Profile for IIMs

Profile for IIMs- What profile is required to get in IIMs?

Throughout the year, we’ve been inundated with questions from tense and eager CAT candidates about profile evaluation, target CAT scores, and B-school call predictions—”Is there a chance to get a call from IIM Ahmedabad?,” “I screwed up my 10th and 12th, can I get a call from IIM Calcutta with a high CAT percentile? In order to answer these questions, we have decided to dig deeper and determine exactly what profile it takes to form-or to be rejected-the IIM. During this report, determine if your profile is sweet enough to make up the top six IIMs!

What quite a tutorial profile is it that the IIMs are really looking for? Is it really true that even with an abysmal academic profile, a high CAT percentile is going to be enough to urge a call? what’s the minimum 10th and 12th score below which you stand a really bleak chance of getting an IIM to shortlist? This report will plan to answer these questions by assessing the tutorial profiles of current and former batches at the top-6 IIMs of the country – IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, IIM Calcutta, IIM Lucknow, IIM Indore, and IIM Kozhikode.

Profile plays a very important role in these three things:

• The probability of getting a call from premier institutions.
• The conversation one is going to have in PI.
• The shortlists one is going to get during summer & final placements.

A diverse range of profiles makes it to IIMs every year. Every IIM has its own criteria for evaluating a candidate. Some of the IIMs give more weightage to WAT-PI/GD, while some prefer exemplary academic records. Work experience points change from one institute to another.

Likeness Of Getting Shortlisted in Top B-Schools

The profile for IIMs consists of the following things:

• Academic Performance:

Marks in 10th, 12^th, and graduation:

• Work Experience
• Academic Pedigree:

The brand of the institution where one graduated.

• Academic Achievements:

Ranks secured at school (X & XII), college and university-level and/or performance in national or state-level entrance tests

• Co-Curricular Achievements:

Ranks in Olympiads, NTSE, Paper Presentations, Journal publications, and any other academics-related contests outside of regular school and college work.

• Extra-Curricular Achievements:

Achievements in non-academic pursuits singing, dancing, sports, games, etc.

• Positions of Responsibilities:

Official posts held at a school, college and university-level

• Pursuits of Special Interests:

Any extra-curricular interest pursued out of passion but without achievements — reading, writing, sports, games, singing, dancing, painting, etc.

Also read: CAT preparation for beginners

Mostly for getting into IIMs candidates should have scored well in 10th and 12th i.e. 90 % marks or more. Also in Graduation candidate should have more than 8.5 CGPA in Engineering and more than 7.5 if it is another stream. It helps a lot if a candidate is a woman and is a non-engineering graduate.

There are cases where students have not met said requirements in terms of academic background have gotten into IIMs purely on the back of excellent profile other than academics and their CAT percentile.

But IIMs have reshaped their profiling specifications in recent years:

• Low Weight to CAT
  Almost all the IIMs recently have changed their admission policy for admission and will look beyond high overall percentile in CAT before offering admission.

Weightage given to the CAT score is reduced significantly for shortlisting and final admission rounds in IIMs. Higher weighting will now be awarded to academic profile, written and verbal communication skills, diversity of gender among others.

Also read: Percentile required to get on IIMs

• Focus on academic record
  If candidates have a good academic record with 90 percent marks in class X, XII and graduation, they stand better chances of getting shortlisted even if they have scored less in CAT.

On the academic diversity front, IIMs will prefer candidates with backgrounds from Humanities, Arts, Commerce, etc for PGP batch.

•  Bonus points for Work Experience
  Candidates having work experience of 2 – 3 years will be given more weightage by IIMs. Work experience of fewer than 6 months will carry mo weightage. Also, weightage for work experience of more than 4 years will also carry no or very little weightage.

The work experience with an NGO;  participation in the spread of education and other contribution to social cause reflect leadership skills. A quality internship may also be included to express work experience.

Top IIMs and their weightage parameters:

1. IIM Ahmedabad

Parameters for GD-WAT-PI shortlist 

• Weightage for calculating Composite score :
  • Overall CAT score = 65%
  • Academics = 30%
  • Work Experience= 5%

Parameters for Final admission offer:

• Final composite score:
  • Normalized PI score=50%,
  • Normalized AWT score 10%
  • CAT Score=25%,
  • Academics= 15%

Final Score depends on various factors like co-curricular activities, Academics, Diversity, Work-Experience, Performance in CAT, etc.

 

2. IIM Bangalore

Minimum Percentile requirements for the 1st shortlist*
Section 1 (VARC)
General= 80
NC-OBC =70
EWS =70
SC =65
ST =55
PWD =50

Section 2 (DILR)

General =75
NC-OBC  =65
EWS = 65
SC = 60
ST =55
PWD =50

Section 3 (QA)

General = 75
NC-OBC = 65
EWS = 65
SC =60
ST =55
PWD =50
* These are cut-offs used for preparing the first short-list. The scores of those called for interviews
were higher.

 

 

Parameters for GD-WAT-PI shortlist 

• Weightage for calculating Composite score :
  • Overall CAT score = 40%
  • 10th Board = 20%
  • 12th Board= 10%
  • Graduation= 20%
  • Gender Diversity= 2%
  • Work Experience= 8%

Parameters for Final admission offer:

• Weightage for Final admission:
  • The WAT score = 10%
  • Personal interview score = 30%
  • After standardization across interview panels and sessions, it will be added to the following scores to arrive at the final aggregate score.
  • CAT = 25%, 10th Board= 10%, 12th Board= 5%, Graduation=10%, Weighted Work Experience = 10%

3. IIM Calcutta

Parameters for GD-WAT-PI shortlist 

• Weightage for shortlisting for PI Call: :
  • CAT Score: 56%
  • Class X and Class XII aggregate percentages. (X: 10%, XII:15%)
  • Graduation= 15%
  • Gender Diversity: 4% (4 points will be awarded to promote gender diversity.)

Parameters for Final admission offer:

• Weightage for Final admission:
  • CAT Score: 30%
  • Personal Interview (PI): 48%
  • Writing Ability Test (WAT): 10%
  • Point awarded for Academic Diversity at Bachelor’s level for Non-Engineering degree: 04%
  • Work Experience: 8%
  • Remaining weightage is for points awarded for Academic Diversity at Bachelor’s degree level and other process involved as per institute policy.