CAT 2015: Target 96 Percentile to get call from one of the 20 IIMs; know the strategy

Add Review

MBAUniverse.com News Desk |
October 2, 2015
After successful CAT 2015 Registration now the target has to be set to score a minimum required sectional of 85 to 90 as well as high overall 96+ percentile to get shortlisted at the first stage in one of the 20 IIMs
You may not have to worry much if you are able to score 80 percentile in one section and 90 in other or 80 to 85 in 2 sections and 90 in other as it will push your overall percentile score up beyond 95

After successful CAT 2015 Registration now the target has to be set to score a minimum required sectional of 85 to 90 as well as high overall  96+ percentile to get shortlisted at the first stage in one of the 20 IIMs for PGP batch 2016-18. At times even it may not be enough for the older IIMs.

Sure, you have successfully registered for CAT 2015, despite all the odds and problems faced during on line registration process. Now you are devoting more time to your preparation and is trying to make sure that nothing is left to chance in the totally changed and revised CAT 2015 exam pattern.  Your target to score a minimum 96+ percentile is also there and you must be marching on your preparation strategy accordingly.

Scoring 96 and above percentile is a challenge in itself and there has to be a well planned preparation plan to achieve the target. The preparation schedule has to be followed meticulously not only to hit the goal but also to surpass it as 22000 more candidates will join as test takers in CAT 2015.

How to achieve the feat
Prof S K Agarwal, expert on CAT preparation shares a few facts and tips that would help and guide you about the important aspects that could help in scoring high percentile in CAT 2015 and smoothen the process of admission to the IIMs in 2016.

Target high sectional percentile
Candidates prepare throughout the year with dedication. Some go for a drop year, some give up the job to prepare hard. They secure high overall percentile also, but a slip in sectional percentile defeats the purpose.

The calculation of percentile in CAT 2015 will be a different process and apart from diligent preparation, smart and intelligent application in the testing room will be required to get high  sectional percentile.

Almost all the IIMs will need a minimum of 80 to 85 CAT 2015 percentile in all the 3 sections to enable you to qualify to get shortlisted by them. Even the newest IIMs have pegged their percentile requirement to minimum 80 sectional and 96.3 overall.

What sectional percentile needed to get 96+ OA
You may not have to worry much if you are able to score 80 percentile in one section and 90 in other or 80 to 85 in 2 sections and 90 in other as it will push your overall percentile score up beyond 95. So the primary objective is to get high sectional percentile to get shortlisted at the first stage.

Balanced sectional percentile needed
Since the calculation of percentile is based on equated normalization system, a candidate with high percentile of 99 in Quant section and low percentile of 93 in Verbal section and even lower 80 in DILR section may still score over all 98 or 99 percentile. On the contrary a candidate with fairly high balanced percentile of 87 and 90 in each section can have overall percentile between 95-97.

The irony however, is that the candidate with overall 99 percentile with such deviation may not be favoured by IIMs unless he has a very strong academic profile and good work experience. On the other hand the candidate with 96 percentile (having balanced and fairly high percentile) with equal academic and work ex profile may get shortlisted.

All the 3 sections important
Number of sections in CAT 2015 has increased to 3 from earlier 2 and now DILR constitutes a separate section instead of being a sub-section to Quant or Verbal. You cannot afford ignoring this newly carved out section.

This is also a fact that questions on Quant and Verbal are mostly individual and singular questions whereas most of the questions in DILR are in sets. It can be seen as an opportunity or as a problem depending upon your perspective to take CAT 2015.

Out of a set of 4 questions, if you can crack 1 or 2 even, you will get full marks for these accurately solved questions as against the individual questions where you have to devote proportionately more time and if the question seems difficult, your time has been wasted with no gain.

Non-MCQs: good opportunity
For the first time in CAT 2015 you will have non-MCQs. These questions do not ask you to choose the right answer option. On the contrary, you will have to solve the question and type the answer on the computer screen.

This is a good opportunity because you need not get confused due to close answer options and on the top of it, if your answer goes wrong, there will not be any negative marking for the non-MCQs in CAT 2015.
It is expected that 5 to 6 Non-MCQs with equal weightage will be asked in each of the 3 sections in CAT 2015.

If you wish to get into one of the top rated B-schools, you have to ensure a high sectional and over percentile in CAT 2015. Most of the newest IIMs that started operation in 2015 began their academic session with fewer students than proposed to be taken only due to this fact that candidates who could not get the minimum required percentile did not even qualify to be shortlisted at the first stage.

It is in your own interest to make sure that you score high with balanced sectional percentile which would boost your overall percentile in CAT 2015.

CAT 2015 is the gateway to 20 IIMs, FMS Delhi, SPJIMR, MDI, IMI, IMT, NITIE, TAPMI, BIMTECH, Great Lakes and number of other top rated B-schools who will use CAT 2015 scores in MBA/PGDM admission in 2016. The computer based CAT 2015 exam will be held on November 29, 2015 in 2 sessions in 136 test cities and 650 testing venues across the country. Admit cards for CAT 2015 are proposed to be issued on October 15, 2015 with important details in them.

Related Article

CAT 2015: Imperfect balance between Speed & Accuracy; Know how to avoid getting trapped on D-Day

CAT 2015: Higher registration number increases competition; know the implications

CAT 2015: 5 year high registration trend reflects growing interest in MBA; sign of Acche - din round the corner

CAT 2015: Registration closed with 2, 18,664 applicants; breaks past 3 year record

CAT 2015: Crack RC and not to worry for Non-MCQs; focus on Practice Accuracy & Commitment; Sirshendu, IIM B student

CAT 2015 Registration closed midnight Sep 25; count not yet disclosed, dip expected

CAT 2015: Registration extension to catch up the application decline; will it yield result?

CAT 2015: Registration last day opportunity over today; Avoid confusion & go ahead

Stay tuned to MBAUniverse.com for more updates on CAT 2015