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How to Get Into IIM: Selection Criteria, Cutoff, Admission Process

How to Get Into IIM: Selection Criteria, Cutoff, Admission Process

Edited By Team Careers360 | Updated on Jun 25, 2024 03:24 PM IST | #CAT

Getting into an IIM is the ultimate dream for every management aspirant. To get into an IIM, the first thing to do is to take the CAT exam. There are approx. 5500 seats in all of the IIMs across the country. All these seats are filled in through the CAT examination only. IIM does not undertake candidates through any other process. IIM Calcutta will conduct the CAT 2024 exam.

How to Get Into IIM: Selection Criteria, Cutoff, Admission Process
How to Get Into IIM: Selection Criteria, Cutoff, Admission Process

The IIM has a series of rounds to evaluate the candidates on different parameters like communication, public speaking, creativity, idea presentation, etc. The IIMs also have reservation criteria for the candidates from the reserved categories.

IIM Selection Criteria

First of all, to become eligible for applying to an IIM, a candidate must satisfy the following eligibility criteria.

  • A candidate must have a 3 year Bachelor’s degree in any stream

  • The candidate must have at least 50% marks or an equivalent CGPA (45% for the reserved category candidates) from a UGC-recognised institute.

  • A valid CAT scorecard.

  • A CAT percentile at par with the CAT cutoff

Next, the selection criteria for IIM comprises the CAT score which is used to shortlist candidates for the PI rounds. The shortlisted candidates are invited for a Personal Interview with a panel of experts. At some IIMs WAT (Writing Aptitude Test) is also conducted. The performance of the candidates is evaluated by the committee. After that, IIMs release a final merit list of candidates who are selected for the MBA/PGDM academic batch.

IIM CAT Cutoff

The CAT cutoff for IIM depends on certain factors like the difficulty level of the CAT exam, the number of qualifying candidates, normalization of scores, seat matrix, reservation criteria, etc. Clearing the CAT cutoff is a must. In addition to that, the candidate must also clear the section cutoff for each CAT exam section. The 2024 expected CAT cutoff for different IIMs is provided in the table below.

Name of the IIM

CAT Cutoff 2024 (Expected)

CAT Cutoff 2023

IIM Ahmedabad

99-100

99.68

IIM Bangalore

99-100

99.89

IIM Calcutta

99

99.71

IIM Lucknow

97+

98

IIM Indore

97+

98

IIM Kozhikode

97-98

98

IIM Amritsar

95+

96

IIM Nagpur

95+

96

IIM Sambalpur

95+

96

IIM Trichy

94

95

IIM Raipur

94

95

IIM Ranchi

94

95

IIM Vizag

94

95

IIM Udaipur

92

93

IIM Bodh Gaya

92

93

IIM Shillong

92

93

IIM Sirmaur

90

92

IIM Rohtak

95

96

IIM Mumbai

95

96

Frequently Asked Question (FAQs)

1. How can I get into the IIM?

To get into the IIM a candidate must take the CAT exam and score at par with the CAT cutoff specified by the IIM that is aimed for. The candidate then needs to perform well in the PI round to get into IIM by getting shortlisted in the final merit list.

2. Can I directly join IIM after the 12th?

Candidates can not join the MBA at IIM after the 12th. However, they can join certain IIMs that have a 5 year integrated program in management (IPMAT). IPMAT program is provided by IIM Jammu, IIM Rohtak, IIM Bodh Gaya, IIM Indore, and IIM Ranchi

3. What is the CAT cutoff for IIM?

The CAT cutoff for the top IIMs is between the 99 to 100 percentile. This is the percentile at which the final selection happens. The qualifying CAT percentile for IIM ranges from 70 to 80 depending on the particular IIM. At this percentile, a candidate becomes eligible to apply to the particular IIM to participate in its selection process.

4. What is the IIM age limit?

There is no prescribed age limit for IIM as per the latest updates. The CAT exam too does not have any age limit applicable to the candidates.

