CAT 2015: Score & profile scaled with IIM Ahmedabad PGP 2016-18 Admission Criteria; match your status

Apart from your 99 percentile scores in CAT 2015, the first stage shortlisting process for Admission to IIM Ahmedabad for the flagship PGP 2016-18 will need excellent academic profile and greater diversity than in earlier PGP batches. The top rated IIMA will award higher weightage to academic profile and diversity and has reduced the weightage for CAT 2015 scores for admission 2016-18 batch.

Out of other shortlisting parameters, weightage to academic profile is going to be the key criteria in shortlisting the candidates for final admission round 2016 at top rated IIM Ahmedabad. This weightage may improve or deteriorate your chances despite scoring good or very good percentile in CAT 2015.

Although you might have nearly arrived at the expected percentile score of 97 or 99 as the case may be, in CAT 2015 supposed to be secured by you based on your attempts, it will be a good exercise if you can evaluate your profile and assess yourself whether it is commensurable with your CAT 2015 scores for IIM Ahmedabad.

Different process at IIM Ahmedabad
IIM Ahmedabad the top ranked B school in the country has evolved different admission criteria. The 2 year Post-graduate Programme in Management (PGP) at IIM Ahmedabad is a full-time residential course for graduates from all disciplines and is considered the hot spot to pursue a career in management.

While the role of CAT 2015 is very important to explore admission opportunities, the weightage of Academics, work experience, Written Ability and Personal Interview after this computer based written CAT 2015 in final admission round at IIM Ahmedabad has increased tremendously.

The shortlisting criteria of IIM Ahmedabad for admission 2016-18 also emphasises how important is the role of academics along with the written test.

CAT 2015: High overall percentile not enough for IIMA
According to the admission 2016-18 guidelines issued by IIM Ahmedabad “Performance in CAT is an important input in the admission process. Candidates should note that it is important to perform well in each section of the test.”Individual sectional cut offs based on CAT 2015 scores will be considered for short-listing the candidates for final admission round at IIM Ahmedabad.

IIM Ahmedabad further shares “IIMA short-lists candidates for AWT&PI independent of other IIMs. Hence it is possible to observe variations in the lists of candidates short-listed by different IIMs”   In view of this statement, it’s very much clear that  CAT 2015 should not get misled that the short listing criteria and weightage to different components of IIM Ahmedabad would be similar to that of other IIMs.

2 step process
IIM Ahmedabad will have 2 stage admission process after CAT 2015 results are declared to select the candidates for the 2016-18 batch of PGP. In the first step, candidates are short-listed for Academic Writing Test (AWT) and Personal Interview (PI) from among the candidates who have a valid CAT 2015 score, who have applied for the programme and who satisfy the eligibility criteria for the programme.

Academic profile: Next important parameter after CAT 2015 scores
It’s not the CAT 2015 scores only that can take an IIM Ahmedabad aspirant through the process of shortlisting. Candidates with excellent academic profile will get an edge during the shortlisting process.  According to  IIM Ahmedabad admission guidelines “In addition to the performance in CAT, IIMA uses academic background for short-listing for AWT & PI.”

With a view to increase academic diversity in its class rooms, IIM Ahmedabad has announced award of diversified weightage even to less than 60% marks in the Admission Policy for PGP 2016-18 batch. While the maximum weightage of 3 points will be awarded to the students with 60% marks in Arts & Humanities at 12th standard and bachelor’s degree level, the minimum of 1 point weightage will go to Science, Engineering and other allied streams.

IIM Ahmedabad is the only Indian Institute of Management that has announced weightage for less than 60% marks scored in academics right from standard 10 to graduation for all the streams in its shortlisting criteria. Other IIMs award no weightage to less than 60% marks in academics.

Weightage to Class 10 marks
IIM Ahmedabad has announced rating score for standard 10 marks as 55% and above but below 60% marks will be awarded 1 point weightage. If the marks are 60% and above, weightage of 2 points will be awarded. Maximum weightage of 10 points will be awarded to 90% or above marks in class 10.

Class 12: Academic diversity begins
If you belong to Science stream in class 12 and have scored below or 55% marks, weightage of 1 point will be awarded and marks between 55 to 60% will be awarded weightage of 2 points.

Students from commerce stream will get a weightage of 1 point even if they have scored 50% or less marks, this will increase to 2 points if the score is upto 55%. From 55% to 65% marks in class 12, the weightage points will go upto 3. However maximum weightage of 10 points will be awarded by IIM Ahmedabad, if you have scored 90% or above marks.

Maximum weightage to Humanities
If you opted for Arts (Humanities) stream in class 12 and had scored 45% or less marks, weightage of 1 point goes to you. The weightage rises faster than for Science and commerce streams. For example- 45 to 50% will get a weightage of 2 points; 50 to 60% a weightage of 3.

60 to 70% in Arts at class 12 will be awarded a weightage of 5 points in rating score in the first stage short listing at IIM Ahmedabad. This weightage was available to Science and commerce streams with 70 to 80% and 65 to 75% marks respectively.

Not only this the maximum weightage of 10 points based on class 12 marks that you could get after scoring not less than 90% in Science or commerce stream, is available to you at 85% in Arts.

Your Bachelor’s degree: 10 point weightage
To boost greater academic diversity, the PGP 2016-18 admission policy at IIM Ahmedabad has announced lower weightage to higher percentage of marks to Science, Engineering, Commerce disciplines whereas Arts, Humanities, Medicine, CA, ICWA, CS scores will be awarded higher weightage at low percentage of marks.

The maximum weightage of 10 points is available to graduates in Science, Commerce & other allied disciplines with more than 80% marks; to Engineering graduates with more than 85% marks but this weightage of 10 points is available to graduates in Arts/Humanities with 75% marks; in Medicine with 70% marks and for CA/ICWA/CS with only 63% marks.  

Past academic cut-offs applied at IIM Ahmedabad
Sharing the cut-off applied to various disciplines at Bachelor’s degree exam and class 12 while awarding weights in admission to PGP 2015-17 batch , IIM Ahmedabad informs

Bare minimum percentile in CAT 2015
The first stage shortlisting based on CAT 2015 scores for admission to PGP 2016-18 batch at IIM Ahmedabad requires minimum 80 percentile in each of the 3 sections. A few IIMs have reduced the minimum percentile required in the newly created tricky section of DILR but IIM Ahmedabad has kept the minimum required percentile uniform. The minimum overall percentile required to qualify for shortlisting at the first stage of IIM Ahmedabad admission process in 2016 has been prescribed at 90.

After the stage 1 shortlisting proposed to be announced sometime in the second week of January 2016, the successful CAT 2015 takers shall have to go through the final admission process at IIM Ahmedabad. The final admission round will comprise Academic Writing Test (AWT) and Personal Interview (PI). Both the tests will be conducted on the same day and the admission offers shall be issued based on the scores obtained in CAT 2015, AWT, PI and other key parameters in the month of April, 2016.

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