Hi everyone, I need some honest feedback about my MBA application strategy for the top IIMs. Planning to take CAT 2025 and really want to know if I have a shot at the premier institutes.
My credentials:
- Class 10: 9.8 CGPA (CBSE board)
- Class 12: 76.8% (CBSE Science stream)
- Graduation: 7.96 CGPA (Engineering from SRM University)
- Professional experience: 3+ years at Cognizant in software development role, led small teams on cybersecurity projects, received performance awards
- Finance certifications: CFA Level 1 passed (high percentile), PRM cleared, NISM certified, financial modeling course completed
- Extra activities: Volunteer work and manage a large CFA study group
- Category: OBC-NCL
- CAT target: 99.5+ percentile
My main concern is whether the Class 12 percentage and undergraduate scores will hurt my chances during the selection process. I want to move into finance after MBA, specifically investment banking or research roles.
Has anyone seen candidates with similar profiles get calls from top IIMs? Should I be worried about the academic cutoffs? Any insights would be really helpful for my preparation strategy.