IIM Calcutta, the convener for CAT 2018, has released its selection criteria for the Class of 2021. Highlights of the IIM Calcutta Selection Criteria:
- There are no changes in the selection criteria from 2017.
- Following the trend of promoting gender and academic diversity, IIM Calcutta will award a total of 4 points (2+2) to female non-engineers.
- As has been the case for the past 2 years, graduation marks play no role in the IIM Calcutta selection criteria.
- The major focus is laid on Class 10th and 12th academic performance for interview shortlist, and WAT-PI performance for final selection.
IIM Calcutta Selection Criteria:
The selection criteria for a candidate with a Bachelor's degree with a minimum of 50% marks are as follows:
Table 1:
CAT Cut Off:
| Category | QA | DI-LR | VA-RC | Overall |
| General | ≥80 | ≥80 | ≥80 | ≥90 |
| NC-OBC | ≥75 | ≥75 | ≥75 | ≥85 |
| SC | ≥65 | ≥65 | ≥65 | ≥70 |
| ST | ≥60 | ≥60 | ≥60 | ≥70 |
| PWD | ≥60 | ≥60 | ≥60 | ≥70 |
The CAT percentile of a shortlisted candidate may be much higher than the mentioned percentile and the overall percentile cut-off for an ideal candidate is likely to be set in excess of 98-99 percentile.
Table 2:
Points For 10th And 12th Marks:
| 10th Marks | Points | 12th Marks | Points |
| ≥80 | 10 | ≥80 | 10 |
| ≥ 75 and < 80 | 8 | ≥ 75 and < 80 | 8 |
| ≥ 70 and < 75 | 6 | ≥ 70 and < 75 | 6 |
| ≥ 65 and < 70 | 4 | ≥ 65 and < 70 | 4 |
| ≥ 60 and < 65 | 2 | ≥ 60 and < 65 | 2 |
| < 60 | 0 | < 60 | 0 |
Table 3:
Criteria For Shortlist Call:
| Component | Weights |
| CAT 2018 Overall Score | 28 |
| Class 10th Marks | 10 |
| Class 12th Marks | 10 |
| Gender Diversity | 2 |
| Total | 50 |
To calculate the CAT overall score, the method used would be:
(A/B) x 28
Where A = Candidate's CAT 2018 Score and B = Maximum CAT 2018 Score
Table 4:
Criteria for final selection and admission offer:
| Criterion | Weights |
| CAT 2018 Score | 15 |
| Personal Interview (PI) | 24 |
| Written Ability Test (WAT) | 5 |
| Point awarded for Academic Diversity at Bachelor’s degree level (Academic Diversity Factor for Bachelor’s degree (ADFB)): | If (Bachelor’s degree is from the list X) ADFB=2; else ADFB=0 |
| Work Experience | 4 |
| Total | 50 |
For ADFB, if you're not an Engineer, you will be allotted 2 extra points for academic diversity at the undergraduate level.
Table 5:
Marks for work experience.
| Months | Points |
| < 6 | 0 |
| 6 to 12 | 2 |
| 13 to 24 | 3 |
| 25 to 36 | 4 |
| 37 to 48 | 3 |
| >48 | 2 |
Work experience till 31st of January, 2019 will be counted in months. However, this excludes any project work/Training/work done as a part of the curriculum.
Let's explore what the IIM Calcutta selection criteria mean for the different type of applicants:
Non-Engineer, Female Candidate - This is an ideal candidate for IIM Calcutta, and has the potential to get a high composite score. If the lady has close to 3 years of work experience, has over 80% marks in 10th and 12th and manages to score in excess of 99.5 percentile, then there is a very high chance for her to get admission into IIM Calcutta. The deciding factor would be the WAT-PI performance, which accounts for 30% of the total marks.
Non-Engineer, Male Candidate - A male non-engineer will miss out on the 2 gender diversity points but still manages to be an ideal candidate, provided the above-mentioned criteria are met.
Engineer, Female Candidate - A female engineer gains 2 gender diversity points, but does not gain the advantage of academic diversity. Therefore, the candidate will have to compensate for the same with a relatively higher CAT percentile and an excellent WAT-PI performance, as compared to her non-engineer counterpart.
Engineer, Male Candidate - GEMs will miss out on 4 points (Gender Diversity+Academic Diversity). However, 76% of the total marks are in the hands of a male engineering candidate. A CAT percentile in excess of 99.7 percentile (based on previous trends) and an excellent WAT-PI performance would be sufficient to be a part of the Class of 2021 at IIM C.
Verdict:
With no changes in selection criteria from last year, IIM Calcutta seems to have gotten the formula right.
For aspirants, the institute offers a chance to wash off their past "sins". With 43% of the total weight being given to CAT, a less-than-stellar academic background is no longer an excuse. Graduation marks, the downfall for most aspirants, is also not a selection criterion. Most CAT aspirants are likely to have scored above 80% in either 10th or 12th, if not both. Therefore, their CAT performance will play a major role in deciding if they become Gems of Joka.
With both gender diversity and academic diversity points being regularly made a part of the selection criteria every year, it is clear that the IIM Calcutta is driven to get that 1:1 gender ratio, and wants to get rid of the image that only Engineers can make it to the holy trinity of IIMs.
Selection Criteria - IIM Calcutta Official Website
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