Not Done Well in CAT 2025 Exam? Don't Fret, You Can Still Get Admission in a Good B-School

CAT 2026 exam

29 Nov '26

Senior Manager - Content

Updated on Dec 24, 2025 16:44 IST

Not done well in CAT exam? - Don't worry if your CAT 2025 performance was below expectation. In fact, if you score between 80-90 percentile, IIM Ahmedabad is still within your reach. Yes, as are many other IIMs and popular B-Schools too that you can get with lower scores. Here we share what to do if you've not done well in CAT 2024.

Don't worry if your CAT performance does not match your expectation and you feel you may not be able to make it to your dream B-School. You can still get into a good MBA college, if do the college search right.

CAT exam is a high difficulty exam, thus scoring 95 percentile and above is a steep hill to climb for a lot of aspirants. And every year nearly about 3 lakh candidates apply for it making it tougher to score 99 percentile. So, what if you do not get above 95 percentile? Will you not get a top B-School?

CAT 2025 result has been declared today. Don’t be demotivated if you feel your scores are not as per your expectation in CAT 2025 exam. Don’t lose heart, all doors are not closed for you. You can still find a good B-School to pursue PGDM/MBA programme. In fact, if you score between 80-95 CAT percentile, IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore and IIM Calcutta are still within your reach. Yes, the qualifying CAT cut off score for IIM Ahmedabad is 95 percentile. For IIM Bangalore and IIM Calcutta too, it is 90 percentile for General category students. Although, the actual CAT cut off could be higher you still have a chance if your academic record is good (Predict Your CAT 2025 Percentile).

Latest: CAT 2025 result out @iimcat.ac.in - live updates

CAT toppers 2025: Names, percentiles and scores

Not only the IIMs but many other popular B-Schools are within your reach. B-schools such as GIM-Goa, K J Somaiya-Mumbai, TAPMI-Manipal, FORE-New Delhi, IFMR-Chennai, IRMA-Anand, MICA-Ahmedabad, LIBA-Chennai, XIME-Bangalore etc. accept students with CAT score range of 70-95 percentile. Moreover, it is not only the CAT score but your academic record and performance in Group Discussion (GD) and Personal Interview (PI) play a bigger role in MBA selection.

Table of contents

IIM MBA qualifying CAT cut offs
CAT 2025 Cut Offs: Non-IIMs
Predict Your MBA Admission Chances
Apply to new IIMs
Apply to non-IIMs
CAT percentile cutoff range for Non-IIMs accepting CAT score for admission
Take other MBA entrance exams

IIM MBA qualifying CAT cut offs

Reserved category students don’t need to worry much as they are given marks relaxation in IIMs as per government rule. The below mentioned cut off marks are qualifying marks. The actual cut off marks may be higher.

IIM	CAT 2025 cut offs (qualifying)
IIM Ahmedabad	90
IIM Bangalore	95
IIM Calcutta	85
IIM Lucknow	90
IIM Kozhikode	85
IIM Indore	90
IIM Rohtak	95
IIM Visakhapatnam	80
IIM Trichy	94
IIM Udaipur	90
IIM Ranchi	94
IIM Amritsar	90
IIM Shillong	75
IIM Kashipur	90
IIM Sambalpur	90
IIM Jammu	94
IIM Sirmaur	94
IIM Nagpur	85
IIM Raipur	94
IIM Bodhgaya	94

Commonly asked questions

Q: Which MBA colleges are available with 70 percentile in CAT?

