Can someone who missed sectional cutoffs still get a JAP interview call?

No, candidates who miss any sectional cutoff in CAT cannot qualify for IIM JAP regardless of their overall percentile. A candidate with 97.02 overall and 51%ile in one sectional is automatically rejected.

The JAP rules are strict: all sectional cutoffs plus overall cutoff plus academic cutoffs must be cleared simultaneously. This is why candidates with 95+ overall but sectional at 73-74 are disheartened because they miss JAP by a fraction. Top IIMs (ABC, LI, K) also maintain strict sectional cutoffs, but their thresholds are higher (75-85 for General sectional).

1. IIM Ranchi at Rs 14L fees and Rs 17 LPA avg, IIM Udaipur at Rs 16L fees and Rs 18 LPA avg, IIM Amritsar at Rs 15L fees and Rs 13 LPA avg are missed entirely if sectionals aren't cleared. For candidates with high overall but weak one sectional, the options are: (
2. retake CAT focusing on the weak section, (
3. apply to non-IIM institutes like NMIMS (NMAT), XLRI (XAT), SPJIMR (CAT but different formula), (
4. attempt XAT which weights sectionals differently, (
5. apply to tier 2 colleges like TAPMI, Great Lakes, FORE, GIM Goa which don't have IIM-style sectional cutoffs. The harsh truth: sectional strategy is as important as overall, especially for CAT retakers.

Prepare for all 3 sections equally; neglecting QA or DILR because you're strong in VARC is a common mistake that costs JAP conversion. Practice sectional tests to verify consistent performance. Check your eligibility at collvera.