What chances does an SC General candidate with 96/95/7.05 graduate in Political Science have at BLACKI as a fresher with no work experience?

An SC candidate with 96/95/7.05 and a Political Science background sitting at 95 percentile has a genuinely strong shot at 4-5 BLACKI calls. This is not a borderline case. Your academics are clean, your category reduces cutoff pressure, and your non-engineering background is a genuine differentiator at schools that actively recruit for classroom diversity.

Why Your Academic Profile Holds Up

BLACKI schools score Class X, XII, and graduation marks separately in their shortlisting formulas. A 96 in Class X and 95 in Class XII place you in the top 15% of all applicants on those two axes alone. The 7.05 CGPA in Political Science looks lower on paper than an engineering CGPA, but IIM Ahmedabad and IIM Calcutta normalise graduation scores by discipline, so a 7.05 in a humanities stream is not penalised the way it might feel intuitively.

The fresher tag is not a liability here. IIM Bangalore, IIM Lucknow, and IIM Kozhikode each admit 40-50% freshers in their batches, and none of the BLACKI schools make work experience a mandatory shortlist criterion for SC applicants.

Realistic Call Probability by School

At 95 percentile, you clear every one of these SC thresholds with meaningful room to spare. The honest expectation is 4-6 shortlist calls across BLACKI if your section-wise scores are balanced (no single section below 85 percentile).

The Non-Engineer Diversity Angle

IIM Ahmedabad's Personal Appearance process and IIM Calcutta's GDPI both reward applicants who bring uncommon perspectives. A Political Science graduate discussing public policy, electoral systems, or governance is not a typical MBA interviewee. Firms like McKinsey, BCG, and Deloitte, which recruit aggressively at BLACKI, have consulting verticals in public sector and development finance where your background reads as an asset rather than a gap. Prepare two or three substantive talking points from your Political Science coursework, not vague references to "analytical thinking."

Where the Risk Actually Lives

The real threat to your profile is not your category or your degree. It is a lopsided CAT score.

If your Verbal score is strong (common for Political Science graduates) but your DILR or Quant section dips below 85 percentile, some IIMs will reject the overall application despite a 95+ overall.

IIM Bangalore and IIM Calcutta apply sectional cutoffs strictly. Fix Quant first, then DILR.

Do not chase internships or certifications between now and the exam. Your profile's weakness is entirely on the CAT scorecard, and that is fixable with focused preparation between now and November.