A good number of private MBA colleges accept CAT score of 70 percentile in CAT. We have listed some of the colleges in which admission is possible with 70 percentile. Amity University AIMS Institutes (AIMS), Bangalore Amrita School of Business - Bangalore Acharya Bangalore B-School Asian Business School (ABS), Noida Amrita School of Business, Kochi Bengal Institute of Business Studies (BIBS), Kolkata Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani Christ Institute of Management, Pune Doon Business School (DBS), Dehradun Eastern Institute For Integrated Learning In Management, Kolkata FOSTIIMA Business School, Delhi International Institute of Business Studies, Noida International School of Business and Media (ISB&M) Bangalore JK Lakshmipat University-Institute of Management, Jaipur National University (JNU), Jaipur JRE Group of Institutions (JRE), Greater Noida Lotus Business School, Pune Lovely Professional University, Jalandhar MATS University, Raipur IIKM Business School, Calicut IILM Institute for Higher Education, Delhi For full list, click here: https://www.shiksha.com/mba/articles/colleges-accepting-cat-scores-range-70-to-80-percentile-blogId-11956.

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

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?

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.

Q: What is the CAT cut off for IIM Lucknow?

The CAT cut offs for IIM Lucknow is usually around 97-99 percentile. The two courses - PGP Agri-Business Management (ABM) and PGP Sustainable Management (some) are extremely popular among MBA aspirants who wish to make a career in these areas. The institute also offers PGP programme. The qualifying CAT cut off for IIM Lucknow's Written Ability test (What) and Personal Interview PI is 90 percentile for General category students, whereas for SC candidates, it is 70 percentile. For ST and PwD candidates, it is 60 percentile. Given below are the sectional and overall qualifying CAT cut offs for IIM Lucknow PGP course. General category: 85 VARC 85 DILR 85 Quantitative Aptitude 90 (Overall) NC-OBC category: 77 VARC 77 DILR 77 Quantitative Aptitude 82 (Overall) EWS category: 77 VARC 77 DILR 77 Quantitative Aptitude 82 (Overall) SC category: 55 VARC 55 DILR 55 Quantitative Aptitude 70 (Overall) ST category: 50 VARC 50 DILR 50 Quantitative Aptitude 60 (Overall) PwD category: 50 VARC 50 DILR 50 Quantitative Aptitude 60 (Overall) Click here for detailed IIM Lucknow admission and selection criteria: https://www.shiksha.com/mba/articles/iim-lucknow-shortlist-admission-criteria-blogId-18509.

CAT 2025 Cut Offs: Non-IIMs

The CAT cut offs for non-IIMs too are usually high (specifically for top ranked colleges). Given below is the table indicating expected CAT 2025 cut offs of other top MBA colleges in India.

B-School	Expected CAT cut offs 2025
FMS, Delhi	98-99
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

Also read: CAT 2025 score and percentile required for IIM BLACK

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Predict Your MBA Admission Chances

After the exam, you will have a fair idea of your performance and how much marks will you score. With that tentative score check out which IIMs and MBA colleges are within your reach. Shiksha has launched an online tool which helps in shortlisting colleges. The IIM & Non-IIM Predictor Tool is free and easy to use.

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

Let’s look at the options available to the candidates, incase they miss the minimum CAT cut off percentile mark:

Commonly asked questions

Q: How many CAT mock tests to practice to score 99 percentile?

Experts recommend that aspirants must practice at least 40 CAT mock tests to score above 99 percentile well in the exam. Most of the CAT test takers take up to 50 mock tests of various types and difficulty level. CAT toppers in previous years have practiced even up to 80 mock tests during their preparation. However, candidates must decide the number of CAT mock tests depending on their control and confidence on topics as the exam day comes closer. Mock tests are the best way to judge your performance viz. The important topics of CAT. The more one practices CAT mock tests, the more accurate they get in solving questions from all subjects. It is very important to know which formula to apply to which type question to solve the problem accurately. Mock tests help candidates in this aspect which is why practicing mock tests is most important in CAT preparation.

Q: Which MBA colleges are available with 60 percentile in CAT?

