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IIM Call Cutoff Vs IIM Eligibility Cutoff - After the release of admission criteria by all the IIMs, candidates must feel optimistic about getting selected or receiving an interview call from their dream management institutes based on the CAT percentile. But there is a difference between the IIM Call Cutoff and Eligibility Cutoff. Have you ever wondered why there are huge gaps between the two cutoffs of the IIMs? Careers360 brings to you the factors behind the gaps that exist between the actual interview call and the official shortlist cutoff of the CAT exam at IIMs.
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CAT 2023 was held on November 26, 2023, following which the CAT result 2023 was announced on December 21. The previous year, while MBA aspirants rejoiced in the fact that IIM Bangalore overall cutoff for General category candidates was 85 percentile and the sectional cutoffs were 75 percentile (Quantitative Ability, Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning, Verbal and Reading Comprehension) the reality was quite different. The interview cutoff for the General category candidates at IIM Ahmedabad will probably be much higher for the 2024-26 batch.
Check out the related articles on IIM Call cutoff Vs Shortlist cutoff
The IIM Eligibility Cutoff is the minimum CAT Cutoff score, which a candidate needs to secure in the CAT exam, to be eligible for the IIM admission process. There is no official IIM call cutoff for CAT test-takers. Each IIM that accepts the CAT score, announces their own CAT cutoffs. The individual cut-offs by IIMs consist of both sectional and overall cutoffs, which candidates need to satisfy to be eligible for further selection rounds of admission criteria.
Hence, the eligibility cutoffs for each IIM are different and before applying for admissions candidates need to check the eligibility first. If a candidate falls under the eligibility cutoff range of an IIM, that does not mean they will get a call from that IIM.
The gap exists because the eligibility cutoff announced by an IIM is the minimum CAT percentile candidates are required to secure for getting into the list of candidates who can be considered for the next stage of the CAT selection process comprising WAT and PI.
The actual IIM call cutoff, however, depends on the number of candidates available from the top. Thus for IIM Lucknow, which may call 600-1000 general category candidates (generally three times the seat capacity), it gets the desired numbers within the 98 to 100 percentile. This is because, within the top 2 percentile, it may get as many as 4,000 candidates in a scenario where the number of test-takers is near 2 lakh.
Nishit Sinha, IIM Lucknow alumnus and author of MBA preparation books mentions in a related query posted in Quora, “For actual selection, IIMs look for top N students who have cleared the cut-off in different sections and overall. It is decided by percentile. In other words, Percentile indicates the All India Rank. For example - 99.5 percentile means top 0.5 percent of the total aspirants who have appeared.”
Thus, you must understand that the CAT cutoff percentile released by IIMs is the eligibility criteria or the minimum percentile a candidate has to secure intoe eligible for getting shortlisted.
A percentile is a measure indicating the value below which a given percentage of test-takers come under. For example, the 90 percentile refers to the value below which 90% of the CAT exam takers would fall. Hence, test takers securing 90 percentile or above refers to the top 10% of the test takers. So, if the total number of actual test takers is near 2 lakh, approximately 20,000 candidates (1%) would come under the percentile range of 99 to 100.
IIMs, generally, shortlist three times the number of seats for the next level of the IIM selection process. The total number of seats in 20 IIMs is around 4000, which means the total number of short-listed candidates would be 12,000. Out of this, the number of General category candidates to be shortlisted will be 50 per cent, which is nearly 6,000. Now, if we consider the case of IIM Lucknow, where the total number of seats is around 400, with around 200 general category seats, the number of shortlisted candidates in the general category would be around 600.
This means, be that in the top institute within the IIMs system, IIM-L could get the desired number of candidates within the range of 99.5 – 100 percentile. But since the candidate profile is also considered while shortlisting candidates, the shortlisting cutoff percentile finally settles in the range of 98 to 100 percentile. So, it is quite evident that the candidates to be finally shortlisted belong to the top percentile bracket of 98 to 100 and are not within the 90 percentile as mentioned in the IIM admission criteria.
