Kolkata: Even though country’s premier management institutes, the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), might have planned to enroll students from diverse educational backgrounds, but for now, those with engineering or technical degrees have won hands down. As per sources, all the 11 students who were within the 100th percentile this year are from engineering or tech backgrounds, with six of them from the elite Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).
More than 2.5 lakh students appeared in CAT 2009 exam. Topping the charts is Varun Mangamoori of IIT Madras, who has scored 299 out of 450. CAT aspirants with similar backgrounds have regularly been making it to the 100 percentile club. Last year, for instance, of the nine students who stood within the 100th percentile, a majority were from the IITs, and one each from the International Institute of Information Technology Hyderabad and NIT, Trichy.
Although, a 100th percentile not always necessarily guarantees for a spot in one of the IIMs, as last year, one person in the percentile was rejected at the group discussion/personal interview (GD/PI) at IIM Calcutta for not making the sectional cut-off in one of the three sections. It’s considered a big achievement in B-school circles. Besides helping in bagging scholarships, it’s a valuable addition to bio-datas and a perk during placements as well.
According to the statement of a CAT group member this year, however, the students may make it through to the IIM GD/PIs. All those in the 100th percentile have scored above 99.9% in the individual sections as well. He added that CAT toppers usually come from engineering or technical backgrounds, since they are strong in the quantitative and data interpretation sections. It’s not something that a student with a regular Math/ Commerce/ Arts background will find easy to emulate.
