In accordance with the IIM admission process with their respective admission policy, the major changes in selection process in IIMs for admission 2022, are the award of higher weightage to academic profile, gender diversity, work experience and reduced weightage to CAT cut offs.
3 Stages of IIM Selection Process
There are three stages through which each IIM Admission Process is completed, these are:
- Stage-1: Performance in CAT Exam
- Stage-2: Shortlisting by IIMs for Final Selection round
- Stage-3: IIMs Final Selection Process 2022 comprising PI & WAT: May be Online or Offline
Your final admission offer depends upon your performance in all the above three stages of IIMs selection process. But before we understand how the each stage of IIM admission process is completed, let us know the key changes made in the Selection Process in IIMs for admission 2022
IIM Selection Process for MBA: Key Changes
Many changes are visible in IIM Selection process for MBA admission 2022. Broadly, following are the key changes that are observed in almost all the IIM Selection Process for MBA Admission 2022
- CAT score cut off reduced for 1st stage shortliting
- Some of the IIMs like IIM Rohtak do not require sectional CAT cut offs and would shortlist with overall CAT score
- IIM Shillong has prescribed only sectional CAT cut off and not overall cut off
- Less Weightage to CAT exam score
- More Weightage to Academics and Academic Diversity
- More Weightage to Gender Diversity (Bonus marks to female candidates in IIM Admission process)
- Many IIMs like IIM Calcutta, IIM Rohtak, IIM Kozhikode, IIM Visakhapatnam will not conduct Writing Ability Test (WAT) in their final selection process due to Covid
- PI Round to be conducted online by many IIMs for Admission 2022
Each IIM Admission Process for MBA 2022: Independent from One Another
The Selection process for the 20 IIMs in India differs from one another. While all of these IIMs adopt three stage selection process, beginning with the 1st stage of CAT score requirement of minimum sectional and overall CAT percentile, the IIM selection criteria at each of these IIMs is independent of other IIM. Although a good performance in CAT exam is the mandatory requirement for the first stage of CAT score based selection process 2022, other key parameters like academics, work experience, diversity, performance in GD-PI-WAT, play even a greater role in the IIM admission process.
Let’s know the stage wise IIM selection process in detail
Stage Wise IIM Selection Process 2022
You need to go through the 3 stages of IIMs Selection process including your performance in CAT 2021 before you would get your final admission offer:
Stage-1: Performance in CAT 2021 Exam
The preliminary consideration to qualify for IIM Admission process at the first stage is your CAT percentile score. So at first, you needed to register and apply for CAT exam before the last date, must have appeared in the exam and score high as well as clear the sectional and overall CAT cut offs as prescribed by each IIM. All the IIMs announce their minimum CAT cut off percentile to shortlist candidates. So, at the first stage of CAT selection process, you will be screened for Minimum required CAT sectional and overall percentile score and to seek admission in one of the 20 IIMs, the basic requirement is to appear and score high overall and through all the three sections in CAT exam.
CAT selection procedure has prescribed the minimum requirement for overall and sectional CAT percentile for admission. This requirement of minimum CAT percentile is different in each IIM selection process 2022. For the first stage of CAT selection procedure, IIMs require a minimum CAT sectional percentile in the range of 70-85 and 80-95 overall percentile.
The top rated IIM Ahmedabad selection process requires minimum CAT 2021 percentile cut offs at 70 sectional and 80 overall percentile. On the contrary, the new IIMs need minimum 90 overall percentile and 70-80 sectional percentile. However, actual cut off percentile may go higher or lower than the minimum required percentile.
| IIMs Selection Process 2022 | CAT 2021 Overall Percentile Requirement | CAT 2021 Sectional Percentile Requirement |
| IIM Ahmedabad | 80 | 70 |
| IIM Bangalore | 85 | 80 VARC/75 QA & DILR |
| IIM Calcutta | 85 | 75 QA/80 for VARC & DILR |
| IIM Lucknow | 90 | 85 |
| IIM Indore | 90 | 80 |
| IIM Udaipur | 93 | 70 |
| IIM Tiruchirappalli | 93 | 70 |
| IIM Kozhikode | 85 | 75 |
| IIM Rohtak | 95 | Not Required |
| IIM Ranchi | 93 | 70 |
| IIM Raipur | 93 | 70 |
| IIM Visakhapatnam | 85 | 80 |
| IIM Nagpur | 85 | 72 |
Stage-2: Shortlisting in IIM Selection Process
After considering that the candidate has qualified with CAT sectional and overall percentile score requirements, next stage in IIM Selection Process is the shortlisting process. The second stage of IIM Admission process is the one of the toughest as you are not able to do much at this stage. Most of the IIMs award good weightage to Academic excellence, Academic Diversity in the shortlisting process. However, the parameters and weightages to all the components differ from IIM to IIM in their respective shortlisting process.
After declaration of CAT result, IIMs will shortlist the suitable candidates for final admission round on the basis of CAT exam scores, academics, diversity, work experience among other parameters as per the respective IIM’s admission policy and weightages. The shortlisting process is completed by each IIM individually.
Nine new IIMs conduct Common Admission Process (CAP) and one of the new IIMs coordinate the process by announcing a common shortlisting process based on similar criteria as announced for CAP participating IIMs. Other IIMs conduct their selection process individually. So far, the newer IIMs have been declaring the 1st stage shortlists on the basis of CAT scores, whereas older IIMs also take into account the other parameters at the 1st stage shortlist.
