Why a CAT 100 percentiler rejected IIMs? IIMs vs FMS, Delhi

While it is every aspirant's dream to get admission into the prestigious IIMs including IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, IIM Calcutta, IIM Lucknow, IIM Indore, and IIM Kozhikode, when it comes to our founder, Shashank Prabhu, there is a curious case of rejecting all these IIMs and pursuing an MBA from FMS, Delhi. If you are as intrigued as we were, here's a detailed overview of what went behind that decision. The journey will be insightful to all fresh aspirants when they are looking at making this choice at the end of their MBA season especially to those who are participating in this debate of IIMs vs FMS, Delhi?
Shashank has now poured his experience and knowledge into this channel and conducts free live workshops on a daily basis. There are also daily tests that will help you score well at the CAT and stay disciplined throughout.
Do join us here to be able to take the daily tests: point99.learny...
The entire playlist for the ongoing daily live workshops can be viewed here: • Daily Drill for CAT 24...
Point99 is a brainchild of Shashank Prabhu, a CAT 100%iler and an FMS Alumnus through which, we want to ensure that quality CAT prep is made accessible to each aspirant to ensure that their chances of cracking the tests and pursuing an MBA are enhanced!
Do subscribe to the channel for more such quality content.
Follow us on:
Website: www.point99.co.in
LinkedIn: / point99-learning
Quora: www.quora.com/...
Instagram: / mbapoint99

[@bobthegamer9027]

Sir, my profile below: 8/8/8 3 years work experience CAT 22’: 85%ile CAT 23’: 70%ile General Engineer Male. Need your suggestions or advice to get into a top B-School. Your channel is very informative. Thanks for sharing the valuable information.

[@Point99_CAT_MBA]

Hi, your profile looks fine to me. I remember mentioning this yesterday during the AMA about the sudden change in the LoD of the CAT 23 that might have led to a fall in your percentile. If that was indeed the case, no need to worry about anything. You will just need to brush up a few concepts that you would have skipped last year and take mocks a bit more aggressively. If there is an issue with the learning and understanding part, I will advise you to go through the entire syllabus once till the end of August and gain a bit more confidence. Once that’s sorted it will start showing in your mock scores. At a meta level though, if you are finding aptitude tests very difficult and uncertain, you can also look at working for another 3-4 years and then going for an executive MBA from a stronger brand. Wish you all the best!

[@goutamkumar8622]

Hello sir I have 4 year work experience I want give cat 25 If I got 99 percentile above Can I get admission in IIM?

[@Point99_CAT_MBA]

Hi, sorry Goutam I missed your comment. You can certainly get admission to an IIM even with 4 years of workex. If you have relevant workex, it will be useful in your placements as well so it’s definitely not a deal breaker.

[@WEAREWORKETHIC]

IIM IIT UPSC Always Respect Me Working silent Always Feet touching I Am ignore IIM Okay My silent Working order okay silent Working

[@anuragghuge6665]

10th - 96.31 12th - 99.27 Grad - Btech Civil - 8.35 Gap due to UPSC 6 years - reached CSE Interview 3 times. No work ex. Please rate the profile 🙏

[@anuragghuge6665]

@@CAT2023MAKER Yes, also freelanced in Coachings, but that does not count as wor-ex.

[@Point99_CAT_MBA]

If you can’t get a certificate you will have to show a gap on your form. However, most of the top bschools don’t penalise you for your gap year while giving out interview calls. So get a good score at the CAT and you should get plenty of good institutes to work with. You just need to show what you did in those 6 years and carry all relevant documents. End of the day you just need to be able to convince the panel that your goals have changed over the years and that 7-8 percent of your life is a good enough investment to understand what you feel passionate about and give it a shot.

[@CAT2023MAKER]

@@anuragghuge6665 delhi se ho app certificate mai aap ko dela dungaa

[@aryanoberoi3359]

Bro you are rock solid profile. You have that knowledge most people won't ever have. You will be able to crack cat easy cause you already have cracked how to study hard, average students like us have problem doing that part. You'll do great man with that profile.

[@anuragghuge6665]

@@aryanoberoi3359 Thanks bhai for the encouragement ✨

[@SethuAravinthS]

Didn’t you get any calls from IIM when’s you scored 93 Ile before entering FMS?