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Questions related to CAT

Have a question related to CAT ?
Hello Student,
Uploading the certificate number instead of the serial number of your category certificate in the CAT application may not immediately nullify your admit card or affect your admission. However, discrepancies in the application form could cause issues later during the verification process, especially at the time of admission.

To avoid potential problems:
Contact CAT authorities: It's best to reach out to CAT helpdesk or authorities via their official helpline or email. Explain the error and ask for guidance on correcting it.
Check for correction windows : CAT sometimes provides a correction window after the application process closes, allowing applicants to fix errors like these.
Document the issue: Keep records of any communications with the authorities regarding this issue, in case it needs to be referenced later.

By addressing it early, you can reduce the risk of complications during the admission process.
Thankyou.

Hey there! Welcome to the Careers360 team. That's quite a specific situation you've got there - let me see if I can help break it down for you.

So, you're from Telangana, did your MBBS in AP, and now you're wondering about your status in AP, right? It's a bit of a tricky one, to be honest. The local status and reservation policies can get pretty complicated, especially when you're crossing state lines.

From what I understand, your local status in AP might be a bit dicey since you're originally from Telangana. As for the BC-D reservation, that's even trickier because each state has its own list and criteria.

Here's what I think, but take it with a grain of salt:

1. Your local status in AP: This might depend on how long you've been in AP and if you meet their residency requirements. You'd need to check the specific rules for AP.

2. BC-D status in AP: Even if you get local status, your BC-D certificate from Telangana might not directly apply in AP. Each state has its own backward classes list.

3. Open category: If neither of the above works out, you might indeed have to go for the open category seats in AP.

But listen, don't take my word as gospel. These rules can be super complex and change often. Your best bet would be to check with the AP medical education department or maybe the AP Public Service Commission. They'll have the most up-to-date info.

Also, why not chat with some of the seniors here at Careers360? They might have dealt with similar cases before and could have some insider tips. You can also have a look at our College Predictor for more details.

Let me know if you want to bounce around some ideas on how to get more concrete info on this. We could make it a little project - might be useful for other students too!

Unfortunately, you cannot change your CGPA after submitting the CAT 2024 form. The information provided in the form is final and cannot be modified.

While some institutions might allow you to update your CGPA during the admission process, this is not always the case. It's best to assume that the information you provided in the CAT form will be the basis for your application.

If your final CGPA is significantly higher than what you initially reported, you might want to consider retaking the CAT exam in the future. This will give you a chance to improve your score and provide a more accurate representation of your academic abilities. However, this is a decision that should be made carefully, as it will require additional time and effort.

It's important to consult with the admissions offices of the institutions you're interested in to determine their specific requirements and policies regarding CGPA updates. They can provide you with the most accurate and up-to-date information.

Hello Student,
For the CAT (Common Admission Test) exam form, when asked about your education status, you typically have two options:

1. Completed Graduation: This option is for students who have completed all requirements of their undergraduate degree, including passing the final exams and completing any mandatory internships or practical training.

2. Pursuing Graduation: This option is for students who are still in the process of completing their degree requirements, including pending internships, final projects, or exams.

Since you have passed your final exams but have not yet completed the mandatory internship, you should choose the option "Pursuing Graduation." This accurately reflects that your degree requirements are still in progress due to the incomplete internship.
Thankyou. I hope this information helped you

Hello Student,
For the CAT (Common Admission Test) exam form, when asked about your education status, you typically have two options:

1. Completed Graduation: This option is for students who have completed all requirements of their undergraduate degree, including passing the final exams and completing any mandatory internships or practical training.
2. Pursuing Graduation: This option is for students who are still in the process of completing their degree requirements, including pending internships, final projects, or exams.
Since you have passed your final exams but have not yet completed the mandatory internship, you should choose the option "Pursuing Graduation."
This accurately reflects that your degree requirements are still in progress due to the incomplete internship.
Thankyou. I hope this information helped you!
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Directions for question :

M/s Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, one of the top four audit and accounting firms in the world with headquarters at London, UK, and with an operational presence in 153 countries, hires Management Trainees (MT) from all the premier management institutes of India thrice every year, in the months of January, May and September.

