SHOES, SOCKS, MEHNDI NOT ALLOWED IN CAT EXAM HALL

MUMBAI: Students appearing for the Common Admissions Test (CAT) 2016 to the 20 Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and other business schools this Sunday have been asked not to wear shoes and socks to examination centres. Candidates have also been asked not to paint their palms with mehndi designs as the dye could affect the quality of their finger prints that will be digitally scanned before the test, officials said.

The examination’s rules and regulations announced by this year’s convener for the examinations, the Indian Institute of Management- Bangalore (IIMB), on Friday evening, states that candidates wearing shoes or any closed footwear will have to leave it (including socks) outside the examination hall. They will be allowed to wear open footwear like sandals among others. The examination has also banned watches, fitness bands and other electronic gadgets inside the examination centres.

While the statement released by IIM-B doesn’t explain the reason for the rule, officials say it is a precautionary measure to control malpractices . Candidates, however, found these rules ‘absurd’. “Sitting in Bangalore, the management has clearly not understood what weather the students in north India will be facing in December. Many will end up struggling to stay warm during the test. How is that fair?” complained one of the aspirants .

“Candidates whose finger prints cannot be digitally scanned due to any of these reasons will not be permitted to take the test…i t is strongly recommended that candidates avoid applying mehndi on their hands (palm side) for at least five days prior to the test,” states the circular.

CAT 2016 will be conducted in two sessions across 138 cities.