IIM Call cutoff Vs Shortlist cutoff - Know the huge difference

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Do you really get shortlisted for IIM Ahmedabad with 90 percentile in CAT? Does IIM Udaipur or IIM Kashipur give interview calls to those securing close to 90 percentile in CAT? Does the short-listing cutoff announced by individual IIMs match their actual cutoff?

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A big ‘No’ is the answer for such queries. The IIM cutoff data that Careers360 has accessed from different IIMs on actual CAT cutoff for interview calls paint an entirely different picture.

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Careers360 accesses actual cutoff for interview calls to IIMs

After announcement of Common Admission Test or CAT each IIM releases their detailed admission process stating the shortlist cutoff and selection procedure. The IIM admission criteria also mention the CAT cutoff percentile. While this gives a clear indication to CAT aspirants on whether to expect a call from one of the 20 IIMs or not, the actual picture is quite different from what it appears to be.

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The actual cutoff data of IIMs accessed through RTI queries, suggests that for most of the IIMs, the actual CAT cutoff for next stage of admission process which includes Interview, WAT, and GD and PI, remain much higher than what is announced as shortlisting CAT cutoff by the institutes. Except one or two, the actual interview cutoff of majority of IIMs falls in the range of 96 to 100 percentile in CAT though the announced cutoff largely remains in the range of 80 to 90 percentile.

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As we compare the cutoffs given by IIMs in the admission criteria, it reveals that apart from few IIMs, the actual cutoff and the cutoffs released by the IIMs in their respective admission criteria differ by a huge margin.

This article of Careers360 brings to you the comparative analysis of both the cutoffs and you can check the difference for yourself. We have separated the data for different categories - General, Other Backward Classes (OBC-NC), Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST).

A few IIMs, did only reveal their actual interview cutoff in terms of ‘scores’.

We also bring you the actual cutoff in ‘Scores’ as shared by a few IIMs separately. The IIMs which shared their actual cutoff in scores include IIM Bangalore, IIM Calcutta, IIM Lucknow, IIM Indore, IIM Kozhikode, IIM Rohtak and IIM Visakhapatnam. (The table of cutoff for these IIMs at bottom of this article).

The following table brings to you the actual interview call cutoff for General category candidates by IIMs for the academic year which has commenced from 2016 and the CAT shortlisting cutoff mentioned in the IIM admission criteria 2016-18 batches.

IIM Interview Call Cutoff and Shortlist Cutoff – General category

IIM	Cutoff Type	Maximum Score	Interview Call Cutoff	Cutoff Stated in Admission Criteria
IIM Ahmedabad	Percentile	100	98.75	90
IIM Ranchi	Percentile	100	96.5	90
IIM Raipur	Percentile	100	96	90
IIM Trichy	Percentile	100	96	90
IIM Udaipur	Percentile	100	96.82	90

To know the actual interview call cutoff for other IIMs, use the Careers360 Pathfinder Tool which is based on the actual cutoff shared by IIMs through RTI queries.

IIM Interview Call Cutoff and Shortlist Cutoff – OBC-NCL

IIM	Cutoff Type	Maximum Score	Call Cutoff	Cutoff Stated in Admission Criteria
IIM Ahmedabad	Percentile	100	90.98	85
IIM Ranchi	Percentile	100	81.35	81
IIM Raipur	Percentile	100	77.5	81
IIM Trichy	Percentile	100	77.5	81
IIM Udaipur	Percentile	100	81.35	81

IIM Interview Call Cutoff and Shortlist Cutoff – SC

IIM	Cutoff Type	Maximum Score	Call Cutoff	Cutoff Stated in Admission Criteria
IIM Ahmedabad	Percentile	100	85.13	80
IIM Ranchi	Percentile	100	67.53	75
IIM Raipur	Percentile	100	59	75
IIM Trichy	Percentile	100	59	75
IIM Udaipur	Percentile	100	67.53	75

IIM Interview Call Cutoff and Shortlist Cutoff – ST

IIM	Cutoff Type	Maximum Score	Call Cutoff	Cutoff Stated in Admission Criteria
IIM Ahmedabad	Percentile	100	78.72	70
IIM Ranchi	Percentile	100	51.34	65
IIM Raipur	Percentile	100	40	65
IIM Trichy	Percentile	100	40	65
IIM Udaipur	Percentile	100	54.26	65

Now we bring to you the category wise interview cutoffs for the select IIMs who have declared their cutoffs in scores and not in percentile.

