IIM Selection Criteria

 These parameters include CAT 2012 scores, academic performance, work experience and diversity factors. Weightage given to each of these criteria varies between IIMs. 

IIM A gives 70% weightage to CAT score. IIM C provides 77% weightage and IIM L allots 76% weightage. However, IIM B provides a meagre 20% weightage to CAT score. IIM B, C & L, apart from CAT score, also include past academic performance, work experience and diversity factor to short list candidates for the final round.

IIM Kozhikode provides 50% weightage to CAT scores along with high emphasis on past academic records (45%) and gender diversity (5%). IIM Indore gives no weightage to CAT score in short listing candidates while IIM Shillong includes scores of 10th & 12th standard exams in its short listing process.

IIM Rohtak & IIM Trichy will short list candidates based on CAT scores and past academic experience while IIM U & IIM Raipur use only CAT score for short listing.

IIM Kashipur has short listing criteria similar to IIM Lucknow. The institute provides weightages to CAT score (42%), past academic performance (6%) and diversity factor (7%).

PI assessment process & tools: Personal interview forms a very important role in the final selection. Being an interactive round, PI enables interviewers to have an idea about the thought process, personality and individuality of a candidate. All the IIMs provide high weightage to PI. IIM A provides 70% weightage to PI, while IIM C, IIM B and IIM L provide 44%, 20% and 30%, respectively.

Four out of six new IIMs provide 30% weightage to personal interview in the final selection. However, IIM Udaipur & Trichy provide 20% & 17%, respectively.

Final selection parameters: After short listing, comes the final selection round. The criteria for the final selection are WAT, group discussion and personal interview. In this round also, different IIMs follow different process and parameters. 

IIM A provides 70% weightage to personal interview and allots no weightage to WAT and group discussion during final selection. However, WAT is given due 10-20% weightage by IIMs – IIM C (10%), IIM B (15%), IIM L (10%), IIM Indore (15%), IIM Kozhikode (20%), IIM Shillong (10%), IIM Ranchi (20%), IIM Kashipur (10%), IIM Udaipur (10%) and IIM Trichy (15%).

While IIM C provides 8% weightage to work experience in the final round, IIM B lays emphasis on both duration and quality of work experience with a combined weightage of 10%.

Out of the top 7 IIMs, only IIM Lucknow allots weightage to group discussion. However, IIM Shillong does consider a minimum performance criterion (25%) in GD.