CAT 2017: 5 Reasons why this is the best time for Non-Engineers to get into IIMs

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a.agnihotri
Amit Agnihotri
Columnist & Author, MBAUniverse.com
Updated on July 4, 2017
Given the fact that there are not only relaxed admission criteria offered by IIMs for non-engineers but the CAT exam pattern has also been modified to attract more non-engineers in IIM class rooms, CAT 2017 offers the best chance for Non-engineers to get into IIMs
CAT 2017
“Our admissions policy is to invite for interviews candidates from different academic disciplines based on their academic performances” Prof Apratim Guha, Chairperson, Admissions, IIM Ahmedabad

CAT 2017 offers the best time for Non-Engineers to prepare and get into IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, Lucknow, Kozhikode, Indore and other new and newest IIMs given the fact that there are not only relaxed admission criteria offered by IIMs for non-engineers but the CAT exam pattern has also been modified to attract more non-engineers in IIM class rooms.

It is one of the key facts that an Arts student with 89+ percentile in CAT 2016 has got admission in IIM Ahmedabad in 2017 while an engineering student Avidipto with 100 percentile could not get through.

IIM Ahmedabad: Non – Engineers ratio 15 years high
A glimpse to this fact is evident with the batch profile of PGP 2017-19 that has taken admission in IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore and Calcutta. Ratio of Non-engineers in IIM Ahmedabad has risen much higher than other 2 IIMs this year and is the highest in last 15 years. With even higher target for PGP 2018-20, IIM Ahmedabad class room may find 40 to 50 percent non-engineers next year.

Ratio of Non-Engineers IIM Ahmedabad IIM Bangalore IIM Calcutta
PGP 2015-17 batch  9% 13.77% 5.1%
PGP 2016-18 batch 20% 11.41% 8.6%
PGP 2017-19 batch 32% 11.36 9%

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IIMs increase weightage for Non-Engineers
IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore and Calcutta propose to increase the academic diversity in their class rooms. As such at the 1st stage shortlisting they have increased the award of weightage to the candidates coming from non-engineering back ground. For example if a candidate with en gineering back ground is awarded full weightage at 80% and above marks in class 12 or graduation, a candidate with arts/humanities will get the same weightage at 70 or 75% marks in his academics.

With these changes in admission criteria, more non-engineers have been able to get into IIM Ahmedabad this year.

The rise in academic diversity has come on the back of certain changes done in the admission process without compromising on merit of the students, assert the IIMs.

Weightage for academic diversity Non-Engineers IIM Ahmedabad IIM Bangalore IIM Calcutta
PGP 2017-19 batch  Higher weight for commerce, Arts, humanities Graduation marks awarded 20% weight and adjusted in their respective discipline 4% weight to non-engineers

Lower weightage to CAT scores
During the last 3 years, IIMs have been reducing the weightage to CAT exam scores and are awarding more weight to academic profile, academic diversity, Writing Ability Tests and personal interview sessions. This has helped the non-engineers to get an edge over their peers in 1st stage shortlisting and in Personal Interview round also. This year all the IIMs reduced the weightage to CAT exam scores.

Weightage for CAT 2016 scores IIM Ahmedabad IIM Bangalore IIM Calcutta
PGP 2017-19 batch

 70%

40% 56%

Apart from this IIM Ahmedabad has a unique shortlisting criteria for selection of exceptional performers across different disciplines. The final score is arrived at after including all AR scores

CAT qualifying score cut-off reduced
Sensing that most candidates with non-engineering back ground may not qualify all the CAT exam sections with high scores, IIMs reduced the overall and sectional percentile requirement in CAT 2016 exam.

Since IIMs require the candidates to qualify in all sections of CAT exam with a minimum predefined score, sometimes the candidates with non-engineering back ground find it difficult to qualify the Quant and Data Interpretation section with minimum required score. The situation got aggravated further when CAT exam was divided in 3 sections.

Accordingly, IIMs have reduced their minimum qualifying required CAT percentile so that more candidates from non-engineering back ground can be shortlisted.

Minimum CAT 2016 sectional & overall percentile IIM Ahmedabad IIM Bangalore IIM Calcutta
Overall

80

90 90
Sectional 70

VARC-85
QA, DILR-80

80

The reduced CAT score requirement enabled many candidates with non-engineering back ground to get shortlisted and convert the call to IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta and Lucknow.

IIMs need academic diversity: Non-engineers stand fair chance
According to Prof Preetam Basu, chairperson admissions at IIM Calcutta, “Our objective is to have more diversity in classroom in any form. We, hence, made minor modification in our policy for the pre-interview phase of shortlisting candidates as well as the merit list prepared on the basis of the interview."

With so many relaxations and weightage being awarded to non-engineers by IIMs, it is the right time that you crack CAT 2017 with fairly high score, work well to improve your writing ability and communication ability for personal interview as well. All this can take you through the selection process in IIMs.

Please remember it is not only you who can fulfil your dream of pursuing MBA from one of the top 3 IIMs, in fact IIMs also need more non-engineers in their class rooms. Emphasising this need, Professor Apratim Guha, Chairperson, Admissions, IIM Ahmedabad, explains the scenario “Our admissions policy is to invite for interviews candidates from different academic disciplines based on their academic performances, subject to their clearing certain CAT cut-offs. This approach increases the discipline diversity of our incoming class. This is part of a conscious effort to improve the in-class learning experience of students, who we believe would benefit from being in class with people from diverse background.”

Stay tuned to MBAUniverse.com for more updates on CAT 2017

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