There are a number of private MBA colleges that accept CAT score of 60+ percentile for admission. We have listed some of the colleges below: AIMS Institutes (AIMS), Bangalore Amrita School of Business - Bangalore Acharya Bangalore B-School Asian Business School (ABS), Noida Amrita School of Business, Kochi Bengal Institute of Business Studies (BIBS), Kolkata Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani Christ Institute of Management, Pune Doon Business School (DBS), Dehradun Eastern Institute for Integrated Learning in Management, Kolkata FOSTIIMA Business School, Delhi International Institute of Business Studies, Noida International School of Business and Media (ISB&M) Bangalore International School of Business & Media, Kolkata IIKM Business School, Calicut IILM Institute for Higher Education, Delhi For full list, click here: https://www.shiksha.com/mba/articles/colleges-accepting-cat-scores-range-60-to-70-percentile-blogId-11984.

Q: Are CAT cut offs announced along with the CAT result?

CAT cutoffs are usually not announced with the CAT result. The CAT cutoffs are also not released to the public.

They are published after a few days of the result announcement when the IIMs and other colleges start their shortlisting process. The IIMs opens their shortlisting window based on the CAT cut-offs two to three days after the result announcement. The CAT percentile of candidates shortlisted for the Written Ability Test (WAT), Group Discussion (GD), and Personal Interview (PI) can be considered the cut-off for that IIM. For example, if a candidate with a CAT percentile of 99 belonging to the General category is selected for the WAT/GD-PI of IIM Calcutta, then the CAT cut-off for IIM Calcutta is 99 percentile. Only those candidates who make it to the WAT/GD-PI round of IIMs will get to know the cut-offs.

Q: What percentile is required for IIM Raipur?

The general category CAT percentile cutoff at IIM Raipur normally lies between 92 and 95%, though it could differ somewhat depending on the category (OBC, SC, ST) and applicant pool. At somewhat lower percentiles, candidates with a solid academic background and pertinent professional experience may be given consideration. A comprehensive review that takes into account the candidate's performance on the Written Ability Test (WAT), academic background, and personal interview (PI) is required for the ultimate selection. The likelihood of being shortlisted for the following round of the selection process increases with higher scores.

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Apply to new IIMs

If you can’t make it through to the WAT-PI round of the top IIMs, you still stand a chance in new IIMs like IIM Bodhgaya, IIM Ranchi, IIM Shillong, IIM Kashipur and IIM Sambalpur as their cutoff eligibility is low compared to top IIMs and other top B-Schools. So keep this option open.

Apply to non-IIMs

Another option for those scoring low in CAT exam is applying to non-IIMs. You will find many good colleges in the range of 80-90 or 70-80 CAT percentile ranges. Some of them are listed below:

Many B-Schools like SPJIMR, IMI Delhi, Lal Bahadur Shastri Institute of Management, TA Pai Management Institute accept CAT scores between 80-90 percentile. These institutes rank above some of the IIMs in the NIRF-MHRF’s ranking list.
Candidates with CAT score from 70 to 80 percentile can apply to institutes like Amity University, BIMTECH, BITS-Pilani, Great Lakes Institute of Management, IBS Business School and Institute of Management, Nirma University.
Candidates with CAT score from 60 to 70 percentile can apply to institutes like Doon Business School, IIBS, Bangalore, Indus Business Academy, Jagan Institute of Management, Sharda University and MIT School of Telecom Management.

CAT percentile cutoff range for Non-IIMs accepting CAT score for admission

MBA Colleges accepting CAT scores range 70 to 80 percentile	MBA Colleges accepting CAT score above 85 percentile
MBA Colleges accepting CAT scores range 80 to 90 percentile	Colleges accepting CAT score range 50-60 percentile
MBA Colleges accepting CAT scores range 60 to 70 percentile	Top MBA colleges accepting CAT apart from IIMs

Complete list of colleges accepting CAT scores

Commonly asked questions

Q: Which MBA colleges are available with 80 percentile in CAT?

