IIM Calcutta Shortlist & Selection Criteria 2026-2028: PI Calls OUT; Check CAT Cut Offs 2025; WAT-PI Process

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Vipra Shrivastava
Senior Manager - Content
6 mins readUpdated on Jan 8, 2026 22:24 IST
IIM Calcutta selection criteria 2026-2028 for MBA programme includes WAT and PI. Minimum CAT cut off requirement in 85 percentile for General category candidates. Check IIM Calcutta shortlisting criteria, admission policy, IIM CAT cut off percentile and WAT-PI process.

IIM Calcutta selection criteria 2026-2028 - The institute has released PI shortlist calls today. Check here IIM Calcutta shortlisting criteria which includes CAT cutoffs, composite score calculation and parameters for final selection

IIM Calcutta

IIM Calcutta PI calls are out for MBA 2026 admission. Candidates who had selected IIMC in CAT 2025 application form, are eligible for the WAT-PI round if they meet the minimum cut off. The qualifying CAT cut off is 85 percentile for General Category. The final CAT cut offs of IIM Calcutta is expected to be between 99-98 percentile. The Written Ability Test (WAT) and Personal Interview (PI) together have weightage of 56 points for final selection to MBA course of IIM Calcutta.Weightage allotted to CAT exam score is 56 points for PI shortlisting and 30 points for final selection. The WAT-PI round of IIM Calcutta will be held in February 2025.  Read below, all about IIM Calcutta shortlisting criteria and admission process for MBA.

Table of contents
  • IIM Calcutta Admission Process 2026-28
  • IIM Calcutta PI Shortlist Process 2026
  • IIM Calcutta Selection Criteria 2026: Qualifying CAT Cut Off
  • IIM Calcutta Selection Criteria 2026: PI Shortlisting Parameters
  • IIM Calcutta Shortlisting Criteria: Class 10 and Class 12 Score Weightage
  • IIM Calcutta Admission Criteria: Points for Academic Diversity
  • IIM Calcutta Composite Score Calculation
  • IIM Calcutta MBA Shorlisting Criteria: Points for Work Experience
  • Campus-wise IIM admission criteria and selection process 2026
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IIM Calcutta Admission Process 2026-28

IIM Calcutta selection and admission process included three stages:

  1. Shortlisting of candidates for PI on the basis of CAT score
  2. Conduct of PI in a number of cities or online
  3. Calculation of Composite Score for final selection

In the final round of IIM Calcutta admission process, candidates will be evaluated on the basis of their CAT score, PI performance, academic history, work experience and diversity. A Composite Score of each candidate will be calculated on the basis of these aspects following which final offers will be sent out to candidates.

Q&A Icon
Commonly asked questions
Q:   Can an average student get into an IIM?
A: 

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.

Q:   What is the CAT exam cutoff required to get admission to IIM Bangalore?
A: 

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)
Q:   What is the difference between qualifying CAT cut off and final CAT cut off?
A: 
Qualifying CAT cut off percentiles of an IIM is the minimum percentile (sectional as well as overall) required by candidates to be eligible for the Written Ability Test (What) and Personal Interview PI round. These are only eligibility score and not the score for selection. The final CAT cut off percentiles are the scores on the basis of which a candidate is actually selected for the What-PI round. The qualifying CAT cut offs are released publically before the CAT exam and result as a part of selection criteria for the MBA/PGP batch of that year. The qualifying cut offs for CAT are release category wise - General, NC/OBC. General-EWS, SC/ST, PwD. The qualifying cut offs percentiles of General category candidate is higher than then rest. The final CAT cut offs are not released publically. The cut offs are estimate on the basis of candidate's selection for What-PI. The final CAT cut offs for General category candidate is also higher than then rest.

IIM Calcutta PI Shortlist Process 2026

The IIM Calcutta PI form is available at the institute website, and candidates can check it by using CAT 2025 user ID and email ID. Steps to apply:

  • Go to IIM Calcutta website
  • Click on the tab indicating interview shortlist 2026-28 MBA
  • Enter CAT 2025 user ID and email ID to login 
  • Fill the form with relevant details

Those shortlisted on the basis of IIM Calcutta CAT cut off, were informed about the interview schedule via email.

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IIM Calcutta Selection Criteria 2026: Qualifying CAT Cut Off

Below table indicates category-wise qualifying CAT cut offs needed to be eligible for PI round. The qualifying IIM Calcutta cut off percentiles are same as previous year. 

