The IIM Calcutta notification in the CAT 2007 bulletin reads, “A candidate (including a reserved category candidate) to be shortlisted for GD and PI for admission to post-graduate programmes should obtain a minimum of 20%, 20% and 10% in ‘quantitative’, ‘logic and data interpretation’ and ‘verbal’ sections respectively.”

IIM Calcutta’s Chairman of Admissions Prof Ashish Bhattacharya said, “This has been done to introduce more transparency into the admission process. Potential students need to get at least this much in CAT in order to pass the courses at IIM Calcutta and handle the academic rigor.” He confirmed that these minimum cutoff scores were being used internally anyway but had been exposed to the public this year.

A source in IIM Calcutta however said that the institute has stated the cutoff as a shield against admitting compromised quality students in case the OBC quota is eventually implemented by the Union Human Resource Development Ministry.

The bulletin further reads for IIM Calcutta, “The actual cut-off used for short-listing, however, may be higher than the minimum cut-off and would depend upon the performance of candidates inCAT 2007.”

IIM Ahmedabad had initiated exposing their minimum acceptable cutoffs in CAT 2006 and have continued with in CAT 2007. However, they have placed their minimum cutoffs at 25% in each section of CAT and 33% on the aggregate. Asked why IIM Calcutta’s minimum cutoffs were lower than those of IIM Ahmedabad, Prof Bhattacharya said, “Both schools are very different and therefore have different criteria. You should ask IIM Ahmedabad why their cutoffs are higher.”

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