IIT-B student among country’s CAT toppers

MUMBAI: Chirag Jha, 21, a chemical engineering student of IIT-Bombay, was one of the country’s toppers in the common admission test (CAT) 2015. He bagged the perfect score and was probably IIT-B’s highest scorer in the current batch. But results of around 1.8 lakh aspirants were announced amidst confusion on Friday.
The Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, the organising IIM this year, released the results at 1pm via SMS, the first time the method was used. But at around 9am, many who logged on to the CAT website could see their scorecards. The IIMs blocked the site immediately even as students alleged that the scores were leaked.
Once the site was blocked, students panicked and started calling the CAT office. Many believed the scores they saw were not final. They were relieved only after they got the SMS with their final score. Results were finally uploaded at around 6pm. “We sent SMSes to students with their scores prior to releasing it online, to reduce traffic on the site,” said professor Tathagata Bandyopadhyay, convenor of CAT 2015 from IIM-Ahmedabad. He refuted allegations of a result leak. “Some students who logged on to the site on Friday morning managed to see their scorecards via the source code due to some technical glitch. It can’t be termed a ‘result leak’. They saw scores in advance, but the loophole was plugged,” he added. Officials also claimed there was a glitch at TCS’ end that allowed students to view the source code page.
Several students claimed they lost marks in data interpretation and logical reasoning in this year’s CAT as the section was tough. Coaching institute mentor Vinayak Kudva too said DI and LR scores pulled down the scores of students.
Jha, a Lokhandwala boy, said he was indecisive about his career path. “I have a pre-placement offer from a firm where I did my internship. I will take a decision on whether to opt for the job or a B-school degree only after speaking to my seniors from the firm and a few friends. Right now, I am preparing for my interviews,” he said.
Ruchi Aggarwal, a commerce student of NM College in Vile Parle, scored 99.99 percentile. Another IIT-B student, Anuj Shah, of the metallurgical engineering department, scored 99.89 percentile.