The IIM Calcutta selection criteria document for 2022 is out! This year, engineers are eligible for some diversity points in IIM Calcutta's selection process. But there's a catch.
Only those who've done engineering at the undergrad level
BUT have a non-engineering Master's degree are eligible for diversity points.
Engineers with only a Bachelor's degree won't be eligible for diversity points.
IIM Calcutta has brought in other changes to the admissions process as well. For instance, the writing ability test (WAT) makes a comeback after being left out for the two pandemic years. Work experience requirements have been shuffled to give a modicum of marks to those with more than 6 months of experience. Here's a closer look at IIM Calcutta's 2022 selection criteria.
IIM Calcutta Selection Criteria 2022 - Key Highlights
- The minimum overall CAT 2022 cut-off has been set at the 85th percentile for the 'General' category. The minimum cut-off for the QA section has been set at the 75th percentile. The cut-offs for the other two sections are at the 80th percentile.
- Graduation marks continue to not be included in IIM Calcutta's selection criteria (phew!). But 10th and 12th marks still count. However, anyone with an 80%+ in 10th and 12th gets maximum possible marks.
- If you have 6 months (or less) of full-time work experience as of January 31st, 2023, you get no marks for work experience. But if you've got between 2-3 years of experience, you get the maximum possible marks.
- In terms of academic diversity, most engineers still lose out. BUT engineers who've done a non-engineering Master's program still get some marks!
- As has been the case before, non-engineers (especially lawyers) have an edge in IIM Calcutta's shortlisting process.
- In the initial shortlisting process for the WAT-PI round, your CAT scores account for almost 2/3rd of the total weight. After the WAT-PI process, 56% of the weight goes to your WAT-PI performance, while 30% of the weight goes to your CAT 2022 scores.
IIM Calcutta's Selection Criteria in 2022, Explained
The IIMs' selection processes can be somewhat daunting to understand (look at
IIM Shillong's policy document to get an instant headache). But it's relatively straightforward: the IIMs want well-rounded candidates who do well in CAT
and the interview process. Here's a simple breakdown of IIM Calcutta's 2022 selection criteria to understand what this means.
Phase 1: Eliminating candidates based on CAT percentile cut-off
First, IIM Calcutta will screen candidates who do not meet the minimum CAT 2022 overall as well as sectional cut-offs. IIM Calcutta's CAT 2022 cut-offs can be seen in the table below.
Here, it's important to note that simply meeting the minimum percentile cut-off isn't a guarantee of being shortlisted for IIM Calcutta's WAT-PI round. It just means you're eligible to be called for an interview. The actual cut-off will depend on the number of candidates IIM Calcutta wants to call for the interview round, which depends on the size of the incoming batch.
Phase 2: Shortlisting candidates for WAT-PI based on weighted score
Now that candidates have been screened based on the CAT cut-offs, IIM Calcutta will calculate a weighted score based on many variables including your CAT 2022 performance, academic profile, and diversity. The table below shows IIM Calcutta's 2022 selection criteria for the WAT-PI round.
The table below show how IIM Calcutta will compute scores for 10th and 12th marks.
| Class 10th Marks (%) |
Points |
Class 12th Marks (%) |
Points |
| ≥80 |
10 |
≥80 |
15 |
| ≥75 and <80 |
8 |
≥75 and <80 |
12 |
| ≥70 and <75 |
6 |
≥70 and <75 |
9 |
| ≥65 and <70 |
4 |
≥65 and <70 |
6 |
| ≥60 and <65 |
2 |
≥60 and <65 |
3 |
| <60 |
0 |
<60 |
0 |
Based on these criteria, IIM Calcutta will create a shortlist of candidates for the WAT-PI round.
Phase 3: Shortlisting candidates for admission based on weighted score
Shortlisted candidates will now appear for the WAT-PI round. Based on their performance in this phase as well as their academic diversity, work experience and CAT performance, candidates will be shortlisted for admission to IIM Calcutta's PGP batch of 2023-2025. The selection criteria and their weights can be seen in the table below.
| IIM Calcutta Selection Criteria 2022 | Final Shortlisting Criteria |
| Parameter |
Weight |
| CAT 2022 Score |
30 |
| Personal Interview (PI) |
48 |
| Writing Ability Test (WAT) |
8 |
| Academic Diversity |
6 |
| Work Experience |
8 |
| Total |
100 |
Points for academic diversity will be awarded as per the table below.
| Sr. No |
Academic Category |
Points |
| 1 |
Bachelor's degree in engineering stream OR Master’s degree in engineering stream OR Integrated Master’s degree in engineering stream |
0 |
| 2 |
Bachelor's degree in non-engineering stream |
4 |
| 3 |
Dual bachelor’s degree in Law (e.g. BA LLB, BSc. LLB, B.Com LLB, BBA LLB). |
5 |
| 4 |
Bachelor's degree in engineering stream and Masters in non-engineering stream |
2 |
| 5 |
Bachelor's degree in non-engineering stream and Masters in non-engineering stream |
5 |
| 6 |
Dual/Integrated degree where bachelors is non-engineering and masters is in non-engineering stream |
5 |
| 7 |
Dual/Integrated degree where Bachelors is engineering stream and Masters is non-engineering stream |
1 |
| 8 |
CA/ICWA/CS or Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries of India (FIAI) without having a bachelor’s degree. |
5 |
| 9 |
CA/ICWA/CS or Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries of India (FIAI) with a bachelor’s degree. |
6 |
| 10 |
CA/ICWA/CS or Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries of India (FIAI) with or without a bachelor’s degree, and with Masters in non-engineering stream. |
6 |
| 11 |
Integrated bachelor’s degree in Law and Masters in non-engineering stream. |
6 |
Points for work experience will be awarded as per the table below. Please note that work experience here means full-time work experience in months, as of January 31st, 2023.
| Work Experience (X) |
Points |
| Less than or equal to 6 months |
0 |
| Greater than 6 months but less than or equal to 24 months |
X/2 |
| Greater than 24 months but less than or equal to 36 months |
8 |
| Greater than 36 months but less than or equal to 48 months |
26-(X/2) |
| Greater than 48 months |
2 |
If this is confusing, here's an example. Consider that you have 26 months of full-time work experience as of January 31st, 2023. This means you get full marks for the work experience component. If you have 45 months of experience, you get 3.5 marks as per the formula above. If you have 6 months of experience, you get no marks for the work experience component.
What Does the 2022 IIM Calcutta Selection Criteria Mean for You?
Here's what you can take away from
IIM Calcutta's 2022 admission policy.
- To even make it to the WAT-PI round, you'll need to have an excellent CAT performance. In fact, if you have terrible 10th and/or 12th marks, your CAT 2022 score could be your saving grace.
- IIM Calcutta is extremely generous in terms of 10th and 12th marks. So if you've got 80%+ marks in 10th and 12th, forget everything and focus on maximizing your CAT scores.
- IIM Calcutta has defined academic diversity at a highly granular level. In 2022, it appears that those with law, integrated/dual, and BFSI-relevant certifications will have an edge. Those with pure non-engineering education will also have an advantage.
- The importance of your WAT-PI performance cannot be understated. Together, these components make up an incredible 56% weight in the final shortlisting process.
- Candidates between 2-3 years of experience will find a serious advantage in the final shortlisting round, as will those with around 37-38 months of work experience.
- Women will have a fair advantage in the initial shortlisting process. But no extra marks in the latter stages of selection, unfortunately.
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