CMAT: Gateway to JBIMS

Analysis of CMAT & JBIMS cutoffs[/b]

1. Introduction to JBIMS[/b]

Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, popularly called JBIMS is one of the premier b-schools in India founded 50 years ago in Mumbai. It is considered to be unique in management education as it is firmly rooted in the local soil and capable of articulating the Indian ethos. It is ranked in the league of premier management institutes such as the Indian Institute of Management (IIMs), Xavier Labour Relation Institute (XLRI) and Faculty Of Management Studies (FMS).

Its flagship MBA program, by name Master of Management Studies-MMS which has an intake of 120 students is considered to be one of the best courses in the country. Directorate of Technical Education (DTE), Maharashtra takes care of the selection process. Entrance exam for JBIMS is CMAT which is held twice every year (Sep and Feb). Previously, selections were made through MH-CET but after 2012, MH-CET was scrapped. JBIMS accepted CAT scores also last year but no information has been specified about it this year.

2.Seats Allocation[/b] :[/b]

The 120 seats are divided in this way :

Sl. No

Region

Percentage of seats

No. of seats

1

Students from Mumbai

70%

84

2

Students from Maharashtra outside Mumbai

15%

18

3

Students outside Maharashtra(OMS)

15%

18

Out of these, Sl. No-1 and Sl. No-2 are subject to reservation policies as stipulated by Maharashtra Government. However, the third section, OMS is open to all people and no reservation applies here.

3. Selection criteria:

In the first round, only CMAT scores are taken into consideration and the top scorers in CMAT are called for the interviews. A ratio of 1:3 is generally maintained while giving calls. So, if an OMS candidate is in the top 50-60 OMS rankers, he would stand a good chance of getting a call from JBIMS. The final selection is made using the following break up :

Parameter

Weightage

Allotment of marks

CMAT Score

400

Score out of 400 is directly taken

X marks

4

75%+ = 4marks60-75%= 2marks

XII marks

4

75%+ = 4marks60-75%= 2marks

Work Experience

4

1yr =1mark2yrs=2marks3yrs=3marks4 or 4+ = 4marks

GD

34

Based on GD performance. Max marks = 34

Interview

34

Based on interview performance. Max marks = 34

Total[/b]

480[/b]

480[/b]

Now that we know the break up, let me explain the technicalities involved in the above table.

Five sixth of the total weightage is given to the written exam CMAT.

Only 14% weightage is given to the GD-interview stage.

Very less importance is given to academic performance and work ex.

So, even

(1) Aspirants with less percentages in boards(graduation is not at all considered)

(2) Aspirants without work experience

(3) Aspirants who are not so confident about their interview and GD skills

could give CMAT seriously and stand a chance to get a JBIMS convert. So, written exam is what matters the most. A close look at the previous years’ cutoffs would give an idea as to what would be a “safe” score in CMAT. I have taken cut off for OMS students as the example.

P.S : Till last year, MH-CET was the entrance exam. It was for 200 marks and number of marks to each section was half of what it is now. (Total was for 240 marks in the final selection) JBIMS cutoffs:

Year

Cutoff for call (out of 200)

Cut off for final convert (out of 240)

2012

135

169

2011

142

175

2010

166

190

2009

152

180

So, if we observe from the past papers, cutoffs in the initial rounds have been around 145. So, going by that, the cutoff in CMAT would be 290 or let us say 300 to be on the safer side. In fact, last year when CMAT was also accepted as one of the entrance exams, 290 was the cut off. So a score in excess of 300 would ensure a call from JBIMS. And the final cut off was around 175. So now, it would be 175*2=350. 360 would be a safer bet here. So, for various scores in CMAT, the required GDPI score for a person with 2yr work ex and 75+ in X and XII would be :

CMAT Score

X + XII + Work ex score

Required GDPI score for final convert(out of 68)

Total Score

290

6

64

360

300

6

54

360

310

6

44

360

320

6

34

360

So, a person with 320+ score in CMAT would require 34 out of 68 in the GDPI stage in order to get a convert from JBIMS which is 50% of the total marks. In other words, with a score of 320+, even an average performance in GD and PI would ensure a person seat in JBIMS.

4. Maximising score in CMAT :[/b]

So, maximizing score in CMAT is an easier way to get a JBIMS admit . Before explaining how the score could be maximized, let me brief you through the pattern of CMAT.

Subject Area

No. of questions

Marks per question

Total Marks

Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation

25

4

100

Logical Reasoning

25

4

100

Verbal ability and Reading comprehension

25

4

100

General Awareness

25

4

100

Total[/b]

100[/b]

4[/b]

400[/b]

Each question carries 4 marks and -1marks are awarded for each mistake. The duration of the exam is 3hours and it is an online exam held over 5days without normalization of scores.

Those who have prepared for CAT would find the first section to be easy so much so that a score of 90 or more is easily achievable. With some concentration in the second section, a similar score is not difficult to achieve. Apart from the critical reasoning part, almost everything that is tested in the third section of CMAT is tested in CAT. Also, the level of difficulty is lesser than that of CAT. So a decent score here would mean 70 and any one with good skills in verbal ability would not find scoring 80+ to be difficult. The area that is completely new for CAT aspirants would be GA, General Awareness. It tests the basic current affairs, relevant static history and other questions on these lines. A person who reads newspapers on a daily basis can answer about 20 of the 25 questions. Those who think that they are not good in this section need not get bogged down. Reading books, newspapers and browsing appropriate websites would help them attempt at least 15 questions correctly.

So, if I tabulate these scores for various cases, then it would look something on these lines:

Subject Target

Strength : QADI

Strength : Logical reasoning

Strength : Verbal ability and Reading comprehension

Strength : General Awareness

Strength : Decent in all areas

QADI

95

90

90

85

85

LR

90

95

85

85

85

VARC

75

75

80

70

75

GA

60

60

65

80

75

Total[/b]

320[/b]

320[/b]

320[/b]

320[/b]

320[/b]

So, to achieve a target of 320+, decent strength in all the areas with one strong area is what is needed. This is not difficult as many of the aspirants need just a revision in almost all the areas and a good strategy in the next 40days would ensure the targeted score.

5.Why JBIMS?[/b]

All said and done, here are a few things that you should be looking for in JBIMS.

(1) The brand name. It is 40 years old.

(2) Strong alumni base. It has a strong alumni base with prominent personalities like Chanda Kochhar, Mani Ratnam graduating from this place and it is popularly called “CEOs Factory” .

(3) ROI : The tuition fee in JBIMS is Rs.1Lakh per annum. The hostel fee is also very less when compared to other b-schools. On the other hand, JBIMS has enjoyed great placement seasons in the past. Hence, its ROI stands as one of the assets to it.

(4) Place advantage : It is strategically located in Mumbai, the industrial capital of India. So, one can expect a plethora of industry opportunities and interactions.

(5) Last but not the least, JBIMS is equipped with great infrastructure and experienced faculty.

So, put your CAT worries aside, open your CMAT books and start preparing for CMAT. JBIMS is calling you.
 
Back
Top