IIM Selection Process: Check Key Stages, Selection Parameters, Generation of Final Merit List

All the 21 IIMs including IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, IIM Calcutta, IIM Kozhikode, IIM Lucknow, IIM Indore, New IIMs, Baby IIMs release their selection process separately for the MBA admission. The selection process in IIMs for admission 2025 depends upon your performance in three major areas:

1. Your CAT 2024 exam score
2. Your Profile
3. Your Performance in IIMs’ Final Selection PI-WAT Round

Read below the Table of Contents to know the key components in IIM Selection process, stage wise Selection process and other details:

Table of Contents

1. IIM Selection: Stage wise Process
2. Screening of Candidates as per CAT score
3. Shortlisting of Candidates for PI Round
4. Final Selection Process through PI Round
5. New IIMs Selection Process: CAP
6. How Each IIM Conducts Independent Selection Process? Key Details
7. IIM Selection Process: Key Changes over the Years

1. IIM Selection: Stage Wise Process
The selection process in each IIM passes through three stages which are:

• Stage-1: Apply and Appearing in CAT Exam and clearing the required cut off
• Stage-2: Shortlisting by IIMs for Final Selection round
• Stage-3: IIMs Final Selection Process 2025 comprising PI & WAT

Your final admission offer depends upon your performance in all the above three stages of IIMs selection process. All the IIMs release key components, parameters and weightages for final selection process for MBA admission.

Now Let us understand each stage of IIM Selection process as below: 

2. Stage-1: Screening of Candidates Based on CAT Exam 2024
The preliminary consideration to qualify for IIM Admission process at the first stage is your CAT percentile score. So, you should complete following requirements to qualify at the first stage of IIM Selection Process

• Register and apply for CAT exam before the last date
• Must have appeared in the exam and score high
• 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.
• You will be screened for Minimum required CAT sectional and overall percentile score for next stage of shortlisting
• Requirement of minimum CAT percentile is different in each IIM selection process 2025
• If you do not qualify on minimum CAT cut off percentile score, you will not be considered for further rounds of IIM selection process

IIM Selection Process 2025: Minimum CAT Cut off Required for Screening 

3. Stage-2: Shortlisting for PI Round 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 for PI-WAT round. The second stage of IIM Selection process is one of the toughest as you are not able to do much at this stage. Different weightages on following key components in shortlisting process are awarded by IIMs

• CAT Score
• Academic Profile
• Academic Diversity
• Work Experience
• Gender Diversity

Key Components & Weightages in Shortlisting for IIM Selection Process
As the parameters and weightages to all the components differ from IIM to IIM in their respective shortlisting process, you can check and download the same as below

After declaration of CAT result, IIMs will shortlist the suitable candidates for final admission round as per their respective admission policy and weightages. 

4. Stage-3: IIMs Final Selection 2025 through 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 registration form. The final round of IIM Selection process 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. Key highlights of PI-WAT round are:

• PI-WAT round commands higher weightage than CAT score in the final IIMs selection process
• 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
• Final Merit List is generated based on the weightages awarded to CAT scores, academic profile & diversity, work experience and gender diversity.
• Admission offers will be made by the respective IIMs in order of merit.

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 the IIMs

5. New IIMs Selection Process: Common Admission Process (CAP)
Ten new IIMs conduct Common Admission Process (CAP). One of the 5 new IIMs coordinates the process by announcing a common shortlisting process based on similar criteria 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. The CAP consists of common WAT and PI round... Also Read: IIM Admission Process CAT

CAP 2025 Highlights

• CAP 2025 will be conducted from February 2025 onwards
• 10 New and Baby CAP participating IIMs are IIM Kashipur, Raipur, Ranchi, Trichy, Udaipur, Bodhgaya, Nagpur, Sambalpur, Sirmaur, Jammu.
• Exact date for PI-WAT will be communicated by the CAP coordinating IIM on behalf of all participating ten 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
• Last year CAP was conducted by IIM Kashipur

5.1 IIM Rohtak, IIM Amritsar, IIM Visakhapatnam Not to Participate in CAP 2025
IIM Amritsar, 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 2025. In case of more admission offers, it will be your decision to join the preferred institute.  

6. How Each IIM Conducts Independent Selection Process?  
The Selection process for the 21 IIMs in India differs from one another. While all of these IIMs adopt three stage selection process, beginning with the 1^st stage of CAT score requirement of minimum sectional and overall CAT percentile, the IIM selection process 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 2025, other key parameters like academics, work experience, diversity, performance in GD-PI-WAT,  play even a greater role in the IIM admission process. 

7. IIM Selection Process: Key Changes
Many changes are visible in IIM Selection process for MBA admission 2025 during last few years. In accordance with the IIM admission process with their respective admission policy, the major changes in selection process are:

IIM Bangalore Selection Process: Key Changes
IIM Bangalore has announced following significant changes in its selection process during last 2-3 years:

IIMB Shortlisting Criteria: Key Changes during last few years

• CAT Score Weightage increased to 55% from 40%
• Weightage for Class 10 Marks reduced to 15% from 20%
• Weightage for Class 12 Marks increased to 15% from 10%
• No Weightage will be given for Bachelor’s degree marks, earlier it used to have 20% weight
• Weightage for Gender Diversity Increased to 5% from 2%
• Weightage for Work Experience increased to 10% from 8%

IIMB Final Selection Process: Key Changes

• Weightage for Personal Interview goes up at 35% from 30%
• Weightage for 12^th class marks have gone up to 10% from 5%
• No Weightage for Bachelor’s degree marks is given

IIM Calcutta Selection Process: Key Changes
The significant changes announced in IIM Calcutta selection process are as given below

Shortlisting Process: Key Changes

• No Weightage for Graduation marks in Shortlisting.
• CAT Cut off is reduced to 85 percentile
• CAT sectional cut off for Quantitative Ability reduced to 75 percentile for General category
• For other categories also QA minimum required percentile has been reduced to 65 and below

Final Selection Process: Key Changes

• WAT is restored for admission with 8% weightage
• PI Round gets highest weight of 48% in final selection round
• CAT score weight reduced to 30% in final selection round
• Weightage for Academic Diversity is increased to 6% from earlier 4%

IIM Lucknow Selection Process: Key Changes
Following are the key changes announced in IIM Lucknow selection process

Shortlisting Criteria

• Reduced Weightage to 60% for CAT  
• Minimum sectional CAT cut off is 85%ile for PGP and 80%ile for PGP-ABM & PGP-SM
• Overall CAT cut off is 90%ile for PGP and 85 %ile for PGP-ABM & PGP-SM

IIML Final Selection Process

• PI-WAT round carries 50% weight 
• CAT score weight is 30% for PGP & PGP-SM, and 35% for PGP-ABM 

  Check IIM Admission 2024 Latest Selection Criteria, Cut Offs, Rankings, Placements

  IIM Ahmedabad Admission	IIM Bangalore Admission	IIM Calcutta Admission
  IIM Lucknow Admission	IIM Kozhikode Admission	IIM Indore Admission
  IIM Trichy admission	IIM Shillong Admission	IIM Udaipur Admission
  IIM Kashipur Admission	IIM Ranchi Admission	IIM Visakhapatnam Admission
  IIM Rohtak Admission	IIM Raipur Admission	IIM Nagpur Admission
  IIM Bodh Gaya Admission	IIM Amritsar Admission	IIM Sambalpur Admission
  IIM Sirmaur Admission	IIM Jammu Admission

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  IIM Admission	IIM Admission Criteria	IIM Selection Process
  IIMs Shortlist for Admissions	IIM MBA Fee Structure	IIM CAP