Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Amritsar offers admission to its postgraduate MBA program through CAT. Shortlisted candidates on the basis of their CAT score are called for Written Analysis Test (WAT) and Personal Interview (PI) rounds. Apart from that, the admission also depends upon the candidate’s past academic records and work experience.

Latest: CAT 2019 Admit Card is available from October 23, 2019. Download Now

IIM Amritsar has, over the years, dropped the overall cut off percentile, however, it has remained static at 90 percentile for the year 2016 and 2017. IIM Amritsar considers 5 factors while preparing the final merit list i.e. CAT percentile, PI Score, WAT Score, Work Experience and Academic/ Gender Diversity. Those who successfully qualify all the rounds of the selection process are considered for admission. 

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IIM Amritsar Admission Criteria: Shortlisting for WAT/PI

The first step in admission process into PGP at Indian Institute of Management Amritsar is the shortlisting of candidates. After the declaration of CAT Result, the institute will release its separate cut off list. Candidates who will score equal or more than CAT cut off marks are shortlisted for the next rounds in the admission process.

The table below shows the information about the minimum requisite in CAT  that candidates from various categories must obtain to be shortlisted for the WAT/PI processes.

• It must be noted that the information provided in the above table are just indicative figures.
• Though securing the minimum CAT Cut Off percentile is necessary, it need not necessarily mean that candidates are given absolute assurance regarding progress to the PI/WAT rounds.

IIM Amritsar WAT and PI Rounds

Candidates shortlisted for PI/WAT rounds after clearing minimum requisite CAT percentile will have to appear for the Personal Interview (PI) and Written Analysis Test (WAT) conducted by the Institute. The PI (35% weightage) and WAT (15% weightage) rounds influence the scores of candidates in the final merit list. Admissions for Post Graduate Program in IIM Amritsar are done based on ranks of students in the final merit list.

WAT Round

Writing Analysis Test (WAT) is conducted to test the command that candidates possess over English. Apart from Vocabulary and Grammar, candidates are tested in their presentation and quality of content.

PI Round

Personal Interview (PI) round is conducted by a panel of experts who test and measure candidates’ levels in various skills.

These skills include:

1. Technical and Academic knowledge
2. Leadership and Management Skills
3. General Knowledge and Aptitude
4. Personality, Interpersonal skills, Communication and other soft skills

IIM Amritsar Final Merit List

CAT Selection Process comprises 2 stages- Personal Interview (PI) and Written Analysis Test (WAT). The final merit list is prepared by the Institute. First stage involves obtaining of scores secured by candidates in WAT and PI rounds conducted on behalf of the IIMs by IIM Rohtak.

Alternatively, this information regarding scores obtained in WAT and PI is obtained from the older IIMs, provided the candidate was shortlisted for the WAT and PI rounds and participated in them as well. Second stage involves preparation of final merit list after gathering all necessary information and completion of the admission process based on the final merit list.  

Stage 1:

• Scores obtained by candidates in the common WAT and PI rounds conducted by the prescribed Institute are stored in the databases
• This information is gathered and used in the preparation of final merit list, which is stage 2.

Stage 2:

The table below shows all the parameters that influence the admission criteria for PGP in IIM Amritsar. Corresponding weightage associated with each parameter is also indicated. 

Details of each parameter are as follows:

CAT Percentile (35%)

40 % of overall weightage in the final merit list is given to CAT percentile which depends on the score obtained by candidates in the Common Admission Test.

Personal Interview (35%)

Purpose of personal interview is to test candidates’ in their general awareness, presentation, communication skills, technical knowledge, and general aptitude. This is another highly influential factor in determining candidates’ position in the final merit list as this carries a weightage of 35%.

Written Analysis Test (15%)

This round tests candidate in their ability to write essential content in high quality. The vocabulary of candidates and overall command over language is also tested in this round. The Written Analysis Test (WAT) contributes to 15% of overall weightage in the final merit list.

Work Experience (5%)

A maximum of 5% worth weightage is given to candidates who have prior work experience. Duration of the work and quality of work in that period is the basis of awarding marks under the Work Experience quota.  A minimum of 6 months of service period is required to be considered for additional marks under Work Experience.

It must be noted that in order to be eligible to stake the claim for marks under Work Experience, candidates must have had a full-time professional job after completion of graduation. Experience gained during the following tasks will not be considered for marks under Work Experience.

• Apprenticeship
• Training
• Internship
• Academic Project
• Articleship
• Any job or task was done in order to complete the established curriculum

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The maximum marks awarded to candidates on the basis of duration service is shown in the below table. Marks shown are for final merit list which comprises composite scores out of 100.

Academic Diversity or Gender Diversity (10%)

Academic Diversity Criteria

Non-Engineering candidates are awarded 10% marks under the Academic Diversity Criteria. This means that all candidates who have completed their undergraduate degree and have obtained their Bachelor’s Degree in any field other than Engineering or Technology (B.Tech/B.E or equivalent) will be considered for Academic Diversity Score. 

Gender Diversity:

All female candidates are entitled to 10% Gender Diversity marks which will be added to the overall score in the final merit list.

Important Note: Candidates are eligible for diversity score only under one of the two categories (Academic Diversity or Gender Diversity). Female candidates with a non-engineering degree cannot stake a claim for diversity marks under both categories.

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