Andhra Bank School of Business Building, Andhra University Campus, Visakhapatnam – 530 003

Andhra Pradesh, INDIA. Tel: +91 891 2824 444 | e-mail: pgpadm@iimv.ac.in

November 28, 2019

Admission Process for PGP Batch 2020-22

The admission process seeks to identify the most promising candidates for the PGP batch of 2020 for
IIMV. IIMV uses multiple parameters, namely academic performance in 10th standard examination,
12th standard examination and Bachelor’s degree examination, candidates’ scores in CAT, as well as
performance in Personal Interview and Written Ability Test to judge the suitability of candidates for
the PGP program. Relevant work experience, if any, is also given weight in the selection. Evaluation
by multiple criteria is also consistent with empirical research on recruitment and selection that shows
greater efficacy of recruitment processes that uses multiple criteria. The CAT score, over and above
being a selection criterion, is also used to establish the minimum level of proficiency that is expected
from the candidate in respective areas as indicated by section wise minimum scores in the CAT.
Multiple criteria are used to arrive at a composite score for every candidate, which is used to select
candidates. The remaining part of the document explains this process in detail.

IIMV adopts a three-phase selection process and accordingly these selection criteria are applied in three
phases. The selection process, parameters and weights used are uniform for all categories of applicants.
Sufficient candidates are shortlisted at each stage in each category to meet the reservation requirement
for each group, as applicable at that time.

Phase-1
In the first phase process, all eligible candidates who have appeared for CAT 2019 and have selected
IIM Visakhapatnam as one of their preferences in the CAT form will be considered. Candidates who
qualify at this stage will be asked to apply for admission to PGP 2020-22 of IIMV through the IIMV
website.

1. The first shortlist of candidates is based on candidates securing minimum section-wise and
aggregate percentile scores in the CAT 2019. Candidates obtaining a positive (greater than zero)
raw score in all sections of CAT-2019 will only be considered. The percentile cut-off scores that
used for CAT 2019 are shown in Table 1. All the subsequent processing, standardization and
selection is limited to candidates belonging to this first shortlist alone. This means that the CAT
score alone (for candidates who have selected IIM Visakhapatnam as one of their preferences in
the CAT 2019 form) is used as the basis for arriving at the first shortlist.

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 Table1: First Shortlist -for the PGP batch of 2020-22 based on CAT 2019
Minimum Percentile Requirements for the first shortlist (CAT – 2019) *
Category SEC 1(VARC) SEC 2 (DILR) SEC 3 (QA) Aggregate
General 80 80 80 85
NC – OBC 60 60 60 60
SC 50 50 50 55
ST 30 30 30 40
PwD 30 30 30 40
*These cut-offs are not for admission offers, but only for Phase 1 shortlist. The cut-offs for admission offer could be much higher.
The cut-offs for EWS (Economically Weaker Section) candidates will be the same as in the General category.

2. All candidates in the first shortlist (i.e. those who have selected IIM Visakhapatnam as one of their
preferences in the CAT 2019 form and also meet the minimum CAT 2019 percentile requirements
given in Table 1) would be receiving an e-mail from IIM Visakhapatnam around the end of January
2019, with a link to a web page where they MUST apply for admission to PGP 2020-22 at IIM
Visakhapatnam, by a stipulated date by filling a detailed online application.

3. All Phase-1 Shortlisted Candidates will be invited to submit a detailed online application, including
a statement of purpose, details of semester wise / year wise marks in Bachelor’s degree etc., copies
of all academic transcripts & certificates, copies of work experience certificates (if applicable),
certificate of disability (if applicable), scheduled caste / scheduled tribe / other backward class –
non-creamy layer certificate (if applicable), EWS certificate (if applicable).

4. Only those Phase-1 Shortlisted Candidates, who have submitted the detailed application (including
all the required documents) by the due date, will be considered for the Personal Interview stage in
Phase-2 as described below.

Phase-2
5. Only those candidates who meet the minimum CAT 2019 percentiles requirements and have
applied for admission to IIMV by filling the detailed online application (hereinafter referred as
Qualified Confirmed Candidates), by the stipulated date, will be considered in Phase-2 of the
admission process.

6. All Qualified Confirmed Candidates would be receiving an e-mail from IIM Visakhapatnam around
first week of April 2019, with a link to a web page where they MUST reconfirm their interest to
pursue their candidature further, by a stipulated date, for admission to PGP 2020-22 at IIM
Visakhapatnam.

7. For all Qualified Confirmed Candidates who have reconfirmed their interest in admission to IIMV
would be considered for Phase-2 selection (hereinafter referred as Reconfirmed Qualified
Candidates). In order to prepare the Phase-2 shortlist, the candidates' percentage scores in the 10th
and 12th board exams are initially adjusted by dividing each such score by the 90th percentile score
obtained in that board. The database of 10th and 12th scores of all CAT applicants of the past two
years is used for identifying the 90th percentile score for each 10th and 12th board for this purpose.

8. For all Reconfirmed Qualified Candidates, final scores obtained by the candidates are used for the
bachelor’s degree and professional degrees (if any). Incomplete or intermediate scores are
considered only if the candidates final score is pending. Thus, for final year bachelor’s degree
candidates (at the time of CAT 2019 registration), their incomplete graduation score would be taken
in lieu of final graduation score. Graduation scores are adjusted within their respective categories.
This gives the adjusted score for the bachelor’s degree for all Qualified Confirmed Candidates.

