Consider this. This year, you could get an IIM call without attempting any question of English or RC. You could get a call with zero attempts in CAT 2013 from some IIMs. Sounds incredible? The details are even worse if you go by what Prometric is doling out to students in the guise of information and clarifications. Ajab CAT ki Gajab kahaani continues….. Please read on!
CAT has been a computer-based test since 2009. The amount of chaos in the management of that year’s CAT remains legendary. Those of you who are feeling nostalgic or would like to update yourself on the chaos of CAT’09 and the travails of the students that year can check out my video Ajab CAT ki Gajab Kahani!!!
If the first Prometric CAT was so toxic, how could the last Prometric CAT be any different? CAT’13 has again raised a lot of hackles and many questions and accusations are flying around while the IIMs have, as usual, continued with their ostrich-like approach. Let me present here my analysis of CAT’13 and the issues that it raises.
CAT’13: Anatomy of this beast
The highlights of CAT’13 are as follows:
Zero attempt fetches 55.46 percentile
I took CAT on 16th Oct’13 in the 10 am slot and did not attempt any question. But, to my surprise, I have done better than over half the candidates. My performance in CAT’13 is summarized below:
QADI Attempts 0 Scaled Score 82 53.61 percentile
VALR Attempts 0 Scaled Score 83 57.23 percentile
Total Attempts 0 Scaled Score 165 55.46 percentile
This implies that an incredibly large population has obtained negative scores. To be precise, in QADI 93,140 candidates, in VALR 99,430 and in Overall 96,355 candidates have a raw score that is less than ZERO.
As I have confirmed earlier on Facebook, the CAT scorecard doing the rounds with the above scores is mine.
Increased level of difficulty
The various tests in CAT’13 generally have been tougher than the previous year’s. Scaled scores for different percentiles in CAT’13 have been noticeably lower than last year’s scores at the corresponding percentiles.
As an illustration, in previous years, 100 percentilers in each section of CAT used to have scaled score of around 220 in the section. This year, scaled score of around 205 has been good enough to get 100 percentile in QADI and a scaled score of around 190 has been good enough to get 100 percentile in VALR.
A consequence of the increased difficulty is that to get a score of 97.5 percentile one needed to get 15 net correct answers in QADI (scaled score of 137) and only 9 net correct answers in VALR (scaled score of 135). Thus a student scoring 97.5 percentile in both the sections would have an overall scaled score of 272 and 98.80 percentile.
These highlights of CAT’13 have thrown up lots of very uncomfortable questions that the IIMs and Prometric need to answer.
Zero attempts can lead to final selection in an IIM – Can you imagine ?
In IIM Kozhikode’s PGP 2012-14 batch, the minimum CAT percentile at which a student secured a seat was 55.29 in the ST category. Similarly, IIM Ahmedabad had called candidates with percentiles as low as 47.74 (ST category) and 46.22 (DA category) for the personality assessment stage for selection to its PGP 2012-14 batch.
Interestingly, the new IIMs have released their cutoff scores for CAT’13 and have shortlisted students with negative raw scores for the personality assessment stage. Once all IIMs release their data, I am sure we will find that the other IIMs have also done the same – shortlisted (and possibly admitted) students with negative raw scores.
| Category | CAT’13 Percentile Cutoffs for the new IIMs | ||
| Section I | Section II | Total | |
| ST | 41.42 | 40.80 | 50.71 |
| DAP | 41.42 | 42.21 | 50.71 |
Is a negative score possible for 55% of the candidates?
In the past, a zero score in CAT would have netted a score of around 20-25 percentile. What then led to this significant jump?
The IIMs/Prometric claim that they are not surprised by my score of 55.46 percentile for zero attempts and that such a situation is very much possible. This is a dubious argument and a stupid excuse. As far as possibilities are concerned, a score of 100%ile is also possible at ZERO attempts!!! This will happen when each and every person appearing for the test scores either zero or sub-zero – possible yes, however, very improbable.
To my mind, four possibilities exist for 55.46%ile at zero attempts:
- higher difficulty level of the paper
- increased recklessness/guesswork by candidates
- problems with normalization
- software issues
Let us look at these in detail.
Higher difficulty level of CAT’13: Prometric has claimed that it was asked by the IIMs to make a tougher test this time around. This claim is questionable, prima facie, since it was presented only after thousands of students flooded various online forums claiming that their scores and percentiles (particularly in Section II) were entirely implausible. So how do we verify who is right, the students or IIMs/Prometric? The simplest way to solve this puzzle of “zero attempts for 55 percentile” was for the IIMs and Prometric to share the corresponding data of last few CATs. The CAT 2003 to 2008 papers were among the most difficult CAT papers and data from these papers could also be compared.
However, CAT and Prometric have, as usual, decided to rely on statements and have refused to share any meaningful data. Fortunately, XAT’14 results have been declared and we can use its data to validate the hypothesis that “a difficult paper will lead to higher percentile score at zero attempts”.
XAT ’14 was significantly tougher than CAT’13 tests, it was also taken by approximately 1,00,000 candidates and its candidate profile is similar to that of CAT’13. If what IIMs or Prometric are saying is correct, then XAT’14 should give a higher percentile score than CAT’13 for zero attempts. The comparable data of XAT’14 and CAT’13 is given below.
| Section | Percentile score for Zero attempts | |
| CAT’13 | XAT’14 | |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 53.61 | 16.24 |
| Verbal Ability | 57.23 | 3.59 |
| Decision Making | NA | 4.46 |
| Total | 55.46 | 10-12 (my estimate) |
Despite XAT’14 being a more difficult paper, no such bizarre scores have been observed and this comparison clearly and indisputably refutes Prometric’s claim. Actually, it implies that in a more difficult paper students will be more cautious and this will lead to fewer students getting negative scores.
Further, logic also indicates that when a paper is tougher, net scores will indeed go down because the number of attempts by test-takers will reduce, thus, reducing their scores in general. But, negative scores indicate that candidates attempted greater number of questions incorrectly, which is not the case in a test where questions themselves are not erroneous. Thus, higher difficulty level of the paper cannot explain the bizarre result thrown up by CAT’13.
Increased guesswork by students: If students mark answers randomly or resort to unnecessary guesswork then they will get negative marks. But candidates will not suddenly become more reckless than in past years or only in CAT but not in XAT. That a large number of candidates have suddenly become reckless and resorted to random guesswork only in CAT’13, beats logic. In fact, many of these students with negative marks had good performance in CAT’12.
Let me take an example to substantiate this point further. Many students with over 95 percentile in QADI have reported negative scores in VALR. It is reasonable to assume that a student who secures over 95 percentile in QADI will get at least 6 out of the 9 LR questions right, this will give him/her 18 marks and to get a zero (or 55.46 percentile) he/she will need to attempt another 18 questions incorrectly. Or 24 attempts with 18 wrong will give you 55.46 percentile. Many of these students have 20 to 30 percentiles. So, as per Prometric, they have possibly marked 24 out of 30 answers incorrectly. IIMs/Prometric want us to believe that the students who were measured in their approach in CAT last year and in all other papers this year lost their sense of balance on the day of their CAT this year. Incredible!
Software glitches and/or the black box of Normalization: The above implies that the most likely cause of the bizarre result in CAT’13 was either problems with normalization or software issues. The IIMs/Prometric have not revealed their normalization process till date. In the absence of any information regarding this, it cannot be assumed to be perfect. If there is no error in the normalization process, then information about it should ideally be made public. That will put paid to any doubts about this process. Even if they do not reveal the process of normalization, the least they can do is to give the total number of correct and incorrect responses in each section, as is done by SAT.
Further, there is also the possibility that glitches in the software used by Prometric may have led to incorrect capture of responses given by candidates. Last year, it was claimed that marks of 80 students were artificially inflated. If such a thing is possible, then it is also possible that this year the reverse might have happened. The IIMs/Prometric should check their software and ensure that it is free of glitches.
Other Issues with CAT
Bina angrezi kiye saare IIMs ke calls: CAT’13 has the dubious distinction of possibly being the first major MBA entrance test that has made the Language skills (or the VA in VALR) redundant for admission to top MBA institutes in the world.
As discussed earlier, in CAT’13, many test-takers who attempted only 9 questions (all of LR) in VALR, scored 97.52 percentile. This means that candidates who did well in section 1 and attempted just 9 questions in section 2 (all of LR) would be eligible for calls from all the 13 IIMs.
The net impact of this is that it becomes even more difficult for students (including girls) from non-Engineering, non-Science/Math streams to score well in CAT.
IIMs never tire in proclaiming that they want diversity in their batches, they want more girls, more non engineers, more students from non-Math background but every action of theirs seems to suggest just the opposite.
Academic Performance Marks: This is a recurring issue with the selection process of IIMs. As of now, the IIMs, largely, do not follow any normalization process for marks scored by candidates in X, XII and graduation. (IIM Bangalore is the only IIM, so far, which has stated that it normalizes candidates’ marks across boards and academic streams). Thus, marks scored by candidates in different boards are accorded the same weight, without considering differences in the marking patterns/schema of different boards/universities. Similarly, marks scored by candidates in different streams are again given equal weight. In a stream like humanities, it is very difficult to score above 70% marks while in Engineering it is far easier to score in the vicinity of 80% marks. However, the IIMs, largely, do not consider such issues at all. They give equal weight to marks scored by different candidates, irrespective of the candidates’ boards and academic streams. This again skews the selection ratio heavily in favour of engineers. Candidates (including girls) from streams like humanities suffer unjustifiably. The academic profile marks ensure that many students will never get an IIM call even if they score 100 percentile in CAT.
It appears that IIMs themselves do not have sufficient faith in CAT and hence rely on past academic records to shortlist the candidates.
Since the academic profile marks have a virtual veto on the chances of a section of the candidates to get selected to the IIMs, the IIMs should reverse the process. They should first shortlist students on the basis of their Academic Profile scores and then conduct CAT only for these shortlisted students thereby saving money and time of a large number of students. But I am reasonably sure that the IIMs will not do so because the CAT application fee is a significant source of revenue for them.
Incorrect Questions: In the last 15 years there has not been a single year in which CAT was spotless. It is very rare for the IIMs to even acknowledge erroneous questions in CAT, let alone compensating students with marks. In 2006 and again in 2013, the IIMs admitted that there were a few errors in the test. In fact, for CAT ’13, they have acknowledged only one error (on the 10th day of the test), but one of my colleagues is sure that there was at least one error (in section 1) in the first slot on the last day (November 11, 2013) of the CAT window.
If a question is erroneous, there are two kinds of losses: tangible and intangible. If a candidate loses around 5 minutes on an incorrect question, it is a tangible loss. As regards this tangible loss, the IIMs should assess how much time each candidate spent on an incorrect question and should accordingly award additional marks to candidates. In a computer-based test, it should be easy to measure how much time each candidate spent on each page (and therefore, on each question).
The anxiety (and the frustration), which the process of attempting an incorrect question creates, makes candidates lose their balance (one of the most important aspects of a high pressure test like this), which may impact their performance in the subsequent questions too. This loss is intangible.
No one knows how the students are compensated, if at all they are, for these two kinds of losses? Not considering a particular question is not sufficient.
