Some students who took the computer-based Common Admission Test (CAT) this year were caught cheating on camera. They were subsequently asked to leave the examination centre, Prometric, the company which provided the software for the test, admitted for the first time.

Based on the video footage, site reports from the test centre administrators and site supervisors, Prometric will report to the IIMs. "Prometric removed some candidates for cheating while they were taking their test. We are now reviewing test score results and other testing data and the video footage of each exam will also be reviewed to look for other candidates who broke the rules.

Retest in January

Meanhwhile, the students who were not able to take the computer-based Common Admission Test (CAT) for admission to management institutes due to technical glitches may take a retest in the middle of January 2010.The number of affected students is estimated at 8,000.

"We will only allow those candidates who remain to be tested and all those who, through our review, are found to be genuinely affected by various glitches during their last testing occasion," the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) said in a statement today.

CAT 2009, marred by technical glitches, will not be scrapped. However, the IIMs will review their contract with Prometric, the firm that conducted the country's first computer-based CAT from November 28 to December 8.

"IIMs have decided to continue with the computer-based test for 2009. We also look forward to continue the CAT through computer-based testing in future. The IIMs will put in place a system to identify all the genuine students who failed to appear in the test and are in the process of setting up the criteria that will be used to objectively select the affected candidates.

Nearly 240,000 students had registered for the test for admission into IIMs and a few other B-schools, of which almost 216,000 have completed the test so far. Around 24,000 had not come when the test began.