There are quite a few MBA colleges who accept CAT score of 80 percentile and above for admission. The admission process for these colleges include group discussion and Personal Interview . Fore School of Management Goa Institute of Management International Management Institute, Delhi Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal Indian Institute of Management, Visakhapatnam Loyola Institute of Business Administration, Chennai Lal Bahadur Shastri Institute of Management National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli Praxis Business School, Kolkata Prin. L. N. Welingkar Institute of Management development & Research, Bangalore Shiva Institute of Management Studies, Ghaziabad Sydenham Institute of Management Studies, Research and Entrepreneurship Education S. P. Jain Institute of Management and Research TA Pai Management Institute Trinity College for Management and Technology, Ghaziabad Click on this link for more: https://www.shiksha.com/mba/articles/colleges-accepting-cat-scores-range-80-to-90-percentile-blogId-11981.

Q: What are the qualifying CAT cutoffs for all the IIMs?

Qualifying CAT cut off percentiles of Iims for Written Ability Test (What) and Personal Interview PI are listed below. Candidates who MET the qualifying CAT cut off, were eligible for What-PI round. These qualifying CAT cut offs are for General Category. The cut offs for Reserved category students are lower:

IIM Ahmedabad: 95 percentile
IIM Bangalore: 85 percentile
IIM Calcutta: 85 percentile
IIM Lucknow: 90 percentile
IIM Kozhikode: 85 percentile
IIM Indore: 90 percentile
IIM Udaipur: 93 percentile
IIM Shillong: 75 percentile
IIM Trichy: 93 percentile
IIM Visakhapatnam: 80 percentile
IIM Rohtak: 95 percentile
1IIM Nagpur: 85 percentile
IIM Jammu: 93 percentile
IIM Ranchi: 90 percentile
IIM Sirmaur: 92 percentile
IIM Bodhgaya: 93 percentile
IIM Sambalpur: 93 percentile
IIM Kashipur: 94 percentile
IIM Raipur: 93 percentile
IIM Amritsar: 90 percentile

For complete details of IIM selection and admission process read this article: https://www.shiksha.com/mba/articles/iim-shortlist-selection-admission-criteria-blogId-18787.

Q: What is sectional cutoff in CAT exam?

Sectional cut-off in the CAT exam refers to the section-wise percentiles required by the candidate to make it to the Personal Interview round of the IIMs or other top MBA colleges. The sectional cut-offs are lower than the overall cut-offs of any institute. To understand better, check the table below for sectional CAT cut-offs for IIM Ahmedabad:

Category	VARC percentile	DILR percentile	QA percentile	Overall percentile
General	70	70	70	80
NC-OBC-Transgender	65	65	65	75
SC	60	60	60	70
ST	50	50	50	60
PwD (General, NC-OBC-cum-transgender, SC)	60	60	60	70
PwD (ST)	50	50	50	60

For sectional cut-offs of all IIMs, check this article – IIM shortlist and selection criteria

Q: Which IIMs accept the CAT score of 85 percentile?

There are a very few IIMs which have CAT cutoff of 85 percentile. These are IIM Nagpur, IIM Amritsar and IIM Bodh Gaya. Since these IIMs have been launched in the last decade, the cut offs are low for admission to MBA/PGP courses. Reserved category students can apply with 85 percentile in most of the IIMs as the cut off for them is much lower in comparison to General category candidates.

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Take other MBA entrance exams

Typically, every MBA aspirant applies to more than one MBA entrance exam. On the top of the list are CAT, XAT, MAT, CMAT, NMAT by GMAC and SNAP. So, in case you are not happy with your performance in CAT exam, pay attention on other exams you will be taking in the coming months. Do well in them. Better scores in those MBA entrance exams will help you secure admission in a well reputed college. A poll conducted by Shiksha reveals that CMAT is a preferred choice among MBA aspirants after CAT.

Also Read: 20 MBA exams you can take this year

However, if you don’t want to compromise on your dream institute, then you may take a break and prepare for CAT 2026. But take this decision only after weighing all the pros and cons of taking a gap year.

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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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