Leakage of questions: Every year since CAT became a computer-based test, many students, after taking CAT, have uploaded the live questions on various websites, while the test window was still open. Many students would learn these questions by heart before appearing for the test themselves. There was a good chance of such students encountering 3 to 4 already seen questions in their own slots. In a test like CAT, where even one question can be the difference between success and failure, 3 to 4 such questions mean an absolute havoc. Yet, neither Prometric nor the IIMs have done enough to stop this malpractice.
The Last Word
These then are the major issues that challenge the reputation of CAT as well as of the IIMs themselves. The IIMs are some of the most exclusive institutes in the country. As such, the highest standards are expected from them. It is not sufficient that their selection process is fair and true; their selection process needs to be seen to be fair and true and must be above reproach. The IIMs, therefore, need to be absolutely transparent about their selection process. Instead, they hide behind a wall of opaqueness despite the fact that CAT’13 has thrown highly dubious results and thousands of students are, justifiably, venting their frustration at various forums across the web. Is it just a chance that IIMs have now shifted from Prometric to TCS for CAT’14 testing process?
IIMs need to make the admission process more transparent and they need to be accountable. They must share information regarding the number of attempts and number of correct/incorrect answers with the candidates. The scaling and normalization process should also be shared. Skies will not fall if IIMs do a revaluation of CAT’13 results. Last year XAT on its own did a revaluation of the results on identifying an error, IIMs could follow suit. Students have made the IIMs and not vice-a-versa. If this continues, good students might drift towards XAT and GMAT which are transparent and student friendly.
In IIM Bangalore, I learned about corporate governance, transparency, fairness and the need to carry all stake holders but it appears that IIMs themselves, like most other government entities, do not believe in these. Students – the most important of the stakeholders – have been taken for granted and have been routinely ignored by the IIMs. As a result, I am worried about the reputation of the IIMs in general and of my own alma mater in particular.
I am hoping against hope that IIMs will rise to the occasion and address the concerns of the students but if the past is any indication the ostrich-like attitude will prevail.
Hello I have 10/12/graduation (B.tech) marks 66.14%/45.20%/60-65%.2019 pass out. After 12 one year gap.which college should I Target as I academics Marks very poor
Hi Sujoy. Do not fret as there are some schools which do not look at your past academics! SIBM is one good option.
Sir I’m a hotel management student can I eligible for CAT
Yes Keema, of course you are eligible to write CAT. ALl the best!
0.5
Sir,
10th-95%
12th-92.2%
UG-AT THAPAR UNIVERSITY B.tech In COMPUTER ENGINEERING 82%
CAT. Gen
How much I needed to score in CAT for any IIM?
Parteek, to get a clear picture of which IIM will shortlist and at what percentile, register and try for free: http://www.careerlauncher.com/sis/index.jsp
4
1
Can i get admission in mba or pgdm best college of india without giving any entrance exam ?
Not in any top college
I have given first CL proctored mock.
QA 16
DI LT 11
VA 21
I am getting about 50-60% accuracy in RC’s .till next mock i will finish syllabus of QA and basics of DI LR.
So what should be the strategy to get more in RC.I get stuck as the options are too close.Also i am weak in para jumbles.Verbal and RC is my weakest area and QA is the strongest.
Hitesh, please refer to our articles The art of Solving RC passages and Crack Vocab and Sentences for better preparation.
The stupid normalization destroyed my two attempts at CAT in 2009 and 2010. In 2009, I got a verbal score and of 65 percentile and DI around 91 percentile. OA was arnd 96. In 2010, I got verbal score of 99 and DI at 55 with OA at 97. Without any practice my VA score crossed 99 in just a year and my DI score plummeted to very low levels. Verbal was always my strong suit and 65 score was a shocker. 55 in DI means I had close to zero marks which is unbelievable since I have cleared IIT-JEE and am not bad in calculations.
I am still floundering in my career due to this nonsense by Prometric.
In 10th 7.6 cgpa
In 12th 60% (j.a.c board )
In graduation 75% ( maths hons )
I belong to obc category what percentile i need to get call from iim A,B,C?
Ankit, you should consider using the IIM Profilizer.
Sir i have scored 90.71 percentile in mat which are good college i can get. Lm thapar school of management is a good college or not
Mukul, it be be best if you could take up a job, prepare along with it and give CAT again next year.
Hi, I had query regarding Bachelors Degree % to be entered in CAT application form. I am Mumbai University engineering graduate. My aggregate of all semester is 63% (First Class) while my final year aggregate is 75%(Distinction). As per Mumbai University norms, Degree is awarded based on Final year Aggregate only. So my Degree certificate says I have secured Distinction in B.E degree. So, I must enter 75 % in Bachelors degree % of CAT Application Form right ?
Roahan, you have to enter the score mentioned in your final marksheet
hello sir,
i am an engineer, paased out in 2015.
i have scored
10th- 77%
12th-66%
btech- 81.1%
category-st
how much %ile i have to score to get a call from iim A B C…….
Tanushree, please confirm it using the IIM Profilizer.
Sir I have secured 7.8 cgpa in 10th and 69.4% in 12th and current aggregate of bachelor is 6.8cgpa(6th sem) 2more to go and trying to secure 7+in that
Female (general)
Work experience :- working with a NGO (5months)
Sir what percentile should be sufficient to receive a call from iim
Tanya, please confirm it using the IIM Profilizer.
Sir..
I have 90% in Xth
and
84% in the XIIth..
If i work very hard and manage to secure 97percentile in CAT or more,can I get chance in any of the leading IIMs?
I am a first year student of economics bsc.I can assure by graduation GPA won’t be bad.
my question is,if other things go well,that is graduation marks and CAT percentile,can i get any of the leading IIMs with such marks in Xth and XIIth?
Thank you 🙂
Akanksha, considering your profile the top IIMs are certainly possible. Please confirm it using the IIM Profilizer.
SIR
MY 10TH 60%
12th 60%
BTECH 68%
CAT PERCENTILE 85%
WHICH CLG R SUITABLE FOR ME
Amit, you should apply to the Cluster 4 and 5 colleges given in the CL B-school rankings. Also, please refer to the CL B-school advisory in your SIS account.
Sir I have a query, I scored 6.2 cgpa in 10 class and I want to know that if a certain company visits to my college campus and ask for 60 percent throughout to appear in the interview, so I will be taken there or not , as such it will take 6.2 cgpa into account or percent…..
Shubham, once you are in a good B-school the past academic performance does not matter much. Mostly the criteria is not based on past academic marks but on the marks during the MBA program.
Hi Sir
Xth – 86%
Xllth- 75%
B.E- 60%
PH Male
How much percentile is required to get a call from all IIMs?
Rohit, you are eligible for most of the IIMs. Please confirm it using the IIM Profilizer.
sir i am in final year of btech in mechenical engg. I am ST catagory student.What percentile should be needed to get a call from iim a b c. Then if if i am selected this year then i how can i compleat my btech…plz give me some suggestion about this test. How i start preparing for this test. and plz tell me about qa di vi lr.
ANkesh, to know about the required percentile, please use the IIM Profilizer.
Also, please refer to the CAT 2015 study plan.
sir i was poor in study i scored very lean marks in my 10th =>49.6 2010
12th =>36 2012
went for diploma and completed i scored =>73.5% 2015
now i entered to B tech i am appearing 3rd sem in mechanical 2015
i don’t have any knowledge about these cat, gmate, GRE, which field will be the best for me to do my masters , so please suggest me sir its totally out of your context if so plz suggest me
Sachin, if you are looking at a career in engineering then you should take GRE and go for MS but if you are more interested in management then you should take CAT and try for MBA.
To understand the CAT scoring methodology, it is important the mean of percentile scores. A percentile means that your score was above that many percent of students.
So, if 100 students including yourself appeared for the exam and if you scored 95, then 95 is not your percentile, it is your raw score.
Now if 99 students scored 96, i.e. more than you, then your percentile score will be guess how much…….0%, sounds interesting, isn’t it. Go figure it our yourself.
Another point to note here from the mentioned CAT test taker is that if the score is 0 or negative, he gets 55 percentile approx., which means that 55 percent of test takers get a 0 or negative score.
All in all, it is a statistical game of numbers…and unfortunately, bright students are the ones to suffer.
Sir
I am CAT’15 aspirant.
I am already enrolled in coaching classes for the same.
I was a maths student up to 12th standard and currently I am pursuing BE from CS stream.
Despite the fact I am facing problem in maths section.And I am unable to overcome my fear of maths. Please suggest me on how to streamline my QA&DI preparation considering that I have to begin from scratch in this area.
Rim, your aim should be to strengthen your basics. Also try and work hard on your numerical skills so that you can maximize DI for sure.
In QA ensure that certain topics like Algebra and Number Systems are practiced a lot since there are a high percentage of questions from these topics.
Basics will be the most important. Also go through http://www.gpkafunda.com/?p=3503 to know more about your 150 day strategy for CAT.
Dear sir,
I have 80.4% in Xth and 78.2% in X11th. And now taking this year admission in BSc math. Please sir give me some guidance on doing well for CAT and secure IIMs. Help me to choose the best institute for doing well in CAT exam. I want coaching in Delhi.
Sir I feel that you have an ability to satisfy any new and old CAT lover. 🙂
Sumit, please confirm – you are joining BSc Math this year and will complete your graduation in 2018?
Hello sir,
Am from telugu medium backgroud,i have completed my b.tech with 75%,i wanna do MBA.I am not that much of good at aptitude right now.
Please guide me whether i’ll take cat or gmat coaching?
am in a dilemma to take decision.
Shaik, go for CAT, the level of English required for GMAT is higher.
10th-85%
12th-83%
btech-74%
Sir i am in the third year of btech and i want to give cat 15. i dont know where to start from do not know the basics yet. vry less time is left for cat 15 and other mba exams.
1. how should i start preparing.?
2.which are the best books to go for every section.?
3. would i be able to complete the syllbs.?
4.application dates for every mba entrance.?
Yajur, if you are willing to put in about 3 hours on weekdays and about 6-8 hours on holidays then you have sufficient time for CAT’15 which is expected to be held in end November. While many books are available in the market it is best to go for a structured preparation by either joining a classroom program or by enrolling for a correspondence or an online program as it will ensure that you are doing what is required and do not end up wasting your time on something that is irrelevant. Please email me your contact details and the city you belong to and I’ll connect you to someone who can help you work out the preparation schedule.
Sir I secured 92.8%in 10th and 85.7% in 12th.
currently I am pursuing Btech CS and I am in 1st year.
I got to know about IPM Indore and liked the course structure and wanted to give it a try.
Can you help me with some questions like-
1. Does my 10th and 12th percentage matter? And are they okay?
2.What is the test structure?
3.And no of seats for general candidates?
4.And level of the test.
5.Is it a programme worth wasting one year.
considering- My aim is entreprenuership in future.
I want to do MBA in future.
Ayushi, unfortunately I missed your query and apologise for the same. While I cannot rectify this due to the delay, please call me at 9811155160 in case you need to discuss any other issue connected to your career.
Hello Sir , I saw your video and have few questions in my mind .
my Xth – 78 %
my XIIth – 55 % (non-medical)
Currently , I m doing BBA from a university (2014-17) …………..
and Want to to MBA from IIIM .
Can you please help me , what should I do so , I can get admision in any IIM institute ?
Or any advice !!!
