Ever since NMIMS declared its Window 1 Results (click here to access the results), we have been flooded with the following two questions:

  1. Which NMIMS campus can I get an inteview call from?
  2. Should I go for a retake?

Obviously the answer to these questions is in trying to predict the cutoff that NMIMS would have for its various programs. So let us first have a look at the cutoffs in the last two years.

Cut off for NMAT 2011 & NMAT 2012

Section

NMAT 2011 FT MBA

NMAT 2012
FT MBA*

NMAT 2012
FT MBA Pharma

NMAT 2012 PGDM Hyd/Blr

Quantitative Skills

78

74

50

70

Language Skills

55

55

50

55

Logical Reasoning

65

61

50

55

Overall

210

208

169

200

* FT MBA Programme, MBA Banking, MBA Capital Market and MBA HR

What about NMAT 2014?

This NMAT 2014 cut off will obviously be impacted by the paper structure, difficulty level, the number of seats in each program, the number of applicants and also the seats to interview calls ratio. While the structure and the difficulty level of the paper have not changed in the last two years, the number of seats in FT MBA Mumbai has increased from 300 to 360. However there is also an increase in the number of applicants. Hence I would assume that the cut offs this year will not be very different from last year.

Based on the sectional and the overall scores I have created five categories as given below:

Section

Category 1

Category 2A

Category 2B

Category 3

Category 4

Quantitative Skills

80 or more

75 – 80

70 – 75

50 – 70

< 50

Language Skills

55 or more

50 – 55

50 – 57

> 50

< 50

Logical Reasoning

65 or more

60 – 65

60 – 67

50 – 60

< 50

Overall

210 or more

205 – 209

200 – 205

175 – 200

< 175

Retake – FTMBA/PGDM

No

No/Maybe

Maybe/Yes

Yes

No

Category 1 students: Relax, you are likely to get interview calls from all the programs, focus on the other MBA entrance tests.

Category 2A students: While 80 is a safe score in QS, one cannot be certain of clearing the QS section at 75. Most probably you will get calls from NMIMS however you might choose not take any chance and go for a retake.

Category 2B students: Most probably you will not clear the QS sectional cut off for FT MBA at Mumbai campus, so if Mumbai is your target you should go for a retake. However, if you are satisfied with Bangalore or Hyderabad then a retake is not required. For a retake you should be confident of increasing your QS score by at least 5 marks and shifting to Category 2A.

Category 3 students: Except for FT MBA (Pharma) the others are unlikely to call you for an interview; hence, a retake is required. However, before deciding on the retake, please evaluate your total & sectional scores critically to decide if you will be able to reach at least Category 2B. If you think Category 2B scores are out of reach then do not go for a retake and instead focus on SNAP and CMAT.

Category 4 students: Howsoever cruel it might sound, I feel compelled to say that you will not get interview call from any course/campus at this score. Further, I would not recommend a retake also because the gap which you need to cover is huge and it is unlikely that you will be able to increase your sectional and the overall scores in the next 2-4 weeks. You would be better off focusing on SNAP and CMAT, which are definitely much more manageable.

Remember that this is just a guideline and you have to take your individual calls based on your ability to increase your scores, performance in CAT/IRMA and expected performance in SNAP and other tests. Give it a careful thought before deciding either way.

All the Best!