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What is the detailed process to get admission into IIM Ahmedabad?
The entire admission process at IIM Ahmedabad for the PGP comprises 3 stages.
Stage 1:Preliminary Screening
The candidates that have cleared the CAT cutoff are shortlisted on the basis of a Composite Score or CS. The composite score is made up of academic rating score (AR) (includes 10th marks, 12th marks, and work experience) and normalized overall CAT score.
Or we can say,
Composite Score = Application Rating Score + Normalized CAT score
Application Rating score is based on class 10th, 12th, and bachelor exams, and work experience scores.
Shortlisting for Analytical Writing Test (AWT) & Personal Interview (PI):
The candidates with the best academic profiles and CAT scores will be further shortlisted for the next round. The shortlisted candidates will be called for AWT and a personal interview round.
Final Selection:
At this stage, candidates will be shortlisted across each category (General/ SC/ ST/ NC-OBC/ PwD) separately, based on their Final Composite Score (FCS).
The CAT cut-off is mentioned in the table below
|
Category |
Cutoff |
|
General, EWS |
80 |
|
NC-OBC, Transgender |
75 |
|
SC |
70 |
|
ST |
60 |
|
PwD (General, EWS NC-OBC, Transgender, SC) |
70 |
|
PwD ST |
60 |
How can a non-IITian make it to IIM Ahmedabad?
Focus on getting good percentile in CAT, in order to get admission in IIM Ahmedabad. Up until 2011, there used to be more than 95% of students from IIT in an IIM Ahmedabad batch. While in the past 7 years, the number of non-engineering students option for IIM has increased to 33%.
How was the interview of Aviral Bhatnagar in IIM-A?
I heard about Aviral Bhatnagar’s interview through some of my IIM Ahmedabad alumni friends. He appeared for the interview back in 2014. He scored 99.99 in CAT’13. He completed his B.Tech in Engineering Physics from IIT Bombay. His 1oth and 12th percentage were 95.00 and 84.7, respectively.
The interview started with pleasantries. He was asked questions about his essay, his WAT, his life in IIT Bombay. They also questioned about his internship experience, the subjects he read during graduation. Other than these, the interviewers asked general questions regarding current affairs, tv shows.
What can be my prospects of joining IIM Ahmedabad for an MBA and later going to Harvard for some courses after becoming an IAS officer?
It has become a trend for IAS/PCS to pursue an MBA these days. But it’s important to note that there are no reserved seats for civil servants for the PGDM (MBA) program. You have to attempt CAT to join the Post Graduate program.
However, IIM-A offers a number of Professional Development programs suitable for senior government functionaries.
Personally, I will advise you to clarify your career goals. Determine what is more important in your career: Civil Services or an MBA. This is because people usually join the IIMs for careers in entrepreneurship or jobs in the corporate sector.
What are the differences you noticed between IIM Ahmedabad and IIT Bombay?
There certainly are many differences between IIM Ahmedabad and IIT Bombay. IIT Bombay promotes freedom whereas IIM Ahmedabad teaches you accountability. IIT Bombay gives you the ability to dream whereas IIM Ahmedabad helps you change them. IITB is more generic in nature whereas IIMA focuses strictly on core concepts. Both carry equal importance in one’s life and one cannot be considered better than the other. They both are like two wheels of a vehicle indispensable to each other.
The table below states the primary differences through statistics.
|
Particulars |
IIT Bombay |
IIM Ahmedabad |
|
Highest CTC |
INR 4 CPA |
INR 1.16 CPA ($1,40,599) |
|
Average CTC |
INR 23.26 LPA |
INR 89.71 LPA ($1,08,405) |
|
Top Recruiters |
American Express, Honda Japan, McKinsey & Company, Boston Consulting Group |
Boston Consulting Group, Accenture, Bain & Company, Bain & Company, Goldman Sachs, TAS, and TCS |
|
Number of Recruiters |
400+ |
190 |
Have any BBA/BMS grads made it to IIM Ahmedabad?
