What Percentile Do I Need for IIM A?

Every year, the question about what percentile one needs to achieve to get into IIM A garners considerable attention. The typical answer may seem straightforward with a general percentile range, but the nuances of the selection process make it more intriguing. In this article, we delve into the details of the selection criteria and processes to understand the complexities behind this.

The Selection Process Overview

Here's a breakdown of the journey leading to getting an AWT (Analytical Writing Test) / PI (Personal Interview) call from IIM A:

Step I: CAT Exam - Approximately 200,000 candidates appear for the Common Admission Test (CAT) usually in November. Step II: Preliminary Screening - About 30,000 candidates are shortlisted based on a minimum percentile, which varies by Academic Category. For General Category, this is a minimum 70 in each section and an overall 80. For SC (Scheduled Caste), it is 60 in each section and an overall 70. For the Aca Year 2019-2021, the specific number was 28,886. Step III: Shortlisted Candidates - Around 1,200 candidates are selected to move to the AWT/PI stage. This number is usually around 3 times the final number of seats available. Step IV: Final Selection - Approximately 400 candidates are finally chosen, and the final results are declared in April.

Academic Diversity and Selection Criteria

IIM-A aims to maintain academic diversity in its PGP (Post-Graduate Programme) batches. This means they seek candidates from various backgrounds such as Arts, Commerce, Science, Journalism, Fashion Designing, Doctors, Chartered Accountants, Law graduates, Engineers, etc. Given this diversity, we dive deeper into how IIM A achieves it and the implications for different candidates.

The selection process categorizes candidates into six broad Academic Categories (AC1-AC6):

AC-1: Medicine and Surgery related courses - around 200 applicants. AC-2: CA CS ICWA - around 1,000 to 2,000 applicants. AC-3: All commerce, finance, and management related degrees - around 65,000 applicants. AC-4: All engineering related areas - around 130,000 applicants. AC-5: All Arts Humanities related degrees - around 5,000 applicants. AC-6: Any other NOT in the first five categories - very rare.

The numbers for AC-3 and AC-4 account for a significant portion, thus indicating a high level of competition within these categories. Conversely, candidates in AC-1, AC-2, and AC-5 may face less competition and thus have a better chance of securing a call letter at a lower percentile.

Breaking Down the Selection Process

After Step II, which whittles down the initial pool to around 30,000 candidates based on minimum percentiles, the next steps involve specific criteria for shortlisting to AWT/PI.

Step A: IIM A thereafter selects the top 5 in each academic category based on a composite score (CS) that includes a significant 70% weightage to the CAT score alone. This step could involve around 700 to 800 candidates. Step B: A further round of filtration happens to create a common merit list based on the composite score. This might result in around 400 to 500 candidates being shortlisted for the next stage.

This step-by-step approach significantly reduces the pool, making it more feasible for candidates from niche categories to secure a call letter at a relatively lower percentile.

Summary: The overall percentile required can vary based on the academic category a candidate belongs to. For General Category candidates in niche categories like Arts, Humanities, or relatively less competitive fields, it is possible to secure a call letter at around an 85th percentile. However, candidates in more popular categories (like AC-3, AC-4) will face more competition and need to secure a higher percentile, often around 90th percentile.

Regardless of the percentile, it is crucial to maintain a strong application profile and highlight unique attributes and experiences to stand out in the selection process.

All the best in your application process!