IIM Cutoff 2016 in Scores (for select IIMs) - General Category

IIM	Maximum Score	Call Cutoff
IIM Bangalore	65	41
IIM Calcutta	100	69.9
IIM Lucknow	50	28.83

To know the actual interview call cutoff for other IIMs, use the Careers360 Pathfinder Tool which is based on the actual cutoff shared by IIMs through RTI queries.

IIM Cutoff 2016 in Scores (for select IIMs) - OBC-NCL Category

IIM	Maximum Score	Call Cutoff
IIM Bangalore	65	36.5
IIM Calcutta	100	61.8
IIM Lucknow	50	20.97

IIM Cutoff 2016 in Scores (for select IIMs) - SC Category

IIM	Maximum Score	Call Cutoff
IIM Bangalore	65	32
IIM Calcutta	100	57.3
IIM Lucknow	50	15.91

IIM Cutoff 2016 in Scores (for select IIMs) - ST Category

IIM	Maximum Score	Call Cutoff
IIM Bangalore	65	24
IIM Calcutta	100	47.7
IIM Lucknow	50	11.77

To know the actual interview call cutoff for other IIMs, use the Careers360 Pathfinder Tool which is based on the actual cutoff shared by IIMs through RTI queries.

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Questions related to CAT

Showing 7166 out of 7167 Questions

10 Views

Can I join IIM Ahmedabad using GMAT rather than going for CAT?

Priyaanka Sarkar Student Expert 14th Oct, 2019

Dear Akshat, CAT is exclusively conducted by the IIMs. So the selection for admission to any of the 20 IIMs is through CAT exam. Unfortunately no other score except for CAT score is accepted for IIM Ahmedabad. You can check their selection process at: https://www.iima.ac.in/web/pgp/apply/domestic/admission/selection-process

18 Views

i am in first year of graduation. please tell the correct time to prepare of CAT. Should i start preparing it from first year itself or from second year??

Priyaanka Sarkar Student Expert 14th Oct, 2019

Rohan, every year, lakhs of students appear for CAT for admission in 20 IIMs and more than 1000 participating Institutions. Now the exam is not tough but to be able to score the percentile required for admission to IIMs and Top B schools is tough. So no time is too early for preparation. You should start preparing from the 1st year so that you can know how to manage time and also with practise you will know the short cuts or easier ways of solving problems. Here is the list of books for each section that can help you accelerate your preparation to ace the tests.

CAT Books For Quantitative Ability:
1.NCERT mathematics books (from 6th to 10th class) ::
These books are a good way to start if one needs to clear their basics and concepts. NCERT books are best to start your CAT Preparation with only if you have a lot of time before your exam date and need to brush up on concepts before solving advanced problems.

2.How to Prepare for Quantitative Aptitude for the CAT (by Arun Sharma)
(publisher: Tata McGraw Hill)
This is a very popular book among CAT aspirants and really easy and simple to understand. This book also focuses on the basics first and has different levels of difficulties step by step.

3.Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations (by Abhijit Guha)
This book is quite comprehensive for various competitive exams, for both MBA aspirants and for those seeking jobs who need to prepare for the aptitude tests.
4.Quantitative Aptitude Quantum CAT by Sarvesh Verma
It is an extensive book for students aspiring to go to IIMs. It has a very simple, lucid and tailor made content revolving around CAT.

5.Quantitative Aptitude for CAT (by Nishit Sinha)
This book by Pearson focuses on in depth understanding of core topics for basic and advanced applications.

Verbal Ability Books For CAT:

1.How to Prepare for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for the CAT( by Arun Sharma and Meenakshi Upadhyay)
This book is good to brush up your verbal and reading comprehension skills. It covers three important topics: reading comprehension, verbal ability and verbal reasoning. It provides sufficient practice and mock papers for self-assessment.

2.Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension For The CAT( by Nishit Sinha)
This book by Pearson provides not only an exhaustive resource for verbal ability. It also includes numerous tests as well as integral problem solving techniques and approaches.

3.Word Power Made Easy (by Norman Lewis)
This is the go-to book to improve your vocabulary. It is not a book to be read but a book to work with daily to enrich your vocabulary.