Yes, each IIM Ahmedabad batch profile includes many BBA and BMS graduates. In fact, you will find students from similar backgrounds in every IIM. But the majority of each branch comprises engineering students. Owing to their academic background, engineering students have an upper hand in the Quants section of CAT.
Although the majority are engineers, you will find students from diverse backgrounds with degrees in Arts, Commerce, Science, etc. If you are a student of BBA, you will enjoy the diversity factor which will give you an advantage during the IIM Ahmedabad selection process.
How academically intense is the MBA at IIM Ahmedabad?
Academically an MBA from IIM Ahmedabad is extremely grueling. There’s a lot to read, lot to do, and very little time.
The three classes every day is the easiest part. The real pandemonium starts when the bell strikes 1:10 pm. Students rush to the mess to have their lunch and wait for the surprise test notification. The notification usually comes around 1:30 pm. You can breathe easy if no notification came. If you get a surprise test, you will have to start ruffling through books and previous notes to prepare for it.
Each day, you will have to prepare 2-3 cases for the next. You also need to read the cases (15-30 pages long) and make a crisp presentation including your understanding. You also need to take care of assignments. During the second term, you will have to prepare for the summer placements, along with the usual academics. You have to refine your resume, meet with your placement adviser, and take part in club activities and interest groups.
Basically, you will be subjected to human stress testing during your MBA at IIM Ahmedabad. You will be put through every conceivable difficulty you may face in your professional life.
Who has the highest GPA in IIM A?
A 25-year-old student of IIM Bangalore, namely Udit Jalin, secured the highest-ever GPA at the institute. The gold medalist has a strong belief that managers should not run after huge packages, rather they should focus on the quality of work they are delivering alongside maintaining a good balance between work and personal life. This genius scored 3.9 out of 4.0 CGPA in IIM Bangalore PGP program, the highest ever recorded. Additionally, he scored a perfect grade of 4/4 in 13 of 26 courses with an AA grade in all courses.
He feels grateful to IIM Bangalore which gave him a holistic view of various domains of Management including marketing, operations, business strategy, and finance. His learning experience was enhanced by the frequent interactions and debates at IMB. The excellent pedagogy, he claims, helped transform his theoretical knowledge into practical implementation through research and consulting experiences of professors and peers.
When asked about the secret behind his success he gave 2 strong points
- Every manager should master time management
- Know your area of interest that will help you decide your domain and electives and you can focus on one thing.
What was your CGPA at IIM Ahmedabad and how did you achieve it?
Few of my friends attended IIM Ahmedabad. One of them scored 3.56 in his first year. Here are some of the common traits that you will observe in most people who score good CGPA.
- Attend classes regularly and internalize. The case-based pedagogy of IIM Ahmedabad is unique. You will learn a lot from the professors as well as your peers.
- Prepare for class. Read the case study that will be discussed in class.
- Select a good study group.
- Some examinations are different. Just subjective learning isn’t enough in these cases, you will have to complement it with objective aptitude.
Doing these will help you score better.
Can I get an admission in IIM Ahmedabad if I got 71% in 10th and 76% in 12th?
Whether or not you will get admission in IIM Ahmedabad depends on factors such as your stream in 12th, your undergraduate score, and branch. IIM Ahmedabad also considers relevant work experience (if any).
IIM Ahmedabad selection criteria:
The following formula is used to calculate the composite score (CS) -
CS=0.35*(Pro-rated AR Score/35) + 0.65*(Normalized overall CAT Score)
AR score is calculated based on your 10th, 12th, and graduation marks. You can find the detailed calculation here.
If you are an engineering student you will need to score 100 percentile in CAT to get a call. As IIM A has an 80% cutoff for science students. If you are from Arts or Commerce, having 98+ percentile and 85% in graduation should get you an interview call. If you are from streams like Law, Hotel management, etc, you will need to score around 96 percentile to get a call, provided you have good grades in graduation.
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