C.A.T.! This is not the usual meaning of the term ‘CAT’. It’s not the animal or the common admission test that MBA aspirants take in India. It stands for Computer Adaptive Test.
You haven’t heard of it before. Although you may not be familiar with the name, I am certain that you are familiar with how it works. Let me explain.
Did you notice that the difficulty of an online test can increase with correct answers, and decrease with incorrect answers? This is the secret to CAT. It adapts to the intelligence and keeps doing so until it reaches the right level. You might be wondering what the right level is. Let me clarify.
The right level is when you either choose the wrong answers or the right answers in succession. Based on your choices, the computer will determine if the candidate is successful.
If the candidate continues to answer questions correctly and incorrectly in a series of questions, then the sequence (of throwing difficult questions when the candidate is wrong and easy questions if the candidate answers them correctly) will continue until it reaches the correct level. In a time limit of three hours, the candidate must answer 150 questions, of which 100 are mandatory.
The computer will evaluate candidates based on their performance average if the right level isn’t clear. If the candidate is running out of time or has not reached the correct level, then performance is evaluated based upon the performance of the candidate in the 75 most recent questions of the minimum 100. A candidate is considered unsuccessful if he/she fails to answer 100 questions within the three-hour time limit. Candidats who maintain the correct level of correct answers until they reach the maximum 150 are considered successful.