4.High School Grammar and Composition( by Wren and Martin)
It is a very good book for people who want to improve their grammar skills. It helps to understand and conceptualise different aspects of grammar and it is a must have book for anyone with poor grasp on verbal ability or who wants to make up with the basics of english.

Read books from different genres
The ultimate key to improve your verbal ability is to read extensively and to read books from different genres. This ensures that when the time for reading comprehension comes you are well acquainted with different writing styles and topics. Reading extensively also improves your reading speeding over a period of time. There are no shortcuts here.

Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning Books For CAT:

1.A Modern Approach to Logical Reasoning( by R.S. Agarwal)
This CAT book by R.S. Agarwal is to start with the most basic reasoning problem as it is quite simple to understand. It is segregated into different sections such as logic, statements, inferences and arguments, assumptions, conclusions, course of actions, logical puzzles, etc.

2.How to Prepare for Logical Reasoning for CAT book (by Arun Sharma)
This book by Tata McGraw Hill contains all topics to be considered under Logical Reasoning for CAT as well as other entrance exams. Each topic is explained with solved examples followed by a series of problems with varied difficulty levels to solve which gives an individual enough practice for this section.

3.How to Prepare for Data Interpretation for CAT book (by Arun Sharma)
This book focuses on all areas of Data Interpretation and Data Sufficiency. It provides and emphasizes on developing our calculations to get an edge with DI. This book also provides you with previous years questions, Model and Sample test papers.

4.Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation for the CAT (by Nishit Sinha)
This book covers fundamental and advanced topics under the aforementioned section which are explained with the help of solved examples, case lets and exercises to do. It is useful for various other exams as well.

5.Data Interpretation (by Nishit Sinha)
Practice Book for CAT and Other MBA Entrance Examinations( by Nishit Sinha):
This book provides adequate practice and to sharpen the skills for Data Interpretation. It is also quite useful for other competitive exams like NMAT, GMAT, SNAP, XAT, CMAT, etc.

Another CAT Preparation material or book to be considered is Previous Years Solved CAT Paper:
This ensures that you are familiar with the kind of questions that are asked in CAT providing you an edge. They can be taken as mocks and the analysis of the same can provide you with great insights for your preparation.

It is always better to read newspaper for CURRENT G.K. than trying to grasp all info at once. Some of the newspaper sources which you can use to prepare this section are The Hindu, Financial Express, and The Economist.

In case, you dont like reading newspaper daily, you can go with Manorama Yearbook or Current Affairs Yearly by Arihant for General Knowledge which is published every year.

In order to prepare for STATIC G.K. section, you need to broaden your overall scope in following sections: Sports, Politics, Entertainment, Biographies, etc. So, for this, you can use Static General Knowledge by A.P. Bhardwaj and S. Chands Advanced Objective General Knowledge.

21 Views

I am a newly qualified chartered accountant presently started working. My aim is to study mba in iim. Please tell me the procedure which I have to follow to make my journey for cat 2020 successful.

Priyaanka Sarkar Student Expert 14th Oct, 2019

Dear Sai, IIMs look for Diversity factor in Academics. They have a special rating scale for Professional courses like MBBS,BDS, CA, etc. We shall help you with the admission process of IIM Ahmedabad just as an example to show how does the selection process work. There are 3 sections in CAT: QA, DILR, VRC. IIM A has released its 2019 cut off percentiles. Only those Candidates who have scored this percentiles will be shortlisted for further rounds. The cut offs are as follows:

VRC DILR QA Overall

General 70 70 70 80

OBC-Transgender 65 65 65 75

SC 60 60 60 70

ST 50 50 50 60

PWD 60 60 60 70

PWD-ST 50 50 50 60

On an average IIMs need a cut off 90 percentile and more for admission to their colleges. You can check the complete selection process of IIM A at: https://www.iima.ac.in/web/pgp/apply/domestic/admission/selection-process

Now based on these cut offs top 5 percentile from each Category will be short listed for WAT and PI. So inorder to be able to score these cut offs, you need to know the exam pattern and marking scheme. CAT exam paper can be Categorised into 3 parts:

Quantitative Ability

Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension

Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning

The Verbal Ability section and Reading Comprehension has 34 Questions, Data interpretation-Logical Reasoning section has 32 MCQ questions and Quantitative Ability has 34 MCQ questions totalling up to 100 questions. Each Question has 3 marks and a wrong answer takes away 1 mark.