[@Point99_CAT_MBA]

Nope. There were only 7 IIMs back then so didn’t stand a chance. I had calls from XLRI, FMS, IIFT, SIBM and would have got JBIMS had I applied for the subsequent rounds.

[@ProgyanBoruah-lu8nz]

Sir I had a query whether working as a faculty in a local private school be put in as work experience in the form fill for CAT or not? Haven't been able to find a satisfactory answer over the internet.

[@Point99_CAT_MBA]

Hi Progyan, certainly you can show it as workex. You should have started working after your graduation, should be working full-time and you should be able to produce proof that you are getting paid. If you can produce a work experience letter or a joining letter+latest salary slip, you should be okay.

[@SOURAVBANERJEE04]

​@@Point99_CAT_MBA is the relieving letter also necessary or salary slips and joining letter will be enough as the organization I am working has not provided relieving letter to early candidates who resigned.

[@omprakashjaiswal8564]

Good evening sir, sir I have a query about SIBM Pune for marketing domain. How is it, please reply, waiting for your response. Actually my academic profile is poor. Class 10 ,85, class 12 80. Commerce and graduation is 65 percent

[@Point99_CAT_MBA]

Hi, it’s a decent college. I would consider it slightly better than most of the second and third generation IIMs. A lot of the top companies visit the campus for marketing roles so it should definitely be in your consideration list given your profile.

[@cricketwallah6825]

My profile is 10 th - 79.8 12th - 74.2 Gru- 7.2 How much percentage in cat

[@Point99_CAT_MBA]

As high as is possible. With your profile, for a top 20-30 college you should be looking at at least a 97-98 percentile and should be appearing for some or all of SNAP, NMAT, and XAT at least.

[@deepranjansarmah3858]

Sir just curious,Why didn't u go for upsc preparation?

[@Point99_CAT_MBA]

Lack of awareness, self-belief, and maybe because at some level, I didn’t have a very favourable perception of a government job because I had spent a significant amount of time in a government setup during my graduation. Don’t regret it much to be honest, though.

[@swastikpanda5670]

For general management (hr) and operations which one is better top IIM or fms?

[@Point99_CAT_MBA]

Either is fine. The IIMs might have a higher quantum of companies visiting but they also have more students with better CVs to place. Although if you are looking at HR, XLRI or TISS will make more sense and for operations, IIM Mumbai or IIT B/D/Kgp should be better.

[@divitn8068]

Hi sir , i have 9/9/8 nc obc Bcom graduate. Having 1 year of workex. I am planning to give cat at 2025 what percentile should i aim to get calls from BLACKI and FMS.

[@Point99_CAT_MBA]

I think you should be hopeful of calls even at a 95 percentile. Having said that, it would be best if you could aim even higher and not leave anything to chance.

[@wewakesingh8510]

Sir i m a recent b pharm graduate and i m looking for onlne mba ... And i m confuses in mba in pharmaceutical management or mba in hospital and healthcare management......? And is online mba worth? Becauss i can't do regular mba because of my family issue.

[@sahabrandon1]

How much percentile needed for GEM candidate to get fms ?🎉

[@Point99_CAT_MBA]

It will be a factor of your sectional performance and the criteria for the year. To be on the safer side, a CAT score of 99+ should be decent enough. Considering the weight of the written score in the final selection, it’s best to score as high as you can.

[@sahabrandon1]

@@Point99_CAT_MBA what's the current fees of FMS ?

[@Rohititans]

Sir my perceyis 6/7/5.99 I am from general pwd category How much percentile i need to get to iim C,K, L

[@Point99_CAT_MBA]

PWD is a difficult category to predict in general considering the number of applicants and the shortlisting criteria. However, in most cases, a score of around 90-95 percentile should be good enough for a call from what I have observed from the top IIMs. You will need to really justify your profile though in the interview round so make sure you don’t give them any chances to doubt your academic prowess by getting a good CAT score.

[@sarthug-15]

Sir I have 8/7/8 profile GEM fresher. I am preparing for CAT but I am in a bit of dilemma whether , I can get into top B-schools , seeing the past trends . Can you please provide me with some advice?

[@Point99_CAT_MBA]

Hi Sarthak, your profile is good enough for many of the top colleges including the 2nd and 3rd generation IIMs, FMS, XLRI, MDI, IIFT, JBIMS, NMIMS, and SIBM. There’s no reason for you to give up CAT prep at this point in time so would suggest you prepare with all your might.