Avinash, IIM B and C are unlikely but almost all other IIMs should be possible.
I am a CAT 2016 aspirant who has recently started cat preparation.I am worried about vocabulary.I think best approach is to learn vocabulary through mnemonics and word power made easy.Also do we have to separately learn synonyms and antonyms or we can handle it by choice elimination.
Also please throw some light on newspaper snd novels which is best for improving reading skills and general awareness provided i have never read newspaper or novel.
Hitesh, Word Power Made Easy and other similar books are good starting points but you should also start using the words to ensure that you do not forget them. You do not need to learn synonyms/antonyms separately they will happen as you improve your vocabulary.
The newspapers that you can consider are The Hindu and Indian Express, both have good reading material and will also help improve your vocabulary, reading skills and vocabulary.
class 10-66.7
class 12-76.4
In earlier post u told that at 99%ile i will get call from all iim exept iim abc.But i saw at iim-l,k i would need 99.5 atleast and also with this performance i can never get call from iim indore as in insideiim.com website i saw lowest class 10 and 12 percentage of 2014 batch were 82 and 76 respectively.Can u help i am tensed.I dont have interest in any other carrers.I only want to aim IIM’s XLRI and FMS
ALso In IIM Rohtak min class 10 eligibilty is 70% which i dont have.IIM-A dont admit students below 80% in class 10 or 12 or grad.I will be rejected by almost all iims.I have started cat preparation on basics so that in 2nd yr i can joing coaching centre but now i think i should leave cat as it is not for students like me.I dont deserve it.
cat result 2014: 97.91 percentile general
will i get admission in iim A,B,C.. any?
Ishaan, all three are unlikely at your score.
dear sir,
i am cl student. my profile is
Xth- 74%
XIIth- 79%
graduation- 68% (b.com)
i had completed my graduation this year only and i had appeared for many exams this year but could not perform well in any exam. my expected percentile in cat14 is 80-85 %tile. Sir should i join a average B-school this year or i should give a another year and appear in cat15. i really want to go to a good B-school and i am willing to work hard. should i join a job and give good shot next year or i should join a average B-school this year. please give you valuable advice. thank you
Aayush, you still have XAT and TISS, let us go through these tests and them decide on the future course of action. However my default will be go pick up a job and go for a retake.
What is your CAT score?
Hello sir
plzzz tell me that how much should i attempt or score that i can get admission in IMT G
Regards
navya
Navya, a CAT score of 95%ile would ensure a call from IMT G.
sir, mat dec14 QA,VA,DI,LA i attempt 19,14,15,18 ques with accuracy 90,60,75,88 respctly… on this basis PLSS sgst me some colleges
Ahmad, this appears to be a low attempt and decent colleges may not be possible. Please focus on doing better in the subsequent papers.
Hello sir
for the upcoming xat how many questions or marks should i have to attempt or score to make admission in IMT ghzb
sir, my mat dec score VA,QA,DI,CR-14.02, 92.82,86.17,78.96 ile rspctvly .composite score-653.5, percentile below-85.05ile !! x,xii-49%,66% grad in 2013 50% gen-categ ..plss sugest me gud colleges….
Ahmad, unfortunately most of the MAT colleges are avoidable, you could however go for a retake of MAT in Feb and apply to Mumbai University colleges through DTE. You should also take Maharashtra CET as they will consider higher score out of MAT and CET.
Due to lack of focus I was not a gud student in my school days.I was not having a clr picture what should I do.My marks are as follow
Class 10-66.7
Class 12-76.4(best 4-78%)
BCA FROM VIPS-1ST YR
NOW by focus id doing MBA from only top b-schools like Top 7 IIM,XLRI,SPJIMR,MDI,FMS,IIT DELHI,IIT BOMBAY,IIFT,JBIMS.SO I HAVE STARTED WORKING HARD AND EXPECTING ATLEAST 78% IN FIRST SEMESTER AS HIGHEST WE GET IN GRADUATION IS AROUND 83-84%.SO WHAT SHOULD BE MY TARGET SCORE TO GET CALLS EVEN FROM TOP 3 IIMS.ALSO DUE TO DIVERSE ACADEMIC BACKGROUND I AM GETTING SPEICAL WEIGHTS FROM IIM CALCUTTA.
Hitesh, a score of 78%in graduation will be good but if you can push it to 80% then it will be of great help.
If you are from general category then you will need to score over 99.5%ile for a call from the top IIMs – A, B and C. On account of academic diversity you will have an advantage in a few IIMs but do not take this into consideration in your planning.
I will try to get around 80%+ in graduation.so what %ile is needed to get calls from IIM-L,K,I,S .Also as my first semester ends (in first week of february) I am willing to start cat coaching at kingway camp centre.So please inform me about the batch.
AT 99.5%ILE WILL I DEFINITELY GET CALLS FROM IIM-A,B,C IF IF I GET 80% OR MORE IN GRADUATION
Hitrsh, an 80% will improve your chances significantly, the IIMs keep on changing their criteria but irrespective of the criteria a good academic performance is looked at positively and will help in the interview and the final selection.
Hitesh, please email me your cell number at 9811155160 and you will get a call back from the center with the details.
sir, my last 3mock score 47,44,26 with 95% accuracy and i attmpt 8-8 question both sec in cat14 22nov. how much %ile can i.. plss rply
Abhi, Please submit your attempt and estimated correct details in the Percentile Predictor for your estimated percentile. However with only 16 attempts it is likely to be very low.
SIR, MY poor academic is..48% in 10th. 66%in 12th. and accurate 50%in grad.. minimum persentile in cat14 that i bring an avrg bschool..plsss suggest me..
Shaan, most of he b schools have a low/no weight for past academics and hence a score of 95%ile can get you into good B schools. You will however be questioned about your academic performance in the interview.
sir
I read ur blog,its amazing!
I would like to know..that with the changed pattern this year and only two day slot.what can be the changes in percentiles that we can see this year..because we dont know the absurd normalisation that cat follows.
So my question is how much percentile would a zero attempt fetch this year..your assumption or guess would do 🙂
Arun, there is unlikely to be normalisation this year and zero attempt should not be more than 25%ile
Hello sir..
After reading your blog i wanna clarify that in last year CAT’13 your scaled score was above 80 inspite of not attempting any questions…..Will you please clarify the real funda of all these scores and at what basis the percentile is calculated?????
please do reply ASAP..
Meena, it is written clearly in this post that I received a scaled score of over 80 marks in each section for zero attempts in CAT’13. The process of normalisation has not been clearly explained by CAT/Prometric and hence I would be speculating if I try to give an explanation. In any case this year we are unlikely to see normalisation and hence need not be worried about it.
hai sir ..
my self srikanth..
i want to join in fms …
10th:83%
diploma (polytechnic):71%
b.tech:67%
category :NC-OBC
plz tel me sir how much %ile i required to get seat in the fms ..
how many Qsns i need to attempt in cat 2014 for getting that required %ile…
plz help me sir..
Srikanth, as a NC OBC candidate you need a score of 95%ile in CAT to ensure a final call from FMS for which you should have a raw score in the region of 125.
hi sir
i wanted to know about your stratergy that not attempting anything in the cat paper will fetch marks how far is this true because i m very weak in QA section. from the last 3 mnths i m preparing for it bt thn also i m unable to cover tht section nd in VR also its nt so so much well . sir plz suggest me tht hw to prepare for these last few days ? nd i hd given some mocks also bt i m nt able to scrore so much . so what should be my stratergy for the cat 2014 .. plz help me out ..
Navya, in CAT’13 I did not mark an answer to any question and hence had a zero raw score but a percentile score of 55%ile. However I would not recommend this to any student and my suggestion is to attempt the few questions that you are confident of. For what to do in the last few days please refer to the post 4 Weeks to CAT’14 – Ab billi door nahin
thnk u sir and i wanted to know tht only attempting va section with a 70- 80 % accuracy what we my overall percentile ?
Navya, attempting 45 VALR questions with 35 correct answers and not attempting any QADI is likely to give you less than 80%ile in CAT’14
ok sir and to increase the percentile how many questions should i attempt in qa and di sections . And sir i m nt focusing in any iim’s . For IMT ghaziabad and FMS what is the cuttoff . And i m also preparing for iift and in that i m quite confident about most of the sections . is there any stratergy for iift and sir plz tell me the cutoff of iift also..
thank u so much
Navya, general category cutoff for FMS is around 99%ile while that for IMT G will be around 93%ile.
140 marks in CAT should lead to a 99%ile while 110 marks should be around 93%ile.
IIFT cutoff for general category candidate would be around 48-50 marks.
thank u sir
Hello Sir
As i earlier told you tht my qa section is not so much good then how can i maintain tht in iift bcz there is a sectional cutoffs in it .. And plzz help me tht hw cn i make it . If i have to then hw many questions i have to attempt in tht section … plz give me a rply ASAP…
NAvya, IIFT has a low sectional cutoff for QA and the questions are easy hence it should not be a problem, Please refer to the post GP’s 9 fool-proof fundas for IIFT
sir is it necessary to maintain the sectional cutoff or overall %ile is applicable for these institutes .
Navya, IIMs, IIFT, XLRI, SP Jain and a few other institutes have sectional cutoff which is usually 85%ile for a general category candidate. FMS, IITs, MBE, MFC etc do not have any sectional cutoffs.
10th 72
12th 57
gradhuation 62
category sc
sir if i score around 70 percentile, will i get admission in any IIM’s
How many questions should i attemp to achieve that.
Mahesh, 70%ile is unlikely to get you into any IIMs, as a SC candidate you will need over 85%ile to have a good chance of marking it to the IIMs.
hello respected sir,
10th 58%
12th 76%
Graduation Srcc Bcom hons 65% first division
Work Exp: No
category: Obc-pwd HI
if Cat 2014 score 55% or 60%… will i get admission. IIM A,B,C,L,Koz,I..? is it possible ?
please reply.. help me!
Ashish, you will either get the benefit of OBC category or that of PH, my suggestion is to go for PH.
As a PH candidate you should target 65%ile to be sure of a call from the top IIMs.
Thanks Sir! 😀
hello sir,
PH Students get any concession in fees or they have to pay same amount as others ?
ALL students with disability get placement after MBA. How much average salary they get??
Ashish, there are no fee concessions for PH candidates but government has scholarship schemes for them. Most of the companies do not discriminate against the students with disability from top institutes in terms of salary.
when will batches for cat 2016 start.can u tell me exact month in which it will start
Hitesh, which city are you from?
I am from DELHI
Hitesh, batches for CAT’16 will start in August 2015.
I have contacted before at cp centre and they told batches for cat 2016 have started and they asked me when i want to join.
Dear Hitesh,
You should check which batch’s timing is convenient for you and decide accordingly.
I want to start my CAT preparation as soon as possible,so I want to know when will batches at CL,Cp starting for CAT 2016.
WILL THEY START THIS YEAR of starting of NEXT YR
Sir,
I got 83% in 10th std and 87.2% in 12th std. Now i am pursuing BBA, how should i prepare for CAT to get into IIM`s or other prestigious institutes .
Waiting for reply.
Thanks in advance. 🙂
Shlok, the two important skill for doing well in almost all MBA entrances are Reading and Calculation skills. Suggest that you get in the habit of reading newspapers and current affairs magazines, novels by different authors will also be helpful. Brush up your calculation skills by mugging up tables, reciprocals, squares an cubes. You could also consider brushing you maths by going through NCERT Maths books of class IX and X.
