MBA from IIMs without CAT Exam: Check Courses List & Selection Criteria

MBA from IIMs without CAT Exam: Check Courses List & Selection Criteria

3 mins read31K Views Comment
CallCall 8585951111Got Doubts?
Vipra
Vipra Shrivastava
Senior Manager - Content
Updated on Feb 26, 2026 15:04 IST
You can pursue MBA from IIMs without CAT exam score. While, it is impossible to pursue full-time regular MBA from IIMs without CAT as it is a mandatory criteria for admission, there are other MBA courses candidates can opt for if they don’t want to appear in CAT Check this article for the list of MBA programmes for which CAT score is not mandatory.

Not ready for CAT exam? You can pursue MBA from IIMs without CAT exam score. Check this article for the list of MBA programmes for which CAT score is not mandatory.

MBA from IIMs without CAT

Is it possible to pursue MBA from IIM without CAT score? This is a commonly asked question on various platforms. It is a very genuine question as IIMs are the top ranked B Schools and a management course from there ensures a successful career. But, at the same time it is tough to crack IIM admission, due to high difficulty level and even higher competition.

CAT is compulsory for full-time MBA programme. Fresh graduate who wish to pursue regular MBA from IIMs cannot escape CAT. However, working professionals have the option to seek admission through non-CAT route.

Some of the IIMs also offer 5-year Integrated Management Programme, admission to which is done after Class 12. For this BBA+MBA programme, candidates do not have to appear for CAT. In this article we have shared details of IIM MBA course without CAT which you can opt for as a working professional.

Table of contents
  • IIM MBA Courses without CAT
  • Executive MBA from IIMs without CAT
  • Integrated MBA from IIMs without CAT

IIM MBA Courses without CAT

Management courses without CAT at IIMs include Executive MBA, Integrated Management Programme, PhD, MDP, FPM and professional certification courses. Read below all about MBA from IIMs without CAT.

Executive MBA is for working professionals looking for skill enhancement and upward mobility in corporate hierarchy. For this course, candidates have to have a minimum of two to five years of work experience at executive/managerial level. The Executive MBA course is imparted in either full time or online blended mode.

Integrated Management Programme is a five-year BBA+MBA course after class 12. Candidates who have completed class 12 can apply for this course, which offers MBA degree at the end of fifth year. This is a popular course option for candidates who don’t want to go through the process of CAT preparation and qualifying it.  

However, even for Executive MBA and Integrated Management Programme, candidates have to appear for entrance tests. They may not be as tough/competitive as CAT.  Read below for further details. 

Executive MBA from IIMs without CAT

MBA aspirants can pursue the course at IIMs without appearing for CAT exam but they will have to appear for other exams such as GMAT/GRE. Given below is the table indication MBA courses from IIMs without CAT (including courses that have CAT as one of the multiple exam options):

IIM College

Course

Eligibility/Selection Criteria

IIM Ahmedabad

ePGD in Advanced Business Analytics

 

GMAT/GRE/CAT/GATE or the ePGD-ABA qualifying-cum-aptitude test

Online MBA

IIMA Admission Test (IAT), CAT, GMAT, GRE

MBA-PGPX

GMAT/GRE

IIM Bangalore

EPGP

GMAT/GRE

PGPEM

GMAT/GRE or CAT

PGPPM

Course is exclusively for officers from All India Services, Central Services and State Services

IIM Calcutta

MBAEx

GMAT

PGPEx-VLM

Written Test

PGDBA

PGDBA Entrance Test

IIM Lucknow

PGPWE

GMAT/ GRE/CAT/ XAT/ GATE/ PGP-WE Entrance Exam

IPMX

GMAT/GRE

IIM Kozhikode

PGP-Finance

GMAT/GRE/CAT

PGP-LSM

GMAT/GRE/CAT

PGP-BL

GMAT/GRE/CAT

EPGP

EMAT/ GMAT/GRE

IIM Indore

EPGP

GMAT

PGPMX

IIM Indore Aptitude Test for PGPMX

IIM Shillong

PGPEx and PGP(WE)

