IIM Ahmedabad has released its latest selection criteria for admission to its PGP program. This year, IIM A has assigned 65% weight to CAT 2022 scores while shortlisting candidates for the AWT-PI round. The minimum CAT 2022 cut-off for IIM Ahmedabad has been set at the 80th percentile, while the sectional cut-offs have been set at the 70th percentile. Here is a simple breakdown of IIM Ahmedabad's latest admission policy and selection criteria for admission to the PGP batch of 2023-2025 through CAT 2022.
A Simple Breakdown of the IIM a Selection Criteria in 2022
IIM Ahmedabad's selection criteria can be very confusing to read and process, given the appreciable depth in which the institute explains the selection process for admission to its MBA program. But let's break it down and put it in simpler terms to understand the process better.
Step 1 - Preliminary Screening of Candidates
Each IIM sets a minimum sectional and overall CAT cut-off which, if you meet it, makes you eligible to be selected for IIM Ahmedabad's future rounds of selection. The minimum cut-off to be at least eligible for a call from IIM Ahmedabad is listed in the table below, split category wise.
| IIM A CAT 2022 Minimum Cut-Offs |
| Category |
VARC |
DILR |
QA |
Overall |
| General, EWS |
70 |
70 |
70 |
80 |
| NC-OBC/transgender |
65 |
65 |
65 |
75 |
| SC |
60 |
60 |
60 |
70 |
| ST |
50 |
50 |
50 |
60 |
| PwD (General/ EWS, NC-OBC/transgender, SC) |
60 |
60 |
60 |
70 |
| PwD (ST) |
50 |
50 |
50 |
60 |
| Please note that simply meeting the minimum cut-off isn't a guarantee of a shortlist from IIM Ahmedabad. Meeting the minimum cut-off simply means that you are eligible to be shortlisted for further rounds of selection. |
Step 2 - Calculation of Composite Score Based On Candidates' CAT Scores + Profile
Now that IIM Ahmedabad has filtered out those who have not met the minimum cut-offs, it's time to evaluate them based on their CAT 2022 performance as well as their profiles. Based on this, a candidate's composite score is calculated which will be used to shortlist them for the Academic Writing Test and Personal Interview round.
We will refer to scores for profile as Application Rating (AR) scores. AR scores comprise of 4 different components. We will explore each of these components in detail as we go along. The components are:
(A) - A candidate's score in 10th.
(B) - A candidate's score in 12th.
(C) - A candidate's score in graduation.
(D) - A candidate's work experience in months.
So, AR Score = A+B+C+D. This total score has a weight of 35% in calculating the composite score, while the CAT 2022 score has a weight of 65%. Please note that your AR score will be normalized, which is is equal to your AR score divided by average of the top 50 AR scores from the applicants' pool.
Now, a simple weighted composite score can be calculated using the formula:
Note - for candidates waiting on their graduation marks to be released, IIM A will create an extended list of shortlisted candidates without considering the bachelor’s degree component.
More details here.
Application Rating Score - Component A | 10th Marks
Your 10th marks are included in the latest IIM Ahmedabad selection criteria. You are given a rating score from 1 to 10 based on percentage of maximum marks obtained in 10th. The table below comprises the percentage bracket and the corresponding score.
| % Score In 10th |
Rating Score
A |
| <= 55 |
1 |
| > 55 and <= 60 |
2 |
| > 60 and <= 70 |
3 |
| > 70 and <= 80 |
5 |
| > 80 and <= 90 |
8 |
| > 90 |
10 |
Application Rating Score - Component B | 12th Marks
Your 12th marks are included in the latest IIM Ahmedabad selection criteria. You are given a rating score from 1 to 10 based on percentage of maximum marks obtained in 12th. However, the score you receive depends on which stream you opted for in 12th. For example, if you scored above 85% as an Arts/Humanities student, you get the maximum score but as a Science student, you need more than 90% marks to achieve a maximum score. The table below comprises the percentage bracket and the corresponding score.
| Science |
Commerce |
Humanities |
Rating Score |
| <= 55 |
<= 50 |
<= 45 |
1 |
| > 55 and <= 60 |
> 50 and <= 55 |
> 45 and <= 50 |
2 |
| > 60 and <= 70 |
> 55 and <= 65 |
> 50 and <= 60 |
3 |
| > 70 and <= 80 |
> 65 and <= 75 |
> 60 and <= 70 |
5 |
| > 80 and <= 90 |
> 75 and <= 90 |
> 70 and <= 85 |
8 |
| > 90 |
> 90 |
> 85 |
10 |
Application Rating Score - Component C | Graduation Marks
Now, here's where things get a little complicated, but we'll simplify it for you! IIM Ahmedabad has a unique way of promoting academic diversity. In the selection criteria of many other IIMs, assigning marks for academic diversity is simple - if you're an engineer, you get no marks, but if you're a non-engineer, you get a particular score added to your overall application score. IIM Ahmedabad takes this to another level.
