CMAT 2016 student reaction: Exam marred with glitches

CMAT 2016 was conducted on January 17, 2016, from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm.

According to various reports from across the country, the exam was marred with glitches and mis-management.

In some centres in Ahmedabad, candidates could start taking the test from 10:10 am, instead of the scheduled time of 9:30 am.

Moreover, the seating arrangement was a little baffling. "We had difficulty locating our exam stations. Also, candidates were sitting very close to each other and could easily peek at nearby screens. There was no partition," said a test taker from Ahmedabad.

Earlier, the admit cards were mailed to respective candidates just three days before the exam. Many test takers were alloted centres far from home. "Many of my students have opted out of the exam due to mismanagement and distance factors. People had trouble locating the centres," informed CMAT expert Mikin Shah.

CMAT 2016 exam analysis: Quant difficult, reasoning easy.

With every passing year, the difficulty level of CMAT has only gone up. Earlier, the exam was held twice a year – once in February and once in September, but from now on, it will be held only once in a year. With exam being held only once a year now, experts are expecting a higher difficulty level in the paper this time. 

CMAT 2016 results will be declared on January 21, 2016.

Top scores in CMAT exam over the last few years

CMAT 2016	?
CMAT February 2015	326
CMAT September 2014	323
CMAT February 2014	317
CMAT September 2013	326
CMAT February 2013	376

Shiksha reached an exam center in Delhi to catch a glimpse of the candidates who were appearing for CMAT exam. We also spoke to some candidates to get their reaction on the exam. 

“Earlier, the exam was held twice a year, but from this year onwards it will be held only once in a year. Let’s see what changes will be observed in the difficulty level of the exam. According to experts, this year the paper will be more difficult. I had appeared for the exam last year in September also, so I think I will be able to judge whether the difficulty level has increased or not”, said Harshit. 

We also spoke to Mitali, and this is what she had to say, “I have prepared well for the exam. My only fear is the General Knowledge section, where I lack a little. Apart from that I think I will be able to attempt other sections well.” 

Another candidate, Sonali was excited about the exam. She said , “It is nice to see that even though it is so cold, so many candidates are coming in for the exam. I have been preparing for the exam from the past 5 months, and I am pretty confident about my preparation. All that I have to keep a track of is time.” 

“I have been hearing much about the rise in the difficulty level of this year’s exam, but I think before commenting on the same, I would like to first go and give the exam, and check out its level of difficulty. Talking about my preparation, I do not have any strategy in mind, but yes, I will make sure that I read every question, so that I can judge which question will be the best for me to attempt,” said Pranav, another aspirant. 

Geetu was very nervous about the exam and said, “I could not score well in CAT, but I hope I clear CMAT successfully. I have given 100% efforts in preparing for the exam, but what will happen will be known only when I actually attempt the paper.”

Shiksha once again got in touch with candidates as soon as they came out of the exam centre. According to the candidates, Maths section was a little difficult whereas other sections were easy, Logical Reasoning being the simplest of all. Here is what the candidates had to say:

Smriti Agarwal, a B.com student from AMU said, “The paper was overall good. Maths section was difficult. In General Knowledge section, there were pictures of various personalities and one had to identify the same. I found that a little difficult.”

Siddharth Kumar, a commerce said, “The paper was very easy for me. There were no surprise elements in the paper. The General Knowledge section was a little difficult as it was full of questions related to history. As far as Quant is considered, it would have been easy for those who were well aware of the concepts.”

Siddhant Mahan, a B.B.A student was another candidate who spoke to us. He said, “This was my second attempt, and this year’s paper was easier than last year’s paper. The easiest section was Logical Reasoning. English comprehension and General Knowledge sections were quite easy. I did not attempt much in the Maths section – that section was a little difficult. Overall it was not a very tough paper.”

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