Hello, I am 21 years old bcom graduate. I got 82%in 10th and 83%in 12th(commerce) and 8.14 cgpi in bcom. I have taken a gap year to foxus on my CA INTER exams but I was not able to pass that exam. So instead I shifted my focus on CAT exams. And because of my CA exams i was not even ablt to do any extra activities of college club. I am currently not doing any job and i am also planning to give CAT in 2024. So is it possible for me to get into IIM ABC or should i shift my focus and do some extra things to improve my CV?

Ans: Hi Ankit
yes you can get into IIM with the criteria you have mentioned.

Ans: Whatever extra activities you do in college will not add to your CV value. Focus on ensuring that your academic performance in college is good and focus on getting a good percentile in CAT to get into a good college. Can write XAT as well, XLRI is a good college. I had a student this year who did BSc just graduated this year (2025) and managed to get admission to XLRI Jamshedpur. As a fresher with a little lower academics getting into XLRI would be easier as compared to top six IIMs.

Ans: Aditya, To be eligible for admission to IIM Ahmedabad’s flagship MBA (PGP) program, you must hold a bachelor’s degree with at least 50% marks (or equivalent CGPA) as a General category candidate. Your 10th and 12th marks—92.4% and 89.2% respectively—position you well in the academic segment of the selection process. For your B.Tech in mechanical engineering, you need to maintain excellent college grades, as IIM Ahmedabad considers the graduation marks within the applicant pool for engineering/technical disciplines. Work experience, if relevant and well-documented (ideally between 24 to 36 months), contributes up to 5% in the initial shortlisting and final selection formula. Scoring above the qualifying minimum in the CAT exam is paramount; for the General category, a minimum overall 80 percentile with at least 70 in each section is required to be eligible for the Analytical Writing Test (AWT) and Personal Interview (PI), but securing a shortlist typically demands a 99 percentile or higher due to tough competition. Ultimately, IIM Ahmedabad’s selection gives significant—though not exclusive—weight to CAT, academic performance, work experience, and performance in the AWT and PI stages. Non-academic factors such as academic and gender diversity also play a limited role. If you perform very well in the CAT, have solid B.Tech marks, and strong work experience, your overall profile can be competitive for a call, understanding that every year’s actual shortlist depends on the entire applicant pool’s quality.

Recommendation: If you combine strong B.Tech grades, significant work experience, and an exceptionally high CAT percentile, your profile is eligible and can be considered for IIM Ahmedabad, though admission is highly competitive and depends on surpassing both the academic and CAT score thresholds set by the institute annually. All the BEST for a Prosperous Future!

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