NCERT books will sharpen your basics and you need strong basics for preparing for any entrance examination. Once your basics are in place, because the time period for preparation is quite less, your preparation should be extensive and thorough.

Quantitative Aptitude covers almost 30% of the CAT question paper. QA can be categorised into Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry and Advanced Mathematics. Practise chapter by chapter and develop mental calculations. Like practise more of basic summation, subtraction, fractions and tables. Numbers, Percentage, Profit and Loss, Simple and Compound Interest, Ratio, Proportionality, Time-Distance, Time-Work, Mixtures, Averages, Partnership, Permutation and Combinations, Probability, Set Theory, Progression and Series, Line, Angles, Triangles, Quadrilaterals, Polygon, Circles, Ares, Volume, Height and Distance, Coordinate Geometry, Basic Trigonometry are few important topics.

Preparation tips:

Because this section involves mathematics and takes most of your time, your focus should be on solving the problems efficiently in the beginning. Even if it takes time, practise upto perfection. Practise as many questions as you can in the conventional way. As and when you get a grip on the subject, you can go for short cuts. Memorise tables, square roots, cube roots, conversion from percent to fraction, etc. Solve sample papers on Mathematics. In the beginning, do not worry about the time it takes. As you practise, you will get the hang of the subject and it will be easier for you.

In Verbal Ability session, command on your English, Grammar, Vocabulary, Understanding of the given paragraph are of more importance. Reading English NewsPaper will also help you in your preparation.

Preparation tips:

Read articles from time to time. Follow newspapers, magazines, and watch the news channels and browse the internet to keep yourself updated. You will need a lot of reading to help you in the comprehension section. You will need speed to help you in this section and you can achieve that only by thorough practise and reading. Take time to understand the question because most answers are interlinked.

Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning needs to be practised as much as possible. Comparison of data, Data Analysis, taking clues, interpreting missing data, coming to conclusions and making future projections will be covered under this Category. The questions here are interlinked and so if you get one formula correct, cracking the next few questions will be easy. So it's important to memorise and practise formulae. You should cover topics like Data tables, Data Charts, Bar Diagrams, Pie Charts, Graphs, Data Comparison and Analysis.

Preparation tips:

As this is the most tricky section, this needs a lot of practise. Solve as many sample papers as possible to get the hang of the section. Make notes when required. Regular practise can help you understand and solve the questions easily as time goes on.

Overall,once you know the syllabus, it's easier from there on.Go through the previous papers to analyse and prepare a comprehensive plan and set priorities according to the importance of different topics across sections. Customise your own study plan based on your strengths and weaknesses. Gauge your preparation from time to time by taking mock tests. Solve questions to check your levels of preparation but not to set any targets. Remember, its ok to have cheat days and relax. But make sure you have a plan and stick to it for the next few months

We can recommend a few books for you:

NCERT books to cover the basics from 6th to 10th Class

Quantitative Aptitude for CAT by Nishit Saxena

Quantitative Aptitude Quantum for CAT by Sarvesh Sharma

How to prepare for Quantitative Aptitude for CAT by Arun Sharma

Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Exams by Abhijit Guha

You can also download free downloadable e books at:

https://bschool.careers360.com/download/cat-ebooks

31 Views

can someone apply for NIFT without appearing CAT and GAT?

Sonali Sahu Student Expert 13th Oct, 2019

hello,

NIFT has nothing to do with CAT or GAT. Those are the exams for MBA. NIFT is for admission in fashion courses.

The eligibilitiy is just marks of your 10th and intermediate. The main point is the candidate must have qualified both from a recognised board and must be having PCM as the compulsory subject.

The exam has an age limit to be 23 and there is 5 years relaxation for category reserved candidates.

For more information please check the article:- https://design.careers360.com/articles/nift-eligibility-criteria

Hope it helps!

24 Views

Where i get CAT study material?

Priyaanka Sarkar Student Expert 13th Oct, 2019

CAT Books For Quantitative Ability:
1.NCERT mathematics books (from 6th to 10th class) ::
These books are a good way to start if one needs to clear their basics and concepts. NCERT books are best to start your CAT Preparation with only if you have a lot of time before your exam date and need to brush up on concepts before solving advanced problems.

