Updated on 21st June 2024 | 3:26 pm | #IIMAdmissionProcess
Indian Institutes of Management, popularly known as IIMs, are India's top institutes for management education and research. There are 21 IIMs that primarily offer post-graduate, doctoral, and executive programs. Every CAT aspirant hopes to get admissions into IIMs and as a result, many enquires are received regarding the process of getting into an IIM and the IIM admission process.
Gaining admission to an IIMs MBA/PGP programs involves several steps and significant effort to crack CAT, the entrance exam and get through with the interview rounds. A final call is made based on candidate's performance in all the stages, as well as their academic and professional experience.
While many individuals wish to know how to gain admission to an IIM, they often struggle to understand the IIM selection process clearly. This article talks about the how to get into an IIM, providing insight into several stages that are involved in the IIM admission process.
For an MBA aspirant, the path to gain admission to their dream college is a long journey involving various stages. It requires a great deal of dedication and hard work to successfully secure a place at these prestigious IIMs. While it is the dream of many CAT aspirants, it is fulfilled by those fortunate individuals who have devoted all their energy and effort to their preparation.
Below are the different stages involved in the IIM admission process for MBA/PGP courses. Gain an in-depth understanding of each stage and give your MBA journey a head start.
If you are a candidate searching for how to get into an IIM, the CAT exam is the first step on this journey. Common Aptitude Test, commonly called CAT is an entrance exam conducted by IIMs for admission into their management programs. CAT is a highly competitive exam written by around 2 lakh candidates competing for approximately 5000 seats in the IIMs. Candidates should focus on getting a good overall and sectional score to meet the IIM cutoffs.
Candidates who meet the cutoffs get a call for further GD/PI/WAT rounds. Personal Interviews (PI) at IIMs are usually taken by the IIM faculty, sometimes ex-faculty or even alumni in some cases. This round checks your various soft skills and interpersonal skills. Questions may vary from personal details to work and academics. Along with PIs, the IIMs also conduct a Written Ability Test (WAT) to check your writing ability and comprehension of the topic given. Group Discussions (GDs) have become obsolete amongst IIMs except for IIM Shillong, which conducts GD in its 2nd stage of the selection process.
The final selections are based on certain parameters that may be different for each IIM. Different marks are assigned based on your composite CAT score, past academic performance, work experience, and WAT/GD and PI performance. Based on these final scores, final selections are made.
It is now easy for you to know which IIM is likely to shortlist your WAT/GD and PI round and at what CAT percentile. Visit IIM Profilizer and get your own IIM shortlist ready.
The eligibility for IIMs MBA/PGP courses is the same as the CAT eligibility requirements. However, here are a few added points to be kept in mind.
IIMs hold their individual interviews and admission processes after the CAT results are released. Thus, the details of the admission process can change from one IIM to the other. However, the IIM admission process is not limited to the CAT scores and WAT/GD and PI rounds.
IIM admissions are based on a Composite Score for selections to the WAT/PI stage and a Final Composite Score that a candidate secures during the final admission process. The weightage of parameters for these scores varies as the process is not centralized. Thus each IIM offers weightage to parameters such as work experience, 10th marks, 12th marks, WAT/PI score, CAT score, etc.
CL' Rank |
IIMs |
Qualifying CAT Cutoffs 2024 (Percentile) |
IIM Info |
1 |
Indian Institute of Management (IIM-A) Ahmedabad |
80%ile |
|
2 |
Indian Institute of Management (IIM-B) Bangalore |
85%ile |
|
3 |
Indian Institute of Management (IIM-C) Kolkata |
80%ile |
|
4 |
Indian Institute of Management (IIM-K) Kozhikode |
85%ile |
|
5 |
Indian Institute of Management (IIM-I) Indore |
90%ile |
|
6 |
Indian Institute of Management (IIM-L) Lucknow |
90%ile |
|
7 |
Indian Institute of Management (IIM-M) Mumbai |
>=85%ile |
|
8 |
Indian Institute of Management (IIM-Rai) Raipur |
>=92%ile |
|
9 |
Indian Institute of Management (IIM-T) Trichy |
>=92%ile |
|
10 |
Indian Institute of Management (IIM-U) Udaipur |
92%ile |
|
11 |
Indian Institute of Management (IIM-R) Ranchi |
94%ile |
|
12 |
Indian Institute of Management (IIM-S) Shillong |
85%ile |
|
13 |
Indian Institute of Management (IIM-Ro) Rohtak |
95%ile |
|
14 |
Indian Institute of Management (IIM-Ka) Kashipur |
92%ile |
|
15 |
Indian Institute of Management (IIM-N) Nagpur |
85%ile |
|
16 |
Indian Institute of Management (IIM-SB) Sambalpur |
92%ile |
|
17 |
Indian Institute of Management (IIM-AM) Amritsar |
85%ile |
|
18 |
Indian Institute of Management (IIM-SR) Sirmaur |
94%ile |
|
19 |
Indian Institute of Management (IIM-BG) Bodhgaya |
92%ile |
|
20 |
Indian Institute of Management (IIM-J) Jammu |
93%ile |
|
21 |
Indian Institute of Management (IIM-V) Visakhapatnam |
80%ile |
All the older IIMs have separate admission processes that are followed after the CAT results are announced. However, nine new IIMs, popularly known as the baby IIMs, have a Common Admission Process (CAP) that standardizes the selection process.
Here are some key points to keep in mind-
It is very important to crack the CAT in the first place in order to proceed with the IIM admission process for MBA/PGP courses. Only if you score the eligible percentile in CAT 2024 will you be eligible to receive a call from the respective IIMs. Therefore, take your CAT preparation seriously and follow the tips given below to enhance your chances of getting into your dream B-schools.
To have a detailed knowledge of Preparation Tips for CAT, click here.
Admissions to IIMs follow a hectic process that includes several rounds starting from the common admission test, i.e., CAT. After which, shortlisted candidates proceed to further rounds including GD, PI, and WAT. It isn't a cakewalk to get into the top IIMs; it requires a lot of hard work and practice.
Further, below are the detailed step-by-step admission procedure and a guide for your MBA journey:
Stage 1: The MBA journey begins with the application process. Filling out the application form for CAT is the first step toward gaining admission to an IIM.
Stage 2: The next step involves attempting the entrance exam. Giving the CAT is one thing, and securing a score that matches the eligibility criteria of an IIM is another.
Stage 3: Candidates who score enough to meet the eligibility criteria receive calls from these B-schools for further rounds.
Stage 4: This round carries the maximum weightage in the IIM admission process. It includes Group Discussion (GD), Personal Interview (PI), and Written Ability Test (WAT).
Stage 5: Final selections are made, taking into account the scores from the prior rounds and the academic and professional records.
You can get selected in an IIM by appearing for CAT, securing the required percentile, along with meeting the following criteria:
Yes, IIMs do give a certain importance to your academic results, but its weightage in the selection process counts very little.
Securing admission to an IIM is just as challenging as gaining admission to an IIT. Clearing the set cut-offs in CAT, which is considered one of the toughest management entrance exams, is crucial. With around 2,50,000 candidates registering for just 20,000 seats in IIMs, competition for admission is intense.