How are UG percentages and CGPAs converted for placement profiling at IIMs (e.g., is 89% UG considered a 9, and is an 8.8 CGPA converting to 76% treated as a 7 or 8)?

IIMs use a strict bracket system: 89% UG does not round up to a 9, and an 8.8 CGPA converting to 76% is treated as a 7, not an 8. The conversion rule your university officially provides is the one that counts, and the resulting percentage determines your bracket, with no rounding-up benefit.

How the Bracket System Actually Works

Each percentage falls into a bracket, and the bracket ceiling is exclusive. So 89% lands in the "8" bracket (80-89.99%), not the "9" bracket (90%+). This is not open to interpretation at the placement stage.

The placement committee uses the converted figure you submit, and that number gets slotted into whichever bracket it falls in. Rounding is not applied. If your converted percentage is 89.7%, you are still an "8".

The CGPA-times-10 formula is a common shorthand, but it is not universal. Some universities provide their own official conversion tables that produce different results.

If your institution's official conversion formula yields a number below 80, you are in the "7" bracket regardless of what a different formula might have produced.

What You Submit and What Gets Used

At most IIMs, you submit a conversion certificate or the official grading scale from your UG institution.

The placement cell uses exactly that figure. You cannot choose a more favourable formula, and you cannot argue that your CGPA "feels like" a higher percentage.

The table above illustrates why two classmates with similar CGPAs can land in different brackets depending solely on their university's official conversion rule.

Why This Matters for Shortlists

Many elite recruiters, including McKinsey, BCG, Goldman Sachs, and HUL, filter CVs at the shortlisting stage using these brackets as hard cutoffs. A profile sitting at 76% converted (bracket 7) may not clear the 80% threshold that several consulting and banking firms use as a minimum.

This is genuinely consequential, not a bureaucratic technicality.

The gap between brackets is not recoverable through other profile elements at the shortlisting stage. A strong CAT percentile, relevant work experience, or leadership roles matter after you clear the filter, not before it.

What You Can Do

If your university has an official conversion table that produces a more accurate figure than CGPA times 10, submit that table with your documents early. Do not assume the placement cell will apply the most favourable formula on your behalf.

• Get your university's official conversion certificate before orientation week.
• If multiple conversion scales exist, ask the placement office which one they will apply.
• If your UG grade is borderline (e.g., 79.5% converted), verify whether your university's certificate states a value above 80 before finalising your profile.

This is a narrow, rules-based system. Gaming it is not an option, but knowing your actual converted figure before Day Zero matters enormously for targeting the right shortlists.