Category QA percentile DILR percentile VARC percentile Overall percentile

General

75

80

80

85

NC-OBC

65

65

70

75

EWS

65

65

70

75

SC

60

60

65

70

ST

55

55

55

65

PWD

45

45

45

55

The above mentioned IIM Calcutta cut off percentiles are the qualifying CAT cut offs for candidate shortlisting purpose. The final IIM Calcutta cut offs goes higher for each category, in the range of 98-100 percentile. 

Q&A Icon
Commonly asked questions
Q:   Is CAT cutoff higher for non-IIMs?
A: 

CAT cut offs for non-IIMs is usually lower than IIMs.

Top MBA College

CAT Cut Offs (percentile)

FMS, Delhi

98-99

IIFT Delhi

95-99

SPJIMR, Mumbai

95-99

IMT, Ghaziabad

95-97

JBIMS, Mumbai

96

MDI, Gurgaon

97-99

IMI, New Delhi

90

XIM, Bhubaneshwar

91

GIM Goa

85

K J Somaiya, Mumbai

86

TAPMI, Manipal

80

FORE, New Delhi

85

IFMR, Chennai

80

IRMA, Anand

80

MICA, Ahmedabad

80

LIBA, Chennai

70

XIME, Bangalore

70

Q:   Which are some of the top MBA colleges for 85 percentile in CAT?
A: 

Some of the top CAT 85 percentile colleges are mentioned below:

·       IIM Amritsar

·       IIM Bodh Gaya

·       IIM Nagpur

·       VGSoM IIT Kharagpur

·       Department of Management Studies – IIT Madras 

·       Department of Management Studies-IIT Roorkee,

·       Department of Management Studies-Delhi Technological University

·       TAPMI Manipal

·       IMT Nagpur

Q:   How can I prepare for admission at IIM Calcutta?
A: 

Admission to MBA at IIMs and several top Management colleges is through CAT. Candidates shall have a good preparation strategy to ace the exam to be eligible to apply at the Download MBA colleges in India. Some preparation tips for candidates preparing for CAT to seek admission at IIM Calcutta are as follows:

Read books, editorials, newspapers, and journals to improve your vocabulary and reading skills. Check below section-wise questions and answers:

Download4 href="https://www.shiksha.com/mba/articles/verbal-ability-reading-comprehension-varc-questions-with-answers-for-cat-blogId-121821">VARC questions with answers

DI & LR questions with answers

Download4 href="https://www.shiksha.com/mba/articles/data-interpretation-logical-reasoning-questions-for-cat-blogId-124153">DI3 Aptitude questions with answers

Download4 more about the CAT preparation strategy.

IIM Calcutta Selection Criteria 2026: PI Shortlisting Parameters

Here's the table indicating parameters and points on the basis of which candidates will be shortlisted for the PI and WAT round:

Parameters Points
CAT score 56
Class 10 marks 10
Class 12 marks 15
Gender Diversity  4
Total 85

IIM Calcutta composite Score cutoff will be announced after the PI round. Score of candidate will be calculated on the basis of points scored by candidates in the following  - Class 10 marks, Class 12 marks, Graduation score, WAT/PI, work experience and stream/gender diversity.

IIM Calcutta Shortlisting Criteria: Class 10 and Class 12 Score Weightage

Check below points allotted for academic score:

Class 10 Marks (in %)

Points

Class 12 Marks (in %)

Points

 More than 80

10

More than 80

15

75-80

8

75-80

12

70-75

6

70-75

9

65-70

4

65-70 

6

60-65

2

60-65

3

60

0

60

0

Check CAT Cut offs and predict calls from IIMs and other Top MBA Colleges, whether your CAT score is 70 percentile, 80 percentile or 90 percentile. Check Fees, Placement Reviews, Admission, Shortlist Criteria and eligibility of all MBA Colleges by clicking the link below:

Predict IIM & Non IIM Calls

IIM Calcutta Admission Criteria: Points for Academic Diversity

Check below the table indicating points for academic diversity in graduation and post graduation. 

Course Stream

Points for Academic Diversity

Bachelor's, Master’s or Integrated Master’s degree in engineering stream

0

Bachelor's degree in non-engineering stream

4

Dual bachelor’s degree in Law (e.g. BA LLB, BSc. LLB, B.Com LLB, BBA LLB).

