Admit Card - 12 Nov '25
IIM admission criteria and selection process are same for all yet institute specific.Read here all about IIM admissions, including eligibility, process, selection parameters, weightage of CAT score and GD/PI.
Common Admission Test or CAT is the most popular entrance exam for MBA/PGDM admissions. CAT scores are accepted by the 20 IIMs and over 1200 MBA institutes across India.
CAT 2020 was conducted by IIM Indore. CAT 2020 result was announced on January 2, 2021 and the selection process is expected to begin soon for all IIMs. The admission are conducted by the institutes individually. Selection criteria and minimum cut off marks are also fixed individually by each institute.
Explore colleges based on CAT
Want better recommendations?
There is a 90% more chance of getting best college recommendations by sharing preferences.
- Chat with our counselor
- Get your personalised list of colleges & exams matching your preferences
Various MBA institutes including the IIMs release their admission criteria and selection process from August onwards. Many management institutes including FMS, SPJIMR, IMT start their registration process for admissions much before the CAT exam is conducted, however the IIMs begin their admission process after the declaration of CAT results. In this article, you will read all about IIM admission criteria and selection process.
- IIM Admission and Selection Process: Overview
- Parameters for IIM MBA Final Selection
- Institute-wise IIM selection criteria and admission process
IIM Admission and Selection Process: Overview
IIM admission process
For admission to all the 20 IIMs, basic eligibility criteria is 50 per cent marks in graduation and valid CAT score. But that's not all. The candidate must score above the CAT cut off percentile fixed for that year, have a good academic record and clear the Written Ability Test (WAT), Group Discussion (GD) and Personal Interview (PI).
Explore more MBA exams with upcoming dates
17 Oct '25 - 18 Nov '25
1 Aug '25 - 20 Nov '25
30 Sep '25 - 20 Nov '25
10 Jul '25 - 5 Dec '25
23 Oct '25 - 7 Dec '25
1 Aug '25 - 16 Dec '25
1 Jul '25 - 19 Dec '25
21 Dec '25
31 Jul '25 - 31 Dec '25
31 Dec '25
Also Read:
IIM admission is based on several parameters including, CAT score, WAT-GD-PI, academic record and work experience.
In the first phase, each test takers is shortlisted on the basis of his/her CAT score viz-a-viz CAT cutoffs fixed by each IIM individually for that year. Minimum cut-offs of the IIMs generally over 90 percentile for General candidates (much lower for reserved category candidates), which means, those who will score above 90 percentile in CAT 2020 will be eligible to apply. On the other hand, cut offs of newer IIMs range between 80-60 percentile.
The second phase of IIM admissions includes WAT-GD-PI. This stage is the decider for the selection panel finalise the candidate on the basis of performance in these rounds.
In the third phase, the candidates are scored on the basis of their academic performance, work experience, etc. Here’s a break up of parameters on which candidates are selected:
Parameters for IIM MBA Final Selection
Listed below are the parameters that are taken into consideration at time of preparation of final merit list. The weigtage allotted to each parameter is also mentioned in the table.
| Parameters |
Weight |
|---|---|
| CAT score |
40 |
| Class 10 score |
20 |
| Class 12 score |
10 |
| Graduation score |
20 |
| Gender diversity |
2 |
| Work experience |
8 |
| Total |
100 |
*The above table contains parameters and weight of IIM Bangalore for CAT 2019. Weights of each parameter varies for each IIM year on year.