IIM Ahmedabad has created a total of 6 academic categories which are based on the bachelor degree obtained by a candidate. To put it simply, those with Engineering and related degrees are clubbed together, those with a Medicine degree are clubbed together, those with Arts/Humanities/Design etc. degrees are clubbed together, and so on. The 6 academic categories are listed at the end of this article.
Given below are the academic category-wise percentage brackets and their corresponding scores.
| AC-1 |
AC-2 |
| Percent score in Bachelor's Degree |
Rating Score |
Percent score in Professional courses |
Rating Score |
| <= 55 |
1 |
<= 50 |
1 |
| > 55 and <= 60 |
2 |
> 50 and <= 53 |
2 |
| > 60 and <= 62 |
3 |
> 53 and <= 55 |
3 |
| > 62 and <= 65 |
5 |
> 55 and <= 57 |
5 |
| > 65 and <= 70 |
8 |
> 57 and <= 63 |
8 |
| > 70 |
10 |
> 63 |
10 |
| AC-3 |
AC-4 |
| Percent score in Bachelor's Degree |
Rating Score |
Percent score in Bachelor's Degree |
Rating Score |
| <= 55 |
1 |
<= 60 |
1 |
| > 55 and <= 60 |
2 |
> 60 and <= 65 |
2 |
| > 60 and <= 65 |
3 |
> 65 and <= 70 |
3 |
| > 65 and <= 70 |
5 |
> 70 and <= 75 |
5 |
| > 70 and <= 80 |
8 |
> 75 and <= 85 |
8 |
| > 80 |
10 |
> 85 |
10 |
| AC-5 |
AC-6 |
| Percent score in Professional courses |
Rating Score |
Percent score in Bachelor's Degree |
Rating Score |
| <= 50 |
1 |
<= 60 |
1 |
| > 50 and <= 55 |
2 |
> 60 and <= 65 |
2 |
| > 55 and <= 60 |
3 |
> 65 and <= 70 |
3 |
| > 60 and <= 65 |
5 |
> 70 and <= 75 |
5 |
| > 65 and <= 75 |
8 |
> 75 and <= 85 |
8 |
| > 75 |
10 |
> 85 |
10 |
Application Rating Score - Component D | Work Experience
The following table captures the marks assigned for work experience upto July 31st, 2022.
| Work Experience in Month (as filled in the CAT Application Form) |
Rating Score D |
| < 12 months |
0 |
| >= 12 and <= 36 months |
MF * (number of months of work experience – 11) |
| > 36 months |
5 |
| Work-experience Multiplication Factor (MF) = 0.20 |
Step 3 - Shortlisting of Candidates For The Academic Writing Test + Personal Interview (AWT-PI) Round
Now that composite scores have been calculated, IIM Ahmedabad will now shortlist candidates for the AWT-PI round. IIM A conducts two rounds of shortlisting for the AWT-PI round. This step can be a little confusing and can be explored further in depth on the institute's official website.
Round 1
From each of the academic categories (AC), the
top 5% in the respective (AC) are shortlisted based on their composite scores. To be eligible to be a part of the top-5%, you need to meet a certain set of criteria:
- Criterion 1. Depending on your category, you should meet the minimum CAT 2022 cut-offs set by IIM Ahmedabad.
- Criterion 2. P greater than or equal to the minimum cut-offs mentioned in the table below, where P is the average of the percentages of marks scored in 10th and 12th std. examinations.
- Criterion 3. And finally, your percentage of marks in the bachelor's examination should be greater than or equal to the minimum cut-off percentage, to be set at the 80th percentile of the percentage of marks of the respective academic category (AC) to which you belong.
For more details and criteria related to this round of selection,
please visit the institute's official website.
Round 2
After candidates from Round 1 have been shortlisted, the additional number of candidates to be shortlisted for AWT & PI will be selected on the basis of the composite score. Additionally, and this is important, you also need to meet the minimum criteria 1 and 2 as listed under 'Round 1', i.e., you need to meet the minimum CAT 2022 cut-off set by IIM Ahmedabad + you also need to meet the minimum cut-off set by IIM Ahmedabad for the average of your 10th and 12th marks.
And with this, we're done with the shortlisting process for the AWT-PI round! Now, candidates will be invited to interview for admission to the MBA program, where you will be asked to participate in the Academic Writing Test as well as a personal interview with a panel of professors + institute alumni.
Step 4 - Final Selection For The MBA Batch of 2025
Now that your AWT-PI round is complete, IIM Ahmedabad will generate a new composite score based on your performance. The components of the composite score and their corresponding weights can be found in the table below.
The normalised PI and AWT scores of a candidate are their scores in the respective field divided by the average of the top 1% scores in the same field respectively. Candidates, who appear in AWT & PI will be able to view whether they have been offered admission by IIMA tentatively during the second week of April, 2023.
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