5

Bachelor's degree in engineering stream and Masters in non-engineering stream

2

Bachelor's degree in non-engineering stream and Masters in non-engineering stream

5

Dual/Integrated degree in non-engineering stream

5

Dual/Integrated degree where Bachelors is engineering stream and Masters is non-engineering stream

1

CA/ICWA/CS or Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries of India (FIAI) without having a bachelor’s degree.

5

CA/ICWA/CS or Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries of India (FIAI) with a bachelor’s degree.

6

CA/ICWA/CS or Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries of India (FIAI) with or without a bachelor’s degree, and with Masters in non-engineering stream.

6

Integrated bachelor’s degree in Law and Masters in non-engineering stream.

6

IIM Calcutta Composite Score Calculation

The final selection will be based on the candidate's performance on the following parameters as per the IIM Calcutta shortlisting criteria. Also mentioned, are the weightage allotted to each parameter. A category-wise merit list was prepared for IIM Calcutta admission. Check IIM Calcutta weightage and parameters below for reference:

Components

Weights

CAT score

30

Personal Interview (PI)

48

Written Ability Test (WAT)

8

Work Experience

8

Academic Diversity at Bachelor’s level for Non-Engineering degree

6

Total

100

IIM Calcutta MBA Shorlisting Criteria: Points for Work Experience

For admissiion to IIM Calcutta weightage is given to work experience as well. The minimum work experience that will be taken into consideration is more than 12 months. Maximum points have been allotted to work experience ranging from 31 to 36 months. The length of service will be calculated as on January 31, 2026.

Months

Points

Less than 12 months

0

12 to 18 months

2

19 to 24 months

4

25 to 30 months

6

31 to 36 months

8

37 to 42 months

6

More than 48 months

2

Candidates selected for admission to IIM Calcutta's MBA course will be intimated through email ID in April 2026. Selected candidates will be required to confirm their admission by sending across offer acceptance letter and offer acceptance fee (adjustable in the first instalment of tuition fee). Those who will fail to confirm their admission in the stipulate time frame, will be rejected.

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Vipra Shrivastava
Senior Manager - Content

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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Answered a month ago

Indian Institute of Management Calcutta is a goverment institute. The institute was founded in 1961 as the first national institute for PG and Research in Management by the Goverment of India. IIM Calcutta offers PG and certfication programmes. The institute also offers customised Long Duration Prog

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Upasana Kumari

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Answered 2 weeks ago

The college offers PG Diploma and an MA course. For admissions into the MA course, the students must fulfil the minimum eligibility criteria, that is, to obtain 55% marks in their UG degree. Then, they must appear for CUET exam followed by councelling and personal interview round. The weightage of t

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Chandeep Singh

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Answered 3 weeks ago

Indian Institute of Management Calcutta seat is based on qualfying the entrance exams. After qualifying the exam students must have to clear the entrance exams. 

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Kartik Shekhar

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Answered 3 weeks ago

Indian Institute of Management Calcutta is a goverment institute. The institute has first national institute for PG and Research in Management by the Goverment of India. IIM Calcutta is accredited by AACSB and AMBA. 

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Jagriti Shukla

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Answered 3 weeks ago

Yes, it is hard to get admission at Indian Institute of Management Calcutta. The institute accepts admisison based on entrance exams. The institute accepts national entrance exams like CAT, UGC NET,  GMAT, and others. IIM Calcutta course admission begin with the online application. Students can appl

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Abhishek Aggarwal

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Answered 3 weeks ago

Indian Institute of Management Calcutta admission 2026 are open. IIM Calcutta opens admission to most of its courses in the first week on January every year. Candidates are advised to keep checking the official website for the year 2026.

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Mayank Surbhi

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 3 weeks ago

No, IIM Calcutta does not offer direct admission. The institute accepts admisison based on entrance exams. The institute accepts national entrance exams like CAT, UGC NET, GMAT, and others. Candidates must know their IIM Kolkata eligibility criteria and apply accordingly.

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Upasana Kumari

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Answered 3 weeks ago

Yes, Indian Institute of Management Calcutta is expensive as coampared to other institute. The fee for the available courses ranges from INR 59,000 - 31,00,000. The IIM Calcutta fee is made up of a number of different elements, including the tuition, security deposit, and hostel fee.

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Anupama Singh

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