IIMs Rejected Several CAT Toppers On Grounds Of Their Performance In School

CAT is a dream for many MBA aspirants as it is a gateway to the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and the quality education and exposure they offer. The aspirants not only work hard at the given syllabus but undergo a personality change to attain that 99 or above percentile which was supposed to secure a seat for them in the IIMs. Imagine the shock of top 1% of IIM aspirants then; when they did not receive the call for Group Discussion (GD) and Personal Interview (PI) rounds they had been waiting so eagerly for. The IIMs decided to change their eligibility criteria at the eleventh hour!

CAT 2010 results, conducted by IIMs themselves, were published last month and the prospectus had clearly mentioned that one requires 50% in the bachelor's degree to be eligible for the exam. Four of the new B-schools - IIM Shillong, IIM Ranchi, IIM Rohtak, and IIM Trichy, however, considered 65% as the minimum eligibility criteria to shortlist candidates for their GD and PI rounds. The six older and more famous IIMs - IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, IIM Lucknow, IIM Kolkata, IIM Indore, and IIM Kozhikode - have assigned certain weightage to the marks students scored in class X and XII, their scores at the degree level, and their CAT scores.

While the IIMs had said earlier that they will shortlist candidates on the parameters other than CAT scores, the announcement about how the students will be accessed and the weightage given to all the parameters was only made after the results were disclosed. Several students, in the top 1% of CAT scorers, have been affected by the revelation.

According to the latest available reports:

• IIM Ahmedabad requires at least 70% in both 10th and 12th boards as its selection criteria for personal interviews. IIM Ahmedabad officials say that the academic performance has always been a criterion in the IIM Ahmedabad's screening process.

• IIM Kolkata assigns 75% weightage to CAT scores, 10% weightage for marks in 10th, 10% weightage for marks in 12th (for which it asks as much as 80%) and 5% weightage to work experience one has.

• IIM Kozhikode used to assign 90% weightage to CAT scores but now it gives only 50% weightage to it. Now, it gives 20% weightage to marks in 10th boards, 20% weightage to marks in 12th boards, and 10% weightage to work experience.

• IIM Lucknow has not mentioned any cut offs for 10th and 12th but has increased its weightage for marks in 10th boards from 5% to 10%.

• IIM Bangalore has not mentioned any cut-offs for 10th and 12th boards too and may increase its intake from 350 to 375 for its flagship PGP programme. It is still processing its results. It may also replace its GD rounds with an essay or note writing test in which students will be asked to write one page article on any given topic. The institute is planning to call as many as 1,500 students for interviews.

• IIM Indore has refrained from announcing any specific criteria for class 10th and 12th but its website states that candidates for GD and PI wounds will be shortlisted on the basis of their performance in CAT or GMAT, scholastic achievements, academic records, and relevant work experience.

Several students who have been hit by these latest disclosures are now planning to sue IIMs for the decision.

Source: Ruchi Shrimali (Shiksha Team)

Date: 10th February, 2011

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