Why is your CGPA lower than others?
Do not make excuses. Briefly say what affected your scores, point to any upward trend, and show what you have built or learned that marks do not capture, such as projects, coding practice or internships.
Explain it simply
If the company called you for an interview, your CGPA already meets their cutoff. So this question is mainly about how you handle a weak spot.
One honest sentence on the reason, then move to evidence of ability: improving later semesters, strong grades in core subjects, projects, certifications, coding profiles. Never say marks do not matter; they matter to the person asking.
Example
Situation: Pranav has a 6.6 CGPA while his batch average is around 7.5.
Task: Address the gap and redirect to his strengths.
Action: He says: "My first two years were weak because I struggled to adjust to English-medium teaching after a Hindi-medium school. From fifth semester my SGPAs have been above 7.5. Alongside, I built two full-stack projects and solved over 300 problems on coding platforms. I would say my recent record shows my real ability better."
Result: The interviewer gives him a coding question, he does well, and the CGPA stops being the focus.
What to say in the interview
"My early semesters were weak because of X. Since then my scores have improved to Y, and I've built Z, which I think shows what I can do."
Common mistakes
- Saying marks do not matter.
- Blaming the college's evaluation.
- Giving a long, emotional explanation.