IIM Bangalore Admission Process 2026-2028: PI Shortlist OUT and check CAT Cut Off 2025
IIM Bangalore has released the PI shortlist calls. Candidates who meet the minimum CAT cut off stand a chance to get selected for WAT-PI round of IIM Bangalore. Check below IIM Bangalore Admission Criteria 2026-2028.
IIM Bangalore admission criteria for MBA 2026-2028 - The minimum CAT cut off required for being eligible for IIM Bangalore’s Written Ability test (WAT) and Personal Interview (PI) was 85 percentile for General category students. For the final selection, weightage allotted to CAT exam score is 25 points and to PI is 40 points. WAT is allotted 10 points. For PI shortlisting the weightage is 55 Points, whereas academic record has 30 points. 10 points is for Work Experience and 5 points is for diversity.
IIM Bangalore shortlisting process for admissions 2026 has begun with the release of PI shortlist. The PI shortlist will be based on CAT 2025 cut offs. Those who meet the IIM Bangalore cut off, can apply for the PI shortlisting round.
- IIM Bangalore PI Shortlist 2026: Check Status and Apply
- IIM Bangalore Selection and Admission Process 2026
- IIM Bangalore Admission Process 2026: CAT Cut Offs
- Parameters for IIM Bangalore WAT-PI Shortlisting 2026
- IIM Bangalore Admission Process 2026: WAT-PI
- IIM Bangalore Admission Process: Final Selection 2026
- IIM Admission Criteria of Other Campuses 2026
IIM Bangalore PI Shortlist 2026: Check Status and Apply
Candidates who selected IIM Bangalore as their preferred institute in the CAT 2025 application form, are eligible to apply for PI shortlisting. Given below is the process to register for IIM Bangalore PI calls:
- Visit IIM Bangalore website
- Click on 'Admissions' tab
- Click on 'PGP 2026 Call for Interview Shortlist'
- Enter CAT application number and email address
- Fill the form with relevant details and submit it
The IIM Bangalore PI round will be held in February-March. Those selected, will be informed about the PI schedule via email. Candidates will have to participate in the WAT-PI round in person.
Commonly asked questions
The answer to this question of whether an average student can get into IIM can be both yes and no depending on the definition of an average student.
- Based on Academics (Class 10/ Class 12/ Graduation): While a student with average scores in Class 10, Class 12 and graduation with a good CAT score certainly has good chances of getting a call from IIM-A, chances are less for someone with an average CAT score.
- Based on student category (General or Reserved): While it is tough for a General category average student to grab a seat at IIM due to high score requirements, a reserved category student can get admission being at average scores as well.
- Based on past work experience, diversity and other factors: Gender and academic diversity is also a factor on which students are shortlisted at IIM. IIMs judge the past academic category based on the degree obtained by the students before MBA and then a weightage is allotted based on that. For Engineers, the percentage for scoring the highest marks is higher as compared with other streams
- Performance in selection rounds: Once you make it to the final selection rounds, i.e., AWT/PI process, it can be considered a fresh start. At this stage, students can forget their past average-ness but definitely require good grasp over the past subjects as academics-related questions are asked in the interview.
Based on the above factors, it can be considered that while getting into top Management institutes, such as IIM is extremely tough, the past performance, CAT performance, student category and a lot of factors can be the reasons for a student to receive that final call.
The CAT cut offs for IIM Bangalore hovers between 97-100 percentile. The qualifying CAT cut off required for being eligible for IIM Bangalore's Written Ability test (What) and Personal Interview PI is 85 percentile for General category students, whereas for SC candidates, it is 70 percentile. For ST candidates, it is 65 percentile and for PwD candidates it is 60 percentile. Given below are the sectional and overall qualifying CAT cut offs for IIM Bangalore.