Also Read:
The candidates must note that the top IIMs lay a lot of emphasis on academic record. It has been seen in the past that many candidates with 99 percentile were rejected as their academic performance did not match their CAT performance. Read more for detailed IIM admission and selection process
Institute-wise IIM selection criteria and admission process
Read More:
News & Updates
Explore Other Exams
10 Jul '25 - 5 Dec '25 | XAT 2026 Exam registration |
20 Dec '25 | XAT 2026 admit card download s... |
1 Aug '25 - 20 Nov '25 | SNAP 2025 Registration Process |
28 Nov '25 - 6 Dec '25 | SNAP 2025 admit card session 1... |
28 Oct '25 - 16 Dec '25 | NMAT 2025 Admit Card Issuance |
1 Aug '25 - 16 Dec '25 | NMAT 2025 Rescheduling Window |
17 Oct '24 - 5 Dec '24 | IIFT 2025 registration and app... |
23 Oct '25 - 7 Dec '25 | MAT PBT Registration 2025 (Dec... |
23 Oct '25 - 15 Dec '25 | MAT CBT Registration 2025 (Dec... |
1 Jul '25 - 19 Dec '25 | IBSAT 2025 Registration |
5 Nov '25 - 27 Dec '25 | IBSAT Slot Booking 2025 |
17 Oct '25 - 18 Nov '25 | CMAT 2026 registration and app... |
Dec '25 | MAH MBA CET 2026 registration ... |
2 Sep '25 - 4 Sep '25 | MAH MBA CAP 2025: Reporting to... |
Jan '26 | Publication of TANCET notifica... |
Jan '26 | TANCET registration window |
Mar '25 | IRMASAT 2025 Final Result Anno... |
Feb '25 | IRMASAT Personal Interviews |
Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 4 days ago
Hi...
h
Scholar-Level 17
Answered 5 days ago
GIBS Business School, Bangalore accepts various national-level examinations for admission to the PGDM and MBA programs. The scores of CAT, XAT, MAT, CMAT, ATMA, and GMAT are accepted by the institute. Besides these, GIBS also accepts all the state-level management entrance examinations if their scor
A
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 6 days ago
GIBS Business School, Bangalore, has a strong and dynamic Placement Cell that helps in securing excellent career opportunities for the students. Every year, more than 260 reputed companies have visited the campus for recruitment, offering versatile jobs in sectors like BFSI, IT, consulting, manufact
A
Contributor-Level 7
Answered a week ago
hi.
- Entrance Exam Score (Approx. 40% weightage): A valid score in any of the accepted national-level exams (CAT, XAT, MAT, CMAT, ATMA, GMAT, etc.) is a primary eligibility requirement for shortlisting.
- Group Discussion (GD)
h
Scholar-Level 17
Answered a week ago
Getting into the MBA programme of NIT Trichy with a 300 SC CAT rank is somewhat uncertain. As the recent data sets suggest, NIT Trichy's CAT cutoff for SC category admission stands around 65th percentile. A 300 SC rank could be borderline depending on how many SC candidates apply and the quality of
A
Contributor-Level 7
Answered a week ago
The present faculty-to-student ratio of GIBS Business School, Bangalore, is about 1:15, with one faculty member for every fifteen students. This balanced ratio enables personalized attention, close mentorship, and interactive classroom learning to ensure that each student gets proper academic guidan
A
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 4 weeks ago
Candidates who did not appear for the CAT entrance exam can apply St. Xavier's College, Kolkata admissions as it is not a mandatory entrance exam. The candidates who wish to gain admissions into the MBA course of the institute have to appear for the Kolkata University entrance test for St. Xavier's
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
PGCET and CAT serve distinct purposes. The PGCET is primarily conducted for MBA admissions in colleges in the state of Karnataka, specifically for government colleges and private universities with lower fees. CAT is a national level exam for top-ranking B-schools and colleges such as the IIMs that h
A
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
That's a wonderful goal to push your son toward right at the start. To obtain previous CAT model papers, you can check many available popular exam preparation books in any bookstore or online store. Coaching interest such as TIME, IMS, Career Launcher, etc., usually have mock tests and sample papers
A
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
Yes, you can get admission to Jaypee Business School (JBS), Noida for MBA even if you don't have CAT. JBS accepts scores from several other exams such as MAT, CMAT, XAT, GMAT, ATMA, and also CUET-PG. Just make sure you have a bachelor's degree with at least 50% marks, then apply with any of those va
Contributor-Level 9