Vast Majority of CAT Candidates Are Well Adapted to the Computer-based Format

GURGAON, India - March 20, 2013 - PRLog -- New Delhi, India, 20 March 2013 – Prometric, trusted provider of market-leading test development and delivery solutions, reveals that a vast majority of CAT candidates are well adapted to the computer-based format of the prestigious management admission test. This is based on the key findings from a recent survey conducted at the end of the CAT 2012 which indicate that the mean satisfaction level among surveyed candidates is above 92%. More than 64000 students participated in the survey.

As IIM’s partner in developing and delivering the CAT since 2009, Prometric has continued to review and improve the processes to provide the best candidate experience. Intended as an objective way of getting direct feedback from candidates, Prometric designed the survey to include demographic, multiple-choice, rating scales and open-ended questions.

“The IIMs have entrusted Prometric to deliver a consistent and fair testing experience to all CAT candidates,” said Soumitra Roy, Managing Director, Prometric India. “We conducted this survey to get honest feedback from candidates and are delighted to have received such positive validation on the quality of our service. We will continue to learn and improve every year.” He added.

The survey measured satisfaction levels in nine areas of the candidate experience, from pre-exam information through to the registration process, candidate care support and test navigation and functionality. Candidates were asked to rate each area on a five-point scale ranging from ‘Very Satisfactory’ to ‘Very Unsatisfactory’. Seven out of the nine areas received satisfactory ratings from an overwhelming majority (89% – 98%) of the respondents while the remaining two areas received over 85%, making the mean satisfaction level across all areas above 92%. While a small percentage (7 – 9%) of the survey respondents had not made use of the preparatory material on the CAT website, a large majority (89 – 91%) found the practice test and test day video to be useful in familiarising them with the navigation and functionality of the actual test, and test day procedures respectively.

* Mean satisfaction level across all nine areas = 92.4%

Candidates were also surveyed on key influences that relate to their decisions on CAT. A majority of 64% of the respondents stated that their main reason for taking the test was to apply to the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), and 90% would consider taking it twice if that option was made available.

Majority of the survey respondents (68%) had taken the CAT for the first time in 2012. Of those who had taken the CAT previously, 83% found their experience to be either more satisfactory or similar to their last experience.

The survey was administered through a third-party online survey tool. Prometric distributed the email link to candidates after the end of the CAT 2012 testing window, and a total of 64,575 respondents completed the online questionnaire over a period of three weeks.

The detailed feedback is being analysed by Prometric and will form part of the input for the continuous improvement process for the CAT programme.

The CAT is conducted by the IIMs as a pre-requisite for admission to the various management programmes offered by each IIM.

Prometric

Prometric Testing Private Limited (Prometric India) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Prometric Inc. and has been present in India since 1997. Our operations span nine locations and employ over 200 people. Prometric India delivers over 650,000 exams annually through a network of close to 450 testing centres. India represents a core part of Prometric’s growth strategy, both as a regional operations location and as a market for its globally distributed testing services.

Prometric, a wholly-owned subsidiary of ETS, is a trusted provider of technology-enabled testing and assessment. As the global standard in professional competency measurement, Prometric reliably delivers 10 million tests per year on behalf of 400 clients in the academic, financial, government, healthcare, professional, corporate and information technology markets. Through innovation, workflow automation and standardisation, Prometric achieves customer-inspired advances that are better, faster and at less cost for its clients, helping to put the right people in the right jobs at the right time. Prometric delivers tests flexibly via the Web or by utilising a robust network of more than 8,000 test centres in more than 160 countries.

For more information, please visit www.prometric.com.