B-school Admission for Humanities & Commerce Students

B-school Cutoffs and CAT Preparation Tips

In CAT 2022, a Non-Engineer General Category candidate got into:

  • IIM Ahmedabad and IIM Bangalore at less than 89%ile*.
  • IIM Indore at 84.1 %ile*.
  • IIM Calcutta at 89.6 %ile*.

With the top B-schools encouraging diversity among their batches, the tide is turning in the favor of non-engineers. The percentage of non-engineers in MBA programs has been on the rise for the past few years.

In CAT 2022, 1,44,715 non-engineers appeared for the exam against 77,458 engineers, making the number of non-engineers almost double that of engineers.

*Percentiles are liable to change as per the number of applicants in that particular year, this is indicative data.

Start your CAT Preparation

B-school Cutoffs for Humanities and Commerce Students

The CAT cutoffs for non-engineers are slightly different owing to various factors including diversity points awarded during the admission rounds in top B-schools.

In CAT 2022, IIM Calcutta Admissions:

  • A Non-Engineering Candidate needed 14 marks less in comparison to an Engineering Candidate.
  • The difference between the selection percentile between the two groups was 7 %ile.

In CAT 2022, IIM Indore Admissions:

  • A Non-Engineering Candidate needed 14 marks less in comparison to an Engineering Candidate.
  • The difference between the selection percentile between the two groups was 8 %ile.

NOTE:

  1. The percentiles mentioned above do not represent the cutoffs for the respective colleges; instead, they indicate the lowest percentiles achieved by Career Launcher students for final admission to those colleges.
  2. Percentiles are liable to change as per the number of applicants in that particular year, this is indicative data

Our Programs

Online Coaching

  • Live and interactive sessions led by IIM alumni
  • Ideal for students writing CAT for the first time
  • Day/Evening batches available

Night Classes

  • Advanced batches led by CL Marquee Faculty
  • Ideal for professionals/students with conceptual clarity
  • Batches held at 9:30 PM

Do Non-Engineers Get an Advantage in MBA Admissions?

B-Schools

Academic Diversity Points

IIM Calcutta

6 %

IIM Lucknow

5 %

IIM Kozhikode

5 %

MDI Gurgaon

5 %

XLRI Jamshedpur

Not Disclosed

To encourage diverse participation, many B-schools have included academic diversity points in their admission process.

  • The academic diversity points give the composite score a boost, improving the chances of getting into the B-schools.
  • The academic diversity score has been introduced to address the imbalance in most IIMs and not as an undue advantage to the Non-Engineering candidates.
  • As this is not a universal or balanced practice, the points awarded in academic diversity vary for most top B-schools.

Note:
Academic Diversity Points are subject to change based on B-School's discretion and year of admission.

B-school Admissions: The Weightage of Your Academic Qualifications

A noticeable difference exists in the expected B-school calls for both based on the academic background difference. Below are two profiles:

A: General, Male, B.Com., 24 months work exp., 10th & 12th: 90%, Graduation: 85%

B: General, Male, Engineer, 24 months work exp., 10th & 12th: 90%, Graduation: 85%

  • Non-Engineering aspirants have a good probability of getting a call from IIM Ahmedabad at 98 %ile, while the Engineering aspirants have a low probability at 99.55 %ile.*
  • Similarly, in IIM-K, Non-Engineering aspirants have a high probability of getting a call at 97 %ile while Engineering aspirants have a low probability at 99 %ile.*
  • IIM-L is highly likely to call Non-Engineering aspirants at 96.83 %ile; whereas Engineering aspirants have a low probability even with a cutoff of 99 %ile.*
*Percentiles are liable to change as per the number of applicants in that particular year, this is indicative data.

Check which B-school you are likely to get a call from with our IIM Profilizer.

Read More

CAT Preparation Strategy for Humanities and Commerce Students

Essentially, there is little to no difference in the CAT preparation strategy adopted by an engineer and a non-engineer. However, non-engineers often have reservations regarding the QA section comprising mathematics, which engineers are more familiar with. It becomes a consequent conclusion that engineers have a better chance of cracking CAT by leveraging this section. This myth often serves to be the biggest hindrance in any non-engineers CAT preparation.

So, first, non-engineers should understand that CAT is an MBA entrance exam focused more on speed and accuracy than the level of difficulty. Thus, non-engineers can also cover the QA section and create a level playing field for CAT with consistent practice alone. This nullifies the belief that engineers might have some undue advantage in this entrance exam.

That being said, the syllabus of the QA section is also only for 10th grade. So, any aspirant who prepares with the right strategy can very well ace CAT.

CAT Preparation Tips for Humanities and Commerce Students

Understand the Syllabus and Exam Pattern

The first step to begin your CAT preparation is understanding the syllabus and exam pattern of the paper. Since there is no defined syllabus, familiarizing yourself with the most important and common topics is essential.

Strengthen your concepts

Each section requires a different focus when you begin studying for CAT. Get into the habit of reading for VARC, practice puzzles regularly for DILR, and solve math equations of class 10 to memorize formulae.

Review Past Year Papers

Previous papers help give an understanding of the exam pattern, syllabus, and level of difficulty of CAT. Attempting the papers will also give an understanding of how prepared an aspirant is for the exam.

Practice Mock Tests

Mock tests help reinforce the concepts and formulae while improving speed and accuracy. Analyzing them is also important to review the effectiveness of the strategy and to identify weak and strong topics.

Preparation Strategy for Quantitative Aptitude

Non-engineers are not familiar with mathematics and take up time to derive formulae

and apply them step-wise. To eliminate this consumption of time while still maintaining accuracy, candidates can take guidance from experts and learn shortcuts and equations of solving problems. Conceptual clarity in the quant section becomes essential to cover the gap between an engineer and a non-engineer in this section.

As the quantitative aptitude section is more about how to solve the questions than learning the derivation of the formulae, practice, familiarization, and elimination of the mathematical concepts are necessary.

Section-wise Preparation Tips for Non-Engineers

Quantitative Aptitude

  • Identify the most important topics and frequently asked questions. Over the past years, arithmetic comprised a major number of QA questions followed by algebra.
  • Cover the NCERT books and practice the given questions on a daily basis. The foundation for the formulae must be strong.
  • Practice important formulae and questions diligently to reinforce them. When reviewing a question, identifying the formula quickly is required to attempt and derive the answer.

Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension

  • Get into the habit of reading be it books, magazines, or newspapers. This will help candidates peruse content quickly while also improving grammar and vocabulary.
  • Practice reading comprehension questions to adopt a strategy for finding answers and answering them quickly and correctly.
  • For jumbled sentences and paragraphs, candidates can answer the questions given in newspapers and focus on practicing.

Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning

  • Make practicing puzzles a daily task. This will familiarize aspirants with the various questions that are asked in this section.
  • Memorize the most common formula and rely little on calculators for the basics. It will help save time and also improve the pace at which the aspirant solves questions.
  • Practice the elimination method during mock tests to reach the answer quickly and with minimal effort. The goal is not to calculate the answer but find it among the options.

Conclusion

Ultimately, a non-engineer can also ace CAT with a strong preparation strategy. Preparation for all the sections can be the same for non-engineers as any other aspirant. For candidates who are concerned about the QA section, special attention to the section with proper learning of the basics can eradicate any fears. Consistently revise the mathematical formula and apply them in mocks. Basic calculations including roots, squares, and multiplications should be on your tips to avoid wasting time. When revising previous papers, make note of the most commonly covered topics and concepts and make sure to practice them diligently. A similar practice and focus can be applied to any section a candidate is weak in and improve their overall performance in CAT.