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.
- 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) |
|---|---|
| 90 |
|
| 95 |
|
| 85 |
|
| 90 |
|
| 85 |
|
| 90 |
|
| 95 |
|
| 80 |
|
| 94 |
|
| 90 |
|
| 94 |
|
| 90 |
|
| 75 |
|
| 90 |
|
| 90 |
|
| 94 |
|
| 94 |
|
| 85 |
|
| 94 |
|
| 94 |
Also Read:
Commonly asked questions
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)
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 |
|---|---|
| 98-99 |
|
| 95-99 |
|
| 95-97 |
|
| 96 |
|
| 97-99 |
|
| 90 |
|
| 91 |
|
| 85 |
|
| 86 |
|
| 80 |
|
| 85 |
|
| 80 |
|
| 80 |
|
| 80 |
|
| 70 |
|
| 70 |
Also read: CAT 2025 score and percentile required for IIM BLACK
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.
Let’s look at the options available to the candidates, incase they miss the minimum CAT cut off percentile mark:
Commonly asked questions
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.
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.
Also Read: What After CAT Result 2025?
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.
Complete list of colleges accepting CAT scores
Commonly asked questions
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.
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 |
In CAT 2025, the number of 100 percentilers was 12. Check state wise data:
Overall Percentile | Total | Gender and Discipline | State wise distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
100 | 12 | Female - 2 Male - 10 Engineering - 3 Non-Engineering - 9 | Uttar Pradesh 1 Karnataka 1 Maharashtra 1 Delhi 3 Haryana 2 Gujarat 2 Jharkhand 1 Odisha 1 |
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 |
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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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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered Yesterday
No, CAT is not compulsorily required to get admission in RV University. The university considers score of nationally approved admission test (such as CAT, GMAT, NMAT, XAT), with high scores in English & numerical ability for admission into MBA.
R
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
Dear reader,
Lovely Professional University (LPU) is a great substitute for Delhi University, which offers a good and prestigious platform for management education. With an industry-aligned curriculum, broad global exposure, and an exceptional track record of high-package placements with top interna
A
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
Dear reader,
Lovely Professional University (LPU) is a great substitute for Virohan: Vivekananda Global University, which offers a good platform for specialised study. With an industry-focused curriculum, extensive international exposure, and an exceptional track record of high-package placements wi
A
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
Yes. IIMB does require the CAT exam, but the rest of the top B-schools in Bangalore also take in candidates through the state-level CET, ie, the Karnataka PGCET exam, or through MAT or CMAT.
Top B-schools in Bangalore without CAT | Cutoffs Required |
|---|---|
26690 | |
29592 |
Note: All info. is from official sites and can change.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 weeks ago
IIM Calcutta has only mentioned accepting GMAT score for admission into EMBA courses.
However, CAT is commonly accepted by other similar institutes for both MBA and MBAEx courses. Thus, candidates are advised to ask admission desk for confirmation on this question.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 weeks ago
It is not possible to determine a candidate's admission in IIM Calcutta MBA course through CAT score alone. In Stage 1, a score 85% in CAT will be enough for a general category candidate to be selected for PI+WAT admission stage.
Final admission cutoffs are based on many factors other than CAT score.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 weeks ago
No, IIM Calcutta cannot get into MBA courses without appearing CAT first. CAT is a mandatory entrance exam and it is conducted every year for admissions into all MBA courses offered by this institute.
However, candidates who are applying for MBAEx course will be required to appear in GMAT for admissi
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 weeks ago
To get a seat at IFMR Chennai, students have to first appear for any one of the entrance exams accepted by the institute for the MBA/PGDM course admission. CAT, XAT, NMAT, CMAT, Andhra Pradesh ICET, IPAMT and SAT India are the entrance exams accepted by this institute for admission to the management
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 weeks ago
No, you cannot use the CAT score for direct admission to the MBA/PGDM course at this university.
You would need to first appear for the CAT entrance exam, and then get shortlisted for the PI and or GD rounds to be considered for a seat. Since the CAT cutoff is not released publicly, the closest esti
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 weeks ago
The Vishwakarma University CAT cutoff 2025 was released for admission to the MBA/PGDM course for the All India quota.
For the General AI category, the estimated Vishwakarma University MBA cutoff 2025 was 50. Students who gained this percentile are then eligible to enter the second round of admission
N
Contributor-Level 10
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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