2.How to Prepare for Quantitative Aptitude for the CAT (by Arun Sharma)
(publisher: Tata McGraw Hill)
This is a very popular book among CAT aspirants and really easy and simple to understand. This book also focuses on the basics first and has different levels of difficulties step by step.

3.Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations (by Abhijit Guha)
This book is quite comprehensive for various competitive exams, for both MBA aspirants and for those seeking jobs who need to prepare for the aptitude tests.
4.Quantitative Aptitude Quantum CAT by Sarvesh Verma
It is an extensive book for students aspiring to go to IIMs. It has a very simple, lucid and tailor made content revolving around CAT.

5.Quantitative Aptitude for CAT (by Nishit Sinha)
This book by Pearson focuses on in depth understanding of core topics for basic and advanced applications.

Verbal Ability Books For CAT:

1.How to Prepare for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for the CAT( by Arun Sharma and Meenakshi Upadhyay)
This book is good to brush up your verbal and reading comprehension skills. It covers three important topics: reading comprehension, verbal ability and verbal reasoning. It provides sufficient practice and mock papers for self-assessment.

2.Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension For The CAT( by Nishit Sinha)
This book by Pearson provides not only an exhaustive resource for verbal ability. It also includes numerous tests as well as integral problem solving techniques and approaches.

3.Word Power Made Easy (by Norman Lewis)
This is the go-to book to improve your vocabulary. It is not a book to be read but a book to work with daily to enrich your vocabulary.

4.High School Grammar and Composition( by Wren and Martin)
It is a very good book for people who want to improve their grammar skills. It helps to understand and conceptualise different aspects of grammar and it is a must have book for anyone with poor grasp on verbal ability or who wants to make up with the basics of english.

Read books from different genres
The ultimate key to improve your verbal ability is to read extensively and to read books from different genres. This ensures that when the time for reading comprehension comes you are well acquainted with different writing styles and topics. Reading extensively also improves your reading speeding over a period of time. There are no shortcuts here.

Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning Books For CAT:

1.A Modern Approach to Logical Reasoning( by R.S. Agarwal)
This CAT book by R.S. Agarwal is to start with the most basic reasoning problem as it is quite simple to understand. It is segregated into different sections such as logic, statements, inferences and arguments, assumptions, conclusions, course of actions, logical puzzles, etc.

2.How to Prepare for Logical Reasoning for CAT book (by Arun Sharma)
This book by Tata McGraw Hill contains all topics to be considered under Logical Reasoning for CAT as well as other entrance exams. Each topic is explained with solved examples followed by a series of problems with varied difficulty levels to solve which gives an individual enough practice for this section.

3.How to Prepare for Data Interpretation for CAT book (by Arun Sharma)
This book focuses on all areas of Data Interpretation and Data Sufficiency. It provides and emphasizes on developing our calculations to get an edge with DI. This book also provides you with previous years questions, Model and Sample test papers.

4.Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation for the CAT (by Nishit Sinha)
This book covers fundamental and advanced topics under the aforementioned section which are explained with the help of solved examples, case lets and exercises to do. It is useful for various other exams as well.

5.Data Interpretation (by Nishit Sinha)
Practice Book for CAT and Other MBA Entrance Examinations( by Nishit Sinha):
This book provides adequate practice and to sharpen the skills for Data Interpretation. It is also quite useful for other competitive exams like NMAT, GMAT, SNAP, XAT, CMAT, etc.

Another CAT Preparation material or book to be considered is Previous Years Solved CAT Paper:
This ensures that you are familiar with the kind of questions that are asked in CAT providing you an edge. They can be taken as mocks and the analysis of the same can provide you with great insights for your preparation.

It is always better to read newspaper for CURRENT G.K. than trying to grasp all info at once. Some of the newspaper sources which you can use to prepare this section are The Hindu, Financial Express, and The Economist.

In case, you dont like reading newspaper daily, you can go with Manorama Yearbook or Current Affairs Yearly by Arihant for General Knowledge which is published every year.

In order to prepare for STATIC G.K. section, you need to broaden your overall scope in following sections: Sports, Politics, Entertainment, Biographies, etc. So, for this, you can use Static General Knowledge by A.P. Bhardwaj and S. Chands Advanced Objective General Knowledge. These books are okay to start with if you are not someone with a newspaper reading habit from the past.

There are plenty of other books for these topics in the market, but these are by far the most popular as well as helpful books for anyone preparing for entrance exams.