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9. For all Reconfirmed Qualified Candidates, with Chartered Accountancy, Cost Accounting, and
Company Secretary, certifications are eligible for weight under professional course. No other
professional course is eligible for weight under professional course. The professional course score
is also standardized for all Qualified Confirmed Candidates.

10. For all Reconfirmed Qualified Candidates, the score/weight for work experience is calculated as:
Score for Work Experience = 8x/36 (if 0 < x < 36)
= 8 (if x >= 36)

Where x is the months of work experience up to July 2019, as captured in CAT application form
(and substantiated in the application to IIMV). This implies that the score will peak at 36 months
work experience and will remain at that level for candidates with work experience exceeding 36
months.

11. For all Reconfirmed Qualified Candidates, the maximum of the work experience score and the
professional course score is considered for selection under a common parameter of work experience
since both provide professional work experience relevant to a management program.

12. For all Reconfirmed Qualified Candidates, other than work experience or professional course, the
weights for the remaining six components are fixed as:
a) CAT=40
b) 10th board=12
c) 12th board=10
d) Bachelors=20
e) Diversity=10 {Gender (Female & transgender)/Non-engineer}
f) Work Experience=8

13. The 40 points for CAT are derived from the performance in each of the three sections as follows:
Quantitative Aptitude (QA) - 10 points, Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) - 16
points, and Verbal & Reading Comprehension (VRC) - 14 points.

14. For all Reconfirmed Qualified Candidates, the weighted aggregate of the six components namely
(a) CAT; (b) 10th board; (c) 12th board; (d) bachelors; (e) diversity; (f) work experience or
professional course; as stated above, is used to prepare a pre-PI rank list based on which a second
shortlist of candidates is prepared, for an assessment through Personal Interview and Written
Ability Test. Sufficient candidates will be shortlisted (hereinafter referred as Phase-2 Shortlisted
Candidates) to enable selection based on the additional evaluation components: Personal Interview
& Written Ability Test.

15. For all Reconfirmed Qualified Candidates, normalization or standardization in any component
stated above is carried out as per the following formula. All standardization is done with reference
to the qualifying first shortlist. Standardized score (truncated between 0 and weight (wt)) is
computed from the raw score (val) as:
Max [0, min {wt, wt/2 + ((val-mean)/sd) * wt/6}]

Phase-3
16. Only those Phase-2 Shortlisted Candidates, who have reconfirmed by the due date, will be
considered for the personal interview stage in Phase-3 as described in points 17 and 18 below.

17. Candidates should note that, those who are shortlisted and interviewed by any one or more of the
IIMs at Bangalore, Calcutta, Kozhikode, Lucknow, Indore (only for their PGP/PGPM
programs), will not be required to appear for the personal interview of IIMV. For these
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 candidates, the average of their Personal Interview (PI) / Written Ability Test (WAT) scores from
the above IIMs will be used to derive their PI /WAT scores for IIMV.

18. Candidates who are NOT shortlisted and interviewed by any of the IIMs at Bangalore, Calcutta,
Kozhikode, Lucknow, Indore (only for their PGP/PGPM programs) will be required to appear
for a Personal Interview (PI) / Written Ability Test (WAT) to be conducted by IIMV.

19. The scores in all past academics will also be updated, if required, on the basis of actual mark sheets
/ grade cards submitted. Unless otherwise mentioned, percentages would be calculated by
considering all subjects that the candidate has appeared for examination.

20. The WAT score (weight=5), and the Personal Interview score (weight=25), after standardization
across interview panels and sessions, will be added to the following scores to arrive at the final
aggregate score:
a) PI Score (weight=25)
b) WAT Score (weight=5)
c) CAT (weight=25)
d) 10th board (weight=5)
e) 12th board (weight=5)
f) Bachelors (weight=10)
g) Diversity {Gender (Female & transgender)/Non-engineer} (weight=20)
h) Weighted Work Experience (weight=5)

21. The final offers of admission to candidates will be made strictly on the basis of ranks in each
category on the final aggregate score as mentioned in Point No. 20.

Since IIMV follows a comprehensive multi-criteria process, it is able to identify many candidates who
have an excellent academic record and work experience but who, while doing well enough in the CAT
to be in the first shortlist, may have narrowly missed the high score that would have been required if
CAT alone was the only basis for admission. Such candidates effectively replace candidates who have
only a high CAT score but score poorly in terms of their past academic record and work experience.
IIMV emphasizes consistent and high performance in past academics.

The admission criteria for PGP 2020-22 may be changed before the declaration of results.

The information in this document is applicable only for the admissions cycle PGP - 2020 of IIM
Visakhapatnam and therefore, no inference can be made from this document about the admissions
process that will be used for future admission cycles at IIMV. IIMV reserves the right to change,
modify or adopt any new admissions process that it deems necessary, at any point.

Any dispute concerning Admissions for the PGP Batch 2020-22 would be subject to jurisdiction of the
competent courts within the territorial jurisdiction of city of Visakhapatnam only.

***

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