Sir
I scored 86.6 in 10th
82 in 12
Nd in b.e. i hav scored 77.8 till my 3rd sem of engg n luk 4ward to ex ceed 80%
Sir how much shud i aim minimum in cat????
Dear Rajat,
You have a very decent academic profile. Ideally, you should target 99.5 percentile + in order to maximize your chances of getting calls from all IIMs.
Is admm at ISB HYDERABAD possible without wok exp
Hitesh, ISB Hyderabad requires a work experience of at least 2 years, you can however get a deferred admission.
I am confused whether to do mba or not.I am a bca student of ggsipu and wants to do mba but problem is that i want to become entrepreneur.So do Mba degree improve my skills needed for entrepreneurship.I dont want to do job.Does after MBA degree I can start any consulting firm .
Dear Hitesh,
Yes, An MBA is likely to give you good insights into the world of business. Hence, MBA will help improve the skills needed for entrepreneurship as well. Some MBAs do start their own consulting firm. So, that option may be available to you as well.
Sir, my profile is, 10th-90.4(cbse), 12th-84.2(cbse), grad-75(as per my 6 semesters, b.tech) OBC(creamy). I would like to know, what percentile I should target, that could fetch me calls from the old as well as from the new iims. I will be appearing for the cat 14(my 1st ever attempt). Ty
dhrubo, as a Creamy Layer OBC you will be considered as a general category candidate and hence should target over 99.5%ile for calls from top three IIMs. A 99%ile can get you calls from FMS, IIT Mumbai & the other older IIMs. New IIMs, MDI, SP Jain, other IITs and NITIE will need a 97%ile.
Sir,
Do you think there was incremental negative marking in 2013? Now that TCS is going to conduct the exam, is incremental negative marking likely to be there in CAT 2014?
In my opinion, you have not considered the most probable reason for getting 55 percentile with zero attempts. The 1st 3 reasons you have considered are extremely unlikely and you have rightly dismissed them. It is also unlikely that software glitch was a reason as there was a reasonable co-relation between the quality of the students and the marks obtained.
3 marks are awarded for a right answer and 1 mark is deducted for a wrong answer. There are 4 options. This means that if everyone attempted all the questions randomly, the scores would be more or less evenly distributed about zero. Thus zero attempts should fetch a percentile very close to 50. However, in an exam like CAT, where people spend 100’s of hours in preparation, this is impossible. In reality, zero attempts should correspond to percentile as similar as was shown in your XAT table.
So what could be the reason for this anomaly? I think the most probable reason is incremental negative marking. Out of 90 questions, if someone attempted 60 and got 30 wrong, he would get 60 marks. But if there was incremental negative marking, it is easily possible for him to get less than zero. This would explain more than half the students getting negative marks.
All this is speculation and shouldn’t serve any purpose? Except that it does. Strategy plays a vital role in CAT and could be the difference between 95 & 99.5 percentile. The presence or absence of incremental negative marking is an important factor in adopting an appropriate strategy.
Sarath, our faculty members take CAT every year and we experiment with different attempts and accuracy levels and found that same net score leads to same percentile score.
I HAVE FINISHED MY SCHOOL AND GOT ADMITTED IN BCA IN VIVEKANANDA INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES,GGSIPIU.
I WANT TO JOIN CAT COACHING AT CL FOR 3 YRS.IS THERE ANY 3 YRS PROGRAMME AS I WANT IIM AT FIRST ATTEMPT AND DONT WANT TO TAKE RISK.I AM A AVG STUDENT WITH GOOD APTITUDE ONLY IN MATHEMATICS.
CLASS 10-7 CGPA
CLASS 12-77
Himanshu, a 3 year program is excessive and suggest that you start immediately after completing your 1 st year of graduation. Till then, to prepare for CAT, you can do the following:
1. Read a newspaper daily, focus on the editorial pages.
2. Read a current affairs magazine.
3. Read novels/books by different authors.
4. Go through NCERT class IX-X maths books.
5. Start solving puzzles that appear in newspapers/magazines.
6. In college participate in extra curricular activities in general and also that get you on stage like debates, declamations, JAM etc.
7. Do well in academics also, your target should be over 80% in each semester/year.
this year i gave iim indore ipm(5 yrs) exam and couldnt clear.do u think i should try this yr while doing bca.if i clear i will leave my bca.
Himanshu, no harm in trying if you are keen on IPM.
MY Friend failed in btech 1st yr .so he is leaving btech and doing bca from amity.
does iim selects on the basis of college one studies.
does amity will have bad repuation even if he manages 99%ile.
Himanshu, selection to IIMs is based on your past academics and performance in CAT & interview. The name of your college does not matter.
i have got class 10-67
class 12-78
graduation-doing bca from ggsipu and doing very good in it
if i get 99% will i get a iim-abc
also i want to know how much score is needed for jbims,nmims and gim
Hitesh, with your marks in X and XII you will need almost a 100%ile to get a call from ABC. However the other IIMs are all possible at 99%ile. The score required for JBIMS is 99.99%ile, for GIM it is around 90%ile and a score equivalent to around 95%ile will ensure a call from NMIMS.
Sir,
I have been writing CAT for 5 years now. ST Candidate and have 2+yrs work ex now (I have done BTech and then MTech). In 2011 CAT (overall 90%) I got calls from some 6iims (not ABC 🙁 )..so had converted but not joined.
Now, with acads weightage, what is my probability of IIM B.
And, what is considered a safe sectional cut off for me to repeat my performance again (i.e. get calls again) from other IIMs.
Thanks and Regards,
Dev
Dev, what are your marks in X, XII and graduation?
Dear sir,
is it true that the acads have to be 75% throughout to get calls from iim a,b,c in sc category?
my acads:
x-91.57%
xii-66.33%
btech-7.9 cgpa
Srinandita, 75% throughout is not essential but 66.33% in XII is low. As a SC candidate with good performance in X & graduation an overall score of 90%ile should get you calls from all IIMs.
hi sir,
this is pavan,
my acads are,
10–93.8%
12–96.8%
B.Tech(civil)–75%
I had 2 years of work experience in construction field.
Is this experience worthy??
how much percentile in my CAT can fetch me in top institutes..
reply please…
Pawan, with 75% in graduation IIM A is difficult. In IIMB work experience will compensate for your graduation marks and IIMC considers marks of X and XII only. You will need a score of over 99.5%ile for IIMC and a score of over 99%ile should be good enough for all other IIMs, FMS and IIT Mumbai. A score of 97%ile is usually sufficient for MDI, NITIE, new IIMs and XLRI.
Sir,
I wanted to ask,how important are extracurricular activities in call conversions…especially given that i have no work experience….i mean I do not have any certificates in any organisational activity..the only activities that i have participated are tabla and paintings and poetry…in my school days…
Srinandita, they are helpful but not essential. if you have participated you can talk about it in the interview even if you do not have certificates.
IF i do an MBA from top b-schools in world like harvard,booth school of business can i get a good salary like IIM,FMS students get. Please tell as I want to join GMAT coaching at CL pitampura
Hitesh, most top institutes outside India consider your X, XII and graduation scores so these will also not be a cake walk. FMS on the other hand does not consider past academics. Also you need a work experience of over 2 years to get into top schools outside India. Suggest that you prepare for both CAT and GMAT.
after getting 99%ile how much is there a chance to convert fms call.
also please tell me about cut off for mdi and iift
Hitesh, with a 99%ile one has a very good chance of converting the interview call. MDI would need a score of over 97%ile. The target score for IIFT should be over 50 marks out of 100 which would be equivalent to about 97%ile in CAT.
Profile
class 10- 67
class 12 -76.4
category-general
I am doing bca from ggsipu.i am doing very well in it and is expecting 80+ in graduation . so at what %ile do i need to get IIM-ABCKIL ,new IIMS ,xlri ,iit delhi and kharagpur and fms
Hitesh, with average scores in X and XII you will need to target over 99.8%ile to get a call from IIM A, B and C. For the other IIMs, IIT Mumbai and FMS 99%ile will suffice. New IIMs and most of the IITs are possible at 97-98%ile. For XLRI target a XAT score of 97%ile.
My dream college is IIM-A,B,C
Is there any way to get into top IIM’s even if i get 98-99% without any work experience
100%ile is very difficult as only 8-10 out of many students get.
Hitesh, given that you are not an Engineer, if you are among the top 50 in your academic category then IIM A is possible but that too is unlikely below 99%ile. In case of IIMB a 2-3 year work experience should be able to compensate for your marks in X/XII.
Sir , i am from non engineering background with
81.2% in 10
71.2 in 12 arts
68.3% in BA Economics.
How much %ile i have to achieve so that i can get call frm iim BLACK
biplove, while IIM B and C will require over 99.5%ile you can get a call IIMA at 98.5-99%ile also due yor non-Engineer background however my suggestion is to target over 99%ile. Other IIMs are all possible at CAT scores of over 98%ile.
At IIM shillong is 80% is class 12 min elegibility .does it mean i will never get call from IIM shillong.
Hitesh, for CAT’13 IIM Shillong had a minimum criteria of 65% in X/XII and 60% in graduation for general category candidates. Please refer to the Admission Process document of IIM Shillong.
class 10- 67%
class 12- 76.4%
How much percentile is needed to get in top IIM’s
Hitesh, with average marks in X and XII you will need almost a 100%ile in CAT to get a call from IIM A,B and C. However the other IIMs are possible at a CAT score of over 99%ile.
Sir,
My profile is
10th -83%
12th -73%
Just completed my 6th semester of btech with 6.00 CGPA
Plz tell me,How much percentile i need to score to ensure i get selected in iims.
Also I am an ST candidate-Karan
Karan, a ST candidate can get calls from IIMs at a score of over 75%ile but given your low CGPA in graduation and average marks in XII, my suggestion is to target 85%ie to be sure of calls from all IIMs.
Greetings, I’m a final year engineering student belonging to the general category.. I’ve 87,75 and 64 in my Xth, XIIth and graduation respectively.. If I work hard for CAT and score 98-99%ile+, can I get a call from IIM-A/B/C/L/I/K or spjimr or fms? Asking this because I read on fb that the students belonging to GEM category dont get a call from the above mentioned colleges even after scoring 99+ and that’s disturbing.. I don’t have any great extra-curriculars as well.. Also is it possible to get into XLRI if I score 98+in XAT? Please guide. Thanks.
Sir, my academics are as follows-
10th- 83%
12th- 73%
Grad.- 6.5 CGPA (till 6th sem., B.Tech)
category- OBC
what should be the target percentile for converting IIM’s and FMS.
Also, please tell what role do the extra circulars play?
Thank you.
Sumit, a 95%ile is usually sufficient for OBC candidates but given your not so good marks in XII and graduation you should target over 97%ile in CAT for the top IIMs.
Extra curriculars are helpful in converting the calls but are usually not considered for interview shortlisting.
Greetings,
I have scored 87,75 and 64 percent in my Xth, XIIth and Graduation(engineering MU) respectively. Is there any chance of me getting a top 10 b school if I score 99.5%ile in CAT and XAT? Chances for IIM-A,B,C,L,I,K,FMS, XLRI?