Stage-3: IIMs Final Selection Process 2022 – PI Round
The final selection process at IIMs consists of Personal Interview, Written Ability Test and in some of the IIMs Group Discussion round is also conducted. The shortlisted candidates are called to attend the PI round in number of cities as per the choice exercised by the candidates at the time of applying and completing the CAT 2020 registration form. For the Admission 2022, many IIMs are likely to drop the GD and WAT process and will conduct Online Personal Interview, instead of asking the candidates to be physically present at the PI venue.
PI-WAT round commands higher weightage than CAT score in the IIMs selection criteria. Your final selection also depends upon your academic profile and diversity. Some of the IIMs like IIM Shillong, also conduct GD round based on the WAT. After the completion of PI-WAT round, varying weightages are awarded to the performance in final selection round, CAT scores, academic profile & diversity, work experience and gender diversity. CAT exam score in IIM final selection process gets low weightage. The final merit list will be generated based on these weightages and admission offers will be made by the respective IIMs.
IIM Final Selection Process: Key Components and Weightages
Below are the key parameters and weightages awarded to each of the components in final IIM selection process for all the 20 IIMs
| Name of the IIM | Weight %age for CAT Score | Weight %age for GD-PI-WAT | Weight %age for Academics & Work Ex | Weight %age for Diversity, Achievements & Others |
| IIM Ahmedabad | 25 | 60 | 15 | Included in Academics |
| IIM Bangalore | 25 | 40 | 35 | – |
| IIM Calcutta | 30* | 48* (No WAT) | 8* | 4* |
| IIM Lucknow | 30 | 50 | 15 | 5 |
| IIM Indore | 20 | 60 | 20 | – |
| IIM Kozhikode | 44 | 44 | — | 12 |
| IIM Shillong | — | — | — | — |
| IIM Kashipur | 33 | 25 | 30 | 12 |
| IIM Raipur | 35 | 35 | 18 | 12 |
| IIM Ranchi | 40 | 30 | 20 | 10 |
| IIM Tiruchirappalli | 50 | 28 | 15 | 7 |
| IIM Udaipur | 60 | 15 | 18 | 7 |
| IIM Rohtak | 60 | 20 | — | 20 |
| IIM Amritsar | 40 | 25 | 25 | 10 |
| IIM Bodhgaya | 40 | 30 | 24 | 6 |
| IIM Jammu | 40 | 30 | 17 | 13 |
| IIM Nagpur | 15 | 50 | 30 | 5 |
| IIM Sambalpur | 30 | 20 | 30 | 20 |
| IIM Sirmaur | 30 | 30 | 25 | 15 |
| IIM Visakhapatnam | 25 | 25 | 30 | 20 |
*Points are awarded out of 90. Accordingly percentage of weightage will slightly increase
Selection Process at New IIMs: Common Admission Process (CAP)
The final selection process at 9 to 11 new IIMs is conducted as a Common Admission Process. One of the five new IIMs coordinates this selection process which is referred to as Common Admission Process (CAP). The CAP consists of common WAT and PI round for 9 to 11 new IIMs
CAP 2022 Highlights
- CAP 2022 will be conducted by IIM Tiruchirappalli from February 2022 onwards
- 9 New and Baby CAP participating IIMs are IIM Kashipur, Raipur, Ranchi, Trichy, Udaipur, Bodhgaya, Sambalpur, Sirmaur, Jammu.
- Considering the COVID-19 outbreak, the Written Ability Test (WAT) Process is excluded from the CAP 2022 Process. The PI round in CAP 2022 will be conducted through online mode
- Exact date for PI will be communicated by the IIM Tiruchirappalli on behalf of all participating nine IIMs
- CAP participating IIMs do not conduct their final admission round separately
- On the basis of scores obtained in CAP round alongwith their other individual admission components, Each CAP participating IIM will prepare the merit list to make final admission offer to the candidates after the CAP round is over
- IIM Rohtak has opted out of the CAP 2022 and will conduct its own selection process
- Last year CAP was conducted by IIM Raipur.. IIM Nagpur, IIM Rohtak,
IIM Visakhapatnam Not to Participate in CAP 2022
IIM Nagpur, IIM Rohtak and IIM Visakhapatnam do not participate in CAP round and conduct their own final selection process to make admission offer to the students. The final admission offers will be generated as per the merit lists prepared on the basis of CAT scores, Academic profile, Work experience and gender diversity in accordance with the weightage awarded to each of these factors.
If you have done well in Personal Interview Round, have excellent academics you may expect to receive the final admission offer by IIMs in the month of April/May 2022. In case of more admission offers, it will be your decision to join the preferred institute
CAT Selection Procedure Vs IIM Selection Process
CAT Selection process for admission to IIMs is the first stage screening process. IIMs screen the candidates who have scored a minimum required CAT percentile score in the first stage CAT selection procedure. The next and more important is the IIM Selection process which involves shortlisting for final selection round on the basis of profile, work experience, diversity among other parameters. The final round of IIM Selection process is the PI-WAT round which awards very less weightage to CAT exam score in the range of 20 to 40 percent and higher weightage of 60 to 80 percent to other components. After completion of PI round, final admission offers are generated by IIMs independently.
