How to get admission in IIM – Admission Process ad Tips

Indian Institutes of Management, commonly known, IIMs are the top management and research institutions in India. There are a total of 20 IIMs spread across the country in various cities. They mostly offer postgraduate, doctoral, and executive programs. Every MBA aspirant dreams of getting admission to IIMs. We get a lot of inquiries on How to get admission to IIM. Therefore, we have decided to explain to you the admission process at the Indian Institutes of Management and also give you some time on How to get admission to IIMs.

How to get admission to IIM

Sometimes you wonder if getting into IIM is not for you due to several reasons like not-so-good academics. But how will you know until you try, right? This article is for all those of you who feel you cannot get into the Indian Institutes of Management. A lot of candidates tell us that our tips really help them. So we have decided to put together a few tips for everyone out there. But first, we need to understand the admission process at IIMs.

 

Admission Process to Get Into IIMs

The admission process for the IIM in India has been divided into three stages. The details have been given below.

Stage 1: Common Aptitude Test (CAT)

CAT is an entrance exam that is conducted by the IIMs for admission into the management programs. It is a highly competitive exam taken up by approximately two lakh candidates across the country. Out of this, less than 4,500 candidates get a seat in these PGP programs. Taking all courses into consideration, there are 12,411 seats in total in all IIMs. With this in mind, you will definitely wonder how to get admission to IIM. Look at the CAT exam pattern below, after which you will find a few tips to crack the Common Aptitude Test.

 

Section	Questions	Marks	Time
VARC	34 questions	102 marks	1 hour
LRDI	32 questions	96 marks	1 hour
QA	34 questions	102 marks	1 hour
Total	100 questions	300 marks	3 hour

Tips:

• CAT is a practice-driven exam that will be based on concepts of English and Maths from class 8 to class 10. Invest in good study material or take classes at a reputed institute. There are a bunch of CAT preparation programs available for aspirants from different categories like fresh graduates or working professionals. These courses can be taken up online or offline depending on your schedule.
• Some of the most important or high-weightage topics in the CAT exam are Arithmetic, Algebra, Numbers for Quant, and Reading Comprehension. Make sure you practice well for these topics right from the beginning.
• Take up mock tests regularly to see your growth. You can take these tests on a sectional basis as each section has a cut-off. Invest in good quality test series. Take up a test once in 7 to 12 days and analyze your performance.

Stage 2: Written Ability Test (WAT)/ Group Discussion (GD) and Personal Interview (PI)

To get admission to IIM in India, this stage is very important. A written Ability Test (WAT) will be conducted to check the candidates writing and comprehension ability. Except for IIM Shillong, no other IIM conducted group discussions anymore. But if you aim to get into IIM Shillong, then you have to prepare well for the GD. This will be conducted in the second stage of the selection process. Along with this, Personal Interviews are also conducted. The candidates are generally interviewed by the IIM faculty, ex-faculty, or even alumni in some cases. This is an important round as it tests candidates’ soft skills and interpersonal skills. Questions in this round may vary from academics to work to personal. Candidates will be required to provide two letters of recommendation from people who know them closely for academic and professional validation.

<<<GET COMMON INTERVIEW QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS HERE>>>

Stage 3: Final Offer

The final stage to getting admission to IIMs is getting selected. Though this is not under the candidate’s control, it is very crucial. The final selection will be based on parameters that differ from IIM to IIM. Marks are assigned based on your CAT score, past academic performance, work experience, and performance in WAT/ GD and PI. Based on the total final score, the selection will be made.

Now that you are aware of the selection process, it must be easier for you to understand how to get admission to IIM in India. Below we are listing down a few tips that you can follow to get admission to IIM. Get them below.

IIMs as per Ranking

Can we first have a look at all the IIMs according to their rankings?

CL Rank	Indian Institute of Management
1	Indian Institute of Management (IIM A) Ahmedabad
2	Indian Institute of Management (IIM C) Kolkata
3	Indian Institute of Management (IIM B) Bangalore
4	Indian Institute of Management (IIM L) Lucknow
5	Indian Institute of Management (IIM K) Kozhikode
6	Indian Institute of Management (IIM I) Indore
7	Indian Institute of Management (IIM S) Shillong
8	Indian Institute of Management (IIM R) Ranchi
9	Indian Institute of Management (IIM U) Udaipur
10	Indian Institute of Management (IIM T) Trichy
11	Indian Institute of Management (IIM Rai) Raipur
12	Indian Institute of Management (IIM Ro) Rohtak
13	Indian Institute of Management (IIM Ka) Kashipur
14	Indian Institute of Management (IIM N) Nagpur
15	Indian Institute of Management (IIM V) Visakhapatnam
16	Indian Institute of Management (IIM AM) Amritsar
17	Indian Institute of Management (IIM BG) Bodhgaya
18	Indian Institute of Management (IIM SR) Sirmaur
19	Indian Institute of Management (IIM SB) Sambalpur
20	Indian Institute of Management (IIM J) Jammu

<<<CHECK OUT: MBA COLLEGES IN INDIA>>>

Tips on How to Get Admission to IIM

If you are constantly under the thought that everyone is getting into IIMs, but you are still mustering up the courage, you need to change your thinking. All those who got into IIMs believed the state that they can make it happen. They came out of their mental block and all negative thoughts. You need to do so too. Once you set a positive mindset that you can get into an IIM, follow the tips given below. These will help you score and perform better at all stages of admission.

1. Action Plan

Following an action plan s  important, so we have suggested one plan that you can follow. You can also make your own plan, but make sure to have a plan before starting to prepare.

• Identify your natural strength area
• Have your fundamentals clear
• Enroll in coaching centers/ invest in the best study material
• Take up mock test series
• Analyze your performance in the mocks on a regular basis
• Have mentors to guide you throughout your preparation
• Do not get discouraged by others, trust your plan and work on it till the D day

2. Avoid Silly Mistakes

How many times have you skipped out on something crucial or assumed something that resulted in you getting a wrong answer?

• Always read every single word
• While making assumptions, remember that there could be other possibilities
• Do not get tied up in finding an answer, focus on the route to reach the answer
• Read between the words, the simple questions will always trick you into believing they are complicated

<<<CHECK OUT: UNIVERSITIES IN CANADA FOR HIGHER STUDIES>>>

3. Practice

Once you have taken care of the above tips, then comes this very crucial point.

• Practice quality questions that are non-repetitive
• Start reading good newspapers and non-fictional novels
• Enroll for the section you feel you need help with
• Understand the concepts clearly
• Revise

These tips have helped many candidates. We hope they help you too. Do let us know below if you have tried and tested any other tricks and answer the question of how to get admission to IIM.