Nine of the new IIMs take part in CAP. These include IIM Bodh Gaya, IIM Sambalpur, IIM Sirmaur, IIM Tiruchirappalli (Trichy), IIM Kashipur, IIM Jammu, IIM Ranchi, IIM Raipur, and IIM Udaipur. The CAT results are used to shortlist candidates for the flagship MBA/ PGDM or specialised programmes offered at the new IIMs. The candidate's CAT score, prior academic performance, academic/gender diversity, work experience, and interview performance all contribute to the selection of final admission.
The Common Admission Process, often known as IIM CAP, is a single-window admissions process in which applicants who are qualified for admission to the nine new IIMs participate in the interview round. The shortlisted candidates do not have to appear for these IIMs individually.
The list of candidates shortlisted for the WAT-PI process is sent by participating IIMs to the institute running the IIM CAP for that particular year. The WAT-PI round is carried out by the CAP conducting institute. All CAP participating institutes have the same qualifying CAT cut-off, admission conditions, and weightage.
Candidates' CAP scores are shared with individual institutes. The nine IIMs release their own merit lists of applicants chosen for admission based on candidates' final scores. The websites of each institute present the final list of chosen applicants.
In the first stage of CAP, the selection is made using CAT cutoffs.
The CAP shortlist is typically announced during the third week of the month of January.
The New IIMs use the following procedure for MBA/ PGDM admissions:
● Shortlisting (Based On CAT Score)
● Individual Interview
NOTE: Since covid-19, only the personal interview round is being conducted. However, the essay writing rounds may be resumed in future.
Around 2-3 interviewers evaluate the applicants based on their interests, work history, academic background, and personality attributes. Candidates may also be questioned about where they come from. Every interview typically lasts between 10 and 20 minutes. The following are some of the experiences candidates have shared from previous admissions:
● Introduce yourself. Tell us about your strengths and weaknesses.
● Which latest movie did you watch?
● Which city are you from? Tell me about it.
● What are your favourite subjects?
● What are your hobbies? What was the last thing you baked? Take us through the process and ingredients.
● Tell us about your extracurricular activities.
● What are the 4Ps of marketing?
● Which specialisation do you want to study for an MBA?
● Why do you want to do MBA?
● Share an instance of your training where you played a leadership role and faced challenges. Tell us how you overcame them.
● Why do you want to put 20 lakhs into an MBA when you can invest the same into starting this business?
● What is Operations Management? What does an Operations Manager do in a hospital?
● How are SC judges appointed?
● Tell us about some food restaurant guides used in India and the world.
● What was the status of the hospitality and tourism sector towards the end of covid?
● What methods can be used by hotels to promote their business? Name five popular hotel chains in India.
● Do you know the history of the legal system in India? Tell us one constitutional amendment of the past year which had a social impact.
● What is your opinion on the new National Education Policy?
Prior to COVID, applicants were assessed using a written ability exam, commonly known as the WAT. Nearly 20-30 minutes were given to applicants to pen down 200-300 words on a topic. The following is a list of some of the topics covered in WAT of past admission rounds:
● Youngsters post everything on social media. What are your views on it?
● Should CSR activities be made compulsory for companies?
● Why do you think women feel unsafe in India at night? Suggest a course of action.
● Not only should justice be done, but it should also be seen as done. Nowadays, it has been increasingly difficult to deliver fair and impartial justice.
● A solution to ease traffic congestion in cities is to improve public transport. How would public transport help? Why have the government and civic bodies yet to do enough in the area?