GMAT

IIM Udaipur

PGDBA Working Executives

GMAT/GRE/CAT

One Year MBA-Global Supply Chain Management

GMAT/GRE/CAT

One Year MBA-Digital Enterprise Management

GMAT/GRE/CAT

IIM Trichy

MBA Working Executives (Chennai campus)

Written Test

IIM Ranchi

Executive MBA

Personal Interview

IIM Bodh Gaya

Executive MBA

Online Entrance Test

or

CAT or GMAT/GRE score

IIM Raipur

ePGP

Personal Interview

IIM Nagpur

MBA for Working Professionals

IIM Nagpur Aptitude Test

IIM Jammu

Executive MBA

GMAT/GRE/CAT/IIMJAT

IIM Sambalpur

Executive MBA

GMAT/GRE/CAT/GATE/IIMSAT

IIM Kashipur

Executive MBA

GMAT/CAT/EMAT

MBA (Analytics)

GMAT/CAT

IIM Sirmaur

MBA (Tourism & Hospitality Management)

GMAT/CAT/IIM Sirmaur Test

IIM Amritsar

Executive MBA

GMAT/GRE/GATE/CAT/IAAT

IIM Visakhapatnam

PGPDGM

GMAT/GRE/GATE/CAT

PGPEx

GMAT/GRE/IIMV Test/CAT

The selection process of Executive MBA programmes offered by IIMs include Personal Interview. Written Ability Test along with PI is mandatory for some courses. Thus, the candidates need to prepare for admission on the basis of selection criteria of the course they choose to pursue.

Integrated MBA from IIMs without CAT

Given below is the list of IIMs that offer five-year Integrate Programme in Management (IPM). Admission to these courses also include entrance exam and personal interview.

IIM College

Course

Eligibility/Selection Criteria

IIM Indore

IPM

IPMAT and WAT-PI

IIM Rohtak

IPM

IPM Aptitude Test and WAT-PI

IIM Jammu

IPM

JIPMAT and PI

IIM Bodh Gaya

IPM

JIPMAT and PI

IIM Ranchi

IPM

IPMAT and PI

Read More:

Staying updated about the latest educational events is just a click away
Enter Mobile Number
Q&A Icon
Commonly asked questions
Q:   What is the CAT cutoff required to get into IIM Bangalore?
A: 

IIM Bangalore considers two kinds of CAT scores for MBA admission - Qualifying and Final score. Qualifying CAT score is the minimum sectional and overall CAT score used to shortlist students for the Analytical Writing Test (AWT) and Personal Interview (PI) rounds. Candidates above minimum cutoffs in the sectional percentile ranks, the overall percentile rank and having a positive (greater than zero) raw score in all sections of CAT are considered for the next stage. The final CAT score is cutoffs are the basis of which the candidates are called for final selection after the AWT and PI rounds are over. 

Q:   Is IIM Ahmedabad hard to get?
A: 

IIM Ahmedabad admissions is based on entrance. Therefore, candidates must qualify the eligibility criteria and secure valid scores in CAT entrance exams. Moreoever, candidates ae required to apply for admission through the official website of IIMA. The percentile of CAT for IIM Ahmedabad reached up to 99.6 in the past years which shows how rigorous it is for a student to get admission to this Institute. Candidates are shortlisted for these programmes based on course-specific entrance exams, followed by shortlisting processes which generally comprise a Personal Interview (PI) round.

To conclude, seeking admission to IIM Ahmedabad is challenging but not difficult. 

Q:   Can I get direct admission in FPM at IIM Raipur?
A: 

No, there is no such provision to get direct admission at IIM Raipur FPM course. IIM Raipur accepts score of CAT/ GMAT/ GATE/ GRE/ UGC-NET for admission in FPM course. Candidates planning to take admission in FPM programme at IIM Raipur must take any one of the aforesaid exams to become eligible for admission in FPM course at IIM Raipur.

Candidates with a valid CAT/ GMAT/ GATE/ GRE/ UGC-NET scorecard will be shortlisted for the personal interview (PI) round; candidates based on their performance in PI round will be selected for the final admission process, i.e. document verification and fee payment.

Q:   Is CAT mandatory for IIM Kozhikode PGP admission?
A: 

Videos you may like
About the Author
author-image
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

Read Full Bio
qna

Comments