This might be disheartening but the truth is you will never receive a call from IIM Ahmedabad even if you score 100 percentile. 

• According to the latest selection criteria of IIM Ahmedabad, you are disqualified even before appearing for the CAT exam. Since you have a poor academic record, your chances of getting a call from any of the BLACKI IIMs is almost none. 
• Sohum Sen, who was one of the toppers of CAT 2019 did not receive a call from IIM Ahmedabad with a 99.98 percentile solely because of his academic performance which is 81% in 10th; 72% in 12th, and 7.93 in graduation.
• IIM Ahmedabad considers giving a call to candidates who have a minimum of 80% in their 10th and 12th examinations. Sohum Sen failed this criterion and you also do not qualify considering this fact.

Other top institutions give less importance to past academic records, you can aim for them. 99.7+ in CAT and 99.5+ in CAT XAT will ensure high chances of your selection in such institutions i.e. FMS, MDI, XLRI.

In general, it is a good idea to gain work experience before doing an MBA due to the maturity that gives you. At IIM Ahmedabad, a lot of placement opportunities ask for at least 18 months of work experience depending on which field you are opting for. If you are a fresher, you are going to miss out on those opportunities. 

So, having work experience is definitely an added advantage. It does not sound like a good decision if you are going for a Masters in Business Administration and have not been to any workspace personally. Peer learning is an integral part of management education. You will be able to contribute more to that only if you have valid word experience. So, it definitely makes sense to defer for a fresher or student with less than a year of work experience.

A friend of mine attended IIM Ahmedabad. Based on his experience, here are a few points you should take into account for your preparation. 

• Score more than 4.5 GPA
• Get two years of work experience
• Crack CAT with 99.9+%ile
• Perform well in WAT PI.

Apart from the basics, here are a few suggestions that should help you in preparing. 

• Online CAT coaching: There are many institutes that offer online coaching classes on weekends. Just follow their guidelines on every subject. This option helps you to handle both engineering and CAT parallelly and saves a lot of your time and effort.
• 100 minutes of CAT: A daily session for 100 minutes of CAT practice questions at home or college will boost your confidence. Some practice after college hours will boost your problem-solving skills.
• Enjoyment on holidays: On festive occasions, allot most of your time for CAT practice. Maximum time should be allocated to CAT practice questions. You can even make it 6 hours on special holidays.
• If you are still an engineering student, and in the third year, allot 120 minutes daily to CAT practice. Similar has to be done in the fourth year.
• Once you are done with your graduation, you would get a lot of time. Now, you need to increase the practice hours to 9 hours per day.
• If you aren’t satisfied with the online classes, you can even join any renowned coaching center for a 90 days fast track coaching. This could even increase your confidence level.
• Your only target should be to secure a very good percentage in Engineering. Graduation percentage also plays a major role at the time of selection into the IIMs.
• You must balance both CAT and Engineering at the same time. Graduation should always be your first priority. Complete the engineering tasks, and then move on to CAT practice.

These exams are very challenging. Failures are a very common thing here. Just don’t feel discouraged if you fail. Keep trying and keep your confidence levels up.

It is difficult to answer this question. The demand for managers in India is continually plummeting and it is foreseeable that nothing would eventually happen even if the Indian business schools stopped producing any more managers.

Around 99.99% of the work done by management degree holders in India can be done by absolutely any graduate. So, introducing any other profile other than that can be a far-fetched dream already.

The lowest package of IIM Ahmedabad is probably 0 LPA. IIM Ahmedabad offers many courses like Agri-Business Management that do not have many recruiters. Also, because of reservation, the quality of graduates at IIM Ahmedabad has been definitely diluted.

It is quite apparent that if you haven’t met people who actually studied in either of these institutions. That’s why this answer is based on my graduation batchmates who successfully managed to secure a seat at IIM Ahmedabad.

Comparing the two IIM Calcutta and Ahmedabad, both the institutions have a big alumni network and claim to be at par. However, that doesn't mean that both are identical or similar because the internal factors matter a lot.

Here are some insights about these IIMs you must have a look at before deciding.

• Although both IIM Calcutta and Ahmedabad would have the same curriculum being IIMs, you will see slight modifications in the course structure for both.
• You will also notice a huge difference in batch profile which changes each year with the new admission.
• In terms of placements, you might find a few recruiters who don’t visit all three institutions, but luckily, most reputed and top-notch firms are likely to visit all of them.
• However, you can see a difference in the sectoral distribution of placements.
• But the right CV and preparation will help you land your dream job no matter which IIM you choose.
• As my friends complete their MBA at IIMA, their amazing learning experience and successful job profiles create an inclination towards IIM Ahmedabad.
• Although all three of them are some of the best B–schools in India.

However, in your case, if you want to wait for IIM Bangalore's waitlist to proceed, do check the past years’ records. Check if the waitlists of the past few years have created a huge difference for the waiting candidates. If not, go for any of IIM Calcutta or Ahmedabad without giving a second thought.

Overall, you need to target around 98-99 percentile for scoring an admission in IIM Ahmedabad. However, the required percentile to get into IIM Ahmedabad keeps on varying every year, so it depends on each year’s cut-off. Your bachelor’s specialization also holds some importance. IIM Ahmedabad also considers the 10th and 12th percentile. Along with the CAT score your marks, the other things that are important are your category and your work experience.

You will also have to work on your critical thinking and analytical skills. This will help you in GD-PI rounds to perform well in the interviews and Impress them with your personality, sincerity, and dedication.