Thanks in advance
Anon, with 75% in XII and 64% in graduation you will need almost a 100%ile to get a call from A/B/C. However with a score of 99-99.5%ile ou can get calls from almost all other IIMs and FMS. XLRI requires a 95%iile in XAT but you should target over 98%ile to be sure off converting the call.
So sir it is possible for me to actually get into fms or xlri or an iim(non ABC), right??
Anon, yes it is possible. Even ABC are possible if you get a 100%ile.
Thank You SIr. And I’ve no work ex as well..
Also could you give me a few tips on how to prepare for the gd/pi topics? Like apart from reading the newspaper..
Anon, apart from newspaper you can read current affairs magazines and articles on the web on important issues.
Sir
my marks are as follows:
10th= 96%
12th=93.5%
Grad btech=8.3 cgpa(til 6th sem)
Category obc
I wish to appear for cat14
How much percentile is required and how many question need to be atemptd to et cal from iims.
Shrishti, female candidate with excellent academics and OBC category means that a CAT score of 95%ile should be sufficient for calls from almost all IIMs. A 97%ile will ensure calls from all.
Dear sir,
I am a B.tech graduate’14,with no work experience.
My acads are:
i)x-91.57%
ii)xii-66.33%
iii)btech-79%
My question is wot percentile do i need to get to the top bschools,if i stand a chance at all.I belong to SC category.
Would be overwhelmed to hear from you.
thank you.
Srinandita, SC candidates can get calls from most IIMs at 85%ile but given your low score in XII you should target at least 90%ile. Being a female candidate you wil;l get marks for gender diversity as well.
Sir,
Thank you for your reply. I am planning to take up career launcher’s SCC program. Given that four full months are left for CAT,will it be really helpful?
Also, how are my doubts going to be solved if i take up this program?
Also if its better to go for classroom coaching?But for that I will have to stay away from home,get a pg..which i am not very comfortable with.This is my first attempt at cat.
Srinandita, correspondence and ät home”programs are meant for those who are disciplined and do not need regular faculty support, if you do not belong to this category them go for a classroom program. Which city are you from?
Srinandita, CAT’14 will most probably be held in early November and i the next 4.5 months you can prepare for CAT’14. Given that you are not working you should spend most of your time preparing for CAT. SCC Comprehensive or Comprehensive Plus should be your program. Doubts can be solved over email but the assumption behind all at home programs is that you do not need much faculty support.
Sir,
am from Asansol,if i have to take up classroom coaching..then i probably have to find some pg somewhere near park street in kolkata.
Srinandita, if you can study on your own then stay at home and prepare.
Hi GP ,
My accads are as below:
1. Xth – 76%
2. XIIth – 90%
3. Graduation(B Tech)-60%.
Work Ex – 2 years 6 Months (till OCT 2014)
I belong to OBC non Creamy . Can you kindly suggest me what score in CAT 2014 can fetch me IIM’s, XLRI , FMS ?
Awaiting response!
Thanks & Regards,
Koustuv
Koustuv, with 60% in graduation IIMA is unlikely but due to good scores in X/XII and a 2.5 year work experience you have a good chance of getting into IIM B/C.
As a NC OBC candidate you can get calls from most of the IIMs at a score in excess of 95%ile but a 97%ile should be your target.
is it possible to crack Personal interview if one is already a first year student at MBA college(JBIMS).? Please guide me. Thank you GP.
Dear Akash,
Of course, it is possible for you to crack your Personal Interview. The fact that you are already a first year student at JBIMS will not come in the way of your selection at all.
Do people take CAT even after converting and joining mba colleges.? Is it prudent to take CAT again and aim for IIM ABC after joining JBIMS mumbai.? Cause getting into an IIM has been a dream eversince i started thinking about doing an MBA..
Dear Akash,
Yes, people do take CAT even after joining a b-school. In fact, there are even some people (very few) who have double MBA degrees – they first complete MBA from one institute and then again appear for entrance tests and pursue another MBA from a better b-school. There is absolutely no harm in joining one b-school (thus, safeguarding your seat and your future) and appearing for entrance tests again.
I am obc student.
Raaj, the OBC cutoff for FMS is around 85%ile but you should target 92-93%ile to have a realistic chance of converting the call.
92 or 93% is good enough to get the call.
Raaj, it is sufficient but if you get a higher score it will increase your chances.
Respected Gp sir
I am in big confusion, if i work hard and succeed to achieve desired percentile that is 92 or 93%tile and then I would not get a call from fms then what is the benifit of taking cat for me after so much hard work?
Raaj, there is no surety in life for anything, you work on probability and you should direct your efforts towards the avenues where you have a higher probability of success. Based on past data 92-93%ile is sufficient but higher the score better will be your chances. If you do not feel comfortable with a 92-93%ile then target a score of 97%ile.
Dear sir
My acads score are
X- 63.4
X||- 73.5
Grad.(BBA)-68
I am gonna to take cat 2014 and targeting fms. Is there any chance to get a call from fms and how much should I score in cat 2014?
Sir i got a PI call from FMS with 86.66%ile. OBC category.
10th=92%
12th=85%
Graduation=74%
Do i stand a chance ? For 54 reserved OBC seats there have been 667 calls. Please reply.
Akash, you are just above the OBC cutoff and hence will find it difficult to convert unless you have an outstanding performance in GD, Interview & Extempore.
Thank you for the reply sir ! Its a lot to ask but can you please guide me a little , as i never had any kind of coaching about this and places that i have scrounged did not help me so far !
Akash, for guidance on the interview please go through the post – 5 Mantras to master the Interview. For practice of GD and extempore, please get in touch with a CL center, in case you have problems mail me at gp@careerlauncher.com
Also, my work-ex of 3 years 4 months is calculated upto the time of interview stage next year, ie., March 2015.
Vijay, with your excellent academic record all IIMs are possible. As a general category candidate you will need over 99%ile for IIMA. IIMB is possible at 98%ile (due to your work experience), IIMC requires over 99.5%ile. IIML,I,K are all possible at a score of over 98%ile.
XLRI BM interview cutoff is usually at 95%ile but a score in excess of 98%ile can make conversion easier. In addition to these institutes you should consider ISB Hyderabad also.
If you are interested in finance you can consider certificate programs of NSE/BSE/SEBI.
Respected GP Sir,
My academic details are as follows-(Board ICSE):
Class X-92.5%
Class XII-95.3%
(Considering all six subjects and not best of 5. In the latter case this becomes 93.4 and 96.3)
Graduation- 9.11 CGPA.
Work experience: 3 years 4 months in Cognizant Technology solutions in BFS and Healthcare domains.
Kindly mention how much minimum percentile will fetch me a call from each of the 6 IIMs (A,B,C,L,K,I). I don’t intend to join any of the newer IIMs beyond this. Also, what percentile is needed for XLRI call (only interested in their BM programme).
Also, in case of convert in any of these top Bschools, what extra certifications etc would be required to gain a edge in finance? I don’t know if I am made for it but I want a shot at Investment Banking after my MBA and if not possible, would like to settle for top notch Software product companies like Google, Microsoft, Apple etc.
Dear GP Sir,
I have heard that there have been placement problems (no 100% placement) in several Bschools over the last 3-4 years, including top bschools like IIM-C,L ,K,I, ISB-Hyderabad,FMS, IIFT,MDI etc. Like for example, I heard of some 13 students having been unplaced in FMS and many in IIM-C,L,I etc who were unplaced even till the time of convocation. There were reports of lots of students having extreme difficulty getting placed. To the extent that IIMs like K are resorting to placing students in NGOs to somehow achieve 100% placement. Not just that, I have also heard of around 20 students who could not pass the first year in IIM-C PGDM 2013-15 batch.
Why are such things happening in top Indian b-schools? Is it a sign of decline in quality of students in top Indian Bschools?
Kanchan, almost all institutes have less than 100% placements, this was the case when I was in IIMB and this is the situation today also. The bottom 10-12% in all institutes are somehow placed to claim a 100% placements.
The IIMC data is not surprising, all good b schools (including the IIMs) have a rule that if you have a poor performance in the first year then you will be asked to leave the program and every year a few students in each IIM are asked to leave the institute on this ground.
Hello Gautam sir,
I’ve acquired 69% in 10th, 55% in 12th and 65% aggregate in BE with 9 months of work experience .I belong to SC category. And I just wanted to know if IIMs are under my reach and if it is how much percentile I must be looking for. Please do reply sir.
Regards.
Arjun, the IIMs are withing your reach but given your X/XII/Graduation marks you should target a CAT score of at least 90%ile. A 95%ile will make you safe. Other institutes like the IITs, FMS, NITIE etc have a low/no weight for past academics and are all possible for you.
Hi Sir,
I have written CAT in 2012
I scored -QA-63 percentile and VL- 97 Percentile
Overall- 89%
I was in last year of my engineering that time. the Score wasn’t that bad but on writing Cat again in 2013 I scored the below
QA-84% and VL -43%
Overall 72 %
I dont know weder i screwed the VL paper soo badly!!! But i sure that no matter what happen i would have never gone for a negative score(As per your analysis).
I learnt from TOI that you have raised a petition for the same for some 6 months but the news was no longer available on TOI the coming day.
Can u please tell me what happened to the petition and whwther i should have approached someone!! Your analysis says that i probably scored the worst CAT score of my career.
i have been a syudent in CL tamabaram and the classes were really good.But i couldnt make most of it in my final year.
Right now i m workin and will be completin one year of experience!!
Can u please suggest me will it be better for me to write CAT again or go for other options like GRE which apppears to be more safer!!As i need to do things faster and get settles ASAP.
Regards
Ankur
Sir if possible can u please tell me about other career options other than MBA/CAT.
Ankur, I have a limited knowledge of career options and you will possibly need top look at a career counselor to generate more options for you. The other options should be a function of your interest area.
My suggestion is to consider GATE/GRE (you would be aware of these) leading to M.Tech/PSU Jobs/MS. Additionally you can consider Banking through IBPS/SBI PO recruitment tests, SSC-CGLE and Civil Services.
Ankur, with zero attempts in CAT’13 I had a VALR score of 57%ile hence you have a negative raw score in VALR. Like you many other students who have previously done well in CAT’12 and other MBA entrances have also suffered possibly due to normalisation or software issues in CAT’13. Many studnets have filed cases in various courts and suggest that you connect with other such students at https://www.facebook.com/groups/238510066327214/?fref=ts
Suggest that you go for a retake of CAT/XAT, with Prometric out of the picture one is hopeful that such stupidity will not be repeated.
If you are still interested in MBA then go for CAT/XAT and also GMAT but if you are keen on MS then it has to be GRE.
Sir,
My profile: Xth:94%
XIIth: 95%
Grad (Economics): 70%
Workex: 2years
I got through IIM L-PGP this year.
Would you suggest another attempt for the next year for A/B/C or would it be wise to take L up?
Sonia, A retake is not suggested because the gap between ABC and L is negligible and my suggestion is to join IIML.
sir i have got 80.4% in 10th
74% in 12th (but 52 in maths)
and 90% in engineering
do i have any chance for iim-A
if yes what percentile boosts the chances..
Aditya, a 90% in graduation gives you a chance it will hopefully compensate for less than 80% in XII. you should target a minimum CAT score of 99.5%ile.