For the top IIMs, which are popularly and collectively referred to as BLACKIS (B–Bangalore, L–Lucknow, A-Ahmedabad, C–Calcutta, K–Kozhikode, I–Indore, S–Shillong) by the MBA aspirants, the combined intake is around 2600, which is approximately half of the number of candidates falling within top three percentile brackets (97 to 100 percentile). So you can understand why the actual interview call cutoff of the top IIMs ranges from 97 to 100 percentile.
Top IIMs–BLACKIS, consider other factors like past academic records, work experience, academic and gender diversity, and overall candidate profile for making the final shortlist offer. They calculate a scaled score or percentile based on the above-mentioned factors. To equate the scores in all other parameters, IIMs may have to go down a couple of percentiles, say 97 percentile. The actual interview call cutoff is the culmination of these factors.
At the same time, securing above the 99 percentile is not always a benchmark for appearing in IIM interview rounds as the composite score for shortlisting depends upon multiple factors. For the final selection also IIMs calculate the composite scores in terms of performance in CAT, WAT & PI, and candidate profile.
The student cannot join the postgraduate MA program directly in the second year of the MA after completing the MBA.
Universities generally expect students to begin the first year of a masters' program even though they had qualifications at the level of a bachelor's degree. The university's curriculum along with the courses are planned to give an in-depth knowledge of the subjects.
But you could opt for:
Postgraduate Studies:
Research Career: In case research interests you, then you can pursue a Ph.D. in your specific interest.
Specialized Master's Programs: Find any specific master's course that supports the career goal.
Professional Certifications:
Make a professional certification in CFA, CA, or FRM to enhance the professional skills and better opportunities in the career field.
Job Entry via MBA
After gaining an MBA from a renowned institution, it's possible to get entry into the corporate world where the diversity in the career field is assured.
In the end, it would depend on what you would like and what you are particularly interested in. It will be better if you take a suggestion from your academic advisor or career counselor.
Hello Pratik,
If your family income exceeds 8 LPA, it will affect your eligibility for the NC-OBC category under the CAT reservation rules. The NC-OBC category requires that the family income should be below 8 LPA to qualify. If you anticipate that your income will exceed this threshold, you should update your status and notify the CAT authorities .
Here's what you can do:
Email the CAT authorities
: Inform them about the potential change in your income status and request to be considered under the
General
category, if applicable. You should do this before the examination or any further processing, as your eligibility for the OBC category depends on the income criteria.
Documents and Proof
: Make sure you have a valid
OBC certificate
and any relevant documentation regarding your family income, in case they require verification. Also, be aware that if your income exceeds 8 LPA, you might need to apply under the
General
category, as the OBC-NC reservation is no longer applicable.
General Category Consideration : If your application is accepted as General, you will be evaluated based on the General category criteria, including cutoffs and ranking.
To summarize, notifying the CAT authorities is the correct approach to avoid discrepancies later, and if your income is above the threshold, you will be treated as a General candidate for the admissions process.
For more details about CAT exam you can check out an article by Careers360 whose link is given below:
Link: https://bschool.careers360.com/exams/cat
I hope this answer helps you. If you have more queries then feel free to share your questions with us we will be happy to assist you.
Thank you and wishing you all the best for your bright future.
Hi Shreya ,
Having a tattoo on your wrist should not create a problem during the CAT exam as long as it does not contain any content that violates exam rules , such as communication-related symbols , unauthorised messages or any text resembling formulas or answers .
For a safe side , it is recommended :
1. Inform the Invigilators : Let them know about your tattoo during the identification check , so there are no misunderstandings .
2. Follow the Guidelines : Ensure you follow all instructions regarding permissible items and dress code on the exam day .
Hope this helps you .
ALL THE BEST .
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Hello,
Yes, you can also join IIMs two years after graduation, depending upon the justification in interviews and your performance in entrance exams. If you are not sure about CAT, try those other management exams less hard:
Common Management Admission Test: Easier than CAT; 4-5 months of continuous preparation will suffice.
MAT : Much easier and takes place thrice a year.
SNAP (Symbiosis National Aptitude Test): A bit easier than CAT, apt for Symbiosis Institutes.
Xavier Aptitude Test or XAT : Hence, easier than CAT but the unique decision-making section.
Use exams like CMAT and MAT as a challenge to be competitively prepared. This can be given about 4-5 months, along with a few rounds of mock tests and smart studying.
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