[@ShivamGupta-ih5en]

Sir is work experience mandatory for cat

[@priyadarsheeswain4629]

Hello sir, my profile is as follows: 10th-83.5% 12th-91.6% Grad -84.65% General, male, fresher, non engineer, BSc in microbiology. How much should I keep in cat to get a call from top 6 iims and fms and other private b schools in india?

[@Point99_CAT_MBA]

Hi Priyadarshee, you should ideally look at a 98+ percentile at least to look at the absolutely best colleges in the country.

[@priyadarsheeswain4629]

@@Point99_CAT_MBA Sir I forgot to mention that I don't have any workex too... So is that a major flaw??

[@atharvkulkarni4929]

Hi sir... I have 10th-91% 12th-77% Grad- Civil Engg- 85% 3 years gap due to upsc. How should I proceed if targeting cat n top b schools.. how the gap will affect me... Please guide

[@Point99_CAT_MBA]

Hi Atharv, the gap won’t matter much till you reach the interview room. I would suggest you prepare for the tests and try to score as much as possible. Apply to colleges through multiple tests (XAT, SNAP, NMAT) and keep your options open. During the interview, you will have to talk about your learning and the attributes that you added to yourself during those 3 years. Also try to think about what you would like to do after your MBA and make sure that you are well read about the on goings in the corporate world. With a good score and interview prep, you should be able to crack the processes.

[@nirmalghadiya944]

Sir im bsc (honors)agriculture 3rd year student, Ews, non-engineer, 10th-83 12th-82 Grad-6. 7 So at how much cat ℅ile, i ll get calls from top b-schools????

[@Point99_CAT_MBA]

Hi Nirmal, top bschools is a very subjective term so I would assume that you are talking about the top 30 colleges or so. With regards to CAT, you will need at least a 95 percentile to ensure calls from the second/third generation IIMs and other good colleges. I will also suggest that you take the XAT, SNAP, NMAT and MICAT for a better spread of colleges.

[@bhavi321]

69.40/69.40/65 FMS possible sir? Ews, non engineer female.

[@Point99_CAT_MBA]

Considering your acads, you will have to do really well at the CAT to improve your chances of converting the call. Getting a call is a function of your CAT score so that’s completely controllable. In the final selection you will be short of some 10 percentage points which will mean that you will need to better your CAT score by 20 percent compared to an average FMS call getter. Assuming the average EWS female call getter gets a score of around 40 percent, you should be targeting somewhere around 50 percent of the overall CAT score.

[@M-K-S543]

Sir, i am now in bcom (h) 3rd year...and my current college does not provides me ample opportunities like basic placements..but also i don't know what to do after graduation..so i want good placements through mba ...is it a right reason to do mba.. reply me sir...??

[@Point99_CAT_MBA]

Hi, you need to have a liking towards the MBA curriculum and the job opportunities that you will be getting after your MBA. I would suggest you do a bit of research on these and be convinced that these will make sense to your long term career. You can do this alongside your CAT prep so it shouldn’t be that big of a worry. Placements are indeed an outcome of an MBA program so it is assumed that you will be going for an MBA to get a good job.

[@riyaachauhan3643]

Hello sir my academics are, 10th ; 86.50 12th : 86.93 Bachelor of commerce from tier 2 city: 82.6% Nc-obc ,female candidate How much percentile required to get into FMS ,iim mumbai ,and BLACKI . THANKYOU FOR INFORMATIVE VIDEOS.

[@Point99_CAT_MBA]

Hi Riya, you should be looking at a 96 percentile at the very least to eliminate any surprises. Having said that, if you are doing decently well at mocks, you should try to maximise your score as much as you can.

[@riyaachauhan3643]

@@Point99_CAT_MBA thankk you sir.

[@harshithravi3837]

Sir my profile is 10th: 87.52 12th: 96.83 BCOM: 9 CGPA (Non-Engg) CFA L1 cleared Male Fresher EWS category Is this profile good for getting call from IIM BLCAKI?

[@Point99_CAT_MBA]

Yes. The profile looks good to me for many of the BLACKI institutes. You just need to score big at the CAT to not leave anything to chance. All the best!

[@saksham-.-8062]

Hey where i can connect you

[@satundhal6477]

Thanks 🙏 sir.