Sir my 10th percentage is 84
12th percentage 64.3
B.Tech ECE(pursuing final year) 75%
Please tell me are there chances for me for admission in IIMs & how much minimum percentile should i get in CAT.??
category-GENERAL
MSingh, as a fresher with low/average score in XII/Graduation the top IIMs are difficult unless you get almost a 100%ile in CAT. However the other IIMs are possible at a CAT score of around 99%ile. Most of the op non-IIMs are all possible at CAT score of 97%ile, FMS and IIT Mumbai will need over 99%ile.
thnk u sir….how do u compare regarding ranking LMTSOM,LPU,Chitkara uni,Punjabi university patiala & PAU ludhiana ???
MSingh, these are all below average institutes and should be considered only as a backup in case one is desperate to do an MBA.
Hi Sir,
My profile is as follows:
Xth : 89 %
XII th : 85 %
Graduation(B.E): 85 %
Work experience: 2 years and 3 months(still employed)
Category : General
How much should I score in CAT to get into IIM A/B/C. Also how many questions should I attend in each section to get that score.
Many thanks in advance..
LIJO, with good acads and over 2 year work experience you have a chance of calls from all IIMs.
CAT scores required by a general category candidate for IIMC is over 99.5%iie. You would need over 99%ile for IIMA and over 98%ile for IIMB.
Till CAT’12 about 18 net correct answers in each section were sufficient for over 99%ile in each section but in CAT’13 this came down to around 12-13 net correct answers in each section.
Hi Sir,
Thanks a lot for your reply. The information is really helpful. You are doing a great job in helping aspirants like me.
Dear GP Sir,
I failed to convert IIM-B this time. It was a massive setback and also a shock to me, more so because I had scored a whopping 99.89 percentile in CAT-2013 and I heard that while IIM-B has rejected many 99.5+ percentilers, it has ended up selecting many 93 percentilers! Sir, what use is giving CAT then if it is just profile and work-experience quality which matters in selection? Is IIM-B kind of becoming similar to ISB Hyderabad and many foreign b-schools in its selection method this way? Doesn’t it mean just preferring EQ over IQ and intelligence/aptitude and ending up selecting students with lesser academic potentials just on basis of company/work profiles? Will the quality of student intake really be better by this process? I need your inputs on this sir.
Bharat, this is unfortunate but the weight for various components is the prerogative of the institute. All institutes have a low weight for the written test, the logic being that beyond a certain (CAT score) percentile level there gap between students is negligible.
That’s not right sir. All institutes definitely don’t. IIFT,FMS and MDI give huge weightage to written exam scores.
Bharat, you are correct I should have used “all IIMs” instead of “all institutes”. I am not sure about IIFT and MDI having high weightage to written exam score because I am aware of high percentilers not making it to the final list these institutes. Will have these two checked.
In addition to FMS other Delhi University programs and Mumbai University (JBIMS etc) have a very high weight for the written test score.
Greetings!
Dear Sir,
What are the chances of IIM-A/B/C and new IIM’s with the following academic record:
10th – 92.6
12th- 82.8
Grad- 79.8
Work ex as of now (May’14) – 1 year with an NGO
4 months with TCS
How many question needs to be correctly answered in each section to achieve the required percentile?
Thanks!
Shruti, you have a good chance of calls from the top IIMs despite getting marginally less than 80% in graduation. Your work experience and marks for gender diversity will be helpful in this regard. Based on CAT 11 & 12 data your target should be 16-17 net correct answers in each section.
Sir, I heard that
1. Inspite of putting the reputation of IIM and CAT in serious doubt, IIM Indore has been yet been given the RESPONSIBILITY to hold CAT 2014 again….. The same college who didnt answer a single RTI propely, blamed you for conspiracy to malign IIM, havent even released the report of the convocation stage crash which injured many graduates critically…. ( like Sushil shinde got promoted to home minisyer after as power mantri he gifted half of India power outage in 2012)
2. In place of controversial Prometric, we have TCS as test conductor…. I have few reservations regarding TCS :
a. There are many engineers wotking in the iON department of TCS; which will conduct CAT. How can AAM junta be assured that those engineers or their friends/families wont get undue benefit if they take Cat2014
b. We all know how exams conducted by TCS go: esp IBPS….expect major chaos
c.there was large scale cheating in TISSnet 2013 many of whose exam centres were in TCS premises. Candidates were using cellphones to call or browse for gk questions (allegedly).
3. I also heard inspite of ur affidavit n support; the petitioners havent got any sort of justice in the courts as IIMs simply ask for more time and the petitioners have run OUT OF FUNDS AND TIME AS iim sessions start NEXT MONTH.
After all this, is it fair for testtakers not to be worried? We cant be sure that this year’s Cat wont be a disaster as wekl….may be this year blank paper will give 70 percentile.
Arvind,
1. I am not aware of IIM Indore being appointed to conduct CAT’14 but even if it has been done so there is precious little that any of us can do about it. While IIM Indore has faced the flak for the issues related to CAT’13, the CAT committee consists of representatives of all IIMs and and the decisions are possibly taken after a consent of all IIMs (or at least the majority). To my mind the other IIMs are as much to blame as IIM Indore.
2. It is difficult to say if how (in)effective TCS will be but I do not think that the staff at TCS will have access to questions and they will not be able to help themselves or leak questions. Hopefully the test centers will have better invigilation than what you saw at TISSNET.
3. We can only hope that the IIMs have taken some lessons from the CAT’13 fiasco and will do a better job in the next edition.
Sir, my academics:
X: 90.5
XII: 85
B.E: 7.65 upto 5th sem (final CGPA would be definitely less than 80%)
Work exp: nil
Gen, Male
So, how much should I need to score in CAT’14 for getting call from iim A,B,C ??
Rohit, IIM C does not consider graduation marks for interview calls and with a good performance in X and XII you are comfortably placed but its general category cutoff is over 99.5%ile. In case of IIM A and B both of which consider graduation marks also you will need over 99.8%ile to have a chance of interview call.
Sir, When will u start writing articles relating to CAT14? Also, please write articles how to tackle RC/PJ/CR having passages/content related to philosophy/art (just like in Procs/CAT)?
Do you have any idea why FMS has not released its shortlist and when will it do so?
Sushant, will be starting article on CAT’14 shortly.
The reasons for delay by FMS is a mystery to all of us, the list is likely to be released in June.
Sir I need your advice urgently. Please reply.
I have got offers from IIM-C PGDCM and IIM-L and I am interested to pursue either marketing or finance post MBA. I would like to know if IIM-L would be a better option for me compared to PGDCM in C because the latter one is more suited for software management. At the same time, I am also in a confusion regarding leaving the C tag. Kindly advice me as this problem is kind of making me have sleepless nights of late.
Sandeep, go for IIM Calcuta.
The difference between PGDM and PGDCM in IIM Calcutta is a few subjects of systems in the 1st year. In the 2nd year there is no difference in the two programs and you can choose subjects from all functional areas and hence specialisation in finance or marketing is possible. Please check the IIM Calcutta website for details.
is it possible to convert IIM call in following scenario :
10th – 84%
12th – 74%
btech- 65%
if i score above 99 in cat den…what are the chances to get into any of the IIMs..and please mention the IIMs if it is possible and some other colleges too…???? sir please reply because i am seriously into my preparation and i don’t want it to get ruined.
(General category)
Rohit, with 74% in XII and 65% in graduation you will need over 99.8%ile in CAT to get a call from A/B/C, however all other IIMs are possible at your target score of 99%ile.
Sir,
I wish to know how strong is ISB Hyderabad as a brand globally? Is this brand stronger than that of the IIMs or are IIMs A,B,C,L more powerful brands when it comes to international recognition and respect. Also, what is the pattern in GMAT? Does CL have any coaching for GMAT? Its VA section seems to be very difficult to crack.
Sisir, ISB is a reasonably strong brand but is the top IIMs (A, B, C and L) are possibly better known internationally.
CL has a program for GMAT preparation, For guidance on GMAT and MBA abroad please click here or contact Ms Shradha Dave at shradha.dave@careerlauncher.com
Thank you for your reply sir. Sir I went through the GMAT closely and found it way easier than CAT and XAT, so feel I can manage it myself. What I need to know is whether it would be wise for me to appear for CAT and XAT next year alongwith GMAT considering I am approaching around 40 months work experience next year. Or should I only focus on GMAT, target ISB and forget about IIMs?
Sisir, go for CAT/XAT as well as GMAT. Consider CAT’14 your last chance for a shot at the top IIMs, XLRI and FMS.
Sir,
But considering that CAT/XAT and GMAT require slightly different skillsets, what would be good for me to focus more on? Should CAT be my top priority followed by GMAT or should it be the other way round? Also, in case I do convert both GMAT specific institutes like ISB and also CAT/XAT based ones- IIMs,FMS,XLRI which one would be better for me to go for? If IIMs, upto which IIM?
Sisir, your priority should be GMAT followed by CAT. GMAT verbal will help you in CAT and CAT QA will help you in GMAT. Let us take a call on the institute next year but you have to target the top 20 institutes.
Namaskar, Respected Aptitude guru!
Guruji, I am a Btech Final Year student and have 2 backlogs in 5th sem which may not clear in this sem. So Maybe my BTech will not complete this year, and hence I wil b qualified in Dec 2014. And I want to take this year CAT 14 for MBA admission in 2015. So wil this BAcklogs be an obstacle in CAT form filling? I am planning to join CL if I can apply even I have not Qualified degree at the time of applying CAt but at the time of admissions I wil b having that.
Waiting for ur reply so that I can start my Coaching.
Thanks in advance.
Vikas, backlogs are not a problem for form filling, final year candidates can also apply. For the batch of 2015-15, you will have time at least till Aug’15 to submit proof of completions of the degree.
Sir I need your advice.Please reply.
I am working with an NGO as a manager and drawing a salary.Will this be counted as a work experience?
I am from general category.
I have 87,81 and 61 percent in X XII and Graduation(Engineering) respectively.Is there a chance for the IIMs?I willl be taking CAT 2014.Please do reply.
Trisha, work in an NGO is counted as work experience.
With 61% in graduation IIMA and B will be difficult unless you get a 100%ile in CAT. IIMB however gives weight to work experience and if you have a 2 year work experience then it is possible at a CAT score of over 98%ile. IIMC does not consider graduation marks but typically requires over 99.5%ile in CAT for interview call. All other IIMs are possible at a score of 98%ile.
Sir,I would have had a work experience of 15 months by august 2014.My NGO is not a very popular one.Will that have an impact ?Also,is it wise to join a PG course to cover up for my undergraduation or should I continue with the job? I am still in a dilemma.Please guide me.
Another doubt, Is IIMA ABM also difficult with these acads ?
Trisha, yes ABM will also be difficult.
Sir , I want to know total how many tests are there in TEST GYM ADAPTIVE……
I am a Student of Career Launcher Dhanbad
Enroll ID 2695605 :
Program PIN2YR
Upto now I have taken 27 tests in TEST GYM ADAPTIVE.What is the average number of tests taken on daily basis to complete all the tests……..
Kindly send the details in my mail or on CL Sis Mailbox
Ankit, sure will respond on SIS.