- General category: 80 VARC 75 DILR 75 Quantitative Aptitude 85 (Overall)
- NC-OBC category: 75 VARC 65 DILR 65 Quantitative Aptitude 75 (Overall)
- EWS category: 70 VARC 65 DILR 65 Quantitative Aptitude 75 (Overall)
- SC category: 65 VARC 60 DILR 60 Quantitative Aptitude 70 (Overall)
- ST category: 55 VARC 55 DILR 55 Quantitative Aptitude 65 (Overall)
- PwD category: 50 VARC 50 DILR 50 Quantitative Aptitude 60 (Overall)
IIM Bangalore Selection and Admission Process 2026
The selection process of IIM Bangalore for 2026-2028 MBA batch includes three steps:
- Shortlisting of candidates based on CAT score
- WAT and PI
- Final selection for admission
IIM Bangalore Admission Process 2026: CAT Cut Offs
The CAT 2025 cut offs mentioned below are only the qualifying cut offs i.e. minimum percentile required to be eligible for the WAT-PI round of IIM Bangalore admission. For example, if a General category candidate scored 85 percentile in CAT exam, he/she was eligible for the Written Ability Test (WAT) and Personal Interview (PI) round.
| Category |
VARC |
DILR |
QA |
Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General |
80 |
75 |
75 |
85 |
| NC-OBC |
70 |
65 |
65 |
75 |
| EWS |
70 |
65 |
65 |
75 |
| SC |
60 |
60 |
60 |
70 |
| ST |
55 |
60 |
60 |
70 |
| PWD |
50 |
50 |
50 |
60 |
Eligible candidates will have to fill the IIM Bangalore shortlist form on the institute website to be selected for the WAT-PI round. Invitation for WAT-PI will be sent to shortlisted candidates via email.
Commonly asked questions
Minimum qualifying cut off for IIM Ahmedabad is 95 percentile whereas for IIM Bangalore and IIM Calcutta, it is 85. However final cut offs for these three top IIMs are between 99 to 100 percentile.
No, candidates are not required to opt for the Mathematics subject in their Class 12 board exams to qualify for BSc (Hons) admissions at IIM Bangalore.
Instead, candidates are required to have Mathematics in their Class 10 board exams. To be eligible for BSc (Hons) admissions, candidates need to clear the Mathematics subject with a minimum aggregate of 60% in Class 10.
The aggregate of other subjects in Class 10 board exams is irrelevant to BSc (Hons) admissions at IIM Bangalore.
Students have to meet the IIMB course eligibility to get admission. The eligibility requirements may change depending on the programme and specialisation. The common eligibility is as below:
- IIM Bangalore UG eligibility – Class 12 with relevant subjects
- IIM Bangalore PG eligibility – UG degree in relevant field
- IIM Bangalore PhD eligibility – PG degree in relevant field
Parameters for IIM Bangalore WAT-PI Shortlisting 2026
Weightage for CAT score for WAT-PI shortlisting is 55 points. Candidates were evaluated on the parameters mentioned in the below table for selection to the WAT-PI round:
| IIM Bangaore PI Shortlisting Parameters |
Weight |
|---|---|
| CAT score |
55 |
| Class 10 Board |
10 |
| Class 12 Board |
10 |
| Bachelor's degree |
10 |
| Work experience |
10 |
| Gender Diversity |
5 |
CAT VARC, LRDI & QA Weightage
The 55 points for CAT 2025 score will be further divided into the following sections.
| CAT Subjects |
Weight |
|---|---|
| Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC) |
19 |
| Logical Reasoning & Data Interpretation (LRDI) |
21 |
| Quantitative Aptitude (QA |
15 |
| Total |
55 |
IIM Bangalore Admission Process 2026: WAT-PI
In the second phase of IIM Bangalore admission, the candidates will have to appear for WAT which is a 30-minute essay writing test on topics from socio-political, economic and business affairs, sports, etc. In the PI, each candidate will be evaluated on the basis of his/her communication ability, academic background, quality of work experience and other personal traits.
During the PI, all candidates will be required to provide two reference letters from their employers or from teachers in the academic institutions where they had been students previously. These reference letters will also be used in candidate’s evaluation.
Commonly asked questions
Yes, it is possible to score 99.99 percentile in CAT in first attempt. Many toppers of previous years' are such candidates. One must study in a focussed manner and do a lot of mock test practice. Exam day strategy is also crucial for better performance.