[@Ashwinnboy]

Sir is ews certificate really worth it for cat? As RTI data showing some institution including iims and brand like ABC have higher cuttoff for ews then general, last person who is sitting in iim ahemdabad is 87 percentile ( general category) where as last person from ews category sitting with 99.+ Percentile Should we go with ews certificate or general? Plss im confused

[@Point99_CAT_MBA]

The category seats will have a lower cutoff than general category seats. The system will check for the availability of a general category seat first and if that is not possible then it will move on to the marked category from what the institutes normally follow. So the general category seats get filled first and then the reserved seats are filled. The example you are stating would involve the academic profile of the candidate as well and so, might not be consistent with the hypothesis.

[@Ashwinnboy]

@@Point99_CAT_MBAso there is need of ews or not?, I have made ews i will give cat 25 should I go with ews or not? What will be more beneficial

[@m4ckff552]

Sir bhot log bolrhe hai mba scam hai ap kya bolna chaoge hame vo sari videos de motivate krhhi hai 😢

[@Point99_CAT_MBA]

Agar top 100 college se MBA karoge and pata hai ki kyun karna hai MBA to issue nahi hona chahiye kuch bhi. Career mein aage ja ke growth hi milega. Agar MBA college mein ja ke kya karna hai ye hi pata nahi hai then it will be disappointing. Agar tumhara reason pakka hai to bilkul tension mat lo and ye sab negativity se duur raho.

[@m4ckff552]

@@Point99_CAT_MBA thank you sir

[@Itstechlogica]

Hi Sir, My profile: 10th 90% 12th 82% Graduation- IT Engineer 89% 2 Years Work experience as Software Engineer Category-General Female Targeted B-Schools- BLACKI Mumbai/ JBIMS/ FMS Delhi Please guide on this. Thanks

[@Point99_CAT_MBA]

The 12th score could be a minor deterrent for some of the BLACKI calls but otherwise you are good to go. Just focus on mocks and if you have taken CAT earlier then implement what you have learnt about yourself. I would also suggest that you register for the XAT.

[@tiwarianuj285]

Can i speak Hindi in interview

[@Point99_CAT_MBA]

No, that won’t be the case. It’s okay if you can speak in routine, conversational English so it shouldn’t be difficult especially if you have cracked the CAT in the first place.

[@somyajeet3306]

Hi sir ...m a dentist (female) My profile:10-93.5 12-85 Bds- 74 Just 6 months of internship in a private clinic Sir how much percentile would be safe for blacki fms xlri?

[@Point99_CAT_MBA]

There’s no score that is absolutely safe because of the competition that exists, Somyajeet. However, you should ideally aim for at least a 98-99 percentile to stand a chance at some of the IIMs. The higher you score the better your chances.

[@KritikaRawat29]

Sir I've 8/9/6 acads Female, general, english hons graduate Just graduated this year Do u think ive a chance to get a call from FMS if i score really good in CAT?

[@Point99_CAT_MBA]

Yeah definitely possible with those acads. Try to target at least a 98.5 percentile with a strong show in VARC and you should stand a chance.

[@KritikaRawat29]

@@Point99_CAT_MBA thankyou sir I've also done my certificate, diploma, diploma advance in French language from St Stephen's College, University of Delhi itself , should I mention it in my CAT form as a second degree? Also will it help in making my chances better to get a call from top iims and FMS ?

[@wewakesingh8510]

i m a recent b pharm graduate and i m looking for onlne mba ... And i m confusing in mba in pharmaceutical management or mba in hospital and healthcare management......? And is online mba worth? Becauss i can't do regular mba because of my family issue. And i m person who is going to do job in IT field like pv, cdm Sir please guide me

[@Point99_CAT_MBA]

Hi, the big difference between an online MBA and an on campus program is the experience of interacting with your peers, working on group assignments and handling committee work. If you have less than a couple of years of workex, an on campus program will help you get equipped with the soft skills required for the corporate. If there is an issue though, you can consider hybrid/online MBA or equivalent programs. Pharma MBA or Healthcare management will be pretty similar in terms of their course content. You will have electives that will help you apply management principles to the healthcare domain mostly in your second year. Also, just because you are a Pharma graduate doesn’t mean you should join a Pharma MBA. If you are open to joining other sectors, I would strongly suggest you go for a general MBA instead of a specialised one. It will help you keep your options open and you can get into Pharma companies after a general MBA as well.