Sir ,
I’ve just started my preperations for CAT 14. I have started with Ratios,proportions and variations . But I am finding it hard to solve even the level 1 problems of arun sharma’s book !? my target is fms and for fms i need a 99+%ile . sir can u tell me what stratergy to use or how to improve and bring myself up to the 99+%ile mark ?
Regards,
Jackie
Jackie, I am not a big fan of this book and would suggest that you take a structured program for preparation. Since you appear to be keen to study on your own go for a correspondence program since it will take you up the difficulty level in steps and will give you only relevant question types to focus on. Click here for the details of CL correspondence program.
Dear Chirag,
CAT percentile in the range of 75%ile should be good enough to get you calls from most of the top IIMs.
Chirag, weightage is given only to full time work experience after graduation and not to any kind of training or internship that one goes through as a part of an academic program.
Greetings from deependra
Sir,
In your knowledge anybody got admission in IIM
who have quite humble academic record .
My previous question is belongs to a general category candidate.
Greetings from deependra
Sir,
According to your previous answer if a candidate have profile as
X = 85%
XII = 59%
Graduation = 70%
with this profile if a candidate top in cat then how much possible
to receive a call from IIM A or IIM C.
with this profile if a candidate have some work experience then how possibility vary in?
Greetings from deependra
Sir,
I have question that how much an academic record of a candidate
affect the call from an IIM ?
Dear Deependra,
Different IIMs have different criteria for this and hence, there is no standard answer to this question. In fact, some IIMs have now started giving calls to a few CAT toppers from each academic stream, irrespective of these candidates’ performance on other parameters. Thus, in different cases, academic record can have very different impacts. In general, of course, a good academic record will potentially benefit you.
Hi GP Sir,
II agree with your article and CAT should become more transparent. However I have a different question today. And that is nobody seems bothered about the impact on selected candidates after re evaluation. For example I got 95+ percentile with very balanced sectionals. With the court order against IIMs pending, my concern is that if the scores are re evaluated then is there any chance that students who have scored more may see a decrease in their percentile? Any analysis on how much impact re-evaluation might have and on the direction of movement of the variation? Some schools are offering admissions based on the condition that CAT scores for applicants might be validated by concerned testing authorities. If I leave my job, get my loan sanctioned and then get to hear that I have failed to meet the min criteria due to re evaluation, isn’t that unjust? One particular B school has said that in that case, the selection will stand invalid and they will select from waiting list. But isn’t this unfair for the candidate who got chucked out for no fault of his/her? His/Her world would have just turn upside down! How to best handle the re-evaluation situation? Your take on this please.
Aloha, unfortunately in the current situation some students will suffer due to intransigence of the IIMs/Prometric. This issue has plagued CAT since 2009 and had it been addressed in the first instance we would not be in this sorry situation. A percentile score is a zero sum game, if it goes up for one it has to go down for someone else. My only hope is that if there is an error then it is restricted to a small number of students and the existing call getters are not harmed.
Sir ,
By when can we expect your cat 2013/14 analysis , where you give your views on how many questions to attempt , changes in the paper and your views/assumptions of the 2014 paper .
sir , at least till then , could you say if the 2014 no. of attempts are going to be approximately the same as 2013 ? or no ?
Regards.
Jackie, as of now assume that CAT’14 will be similar to the earlier CATs. With TCS being given the charge of conducting CAT’14 we will have to wait for the CAT notification.
HI Sir,
My Profile:-
X-85.6
XII-78
Eng-74.5
If i score more than 96% in CAT2014. Is there any chance of me getting a call from any of the IIM’s considering the fact that people who have more than 98% in CAT13 didnt even get a call from any of the IIMs,their acads score being low…
Rahul, with less than 80% in XII and graduation, based on the current criteria IIM A is ruled out and IIM B is possible only with a couple of years work experience. IIM C will need over 99.7%ile while all other IIMs will need over 98%ile in CAT.
I have appeared for CAT 2013 and have got 95 percentile. In VA I have got 98 percentile, whereas QA-DI, it’s only 78 percentile. I don’t know if it’s my own incompetence or some fault in the system, but I’m thinking of reappearing CAT again. But the only thing that I’m contemplating at this point, if it’s worth a shot considering the fact that I will be having a work-ex of 5 years by the time I appear for CAT 2014. I have steady acads with 90 % in 10th and 12th and 82% in B.Tech. I’m not very keen on 1 year MBA programs at this juncture and I’m not averse to a change in domain after MBA. Do you think that I should appear for CAT 2014. Your guidance will be really helpful.
S Sinha, with a 5 year work experience you should ignore CAT and go for 1 year MBA from ISB Hyderabad or the IIMs (PGP Ex)via the GMAT. A 1 year MBA is not inferior to a 2 year MBA, it is focussed on people with over 3 year work experience. You can write to Ms Shradha Dave at shradha.dave@careerlauncher.com for more inputs on GMAT and 1 year MBA programs.
Dear S Sinha,
I have had the experience first hand and I can tell you a 2 year MBA from IIMs/XLRI/FMS has better quality students compared to those in 1 year programs like ISB. Also, the 1 year program is first paced and only suitable for those who have had a good quality work-experience. So just because you have 5 months work-ex does not mean you should not still try the 2 year programs if you feel you are a novice in the MBA field. I joined ISB but I found these flaws and so now I am inclined towards IIMs. If you ask GMAT experts on this however, they will always tell you to go for ISB. But always listen to your heart and your inner needs. That is the best way to go. Best of luck!
Sorry, it should be “Just because you have 5 years work-ex”….
thank you sir for your guidance….
plz rank these colleges….
iim-s, kj, irma, ubs, lbs, mib, mhrod, nirma, gim………..
jay, my order of preference is IIM S, GIM, KJ Som, LBS, NIRMA, MIB/MHORD and UBS
sir, my academic details X:91.2, XII :93.5 ,B.tech : 70.8, 5 years + experience in banking & IT sector..i am almost through to the IBPS PO job ( courtesy good written score: 100)…MY father is retired bank employee..(only income is pension around 1.8 lakhs per annum )..IBPS PO (ctc around 5 lakhs per annum)…am i eligible for OBC reservation ? ( since my family income may exceed 6 lakhs obc-nc creamy layer cap limit.)..also i am 29 years old…Does my age factor affect my IIM consideration…? or else should i try for GMAT option for getting into ISB? Thanks in advance….
Srinivasan, Since you are an adult you need not club your and your father’s salary and show yourself as a separate entity.
However given that you have a 5+ year work experience a 2year MBA is not recommended. Suggest that you take GMAT and try for 1 year MBA program of IIMs and ISB Hyderabad.
Sir for CAT’14, people are advising me to solve “Quantum cat by sarvesh kr verma” as I have already solved arun sharma. The reason being, all are commenting, “its better to solve a book completely than to confine to a particular material.”:
If this is the then please suggest books for VA and DI
Advika, it is true that you should cover one book completely instead of half-doing several books. For VA section, it’ll be advisable to go through daily news paper and a couple of business magazines to increase reading speed as well as comprehension abilities. For building basic vocab you could consider “Word Power Made Easy” by Norman Lewis.
i disagree about 0 score achiever having 55%. its because my score is above 100 & percentile below 50… can u explain that
Confused, the score which you are talking about must be your scaled score.
Confused, the score which you are talking about must be your scaled score. We are saying a person with raw score of 0 got 55 percentile.
Sir, please have a look at my profile:
X-80.83, XII-79, Grad-79, 2.5 years work-ex at BPO, CAT’13: 94.25%ile,
I have been called by IIM Shillong. Is there honestly any chance?
Request your opinion and guidance
*Grad – 71.7, sorry
Ar4pit, you do have a chance if you perform exceptionally well in WAT and PI round.
Hello Sir
Please write an article on ISC in IRMA.It is the first time IRMA is taking CAT and it is not clear how much weightage the CAT Score and ISC results will be having in getting the call.
Prateek, wait for a while for the same. Right now GD and PI are the main focus.
Vishwaas, In SIS you have the personality sessions and also sessions on GD and Interview concepts. For the rest you have practice GDs or have Mock interviews. A boot camp was organised in Kanpur for UP East on 29th hope you had attended it. Another one is planned for Varanasi, do attend it if you missed the earlier one.
Dear GP sir,
My cat OA percentile is 93.54 and I hv got frm iim shillong. My PI is on 7th feb, do i stand a chance to be selected ? I don’t have any work ex and my graduation percentage is 57 so far in 2 years , i am a final year student.
Please reply asap
Thanks in advance
SIddhant, you do have a chance. Prepare well for GD and PI.
Dear GP Sir,
1) What is the acceptable range of work experience that any bschool can readily accept with out any hiccups and discrimination as compared to freshers..??
2)why the percentage of candidates with 4 years experience and above is very very low (less than 10) compared to freshers and candidates with 4 years exp are less in number compared to the rest or their higher work exp is playing any spoilsport in their admission ??
Kindly answer to the above in detail as this question is really haunting my mind frqntly…
Raghu, the ideal work for a 2 year MBA program is between 2 to 4 years after which it will be useful to go for a 1 year MBA program and this is the reason for lower number of candidates with 4+ years of work experience.
but sir i didnt get a call from new iim s can u suggest me colleges with this percentile ???
Zenia, which institutes have you applied to so far?
I am sorry, I gave up on CAT. GMAT anyone?
sir i got 97 precentile ths year but i have low marks in my class 10 -61 in 12 -65 and btech-69 which colleges should i apply plys sir i am so tensed ididnt get any mail from new iims sir i have applied to imt g,kj somia ,we ,gim , do i stand a chance there in these low grades plys sir do u know any one plyss sir if u reply i need ur help i ned ur reply
Zenia, please check your status for GD/PI of the new IIMs. The list is out and your score is above the cut-off of 96.82 percentile.
Sir,
Please guide what should we do to ensure that we have reiceved our fair result. Whom should we file RTI against.? Website for CAT do not have any column for RTI as other sites have. What do you suggest we do?
Salil, a group of students have initiated legal proceedings, please check this facebook page https://www.facebook.com/groups/238510066327214/?fref=ts
Dear GP Sir,
Definitely there is a huge discrepancy in the prometric evaluation system..
My scores in other exams are as follows:
CMAT SEP-220 RANK-2356 Approx 96.5 percentile range(as last rank is 65000+)
SNAP-98.20 Percentile (CL Predicted-97.6 composite percentile)
XAT-( 88.11 Percentile CL Predicted -87.64
QA-96.60 VA-91.32 DM-22.30 (DM is completely fluke as my time management was taken a hit..and I have marked all DM answers in random)..
CAT QA-14 VA-20 attempts
I am 100% sure of at least 11-QA ,12-VALR (6 LR are definitely correct)..but my cat score card spelled an outright outrageous numericals..
CL CAT PREDICTOR — 89 to 91 percentile
QA- 49 percentile VA-37 percentile OA- 39 percentile..
Given my performance in all the other exams It is highly improbable for me to get or even expect such a low cat score..On viewing above post, it clearly elucidates that my cat raw score is negative in both the sections (Never had it happened for me even in a mock test)..
I still dont know how to raise my voice against this gross unfair evaluation criteria that prometric has long been following with!!
Raghu, if you are dissatisfied with your CAT scores then you can become a part of the group of students who are taking legal action – https://www.facebook.com/groups/238510066327214/?fref=ts
Already joined..
