What Happens After I give my CAT exam?

So you are done with the mammoth task of giving the CAT 2016 test. You have a fair idea of how you have fared in the exam. But ultimately, you fate is in the hands of the 2016 CAT paper invigilators. And all you can do is sit like a duck and wait for the results, right? Wrong.

These are small things that you should know and you can do to correctly assess your expected scores for CAT 2016 exam. Indian Institute of Managements adopts a highly mechanized and systematic approach during evaluation of the CAT answer sheets. First, the raw scores of CAT 2016 will be calculated, followed by processes, such as Normalization be included to give a fair percentile ranking to CAT takers. And the process of Equating allows accurate comparisons to be made, which, ultimately contribute to your overall percentile.

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Everything you should know about post-CAT Exam:

How will my initial raw scores be calculated?

Your raw scores will be calculated for each section based on the number of questions you have answered correctly, incorrectly, or omitted. You will be given +3 points for each correct answer and -1 point for each incorrect answer. There will be no points for questions that are not answered. This scoring methodology ensures that candidates are only awarded points for what they know. Get detailed information here. [FG1]

How will the 2016 CAT score be evaluated?

The CAT, like virtually all large-scale exams, will utilize multiple forms, or versions, of the test. While all forms are carefully assembled to ensure that the content is comparable, the difficulty of each form may vary slightly. Such minor differences in the overall difficulty level cannot be accurately measured until after all of the forms have been administered and the results analyzed.

To facilitate this comparison, each form will contain equating blocks comprising a pre-defined number of statistically profiled questions selected from a large item bank. By comparing candidate responses to these equating blocks across multiple forms, the ability level of the individuals can be evaluated and the precise difficulty of the forms calculated. The raw scores are then adjusted, as necessary, through a process called equating.

Equating assures fairness for all candidates by allowing accurate comparisons to be made of performance across all of the test forms. Equated raw scores are then placed on a common scale or metric to ensure appropriate interpretation of the scores. This process is called Scaling.

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What scores will be presented to me on the day of the result?

Since CAT 2016 will be conducted in two sessions, two different Test Forms shall be administered in both of the Sessions. In order to ensure fairness and equity in comparison of performances of the candidates across different test sessions, the scores of the candidates shall be subjected to a process of Normalization.

What is the process of Normalization?

CAT 2016 shall be conducted in two sessions. Two different Test Forms shall be administered in two Test Sessions. In order to ensure fairness and equity in comparison of performances of the candidates across different test sessions, the scores of the candidates shall be subjected to a process of Normalization. The Normalization process shall adjust for location and scale differences of score distributions across different forms. After normalization across different forms, the scores shall be further normalized across different sections. The scaled scores obtained by this process shall be converted into percentiles for purposes of shortlisting.

The process of Normalization is an established practice for comparing a candidate’s scores across multiple Forms and is similar to those being adopted in other large educational selection tests conducted in India, such as Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE). For normalization across sections, the percentile equivalence will be used.

What will be the Normalization Process for CAT result?

• Adjust for location and scale differences of score distributions across different forms
• Then the scores will be further normalized across different sections
• The scaled scores obtained by this process shall be converted into percentiles for purposes of shortlisting

For reporting purposes, Scaled Scores for each section viz., Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Ability (QA)) and Total score, along with the percentile shall be published.

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What is Percentile Ranking?

A percentile rank is the percentage of scores that fall below a given score. For example, a 75 percentile would imply that your score is greater than or equal to 75% of the total CAT test-takers.

Percentile rankings are provided for each individual section as well as for the overall exam score. Raw scores will not be made available under any circumstance, as they do not represent a fair interpretation of your performance in relation to other candidates who have taken the CAT during the same testing window.

Taking Admission to MBA Colleges:

Basis you CAT percentile score, you will get a call from the colleges individually, provided you had already individually applied to that college earlier. Each college follows its own application deadline – some before the last date of application for CAT and some after. Usually, many colleges keep their application deadline open till January of the next year.

Besides CAT 2016 percentile, MBA colleges follow their own shortlisting parameter usually comprising of Essay Writing, Group Discussion, Statement of Purpose, Case Analysis, Personal Interview or Extempore etc.

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