complete their test early.
- The sectional Submit button will be enabled only upon completion of sectional test time of 60 minutes.
- For any issues during the test, you are supposed to raise your hand to notify the invigilator.
- Stay seated and explain the issue to the invigilator who approaches you. Under no circumstance, should you move from your seat until the end of exam time.
Stay tuned to MBAUniverse.com for more tips and updates for CAT 2018