Thanks a lot Sir for sharing your thoughts. I can only wish that there were at least few people like you on IIM Boards who can save the diminishing reputation of IIMs.
XAT 2014 – 96.78 CAT 2013 – 38.99
Hi sir,
Firstly,I want to say that I really respect you as a pioneer in this field. However,I wish to share a few issues cause problems to students.
(1)The first is that when respected and senior teachers like you proclaim in their blogs that one needs to attempt 20 correct questions in both sections to get 95 above. This causes students to predetermine their approach and so they over attempt. But as data has shown, even 12 questions done correctly can fetch above 97%ile sectional and can get 98%ile oa. So number of attempts matters less than accuracy. Also you did not consider differential marking in this blog–which is a very likely cause of such low scores in VA section.
(2)I don’t doubt its intentions,but CL predictor could never have predicted 97-99%ile for anyone who only attempted say 11 questions in VA.But this is what has happened in many slots.So either one should calibrate the CL predictor along the lines of real normalization,but as you have rightly pointed out-IIM authorities are very opaque regarding this.In that case I humbly suggest that you discontinue this trend,because it instills wrong hope in hearts of students and when result is not what they expected for 2 months(thanks to CL predictor),it results in lots of frustration. Also,as you would concur, CL predictor can never predict more than 98% ile in a section unless one attempts more than 15 questions.
I hope that CL,which is a great institution and has done a lot of revolutionary work, would adopt a more pragmatic approach and would do away with things which are not benefitial to students.
IIMs are acting like holy cows. They should be held accountable for destroying the future of students. XAT gave me 96+ percentile, CMAt 4000 odd rank and these guyz gave me 49 percentile!!!
Sir,
I feel it’s very disappointing to see people showing all their frustration and anger by pointing at the SC/ST people each time. I have never heard any person getting a call from IIM A with a percentile as low as 47. I personally know a person who got above 86 percentile with very good academic record belonging to ST category getting a call from IIM A just crossing the composite score cut off. So I think it is not fair to point a finger on them every time without confirming.
I don’t know about other IIMs, but atleast IIM A , B and C have maintained certain standard.
And the problem here is about the fault in the evaluation process of CAT and Prometric, which applies to all irrespective of category.
This is a very well analysed article sir. The incumbent authority is to be blamed for making the examination so vague. Thumbs up for such a detailed analysis.
sir i got 97 precentile ths year but i have low marks in my class 10 -61 in 12 -65 and btech-69 which colleges should i apply plys sir i am so tensed ididnt get any mail from new iims sir i have applied to imt g,kj somia ,we ,gim , do i stand a chance there in these low grades plys sir do u know any one plyss sir if u reply i need ur help
Zenia, marks in X, XII, Graduation are important only for the IIMs, other institutes do not consider them for shortlisting of candidates. With 97%ile you will get calls from almost all the non-IIMs and should focus on your PDP classes so that you do well in the interviews. Many students with poor marks in school/college make it to the top institutes.
Good Job sir
I sincerely appreciate the effort made by you.
Thanks
totally true sir.ihav got 97.2 percentie in xat dis year.my cat score is
qa-98.3
va-14
i cant believe it
for me 2 lr were completely correct.i attempted some 26 qns.it is not possible to have all the remaining incorrect.i did better in va den qa both as per mocks and my exam day preformance.tell me wat to do??
i all d exams i hav given dis year i hav performed decently if not great den how come my i preformed so bad in cat va wen i prepared only for cat and not for any other exam
iift 42.5
nmat -206(1 attempt)
xat-97.2 both hrm bm
cat=qa=98.3 and va==14
Please join “CAT 2013 discrepancy” group in facebook….We are campaigning for reevaluation of CAT 2013.
slohani, I am already there.
My scaled score in VA is 80 which means i have scored close to zero marks, i can never digest that. I have never scored less than 35 marks in VA in any of the mocks. Thank you so much sir for such a meaningful article.
Dear Sir,
Your article has been a blessing in disguise for the students who have suffered the dismal effects of the CAT13 Fiasco!
I completely empathize with such students. On the other hand, there are students who have received scores in their expected range and have applied to various non-IIM institutes basis their CAT13 Scores. Wouldnt a revaluation land them into the soup, if by chance their scores decline and they become ineligible for the same colleges?
In this situation what will be a balanced solution to this problem?
Wouldnt it be unfair on those who have applied to various colleges basis their CAT scores? The IIM’s might have to go through another set of RTI’s from the other lot who have accepted their CAT Scores (and i am sure this will be a magnified number compared to the first RTI). So, what should be an ideal solution to this problem considering both the categories get justice?
Is there some way for this article to reach the national attention via media? Because this blog totally totally captures every bit of frustration I, and I am sure many other candidates might have had too. Surprisingly some of the lines were exactly what i had to say after coming to know of the processes involved and the results this year. Brilliantly done ,Sir !
Not just CAT sir, if u see what SNAP has done, it beats the crap out of logic as well. Scaling everyone from B.Com to B.Tech, without even taking job xp into account, or the varying curriculum of different fields, not to mention that commercees or the ones in DU and other universities, score in the boards just to get admission;which is not what students who opt for Engineering do. So naturally their percentages are supposed to be higher. Seeing an IITian with a decent 80+ in 10th n 12th,getting 66%ile on academics is disheartening.
Not to forget, none of us have any clue on why our 10th n 12th matter so much instead of what we do or have done right now. Add to that the inconsistent Prometric. BLAH.
First of all – thanks a lot sir. the efforts you put is really worth applauding And a heartfelt thanks to your excellent CL team as well.
Sir,on a personal note i have mailed u a query . plz find time to reply to it.
Thanks for ur reply in my mailbox sir !
Dear Sir,
My regards to you as I have been following all your posts/classes etc.
Have the students forgotten? Most of the questions were repeated and a “mass” class of students could share these. I have heard of this. It leaves others like us at a disadvantage as these students knew what option to mark thereby saving precious minutes in the exam. Its very unfortunate!!
Regards,
Uday
Sir,
IIMs possibly lost their faith on Prometric. Possibly our TCS is going to be next CAT testing agency.
Hello Sir, I have scored 99.81 in QA/DI and 72.xx in VA/LR. My overall per is 98.2. Sir, before appearing this year’s CAT also I was aware that I would fall short in VA/LR section. I have decided to take the CAT’14. Please advise me on how to go about this very dangerous VA/LR section
Manish, go through the complete study material of VA which must have been provided to you and regularly take practice tests. To improve reading comprehension follow a daily news paper and some standard magazines.
I attempted total of 22 questions in VA&LR. My all LR questions (9) were right. Now even if my rest 13 questions are wrong my raw score will be 14 which is well above zero. Still I got 47.xx percentile in VA&LR.
PS: I am sure that my atleast 15 questions were totally right. No guesswork.
Deepak, this year accuracy played a MAJOR role in calculating the equated score as well as the scaled score.
hi team cl,
There is lot of imporatnce being given to accuracy(even more after CAT13).I don’t deny imporatnace of accuracy but only if it is measured within a justified range of score.
One cannot give justify 9 correct 1 wrong(raw score 29) over 15 correct 5 incorrect(raw score 40).
The crux of all exam is score maximization.And if you have to give such huge weigtage to accuracy it should be explicitly mentioned in the CAT advertisement.
Absolutely brilliant article. It’s a pity IIMs will never do anything about the opaque exam that is CAT. A lot of students, including me, lose faith in ourselves because of the results we get in this exam, an exam in which we invest a lot of time preparing.
My score out of 90 approximately works out to 8-10 marks for the percentile I’ve scored in section 2. I frankly still refuse to believe that, as even if I have a bad day, I am sure my scores wouldn’t be that dismal!
Anyway, this has been an annual ritual. People who feel cheated by this exam cry, and then it’s long forgotten.
I hope your article catches someone’s attention, and, hope the IIMs at least straighten the system next year, if not re-evaluate this year’s exam.
Sir another possibility could be that the paper was not tougher but had more tricky questions with clever traps which led many people to find them easy and attempt and get them wrong. Why wouldn’t you consider that possibility? In CL and TIME mocks, I have myself seen such kinds of questions especially in verbal section- easy in appearance but totally trapped in reality!
Yogesh, it is possible but I did not find this in my paper also the feedback from our faculty who took the paper is also the same. If the IIMs release data all speculations will be laid to rest.
my scaled score in QA&DI 90 and score in VA&LR is 130.
Sir, I seriously think that some action must be taken. I suffered a similar fate last year in CAT 2012. Scored around 97% ile in QADI but 61% ile in VALR in CAT whereas in all other exams including XAT I scored over 90% ile. I don’t think my language skill could have ditched me only in CAT.
Sir, your analysis is absolutely spot on. The IIMs should make their evaluation process more transparent and for once should think more about the careers of students than their ego. A re-evalutaion of the VALR section should definitely be carried out.
Sir,
I request you to file a PIL in court on behalf of all the students who are suffering because of this high-handedness of IIMs. Although we had filed for a stay order, the court has told us to wait for reply to RTI request. We also lack sufficient funds and are scattered all over the country. So, it makes us difficult to do anything substantial.
I believe you can get us justice from the IIMs.
Nicely written Sir.Had put a lot of effort for CAT 2013,and even when my exam went well was shocked to see a score of 68%le,whereas in XAT 2014 I have a 98%le overall.Shocked to the core after this unexpected result,and the worst part is that they do not even acknowledge their fault.I am just a fresher,but there are hundreds for whom this CAT was the last one.CAT must shift to the paper-pen format because all this negative publicity would just tarnish the image of the IIMs ,and that is something which no one wants.
An extremely well put article that shows how affected GP Sir is in view of the fiasco put up by the IIMs/Prometric. In my childhood days, I heard about CAT from my cousin in this way “man..CAT is such an exam which I wouldn’t mind writing for 20 years for its such an addictive one. It gives u an amazing kick”. But these days I hear different : “Man…before you appear for CAT you have to pray to the God for many parameters such as: “good slot, good questions, no computer glitches etc etc”. If one were to listen to the interviews of last year’s 100 percentilers one might come across such a line: “I was ‘fortunate’ to get a good paper” . Frankly in an exam like this why should anyone be ‘fortunate’ ? Such a word should never be there in the first place.
This year however I am extremely sad for a friend of mine. He had an AIEEE State rank of 85 and had cracked CAT last time converting IIM-K and IIM-I at the end but due to some financial issues he couldn’t take an admission then. So he repeated this year hoping for the big guns and he ended up getting 65 percentile! I honestly don’t believe this could happen to a Maths Whiz like him.
With elections round the corner, all of us hear about empowerment these days. Women and children are topping the priority charts of course. We also read about how students who have messed up pasts, should be given opportunities to bounce back in the societies trying to make their place here. On an extreme note, even murderers are not executed in view that they will “improve” if given a chance to live properly. Then why O’ IIMs do you keep such criteria to filter out those who wish to make a comeback from their sorry lives and make society a better place. Aren’t you people causing discontent every year, crushing the morale of the students who gave their best and emerged among the best in the exam?.
Sigh! Just like those of many, I know my words will be read and be forgotten in a few minutes. But nevertheless, freedom of expression people!
NB: I have a decent CAT score and decent academics but I simply don’t agree to this heights opaqueness displayed by IIMs.
Regards