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Selection Criteria for IIM A, B and C

D2C Admin

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We all know that CAT preparation can be rigorous and achievable but getting into the top 3 IIMs (Indian Institute of management) can be quite difficult due to a variety of reasons. We are witnessing a boom in the job sector as top corporates prefer business graduates from IIM. Moreover, each year the number of exam takers is rising exponentially as management has become everyone’s domain, be it for engineers or someone from a commerce background.

Students try hard and secure a high percentile in CAT. However, a lot of students feel confused about the selection criteria for top IIMs like IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore and Calcutta. Recently, these top institutes released their admission criteria for 2019-21 batch. Let us understand in detail what each of the campuses really looks for?

It is common knowledge that CAT percentile dominates the scene everywhere, even when applying for the course in the IIMs. CAT is a nationwide management entrance exam which is conducted by one of the IIMs every year on a rotational basis. CAT 2018 will be conducted by IIM Calcutta on November 25, 2018, Sunday.

IIM Admission Criteria 2019-21

All the IIMs, as a rule, pursue a two-phase determination process. In the first phase, CAT score is a deciding element. The shortlisted candidates from the first phase go thorough WAT (Written Admission Test) and PI (Personal Interview) rounds.

The vast majority of the IIMs give the most weightage to Personal Interview and CAT score for confirmations. In any case, factors like academic cut-offs, past academic performance, relevant work experience, gender diversity etc. are some noteworthy criteria which can dictate the final selection.

Each IIM has their own admission criteria and when contrasted with the earlier year, there has not been much change as far as CAT cutoff or determination technique and criteria.

IIMs do not conduct any common counseling process. The six new IIMs conduct Common Admission Process (CAP) which includes common Written Admission Test (WAT) and Personal Interview (PI) rounds. However, the participating institutes declare separate merit lists. The newly made IIMs like IIM Sirmaur and IIM Jammu, do not conduct WAT-PI rounds and declare merit list based on CAT score, past academic records, work experience and diversity factors.

IIM Ahmedabad Admission Criteria

The selection at IIM Ahmedabad depends on various elements - Performance in CAT, WAT and PI, scholastic, co-curricular and additional accomplishments, work experience and so forth. Students need to score a minimum of the percentile as specified category wise below to get short-listed. However, making it to IIM Ahmedabad can be tough as even 0.5 change in percentile can be deciding factor.

General – 80

NC-OBC – 75

SC – 70

ST – 60

PWD (General, NC-OBC-cum-transgender, SC) – 70

PWD (ST) - 60

The short-listed candidates will be called for PI & WAT rounds. After these rounds, all the deciding factors will be taken into consideration before finalising the admission.

Here is the weightage distribution for IIM A-

The candidates are shortlisted based on CAT score+ 10th+12th+Bachelors

CS (Composite Score) = 0.3 (Normalised AR score) + 0.7 (Normalised overall score in CAT-2018)

IIM Bangalore Admission Criteria

The criteria for admission to IIM Bangalore is almost similar to what it was a year ago. However, there has been a decrease in the CAT cutoff for contenders falling under ST and PWD category for shortlisting. In order to receive the final call, applicants not only need to score well in CAT but also outshine in their PI round. Writing ability and past academic records will likewise be of immense consideration. Factors alongside their weightage for the last determination are given below:

PI – 30

CAT score – 25

WAT – 10

Bachelor’s Degree – 10

Work Experience – 10

10th Marks – 10

12th Marks – 5

IIM Calcutta Admission Criteria

The very first IIM of the country also keeps Personal Interview factor on the top in terms of weightage given to the different factors for admission. IIM Calcutta short-lists the students on the basis of their CAT score (overall and sectional). The cutoff percentile varies from category to category. The institute also considers marks in X and XII marks as one of its selection criteria. There is also a gender diversity factor which is taken into consideration before finalising the selection of a candidate. Here is the category-wise CAT cutoff for CAT 2018 -

General – 90

NC-OBC – 85

SC – 70

ST – 70

PWD/DA – 70

For the final selection procedure, IIM-C gives maximum weightage to Personal Interview (48), followed by CAT score (30), WAT (10), work experience (8) and past academic performance (2). The calculation is based on a computation process.