Each new group of Management Trainees (MT) have to go through a four month rigorous training schedule, after which they have to pass through a test consisting of a written assessment and a case-analysis. The top hundred ranked Management Trainees (MT) based on the performance in the test are confirmed as Management Executives (ME). The rest are given the opportunity of undergoing the training for four months one more time along with the next batch of Management Trainees (MT) and then passing through the subsequent test consisting of the written assessment and case-analysis. The Management Trainee (MT) who fails to get confirmed as a Management Executive (ME) the second time is fired.

The scatter-graph below depicts the number of Management Trainees (MT) at Deloitte taking the tests from January 2020 till May 2022, and the vis-à-vis hired Management Trainees (MT) at Deloitte who were fired :

It is also known that for the month of September 2019 at Deloitte, 96 hired Management Trainees (MT) failed to be confirmed as a Management Executive (ME) the first time, and that 36 hired Management Trainees (MT) were fired. 

Question :

In which test did the minimum number of Management Trainees (MT) get confirmed as a Management Executive (ME) in the second attempt ?

Option: 1

September 2020

 

 


Option: 2

May 2021


Option: 3

January 2021

 


Option: 4

January 2022 


Directions for question:

Two friends Moloy and Niloy passed out from the Purulia Institute of Science and Technology with B.Tech degrees in Mechanical Engineering, but even after a year placement was hard to find. So they decided to take the challenge head-on, came down to Kolkata, rented a garage space on Park Street, and having an affinity towards making people enjoy good food, started their firm named 'B.Tech Bread-Omlette Wala'. 

They started with three items on the menu. One was the French Toast which could be prepared in 3 minutes. The second was the Egg Tortillas which took 15 minutes to prepare. Any one of Moloy and Niloy could prepare any one of them at a time. The third was the Egg Bhurji with French Fries. This however was prepared on an automated fryer which could prepare 3 servings at a time and took 5 minutes irrespective of the number of servings equal to or below 3. The fryer did not need anyone to attend to it, and the time to put in the raw ingredients could be neglected. So one could tend to the preparation of other items while the Egg Bhurji with French Fries were being prepared. 

They wanted to serve the orders as early as possible after the order was given. The individual items in any order were served as and when all the items were ready, and the order was then considered closed. None of the items on the menu were prepared in advance in anticipation of future orders. 

On the first day, 3 groups of customers came in and ordered at 6.00 pm, 6.10 pm, and 6.13 pm. The first order was for a plate of Egg Tortillas, two plates of French Toast, and three plates of Egg Bhurji with French Fries. The second order was for a plate of French Toast and two plates of Egg Bhurji with French Fries. The third order was for a plate of Egg Tortilla and a plate of Egg Bhurji with French Fries. 

On the backdrop of the above information answer the questions given :

Question: 

Assuming that the next customer's order could only be attended to when the previous customer's order was closed, at what time would the first customer's order be considered closed ?

 

Option: 1

6.15 pm

 

 


Option: 2

6.17 pm

 


Option: 3

6.18 pm

 


Option: 4

6.20 pm


Directions for question :

Six sticks of equal lengths were kept in the vertical position in an empty flower-vase, to be arranged at the six corners of a regular hexagon. The two ends of each of the sticks were of different colours. 

The top ends of the sticks were one of each of the following colours – Red, Cyan, Pink, Brown, Black and Green. The bottom ends were one of each of the following colours – Blue, Yellow, White, Orange, Purple and Grey. Both the sets of colours mentioned were in no particular order.

