Rachna Naidu is a 21-year-old IT graduate working in Hyderabad for a prominent IT company. She appeared for CAT this year from Sridevi Women's Engineering College. Naidu shares with us her experiences:

I had to buy a form worth Rs 1,400 from the local branch of Axis Bank. After filling the form I also had to register online where I was supposed enter my academic scores. Then I got an admit card on in my inbox, which I had to carry to the exam hall. The admit card has your testing ID that is sent by Prometric.

The registration is compulsory; without this they won't allow you to appear for the text.

Armed with the voucher that Axis Bank gave me when I purchased the form, the admit card and a photo ID, I went to the centre.

I underwent a series of checks that included a biometric verification and a photo session. They then told me to leave everything other than my photo ID, voucher and the admit card outside.

The test began on time. We had the option of going through a 15-minute tutorial where we were told how to go about giving the test online -- a kind of dummies' guide. The tutorial was very comprehensive but didn't give out any details about the marking system.

Inside the centre we were given a worksheet, a pencil and an eraser. We were supposed to submit the worksheet at the end of the test.

The test itself was quite simple. I had taken the TIME test series so I had a vague idea of what I was getting into.

But when I appeared for the real thing -- my first time -- I was pleasantly surprised to realise how simple it was! My Data Interpretation went well and the Verbal Ability section was a breeze. In Quant though I realised I needed to brush up on my formulae. There were 60 questions in all and about a quarter and two hours of time given to solve them.

Although I did not face any problems, a student who looked like he wasn't familiar with computers walked out 20 minutes after the test began. It seems he hit the End Test button by mistake and it was all over for him! I don't quite know how that happened because even after you hit the button there is a pop up telling you that proceeding further will end the test.

Did you take the CAT this year? What was the experience like for you? Did you face any technical glitches or did the test unfold smoothly? Share your CAT experiences and tips with us by writing in to getahead@rediff.co.in and we will publish them right here on rediff.com.

Shirish Kunder, 25, is yet to appear for the CAT. His date is December 6. Kunder has been following every single story, every single blog and forum that is out there in the virtual world. He shares with us his experiences:

I must confess it's somewhat silly, but the idea that it might happen to me scares me no end.

Online forums and blogs are giving test-takers a feel of what the first-ever online CAT looks like. And the consolation is that the test is somewhat simple and the number of questions is less. I am told the DI might be time consuming but Quant and Verbal Ability sections are quite moderately difficult.

It seems that I might be able to solve more questions than I initially hoped to. But the key, as my trainers keep telling me, is accuracy and not quantity. I am also told to brace myself for long waits and queues.

I know it sounds cliched but the idea is to keep your cool because it is after all a mind game.

Currently, I am solving papers and revising formulae. On the day before, I plan to do nothing related to the test and probably go to watch a movie. It helps me de-stress. And even though I am following the news online and on television, I will stop it after a point because there is nothing I can do but give the CAT my best shot.

Did you take the CAT this year? What was the experience like for you? Did you face any technical glitches or did the test unfold smoothly? Share your CAT experiences and tips with us by writing in to getahead@rediff.co.in and we will publish them right here on rediff.com.