IIM Calcutta: Admission process with big changes; increases weight to academics at the cost of CAT 2015 scores

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MBAUniverse.com News Desk |
August 31, 2015
IIM Caclutta will award higher weightage to academics from 20 to 30 percent while reducing it for CAT 2015 from 77 to 67 in its shortlisting process for PI round in admission to PGP 2016-18 batch
Candidates will be short listed on the basis of CAT 2015 score, past academic performance, and other criteria IIM Calcutta

IIM Caclutta will award higher weightage to academics from 20 to 30 percent while reducing it for CAT 2015 from 77 to 67 in its shortlisting process for PI round in admission to PGP 2016-18 batch. Announcing the admission policy for PGP-2016-18 batch, IIM Calcutta will focus more on academic profile prior to graduation only. However, no weightage to academic diversity or high percentage in graduation marks will be awarded in the shortlisting process by IIM Calcutta. According to IIM Calcutta ‘Candidates will be short listed on the basis of CAT 2015 score, past academic performance, and other criteria’

Uniform CAT 2015 score needed
CAT 2015 has added one more section of DILR increasing the number of test sections from 2 to 3. This change has entailed all the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) to announce the minimum score required to shortlist the candidates in the single day 2 session CAT 2015 exam. While few other IIMs have kept the minimum required percentile in each section at varying standard, IIM Calcutta has preferred to keep the uniform minimum percentile to consider the candidature at 80 in each section.

Minimum CAT 2015 sectional percentile 80
According to the admission policy announced by the top rated B-school a candidate seeking admission to PGP 2016-18 batch will need minimum 80 as sectional and 90 as overall percentile in CAT 2015, although the cut-off, sectional as well overall may go much higher in the shortlisting process at IIM Calcutta.

The stage-I short-listing comprises candidates achieving the minimum section-wise and overall percentile in CAT 2015 with 80 in each of 3 sections and 90 overall.

CAT 2015 score still commands lion’s share
Candidates scoring higher percentile in CAT 2015 will sure stand a better chance to get into IIM Calcutta as per the admission policy announced for PGP 2016-18 batch. IIM Calcutta will award the maximum weightage of 67 on a scale of 100 to CAT 2015 scores instead of 77 percent on a scale of 100 in earlier PGP batches. The weightage still has the lion’s share in determining your Fate in admission process 2016.
The conversion formula to place you at the correct merit position on CAT 2015 scores will be based on your total CAT 2015 scores. On considering the candidate’s minimum required sectional percentile scored in CAT 2015, IIM Calcutta will calculate the weightage after dividing the candidate’s total CAT 2015 score  by maximum CAT 2015 score and will then multiply it by 67.

If a candidate has scored 98 percentile while the maximum percentile is 100, IIM Calcutta will divide 98 by 100=.98 x 67 =65.66.  The weightage will be on a scale of 100

Actual CAT 2015 cut-off much higher
Candidates securing the minimum required percentile overall as well sectional in each category in CAT 2015 will only be considered for calculation of their composite score in Stage II. It is not necessary that a candidate scoring the minimum required percentile will figure in the list of short listed candidates as he/she may not get the place only on the basis of CAT 2015 scores since the composite score will account for other weights also.

The Composite Score to arrive at the final shortlist for PI round will be calculated on the basis of CAT 2015 score, Class X and Class XII aggregate percentages, and gender diversity factor.

Hence the actual section-wise and overall percentile of a short-listed candidate may be much higher than the above referred minimum percentile as the short-listing for PI is done on the basis of composite score.

Weight to academics raised to 30% from 20
Academic profile before graduation will have a total maximum weightage of 30 points during shortlisting process at IIM Caclutta for admission 2016. Earlier this weightage was 20 percent on a scale of 100.

If you have obtained 80+ percentage of marks in Class X and Class XII, you are entitled to get 10 points for each of the two exams, making it a total of 20.  These points will be further converted to weightage points with the application of simple formula-dividing the points awarded for aggregate percentage of marks by 10 and then multiplying it by 15. There will be a zero weightage if the candidate has scored less than 60 percent marks.

A candidate with 90 percent marks in class 10 will get the weightage: 10/10=1x15=15. Since both Class 10 and class 12 marks qualify for this weightage, you can be awarded a weightage of 30 points on a scale of 100, if you have scored 80+ marks in each of these 2 exams.

Another important point is that for computing the percentage of marks obtained in Class X and Class XII, the aggregate marks of all subjects that appear in the mark sheet/grade sheet would be considered irrespective of whether the Board considers them for calculation of percentage.

No weightage to Graduation marks
Please note graduation marks will not be awarded any weightage in the shortlisting criteria at IIM Calcutta for admission to PGP batch 2016-18.

3 point Weightage to Gender Diversity
A female candidate will be awarded a weightage of 3 points by IIM Calcutta during the shortlisting criteria for admission to PGP 2016-18 batch.

IIM Calcutta to exercise discretion
The number of candidates short-listed for Personal interview (PI)  stage would be the discretion of the institute and would depend on the batch size of 2016-18.

No weightage to Academic diversity
IIM Calcutta does not propose to award any weightage for academic diversity in shortlisting criteria for second stage of admission process in flagship PGP 2016-18 programme. A few of other IIMs have announced the award of such weightage to the candidates with a background in Arts/Humanities; Commerce/Economics; Law; Medicine among others

Final admission offers will be generated by IIM Calcutta on the basis of CAT 2015 scores, performance in WAT & PI; Academic diversity and Work experience.

CAT 2015: Mandatory exam
CAT 2015 is the mandatory exam to explore admission to PGP 2016-18 programme in IIM Calcutta. The Registration and application process for CAT 2015 exam will remain open till September 20, 2015. A graduate with 50% marks can apply to take CAT 2015. This year CAT will have 3 sections instead of earlier 2 sections comprising 100 MCQs and Non-MCQs. The exam carries one third negative marking in scoring pattern.

CAT 2015 will be held on November 29, 2015 in 2 sessions of 3 hours duration each for admission to 19 IIMs and other top rated B schools in India.

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