Why does IIM Indore reject 99+ percentile candidates with strong profiles?

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IIM Indore rejects 99+ percentile candidates with strong profiles mainly because of internal academic score cutoffs that weight 10th and 12th class marks heavily, often with a hidden 94-95% cutoff for 10th CBSE candidates. The OP of this thread had 9/9/9 98.43%ile with 2 years workex, and was rejected at Indore despite strong profile; further investigation revealed his 10th was 90.25% CBSE, likely below Indore's internal threshold. Many candidates with 99.7+ percentile were rejected at Indore in 2026 because: (1) 10th CBSE below 95% costs shortlist points, (2) 12th below 92% is penalized, (3) Indore normalizes board scores creating hidden penalties for certain boards. IIM Indore at Rs 16.5L fees and Rs 25 LPA average remains highly selective despite its "baby IIM" branding; it prioritizes overachievers with 10/10/10 profiles. Candidates with 99.37 GEM and 9/9/8 were rejected; candidates with 99.69 GNEF 9/9/8 14-month ex were rejected too. The pattern: Indore applies stricter 10th/12th cutoffs than stated publicly. For CAT 2025 aspirants targeting IIM I, focus on: securing 99.7+ CAT, 10th above 95%, 12th above 92%, UG above 85%. Candidates from state boards or lower scores should target IIM Lucknow, Kozhikode, Shillong, or new IIMs where academic thresholds are more transparent. Don't interpret Indore rejection as profile failure; it's often a specific cutoff mismatch, not overall quality. Check your eligibility at collvera.com/eligibility