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What would be your top 3 suggestions for a candidate aiming to make it to IIM A/ B/ C with a year and half until the CAT exam?
Here are a few tips that you mind find useful if you are preparing for CAT.
- Focus on your academics, if you have time to improve your profile. If you don’t forget about it and concentrate on CAT preparation.
- Preparing with a group can be fun. You can evaluate and compare your progress with others. It is also easier to stay motivated.
- Learn the best approach and method to solve all types of problems that come in CAT. Give ample number of tests. Analyze the tests thoroughly. Keep tabs on the common mistakes you make and try not to repeat them.
Last but not the least, stay motivated throughout your CAT journey.
What percentile should I score in CAT (GEM) to have a fair chance for IIM ABCLKIS, MDI, FMS, SPJIMR, and NITIE provided I have 95% in both 10th, 12th and 8.7 CGPA in BTech (fresher)?
To increase your chances of getting a call from different MBA colleges, it's important to know their criteria for selection.
- IIM Indore focuses primarily on academic scores.
- MDI doesn't consider academic scores but may grill candidates for low scores.
- Bangalore looks for both academics and work experience.
- Calcutta typically gives out calls to candidates with very high percentiles.
- Ahmedabad looks for academic diversity.
- SPJIMR considers your overall profile and academics.
- Kozhikode focuses on gender diversity and requires a very high percentile score.
- Shillong and NITIE typically call candidates with scores around 97, but NITIE has a higher cutoff for VARC.
- For Bangalore, a fresher may need a score of around 99.8-99.9, and with work experience, a score of around 98.8 may suffice.
- For Kozhikode, aim for a percentile score of 99.9 or above.
- FMS typically calls candidates with a score of 99.3 but aims for a score of 99.6 to increase conversion chances.
What is the minimum CAT score required to get into IIM A, B, C or FMS, DU or MDI, Gurgaon?
The entire admission process to any college is divided into 2 broad spectrums; the initial shortlisting and the Final Selection. While it is easy to get a rough estimate of the minimum CAT score required to fetch calls from institutes like IIM ABC, FMS Delhi, and MDI Gurgaon, one cannot predict the CAT score required to get selected in the final round. This is because the final selection is done on the basis of a number of factors like CAT, Interview, academic background and overall profile. Based on my research and experience, I have tried my best to give a general overview of the CAT cutoff of these institutes individually.
IIM Ahmedabad: The minimum CAT score required for admission in IIM Ahmedabad MBA (PGP) for 2023 Admission is the 80 percentile. However, the actual CAT Cutoff for IIM Ahmedabad usually ranges between 99-100. They shortlist the top 50/100 people from different academic fields provided they clear the basic cutoff.
IIM Bangalore: The minimum cutoff for MBA Admission at IIM Bangalore is 85 percentile. However, candidates having a CAT Score of 99 percentile or more can expect a call from IIM Bangalore. They weigh in things like academic records and work-ex for giving out interview calls. So you can receive a call at a score of 95 and you can also not receive a call even at 99.99 %ile.
IIM Calcutta: Candidates must have obtained at least 85 percentile in CAT overall. IIM Calcutta gives major weightage to the CAT score and gender diversity.
FMS Delhi: FMS gives calls solely on the basis of CAT score and does not give any weightage to past academics at all. So the FMS CAT cutoff is as high as the 98 percentile.
MDI Gurgaon: MDI Gurgaon CAT Cutoff range between 93 and 95 percentile for admission 2023.
Should I prepare for the CAT and try for IIM Calcutta if I get selected for IPM and leave IPM Indore after graduation?
If you have been admitted to IIM Indore for their IPM program, enroll and excel in your first three years. You can then decide if it will be beneficial to take the CAT in order to go somewhere other than IIM Indore.
Yes, IIM Calcutta is more prestigious than IIM Indore, but you will need to perform exceptionally well in the CAT to be considered. The change makes sense if you are admitted to IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore, or Calcutta.
Can I hope to convert an IIM Calcutta call with a CAT percentile of 98.85?
When it comes to the final decision, your CAT score only has a 30% weightage. Your WAT and PI scores are heavily weighted, with only a minor weightage given to Academic Diversity and Work Experience. So it all depends on how well you do in those.
You can be optimistic, but if there is someone doing equally well on all other fronts as you while having a higher CAT score than you, the institute will obviously prefer them over you. There is so much competition out there that you cannot afford to lose points anywhere, especially at IIM ABC. To give you an idea, there are many students who do not receive an IIM Calcutta call despite having a 98.90%ile and 10, 8 academic scores.
To summarize, do your best and hope that not many people perform better than you, and you will have a converted call from IIM Calcutta.
Does getting a 99 Percentile in CAT guarantee you a seat in IIM-A, B or C?
No, a 99 percentile in CAT does not guarantee a seat in IIM A B or C. One of my friends had an amazing profile with
- 99 percentile in CAT
- above 90 past academic scores (10th and 12th)
- Tier 1 undergraduate institute (Old NIT)
- 5 internships
- one international project in the US
- great extracurricular record (many awards in sports)
- Proficiency in multiple languages
- Leadership experiences
- Research papers
Despite having such a high profile he failed to get a single interview call from any IIM. The reservation policy combined with favour towards female candidates minimises the opportunities for even top CAT percentilers.
What is the key to score 98+ plus percentile in the CAT? If I can get IIM Calcutta, how am I going to arrange the fees of 30 lakhs?
There is no specific way to score 98+ percentile. The only key is to find your weak areas and work on them. Yet I have compiled a list of tips that might help you in your journey of preparing for CAT.
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Prior to preparing for the exam, give one or two mock tests to identify your weak and strong areas. This will help you focus more on the areas you are weak.
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Don’t set unrealistic goals like 98 or 99. Set a goal that you are confident you can achieve else you will end up getting demotivated and disappointed.
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Don’t join coaching classes or turn to CAT experts unless you find it almost impossible to understand the concepts on your own. This is because classes will consume a lot of time and you might not get time to practice the concepts you have learned.
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Gather the best study material and self-study.
All these tips will not guarantee a 98+ CAT score but they will surely improve your score to a great extent.
Is it advisable to forgo admission offer from IIM Calcutta and prepare for UPSC? How risky is it? And is the reward worth the risk?
Forgoing an admission offer from Calcutta and preparing for UPSC is a risky choice. Whether this is a good decision depends on your goals and how soon you are willing to achieve them. If you are falling short of time, then you can devote the entire 2 years to UPSC preparation.
But if you prefer quality over quantity then my suggestion would be to pursue MBA along with it. Surely the first year will be challenging. You might face serious issues managing both the tasks at hand. But trust me the results will be amazing. Pursuing an MBA will change your perspectives regarding the issues around the world. You won’t just study for UPSC you will learn from it. Moreover, you can select management as your elective in UPSC. Management and administrative services are correlated.
If you have less time in hand forgo the admission offer and prepare for UPSC. But if you want to crack a qualitative UPSC pursue MBA along with it.
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