Common Admission Test (CAT) is one of the extremely competitive examinations in India opened as a route to the most prestigious management colleges in the country, the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs). Thousands of aspirants take this exam every year with the hope of finding their place in these elite institutes, thereby making the CAT examination score of the candidate a make-or-break factor for the IIM selection procedure.
However, a high CAT score alone is no guarantee of admission. The final selection at the IIMs is a rather complex process that comprises various other elements. The present article would look into the CAT score weightage in IIMs for final selection, examining the various criteria that IIMs use in their admission process for 2024.
Understanding the IIM Admission Criteria 2024
The IIMs Admission Criteria 2024 is multi-staged, and comprises shortlisting for the WAT, PI, and the final selection process. The relative weightage accorded to the CAT score differs across IIM colleges, bringing to the forefront their distinctive selection philosophies.
CAT Score: Obviously, CAT Result helps in the initial shortlisting of candidates. However, the same is assigned variable weights across IIMs in the final selection list. For example, some IIMs assign a high CAT score, while the others consider this score as one input.
Academic Performance: Most IIMs will have a certain share of marks for judging you based on your marks from the 10th standard, 12th standard and graduation scores. So, consistency in performance can help you in getting one of the opportunities, particularly in IIMs that attach more importance to academics.
Work Experience: Pertinent work experience can be an added advantage in the selection process; almost all IIMs award some points for candidates' professional experience, taking into account both the extent and quality of the work.
Diversity Factors: IIMs, in general, keep various other factors in mind to bring diversity to their classrooms, such as gender, academic background, or even work experience. This ensures much rounder and better-informed sets of students for that particular batch.
WAT and PI Performance: Both WAT and PI hold tremendous importance in the final selection process. One has to score extraordinarily well in what happens in both of these rounds to get a chance to sit inside an IIM.
CAT Score Weightage in IIMs for Final Selection
The IIMs admission process is multi-dimensional, where the candidate is supposed to have excelled not only in the CAT exam but also in academics and work experience, along with presenting good interpersonal skills. It is important for aspirants to understand the level of importance associated with each topper component of the final seat process, as one has to vie for only one seat at each of these prestigious B-schools.
IIMs often calculate a composite score for candidates, which is an accumulation of the CAT score, Academic Profiles, Work Experience, Diversity Factors, and WAT/PI performance. It is then used to do the ranking of candidates, and final offers are made accordingly.
Given below is the list of the importance of your CAT score considered in your final selection -
CAT Score Weightage in Top IIMs
| Name of the Institute | Weigtage |
| IIM Ahmedabad | 25% |
| IIM Bangalore | 25% |
| IIM Calcutta | 30% |
| IIM Lucknow | 30% |
| IIM Kozhikode | 35% |
| IIM Indore | 37.5% |
| IIM Shillong | 40% |
| IIM Mumbai | 55% |
CAT Score Weightage in New IIMs
| Name of the Institute | Weigtage |
| IIM Udaipur | 60% |
| IIM Trichy | 50% |
| IIM Ranchi | 40% |
| IIM Kashipur | 33% |
| IIM Rohtak | 60% |
| IIM Raipur | 42% |
CAT Score Weightage in Baby IIMs
| Name of the Institute | Weigtage |
| IIM Amritsar | 06* Pre PI Score + 0.4* Post PI Score |
| IIM Bodh Gaya | 50% |
| IIM Nagpur | 50% |
| IIM Vizag | 25% |
| IIM Sambalpur | 30% |
| IIM Sirmaur | 45% |
| IIM Jammu | 40% |
Calculation of CAT 2024 Scores: How is it Done?
Addition of scores matches the CAT 2024 critical mark that helps find a candidate's position in the exam.
The CAT exam has three broad topics, which include: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Ability (QA).
All the three sections are marked equally and are critical for good overall scoring. The CAT score is calculated on the basis of the raw scores that are got in each of the sections and then normalized to adjust for any variation in difficulty levels across different test slots. The normalized score is further converted into a percentile, which represents the candidate's relative performance among all test-takers.
Students who intend to seek admission to an IIM must understand the sectional weightage in CAT. Though the CAT score is important, IIMs are known to set sectional cut-offs. It ensures that a candidate is not a one-trick pony and is good in all sections. For instance, a candidate excelling in QA but not so good in VARC may not be able to clear the cutoff. It is required to prepare well in advance for all the sections to meet the sectional weightages of the IIMs.
CAT Score vs. IIM Calls
The relation between the CAT score and IIM calls is a pretty complex one. A high CAT percentile increases the probability of scoring multiple calls from IIMs, though this does not ensure any confirmation in IIMs. The number of IIM calls one gets is based on an overall performance on the selection criteria, i.e., academics, work experience, and WAT/PI.
CAT Percentile for IIM: What Do You Need?
CAT percentile to secure the right calls for most IIMs can differ from the other. The older IIMs like that of Ahmedabad, Bangalore, or Calcutta would definitely seek above 99 percentile scores of general candidates, but the newer IIMs slightly lower on this factor. This suffices to say that achieving the cut-off is just the first stage; excelling in other areas of the selection process is equally important.
