IIM Admission Without 99 Percentile: Is It Possible?

IIM Admission Without 99 Percentile: Is It Possible?

For most candidates who aspire to join an IIM, getting a percentile above 99 in CAT is the ultimate dream. However, not all candidates succeed in getting such a high percentile.

Understanding IIM Admission Beyond CAT Percentile

It is generally believed that only the CAT percentile decides the admission of a person into an IIM. However, all IIMs have a holistic process of admission to the program. The CAT score does play a major role in the shortlisting of applicants; however, the final selection happens after considering various factors, which include the following.

● CAT score

● Performance in Class 10, Class 12, and graduation exams

● Work experience

● Academic diversity

● Gender diversity

● Performance in Personal Interview

● Performance in Written Ability Test (if any)

Therefore, people with great profiles can also get selected without achieving 99 percentile in CAT.

Which IIMs Accept Candidates Below 99 Percentile?

Admission in IIMs has also been made through CAT percentiles lower than 99. These IIMs include IIM Lucknow, IIM Indore, IIM Kozhikode, IIM Shillong, IIM Udaipur, IIM Trichy, IIM Raipur, IIM Kashipur, IIM Ranchi and others, which may consider admissions from candidates having percentiles lower than that depending upon their profiles and categories.

Candidates belonging to the general category have the scope of getting selected even with a percentile ranging between 90 to 98 from several reputed IIMs. Category-wise candidates will be called for lower percentiles.

Importance of Academic Profile

● Having a good academic profile definitely adds to the odds of securing admission. Most IIMs give weightage to academic consistency both at the time of shortlisting and final selection.

● Students with high scores in their school and college years can expect interview calls even if their CAT percentile is slightly lower than the benchmark.

● Such is the case with IIM Indore and IIM Kozhikode, where a lot of weightage is given to academic performance.

Does Work Experience Help?

Yes. Work experience is very important in an MBA application. Applicants who have relevant experience generally get more importance when selecting applicants.

Work experience reflects the leadership qualities, decision-making ability and knowledge of practical business, which makes a person eligible for admission in a college.

But newly graduated candidates need not lose hope since many IIM students enroll right after graduating.

Role of Personal Interview

The PI becomes the deciding factor for the admission into the program. A candidate who scores less than others in the CAT percentile can score more than them with his/her better communication skills, career foresight, leadership qualities and knowledge of current events. Therefore, preparing for the interviews is equally important as getting ready for the CAT.

How Much CAT Percentile Is Enough?

Eligibility criteria may vary from one institute to another, but the general criteria would be something like this-

● More than 99 percentile — Very good prospects for the top IIMs

● 95–99 percentile — Prospects for various older and newer IIMs

● 90–95 percentile — Prospects for various new IIMs and popular MBA colleges

● Below 90 percentile — Admission could be possible on a category/profile basis

Conclusion

It is completely possible to get into an IIM without the 99 percentile score. Scoring well in CAT does matter, but it is not the sole criterion considered during the selection process. Good academics, good experience, diverse profile and impressive performance in interviews can make it easier for you to get an IIM admission. Rather than concentrating only on achieving the 99 percentile score, candidates should strive to make their profile holistic and strong throughout the admission process.