The 85-95%ile bracket is a tricky one - you've probably just missed out on getting that 98+%ile score by 10-20 marks, and consequent calls from top management institutes of the country. However, your current CAT score is not the end of the world.
Not only do you have the option of appearing for CAT 2019, but there are also still reputed management institutes that can shortlist you for their GD-PI-WAT rounds!
Which B-Schools May Shortlist You At This Percentile
The following business schools are likely to shortlist you for their GD-PI-WAT rounds:
| 85-89%ile |
90-95%ile |
| TAPMI, Manipal |
IRMA |
| DoMS, IIT Madras |
MICA Ahmedabad |
| DoMS, IIT Roorkee |
KJSIMSR |
| IMT Nagpur |
FORE School of Management |
| IMI Bhubhaneswar |
SJMSoM, IIT Bombay |
|
XIMB |
|
VGSoM, IIT Kharagpur |
|
IMT Ghaziabad |
|
IMI New Delhi |
|
Goa Institute of Management |
|
Great Lakes Institute of Management Studies |
|
SDA Bocconi Asia Center |
Which B-Schools You Can Still Apply To
The following business schools have not yet closed their registration processes and will accept applications with your CAT percentile:
| B-School |
Last date for registrations |
| MICA |
January 30th, 2019. |
| IMI Bhubhaneswar |
January 31st, 2019. |
| TAPMI Manipal |
January 18th, 2019. |
| KJSIMSR |
January 10th, 2019 - Closes soon! |
| IRMA |
January 21st, 2019. |
| SJMSoM, IIT Bombay |
January 27th, 2019. |
| DoMS, IIT Madras |
January 27th, 2019. |
| XIMB |
January 8th, 2019 - Closes soon! |
| VGSoM, IIT Kharagpur |
January 27th, 2019. |
What should you do next? Get Your Queries Answered By IIM Grads. Post your CAT Score and Percentile here.
How To Prepare For B-School Interviews?
Now that it has been established that your percentile can get you shortlisted for some top institutes, it is now time to start preparing for the interviews that are likely to begin from early February.
Listed below are some tips on how you can ace your MBA interviews:
5 Ways To Ace Your GD/PI Preparations -
Must read!
Interview Prep Strategy By An IIM Ahmedabad Alumnus -
Must read!
The Secret To Cracking GD-PIs At Top Indian B-Schools
How To Prepare For Writing Ability Test - Tips From An IIM Lucknow Student
How To Prepare For An MBA Interview - Tips From An Expert
InsideIIM is conducting an exclusive workshop for all MBA aspirants looking to enter a top business school this year.
If you're in Mumbai on 12th January 2019 and want to make it to a top management institute, you don't want to miss this free workshop with GD-PI experts.
Register for the workshop here.
Date - 12th January 2019
Venue - Mumbai
Should You Take CAT Again?
Although you are likely to be shortlisted by the aforementioned business schools, there is always the opportunity to appear for the test again next year and attempt to do better. But is it worth it?
To answer this question, we explore three cases:
Case 1 - Your profile is not suitable for certain B-schools
Certain business schools such as IIMs, FMS, MDI etc. rely not just on your CAT score but also on your academic profile and work experience. A candidate at any of these business schools is likely to have the following profile:
10th Percentage: 85% - 90+%
12th Percentage: 85% - 90+%
Graduation Percentage: 75% - 85+%
In addition to this, approximately 60-70% of the batch will have work experience of 12 to 48 months, which also works in their favour.
If the business school you aspire to join has strict parameters such as this, it may not be worth attempting CAT 2019, since it is unlikely that you will receive a shortlist call from these institutes even with a stellar CAT percentile (99+).
However, if your academic profile is suitable for most business schools, then explore the next two cases to identify if you should appear for CAT '19.
Case 2 - If you fall in the 85-89%ile bracket
It is unlikely that you will get a call from the top, most desirable management institutes of the country. At this score, new IIMs and baby IIMs will also not give you a shortlist call since their minimum cut-offs hover around 90-95+%ile. Private institutes such as IMT Ghaziabad and MICA also require approximately to 90%ile in CAT for a shortlist call.
However, a score of 85%-89% implies that you are very close to achieving the target of meeting the minimum cut-offs set by the aforementioned institutes. Putting in a serious number of hours in the next 11 months to prepare for CAT 2019 can take you beyond the 90%ile or even the 95%ile mark.
If your work experience and academic profile are in your favour, then CAT 2019 is definitely worth a shot.
Case 3 - If you fall in the 90-95%ile bracket
You meet the minimum cut-offs for all the top management institutes, however, it may become extremely difficult for you to get any shortlist calls from the old IIMs, unless you belong to a non-General category and have a stellar academic background. Some of the new IIMs may shortlist you if with your CAT percentile, although converting these institutes depends entirely on your academic profile and CAP performance. Private management institutes such as IMT Ghaziabad may also shortlist you.
While you may choose to appear for interviews with the aforementioned colleges, being in this percentile bracket means that you just about made it to the top. 90-95% implies that you were short of 40-60 marks in CAT 2018, meaning that a total 20 more correct attempts across all the 3 sections could have landed you an IIM BLACKI call. This, of course, is extrapolation mixed with a high level of optimism, but it is a possibility.
Depending on your urgency to pursue an MBA and your desire for the IIM/FMS/MDI/SPJIMR tag, you can choose to appear for CAT 2019 and attempt to improve your score.
Scored between 55-75%ile? Here is what you can do next.
Which B-schools will shortlist you if you have scored between 75-85%ile? Find out here.
Stay tuned for more updates on the CAT 2018 results and the way forward!