It was also known that :

a) The stick with the red colour was opposite to the stick with the blue colour

b) There were exactly two sticks whose both ends had colours whose names started with the same letter

c) The stick with the grey colour was adjacent to the stick with the white colour

d) The stick with the cyan colour was adjacent to both the sticks with the brown colour and the one with the blue colour

e) The stick with the purple colour was adjacent to both the sticks with the grey colour and the one with the green colour

f) The stick with the white colour was opposite to the stick with the green colour

Question :

What was the colour of the bottom end of the stick having brown colour at the top end ?

Option: 1

 White 

 


Option: 2

Yellow 


Option: 3

Black

 


Option: 4

Grey


Directions for question:

Two friends Moloy and Niloy passed out from the Purulia Institute of Science and Technology with B.Tech degrees in Mechanical Engineering, but even after a year placement was hard to find. So they decided to take the challenge head-on, came down to Kolkata, rented a garage space on Park Street, and having an affinity towards making people enjoy good food, started their firm named 'B.Tech Bread-Omlette Wala'. 

They started with three items on the menu. One was the French Toast which could be prepared in 3 minutes. The second was the Egg Tortillas which took 15 minutes to prepare. Any one of Moloy and Niloy could prepare any one of them at a time. The third was the Egg Bhurji with French Fries. This however was prepared on an automated fryer which could prepare 3 servings at a time and took 5 minutes irrespective of the number of servings equal to or below 3. The fryer did not need anyone to attend to it, and the time to put in the raw ingredients could be neglected. So one could tend to the preparation of other items while the Egg Bhurji with French Fries were being prepared. 

They wanted to serve the orders as early as possible after the order was given. The individual items in any order were served as and when all the items were ready, and the order was then considered closed. None of the items on the menu were prepared in advance in anticipation of future orders. 

On the first day, 3 groups of customers came in and ordered at 6.00 pm, 6.10 pm, and 6.13 pm. The first order was for a plate of Egg Tortillas, two plates of French Toast, and three plates of Egg Bhurji with French Fries. The second order was for a plate of French Toast and two plates of Egg Bhurji with French Fries. The third order was for a plate of Egg Tortilla and a plate of Egg Bhurji with French Fries. 

On the backdrop of the above information answer the questions given :

Question: 

Assuming that the next customer's order could only be attended to when the previous customer's order was closed, at what time would the third customer's order be considered closed ?

 

Option: 1

6.28 pm

 


Option: 2

6.35 pm

 


Option: 3

6.38 pm


Option: 4

6.45 pm


Directions for question:

Two friends Moloy and Niloy passed out from the Purulia Institute of Science and Technology with B.Tech degrees in Mechanical Engineering, but even after a year placement was hard to find. So they decided to take the challenge head-on, came down to Kolkata, rented a garage space on Park Street, and having an affinity towards making people enjoy good food, started their firm named 'B.Tech Bread-Omlette Wala'. 

They started with three items on the menu. One was the French Toast which could be prepared in 3 minutes. The second was the Egg Tortillas which took 15 minutes to prepare. Any one of Moloy and Niloy could prepare any one of them at a time. The third was the Egg Bhurji with French Fries. This however was prepared on an automated fryer which could prepare 3 servings at a time and took 5 minutes irrespective of the number of servings equal to or below 3. The fryer did not need anyone to attend to it, and the time to put in the raw ingredients could be neglected. So one could tend to the preparation of other items while the Egg Bhurji with French Fries were being prepared. 

They wanted to serve the orders as early as possible after the order was given. The individual items in any order were served as and when all the items were ready, and the order was then considered closed. None of the items on the menu were prepared in advance in anticipation of future orders. 

On the first day, 3 groups of customers came in and ordered at 6.00 pm, 6.10 pm, and 6.13 pm. The first order was for a plate of Egg Tortillas, two plates of French Toast, and three plates of Egg Bhurji with French Fries. The second order was for a plate of French Toast and two plates of Egg Bhurji with French Fries. The third order was for a plate of Egg Tortilla and a plate of Egg Bhurji with French Fries. 

