1 hour ago
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The term GEM (General Engineer Male) has become synonymous with the "Hard Mode" of Indian MBA admissions. For the 2026 cycle, the narrative on r/CATpreparation has shifted from hopeful to haunting. While a non-engineer female might see the gates of IIM Ahmedabad open at a 97-98 percentile, a GEM candidate often finds themselves in a "no-man's land" even with a 99.7+.
The struggle isn't just about the CAT score; it’s the Composite Score (CS). Most top IIMs award:
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0 points for Academic Diversity (because you're an engineer).
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0 points for Gender Diversity (because you're male).
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Reduced points for Graduation (if you're from a rigorous engineering stream with lower CGPAs).
This forces GEM candidates to rely almost 100% on their CAT score and Personal Interview (PI). But when the competition at the 99th percentile is 80% engineers, the PI becomes a brutal elimination round where "being good" isn't enough—you have to be an absolute outlier.
[Image showing GEM candidate vs. Diversity candidate score requirements for IIM ABC]
4 Replies
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Just saw a GNEM (General Non-Engineer Male) get a C call at 97.4 while my friend with 99.4 GEM is still waiting for a single BLACKI call. This isn't an exam anymore; it’s a profile-matching algorithm.
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To all the freshers: get some work-ex. As a GEM, a 99.5 with 2 years of solid experience is worth more than a 99.9 as a fresher. IIM Bangalore won't even look at you without those work-ex points
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I get the frustration, but the IIMs are trying to build a boardroom, not a coding floor. If 90% of the class is GEM, the discussions become one-dimensional. The system is harsh, but it's intentional.
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99.82 percentile. 9/9/8 profile. Rejected from IIM A, B, and C. It’s hard to explain to my parents that being in the top 0.18% of the country isn't 'good enough.' It feels like I’m being punished for a career choice I made when I was 17
