IIM Admission Process 2024-25 | How To Get Into An IIM?

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Stages Involved In The IIM Admission and Selection Process

For an MBA aspirant, the path to gain admission to their dream college is a long journey involving various stages. It requires a great deal of dedication and hard work to successfully secure a place at these prestigious IIMs. While it is the dream of many CAT aspirants, it is fulfilled by those fortunate individuals who have devoted all their energy and effort to their preparation.

Below are the different stages involved in the IIM admission process for MBA/PGP courses. Gain an in-depth understanding of each stage and give your MBA journey a head start.

Stage 1: Common Admission Test or CAT

If you are a candidate searching for how to get into an IIM, the CAT exam is the first step on this journey. Common Aptitude Test, commonly called CAT is an entrance exam conducted by IIMs for admission into their management programs. CAT is a highly competitive exam written by around 2 lakh candidates competing for approximately 5000 seats in the IIMs. Candidates should focus on getting a good overall and sectional score to meet the IIM cutoffs.

Check all the latest updates on CAT 2024 (Live on Nov 24) with our top CAT experts with a detailed CAT Exam Analysis 2024.

Stage 2: GD-PI-WAT

Candidates who meet the cutoffs get a call for further GD/PI/WAT rounds. Personal Interviews (PI) at IIMs are usually taken by the IIM faculty, sometimes ex-faculty or even alumni in some cases. This round checks your various soft skills and interpersonal skills. Questions may vary from personal details to work and academics. Along with PIs, the IIMs also conduct a Written Ability Test (WAT) to check your writing ability and comprehension of the topic given. Group Discussions (GDs) have become obsolete amongst IIMs except for IIM Shillong, which conducts GD in its 2nd stage of the selection process.

Stage 3: Final Selection in an IIM

The final selections are based on certain parameters that may be different for each IIM. Different marks are assigned based on your composite CAT score, past academic performance, work experience, and WAT/GD and PI performance. Based on these final scores, final selections are made.

It is now easy for you to know which IIM is likely to shortlist your WAT/GD and PI round and at what CAT percentile. Visit IIM Profilizer and get your own IIM shortlist ready.

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IIM Eligibility Criteria 2024-25

The eligibility for IIMs MBA/PGP courses is the same as the CAT eligibility requirements. However, here are a few added points to be kept in mind.

• The minimum requirement is a graduate degree, with 50% for general, EWS, and NC-OBC categories and 45% for SC, ST, and PwD categories.
• Candidates in their final year of graduation are also eligible to appear for the CAT exam; however, in case they fail to provide the necessary documents at the time of admission, their candidature will be terminated.
• Candidates in their final year of graduation are also eligible
• Candidates must meet the minimum cutoffs to participate in the WAT/PI rounds and expect interview calls.

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IIM Admission Process - Composite Scores And Weightages

IIMs hold their individual interviews and admission processes after the CAT results are released. Thus, the details of the admission process can change from one IIM to another. However, the IIM admission process is not limited to the CAT scores and WAT/GD and PI rounds.

IIM admissions are based on a Composite Score for selections to the WAT/PI stage and a Final Composite Score that a candidate secures during the final admission process. The weightage of parameters for these scores varies as the process is not centralized. Thus each IIM offers weightage to parameters such as work experience, 10th marks, 12th marks, WAT/PI score, CAT score, etc.

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Qualifying And Final IIM CAT Cutoffs

It is very important to note that candidates who are selected for admission receive an email notification. Actually, one of the most important steps of the IIM admission process is called "confirmation of admission." The short-listed candidates must confirm their seats by filling out the offer acceptance form and paying the mandatory admission acceptance fee, which will be adjusted in the first installment of their tuition fees. The seat, therefore, will be offered to the next best candidate in case a candidate does not submit the offer acceptance form along with the payment within the respective time frame.

IIMs also allow a candidate to defer their admissions. So the candidates who want to pick up some work experience before doing an MBA can now delay their entry by as much as two years. The new policy was announced in 2015, and about 10% of seats are reserved for such candidates.

IIM Admission Process - Key Points To Note

• For the second phase of the IIM admission process, candidates will be selected based on their CAT 2024 scores and academic history.
• The shortlisting is done online, and candidates need to apply to receive an interview call. If they are selected, the institutes will contact them via email.
• To be eligible for the final phase of admission, candidates need to go through WAT (Written Ability Test) and GD-PI (Group Discussion and Personal Interview, which are necessary for calculating their composite score, which will determine their final selection.

Documents To Present In WAT/GD-PI Round

Candidates appearing for an IIM interview must carry the following documents with them:

• Original marksheets and self-attested photocopies for Class 10, Class 12, and Graduation.
• A caste/class and/or disability certificate, if applicable, for SC, ST, NC-OBC, and PwD candidates (both original and self-attested photocopies).
• Candidates who are in their final year of a bachelor's degree (or equivalent) must provide a certificate from the Principal, Registrar, or Director of their university/institution. This certificate should confirm that they have achieved an aggregate of 50% or equivalent in their latest grades/marks (or 45% for candidates from SC, ST, and PwD categories).

The deadline to submit the mark sheets and passing certificates is December 31 of the following year. If these documents are not submitted by the deadline, the admission will be canceled automatically.

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How To Get Into A New IIM - Common Admission Process

All the older IIMs have separate admission processes that are followed after the CAT results are announced. However, nine new IIMs, popularly known as the baby IIMs, have a Common Admission Process (CAP) that standardizes the selection process.

Here are some key points to keep in mind-

• The nine IIMs participating in CAP are IIM Udaipur, IIM Kashipur, IIM Trichy, IIM Raipur, IIM Bodh Gaya, IIM Jammu, IIM Ranchi, IIM Sambalpur and IIM Sirmaur.
• IIM Rohtak was a part of the CAP group but opted out in 2020.
• For 2023, IIM Udaipur was handed the responsibility of conducting CAP.
• The Writing Ability Test (WAT) is not being conducted for CAP. So, CAP will only consist of a Personal Interview (PI).
• The admission offers are made separately by the IIMs after the final processes of CAP have ended.

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How to Get into an IIM: CAT Preparation Tips

It is very important to crack the CAT first in order to proceed with the IIM admission process for MBA/PGP courses. Only if you score the eligible percentile in CAT 2024 will you be eligible to receive a call from the respective IIMs. Therefore, take your CAT preparation seriously and follow the tips given below to enhance your chances of getting into your dream B-schools.

• Revise your class 8 to class 10 concepts of Maths and English, along with practice exercises involving the application of these concepts.
• Invest in good study material from a reputed institute, or you could even look into taking classes at an institute.
• You can opt for offline or online classes depending on your schedule and time constraints. Candidates can opt for programs based on their requirements as fresh graduates or working professionals in the last year of graduation.
• Master-selected topics that are asked frequently. A few topics that hold high weightage in the CAT exam are; Arithmetic, Algebra, Numbers for Quant, and Reading Comprehension for VARC. Ensure that you practice them right from the beginning. 
• Write a sectional test every week to solidify your preparation for each section, as there are also sectional cut-offs.
• Give mock exams to test your preparation and understanding of the paper from the first day. Invest in good quality mocks or test series. Write a mock every 10-12 days and analyze these mocks qualitatively for at least 5-6 hours.