On the backdrop of the above information answer the questions given :

Question: 

Suppose Moloy and Niloy had decided to process multiple orders at the same time, however strictly prioritising a first come first serve basis, when would the second customer's order be considered closed ?

Option: 1

6.20 pm

 

 


Option: 2

6.18 pm


Option: 3

6.15 pm

 


Option: 4

6.12 pm


Directions for question:

Two friends Moloy and Niloy passed out from the Purulia Institute of Science and Technology with B.Tech degrees in Mechanical Engineering, but even after a year placement was hard to find. So they decided to take the challenge head-on, came down to Kolkata, rented a garage space on Park Street, and having an affinity towards making people enjoy good food, started their firm named 'B.Tech Bread-Omlette Wala'. 

They started with three items on the menu. One was the French Toast which could be prepared in 3 minutes. The second was the Egg Tortillas which took 15 minutes to prepare. Any one of Moloy and Niloy could prepare any one of them at a time. The third was the Egg Bhurji with French Fries. This however was prepared on an automated fryer which could prepare 3 servings at a time and took 5 minutes irrespective of the number of servings equal to or below 3. The fryer did not need anyone to attend to it, and the time to put in the raw ingredients could be neglected. So one could tend to the preparation of other items while the Egg Bhurji with French Fries were being prepared. 

They wanted to serve the orders as early as possible after the order was given. The individual items in any order were served as and when all the items were ready, and the order was then considered closed. None of the items on the menu were prepared in advance in anticipation of future orders. 

On the first day, 3 groups of customers came in and ordered at 6.00 pm, 6.10 pm, and 6.13 pm. The first order was for a plate of Egg Tortillas, two plates of French Toast, and three plates of Egg Bhurji with French Fries. The second order was for a plate of French Toast and two plates of Egg Bhurji with French Fries. The third order was for a plate of Egg Tortilla and a plate of Egg Bhurji with French Fries. 

On the backdrop of the above information answer the questions given :

Question: 

Suppose Moloy and Niloy had decided to process multiple orders at the same time, however strictly prioritising a first come first serve basis, when would the third customer's order be considered closed ?

 

Option: 1

6.22 pm

 


Option: 2

6.25 pm


Option: 3

6.28 pm 


Option: 4

6.30 pm


Directions for question:

Two friends Moloy and Niloy passed out from the Purulia Institute of Science and Technology with B.Tech degrees in Mechanical Engineering, but even after a year placement was hard to find. So they decided to take the challenge head-on, came down to Kolkata, rented a garage space on Park Street, and having an affinity towards making people enjoy good food, started their firm named 'B.Tech Bread-Omlette Wala'. 

They started with three items on the menu. One was the French Toast which could be prepared in 3 minutes. The second was the Egg Tortillas which took 15 minutes to prepare. Any one of Moloy and Niloy could prepare any one of them at a time. The third was the Egg Bhurji with French Fries. This however was prepared on an automated fryer which could prepare 3 servings at a time and took 5 minutes irrespective of the number of servings equal to or below 3. The fryer did not need anyone to attend to it, and the time to put in the raw ingredients could be neglected. So one could tend to the preparation of other items while the Egg Bhurji with French Fries were being prepared. 

They wanted to serve the orders as early as possible after the order was given. The individual items in any order were served as and when all the items were ready, and the order was then considered closed. None of the items on the menu were prepared in advance in anticipation of future orders. 

On the first day, 3 groups of customers came in and ordered at 6.00 pm, 6.10 pm, and 6.13 pm. The first order was for a plate of Egg Tortillas, two plates of French Toast, and three plates of Egg Bhurji with French Fries. The second order was for a plate of French Toast and two plates of Egg Bhurji with French Fries. The third order was for a plate of Egg Tortilla and a plate of Egg Bhurji with French Fries. 

