FILLING UP THE CAT FORM : AVOID ERRORS

FILLING UP THE CAT FORM : Common Mistakes that need to be avoided

The Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) have published their admission notification in all major newspapers on Sunday, 14th July, 2008. The Common Admission Test (CAT) will be held on November 16th this year.   The prospectus and forms are available from branches of Axis Bank. One can also obtain the form in exceptional circumstances from the IIMs.   The form is easy to fill. It is just 2 pages long, but students often make mistakes in filling up the form, resulting in the form getting destroyed, and a waste of Rs 1200. Or you may miss out the chance to appear in the exam altogether in case your form is rejected for a small mistake.   The points listed here may seem trivial, but you will be surprised how many students make these mistakes! In our teaching of students for CAT of over 15 years we have found some of the most common mistakes that students do:    1. MAKE SURE you fill in the bank's pay-in slip properly. One copy of the pay-in slip is to be sent along with the form, so preserve it. Many students tend to misplace it. If your name is "Rajesh Kumar Gupta" this name should appear on the pay-in slip. Do not shorten the name or make any changes.    2. DO NOT buy the form in bulk or ask your friends/relatives to buy it for you. There are two dangers in this. First, the pay-in slip may have a discrepancy. Second, the the forms might get interchanged. If the serial number of the form does not match your name, the form is liable to be rejected. Every year a number of students make this mistake.    3. MAKE A photocopy of the blank form and fill up the form as instructed, before you fill up the actual form. Calculate your school and college percentage before you start filling the form.   4. SOME PARTS of the form are to be filled in pencil and some parts are to be filled in pen. Ensure that the parts must be filled in pen and pencil as instructed.    5. CHECK OUT your eligibility. If you have not completed your bachelor's degree or if you have completed your final year and waiting for results, you must obtain a letter from the Principal/Head of the Department/ Registrar/Director of the university/institution certifying that you are currently in the final year/ is awaiting final results and has obtained at least 50% marks or equivalent (45% in case of candidates belonging to SC/ST/PWD category) based on latest available grades/marks. Principals usually hesitate in giving such letters so be prepared for several trips to the college office!    6. IF YOU have passed your final exams and have the marks sheet or degree, send a photocopy of that with the form.  7. GET COPIES of the latest photograph of yours and put it where instructed.    8. DO NOT fill in wrong information, either about your degrees or marks, or about your work experience. Any experience less than 9 months is not to be filled in.    9. DO NOT round off your marks. If you have 59.99% marks in your college, do not write 60%. Students tend to make such mistakes.    10. FILL UP the address where you will get mail. For instance, if you are in a hostel or paying guest, your mail will get lost if you leave the hostel by the time your result comes.    11. DO NOT staple any papers on your form. The bank pay-in slip and a copy of your certificate should be enclosed in the envelope without any pins or staples.    12. REFER TO the CAT bulletin for codes of your university and course. Only codes are to be filled in.    13. DO NOT fill the form in presence of your friends or relatives.    14. GET YOUR form checked by an experienced teacher/counsellor before sending.    Issue of CAT Bulletins by Axis Bank STARTS  JULY 14, 2008 (Monday)  Issue of CAT Bulletins by Axis Bank ENDS  AUGUST 8, 2008 (Friday)  Issue of CAT Bulletins by IIMs ENDS AUGUST 13, 2008 (Wednesday)    Last date for receipt of completed CAT 2008 Application Forms September 5, 2008   Common Admission Test 2008 Date  NOVEMBER 16, 2008 (Sunday)