CAT 2015: Smile with SMS text turns into frown; Sectional dips keep 99 percentilers away from IIM

The innovative information system adopted in advising CAT 2015 result through SMS on January 8, 2016 made thousands of test takers very happy as they got a percentile of 95 or 99 overall. But when the detailed result was displayed on website in the evening, it shattered the dream of these high percentilers of getting into any IIM not to say of top rated IIM Ahmedabad, bangalore or Calcutta. Despite scoring a percentile as high as 96 or 99, thousands of IIM aspirants have not been able to cross even the bare minimum sectional percentile when the CAT 2015 result was declared.

Out of 19 IIMs almost all of them need minimum 80 percentile score in each of the 3 sections except the one or two of the newest IIMs who have reduced their minimum sectional qualifying percentile to 75 in only 1 or 2 sections. But still these candidates who were shortlisted by IIMs but could not convert the call last year decided to prepare again for CAT 2015 have been left disappointed as they have not even been able to score a balanced sectional percentile.

High Percentile: No use for IIMs These high percentilers now do not expect to get a call from any IIM and have been raising the query where to go with their such high scores with sectional dips. It is an astonishing fact that candidates like Ankit, Prerna, Archana who scored 99, 93, 84 have scored very well in 2 sections but have not been able to score high enough in one of the 3 sections. This has not only created a gap among sectional percentiles but has also reduced their overall percentile which could have soared up, if they had scored well in the third section also.

Interestingly, not only these 3 but also many others have informed MBAUniverse.com that they expected a very good score in the section in which low percentile has been awarded to them. While taking the Mocks they always used to score high but when the CAT 2015 result was declared on website, their score card revealed a different story.

Candidates taken off guard The shocking but true stories of high percentilers in CAT 2015 have revealed that although they have all the ingredients to clear the PI round, if shortlisted. But the biggest problem is that they have not crossed the bar of qualifying the bare minimum sectional percentile. Hundreds of them have attributed the dip in sectional percentile to the de-clubbing of DILR from Quant and Verbal sections as the lacking part cannot be compensated by other in any section.

Scoring high percentile in CAT 2015 is necessary for admission to top rated IIMs, but it is not the only requirement. You may expect to be shortlisted by top IIMs even if you have scored 95 percentile in CAT 2015 provided your sectional scores are balanced.

What next now MBAUniverse.com in view to help such candidates with even better available options has begun free counselling process. There are many good and highly ranked B-schools who would consider overall percentile and would offer admission with 80+ percentile in CAT 2016. It is advisable to explore admission opportunity in them. Incidentally admission process is open in these B-schools for few more days.