On the backdrop of the above information answer the questions given :

Question: 

A fourth customer comes in and orders two plates of French Toast at 6.24 pm. Suppose Moloy and Niloy had decided to process multiple orders at the same time, however strictly prioritising a first come first serve basis. For exactly how many minutes would one of the friends be idle from 6.00 pm till serving the last customer, assuming that the four customers were the only ones to have come in within the period being discussed ?

Option: 1

9

 


Option: 2

13


Option: 3

18


Option: 4

21


Directions for question:

Two friends Moloy and Niloy passed out from the Purulia Institute of Science and Technology with B.Tech degrees in Mechanical Engineering, but even after a year placement was hard to find. So they decided to take the challenge head-on, came down to Kolkata, rented a garage space on Park Street, and having an affinity towards making people enjoy good food, started their firm named 'B.Tech Bread-Omlette Wala'. 

They started with three items on the menu. One was the French Toast which could be prepared in 3 minutes. The second was the Egg Tortillas which took 15 minutes to prepare. Any one of Moloy and Niloy could prepare any one of them at a time. The third was the Egg Bhurji with French Fries. This however was prepared on an automated fryer which could prepare 3 servings at a time and took 5 minutes irrespective of the number of servings equal to or below 3. The fryer did not need anyone to attend to it, and the time to put in the raw ingredients could be neglected. So one could tend to the preparation of other items while the Egg Bhurji with French Fries were being prepared. 

They wanted to serve the orders as early as possible after the order was given. The individual items in any order were served as and when all the items were ready, and the order was then considered closed. None of the items on the menu were prepared in advance in anticipation of future orders. 

On the first day, 3 groups of customers came in and ordered at 6.00 pm, 6.10 pm, and 6.13 pm. The first order was for a plate of Egg Tortillas, two plates of French Toast, and three plates of Egg Bhurji with French Fries. The second order was for a plate of French Toast and two plates of Egg Bhurji with French Fries. The third order was for a plate of Egg Tortilla and a plate of Egg Bhurji with French Fries. 

On the backdrop of the above information answer the questions given :

Question: 

Had Niloy been absent on that day, and assuming that the next customer's order could only be attended to when the previous customer's order was closed, at what time would the fourth customer's order (refer to the previous question) be considered closed ?

Option: 1

6:38 pm

 


Option: 2

6:42 pm

 


Option: 3

6:47 pm


Option: 4

6:49 pm


Directions for question:

The bar-graph given below shows the foreign exchange reserves of Nepal (in million Rupees) from 2014 to 2021. Answer the following questions based on the graph :

Question:

What was the percentage increase (rounded to the nearest integer, if deemed necessary) in the foreign exchange reserves in 2020 over 2016 ?

Option: 1 None

Option: 2 None

Option: 3 None

Option: 4 None

Directions for question:

The Jadavpur University’s Prince Anwar Shah Road hostel consists of two large separate buildings, one for the ladies and the other for the gents, while having a common kitchen and dining hall. It is the hostel of the CS and the EEC department of engineering students of the university.

In recognition of the growing dissatisfaction and hence complaints among the inmates of the hostel regarding the menu served for dinner, the Dean of the engineering department, Dr Aparesh Sanyal, personally decided to investigate the matter. He set about collecting information about the preference of dinner among the inmates, separately from the gents and the ladies wing of the hostel.

Dr Sanyal was able to gather the following partial information :  

 

Hostel inmates

Menu preference for dinner

Total

Egg Meal

Fish Meal

Chicken Meal

Gents

   

20

 

Ladies

     

64

Total

 

60

   

 

The Warden of the hostel was consulted, who after investigation declared that the following facts were clear :

1. Forty percent of the hostel inmates were ladies

2. One-third of the gentlemen inmates preferred an egg meal for dinner

3. Half the hostel inmates preferred either fish meal or chicken meal

Question:

What proportion of the lady hostel inmates preferred a fish meal for dinner ?

 

 

Option: 1

0.25

 

 


Option: 2

0.50

 


Option: 3

0.75

 


Option: 4

1.00 


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