Why Even 100 Percentiler Gets Rejected in Post CAT Tests

Candidates leave no stone unturned to crack CAT – mother of all exams. But it is often seen that students with as high as 99+ percentiles are not even called for WAT and PI rounds, or later on rejected. Reason – IIMs look for a Perfect Profile and not a Perfect Score.

Every year almost 2 lakh students appear for the CAT Exam, and only 2 percent get admissions to the various IIMs. Here is a break-up of the number of the seats and programmes each of the IIMs offer:

The IIMs are very particular about the kind of candidates they shortlist. Each IIM has a specific selection criterion. A perfect profile is the one that adds diversity and reflects consistency. Consistency is expected not only in the CAT score but the overall academic journey and work profile. 

The weightage of each component varies for every IIM, but the final selection is based on the following parameters: 

PI Performance

AWT Performance

Overall CAT score

Section-wise CAT scores

Class X score

Class XII score & subjects

Graduation Score

Bachelors academic stream

Work experience 

Gender diversity

Besides, all the above are bound by reservations as per the central government policy.

It is essential to understand the IIMs follow the principle of filtering and elimination. Some of the reasons why students with even a 100 percentile are rejected are:

1. Poor Performance in PI

Cracking the personal interview in front of an IIM panel can be nerve-wracking. The panellists are quick to judge if you are bluffing or are genuine. Poor communication skills, overconfidence, and arrogance are other factors that lead to a lot of rejections.

2. Weak Writing Skills

The analytical writing test (AWT) is another critical aspect which is tested thoroughly. Candidates are judged on their presentation skills, general awareness, and clarity of thoughts. 

3. Inconsistent Academic Scores

IIMs stress on good class X, XII and graduation scores. Even with 99+ CAT percentile, but poor past academic scores (minimum 80% for the top IIMs) you may not make it to the selection list.

4. Diversity

IIMs looks for diversity in terms of – gender, academic streams, and work experience. Extra points are allotted if you are a non-male, non-engineer (especially), and experienced (conditions apply) candidate.

5. Seat Reservations

A total of 52.5 percent of seats come under the reserved category – OBC (27%), SC (15%), ST (7.5%), and PwD (3%). 

Candidates must realize that every IIM has a carefully curated selection process in place. The respective admission committees fix their criteria and weights at the beginning of the admission cycle. The CAT score is only a means to establish a minimum level of proficiency and does not guarantee a seat. But a competent profile, confident personality and clear perspective can definitely save you from rejections.