Every May, the internet floods with takes saying board marks don’t matter. “Real life begins after school,” they say. “No one asks your scores in a job interview.” Maybe that’s true for some careers. But if you’re aiming for the holy grail of Indian business education, the IIMs: your Class X and XII marks could make or break your chances.
Prithvi Shankar, an IIM Bangalore graduate, recently broke it down with brutal honesty. His post went viral for a reason. It wasn’t motivational fluff. It was the reality check most students (and parents) need.
Here’s What the Numbers Say
Top IIMs weigh your past academics heavily when deciding who gets shortlisted for interviews. Take a look:
- IIM Ahmedabad: Class 10 – 10%, Class 12 – 10%, Graduation – 10%
- IIM Bangalore: Class 10 – 15%, Class 12 – 15%, Graduation – 15%
- IIM Calcutta: Class 10 – 10%, Class 12 – 15%
- IIM Indore: Class 10 – 39%, Class 12 – 20%, CAT – 25%
Yes, you read that right. At IIM Indore, your Class 10 marks matter more than your CAT score.
This means that even if you score a 99+ percentile in the CAT, low board marks can keep you off the shortlist. And it happens more often than you think.
Shankar shared the kind of messages he gets all the time:
I have 80/74/72 in 10th/12th/Grad. Can I still make it to IIM A/B/C?
His answer? It’s tough. Not impossible. But definitely tough.
Don’t Bet Against Your Future Self
What does this mean for current students? If you’re in school or college and there’s even a sliver of a chance you might consider an MBA someday, maximize your marks now. You may not know your path yet, but your future self might be chasing something that depends on what you do today.
For those who’ve already passed that stage; yes, there’s still hope. Great work experience, strong CAT scores, and profile diversity can still get you there. But let’s drop the myth that school marks “don’t matter.” Because for some dreams, they absolutely do.
It’s not about fear. It’s about preparation. And honesty.
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