On an average, about 10-15 CAT aspirants score 100 percentile. Given below is the data of CAT 100 percentilers of last 4 years:
Exam year | CAT 100 percentilers | State wise numbers |
|---|---|---|
CAT 2025 | 12 | 1- Uttar Pradesh 1- Karnataka 1- Maharashtra 3- Delhi 2- Haryana 2- Gujarat 1- Jharkhand 1- Odisha |
CAT 2024 | 14 | 1- Andhra Pradesh |
CAT 2023 | 14 | 1 – Andhra Pradesh |
CAT 2022 | 11 | 2 - Delhi 1 - Gujarat 1 - Haryana 1 - Kerala 1 - Madhya Pradesh 2 - Maharashtra 2 - Telangana 1 - Uttar Pradesh |
IIM Bangalore Admission Process: Final Selection 2026
In the final phase of IIM Bangalore Admission process, candidates will be evaluated on their WAT and PI performance as well as his/her academic background, quality of work experience and other personal traits. After WAT and PI, each selected candidate’s Composite Score will be calculated on the basis of the following parameters:
| IIM Bangalore Final Selection Parameters |
Weight |
|---|---|
| CAT score |
25 |
| WAT |
10 |
| PI |
40 |
| Class 10 |
5 |
| Class 12 |
5 |
| Graduation score |
5 |
| Weighted Work Experience/Professional Qualification |
10 |
| Total |
100 |
The gender diversity component will be applicable only for computing the pre-PI score for deciding on interview calls, and will be applicable for phase 2 of the admissions process leading up to final selection.
Candidates making it to the final admission list of IIM Bangalore MBA batch of 2026-2028 will be intimated through email by April 2025. Selected candidates will be required to confirm their admission by submitting offer acceptance form and requisite fee.
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Bannerghatta Road, Bangalore ( Karnataka)
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Student Forum
Answered 3 hours ago
There’s a big difference between both. Indian Institute of Management Bangalore is one of the top B-schools in India, with very high competition, strict selection (CAT + high percentile), and extremely strong placements. It’s best if you can clear the entrance and want top-tier corporate roles with
A
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
To download the IIMB BBA DBE 2026 scorecard, candidates must enter the following login details:
- User ID
- Password
Screen will show the IIMB BBA DBE scorecard 2026. Candidates can check their section-wise and overall score.
S
Contributor-Level 6
Answered a week ago
Yes, IIM Bangalore will release the IIMB BBA DBE 2026 admit card for the registered candidates. Applicant must login with their User ID and password to download the admit card. IIMB DBE 2026 exam will be held in July 2026.
N
Contributor-Level 6
Answered a week ago
IIMB DBE BBA 2026 exam time can be checked on release of the admit card. Registered candidates will be able to download the IIMB DBE 2026 admit card and check the exam day details to appear for online test.
N
Contributor-Level 6
Answered a week ago
To prepare for IIM Bangalore BBA in Digital Business and Entrepreneurship entrance test, candidates can get the IIMB DBE best books online or offline from nearby book stores. Candidates must ensure to check the edition and author name for books.
N
Contributor-Level 6
Answered a week ago
No, the syllabus for IIM Bangalore BBA in Digital Business and Entrepreneurship entrance test does not significantly change every year. The syllabus is covered for the following subjects:
- Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension
- Quantitative Aptitude and Data Interpretation
- Logical and Analytical Reaso
N
Contributor-Level 7
Answered a week ago
The IIM Bangalore BBA in Digital Business and Entrepreneurship entrance test does not have any sectional time limit. The IIMB DBE entrance test is conducted for a duration of 90 minutes, wherein candidates have to attempt 60 questions. Candidates can switch between sections as per their preference.
N
Contributor-Level 6







Vipra Shrivastava is MA in English Literature from Delhi University with extensive experience in content writing of over 14 years. She has been handling content for Management, Accounting and Commerce streams for 8
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